New Orleans, La (Oct. 23, 2006) - The Pre-Commissioning Unit New Orleans (LPD 18) transits past the city of New Orleans on the Mississippi River. The amphibious transport dock was heading to the Gulf of Mexico to conduct builder’s trials. New Orleans is being built in Avondale, Louisiana, and is scheduled to be commissioned in March of 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Mr. Sam Shore

Camp Lejeune has a troupe of little Heroines that really need your help.

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune's Community Center offers dance classes to kids ages 3 - 10. Instructor Lauren Kelly-Hill contacted local businesses with "we support our troops" signs in their windows, to ask for sponsorship for costumes for the kids' December holiday dance recital, in return for an ad in the recital program.

The kids need a total of $1,200 for their costumes for the December recital. Costumes and other supplies for the larger Spring recital will be about twice that.

Unfortunately, only one business responded - only to report that they were financially committed for the year. I understand that many businesses may have obligations, but I have to say, this is a pretty poor showing for a military town - especially when we're talking about businesses that declare that they "support our troops."

Supporting our troops means supporting their families, too. For many of these girls, it will be a last chance to show off before their Hero deploys - most of these Marines will be away during the Spring recital. So these little ladies really need your help.

Only $1,200 - really not much. I've got a fairly modest readership as blogs go, and if every one of my readers gave only a couple of dollars, we'd have it covered, and then some. A little more than that, and we've got Spring covered, too.

Please consider making a donation to help Camp Lejeune's ballerinas to make their holiday recital special. The donation isn't tax deductible, but as Lauren says, "it IS going for the 40 most beautiful little girls to have an awesome recital with costumes, decorations, and recital photos."

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

You can make your donation here. Mine's already in.

Thank you for any help you can provide to these little girls. It's going to mean more than you can know to them and to their families.

IN THE PERSIAN GULF — A rigid hull inflatable boat exits the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan in the Persian Gulf, Oct. 24, 2006. Saipan is currently on deployment in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations in support of the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary L. Johnson III

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Bush 'Shifting Tactics' in Iraq - VIDEO
Iraqi PM Angry Over U.S. Raid in Sadr City
U.S. troops on active duty call for Iraq withdrawal
Bush says he's concerned about Iraq
Bush unsatisfied with Iraq war progress

Operation Enduring Freedom
Germany orders inquiry into Afghan skull photos - Video

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Anti-Terror ID Programs Show Little or No Progress
Pentagon eyes major spending for Guantanamo trials
Ground zero bones could yield DNA clues

Other Military News
Army Gets $7 Billion Budget Boost

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Israel, Germany at odds over Lebanon air incident
Mideast solution possible: ElBaradei

Worldwide Wackos
China: N. Korea Not Planning 2nd Test, Did Not Apologize
Putin urges caution in dealing with North Korea - Video
N. Korea warns South against sanctions
Russian nuclear project snags Iran sanctions deal - Video
Former Iran leader wanted in Argentina

Politics / Government
Celebs Waging Ad WarOver Stem Cell Research - VIDEO
Bush, Republicans turn to talk shows for help
Republican Party's liberal senator in danger
War on poverty slips from election agenda

In the Courts
NJ Gays Win Equal Rights Ruling
Reaction to NJ gay marriage ruling
Legal progress for same-sex couples
New York killer "Son of Sam" wins court victory

U.N. News
Venezuela, Guatemala to seek new U.N. candidate

Oddities
Principal Suspended for Giving Student a Wedgie
Meth Ring Smuggled Drugs Inside Elmo, Other Toys
LAPD Probes Alleged Patient Dumping on Skid Row
City sets underwear rule for firefighters
Science exam a test of love...

Other News of Note
Arizona Sheriff Offers English Classes to Inmates
Some U.S. Gulf coast rebuilding may be unwise: study

Fox News
Florida Executes Serial Killer Danny Harold Rolling
Stocks Finish Up After Fed Decision
Suspect Charged With Murder of Vermont Student
Study: Lung Scans May Find Cancer Earlier
2nd Florida Ex-Altar Boy Accuses Foley Priest
Classified Los Alamos Documents Found in Meth Bust
Grey's Anatomy: Entertaining but Irresponsible

Reuters: Top News
Sudan open to more African peacekeepers - Video
Mexican footprints may be among oldest in Americas
Hacker unlocks Apple music download protection
Yahoo makes Internet bookmarks ready to share
Butterfly tagging sheds light on migrating monarch
Lung-cancer scans may save lives, study finds
Full face transplant gets go-ahead in UK
Supermodel Naomi Campbell arrested in London
Oops! Spears names baby Jayden, not Sutton
U.S. stocks gain, Exxon and Altria jump
Monster reports net loss, shares slide
Oil jumps 4 percent on US stock draw
Affymetrix shares rise
Applebee's shares fall
Being Amazon.com
Retirement benefits -- now or later?
GM posts profit, but tough part of recovery looms
Anheuser-Busch Q3 profit tops view; shares rise
Fed keeps U.S. rates steady
Existing home sales fall for 6th straight month
FPL, Constellation scrap $12.5 billion merger
Ex-NYSE trader did not act in bad faith: lawyer

AP World News
Weight gain means lower gas mileage
Lance Bass' boyfriend target of threats
Starbucks pursues aggressive expansion
Parcells' verdict: Romo over Bledsoe
Madonna: Boy I plan to adopt is healthy
'Grey's Anatomy' actor sorry for scuffle
Dow, Nasdaq close higher on Fed decision
Smudgegate just latest flap at Series
NASA spacecraft to study solar flares
Fed keeps interest rates at 5.25 percent
GM posts smaller 3Q loss, but stock down
Cobain tops list of richest dead celebs
Putin expects to remain force in Russia
Gov't panel recommends shingles vaccine
Will NLCS MVP Suppan pitch big again?
Madonna 'disappointed' by criticism
Hacker targets iPod, iTunes restrictions

Military.com
Members Miffed by Flag Officer Pay Raise
Op-ed: Ollie on Terror's Back Door
Blog: Andi and SpouseBUZZ are Texas Bound
Homefront Stress Worse Than Combat
Veterans' Heath Care Made Easy
Get Your Medals Ready for Vets Day

CENTCOM: News Releases
IRAQI ARMY FORCES CONDUCT RAID TO DETAIN SUSPECTED DEATH SQUAD LEADER

VEHICLE BLAST CLAIMS LIVES IN HUSAYBAH, IRAQ

USJFCOM
Urban warfare experiment draws many players
USJFCOM, USTRANSCOM commanders sign joint vision statement
Command's experiment bringing focus to urban challenges
Command leadership assisted as Navy transforms officer training
USJFCOM exhibits Joint Force Projection ACTD - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
President Says U.S. Security Depends on Victory in Iraq - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Soldiers Set Up Medical Ops in Rushdi Mullah - Story
Center Gives Iraqis Place to Voice Concerns - Story
Iraqi Army Training Centers Prepare for Influx - Story
Specialist Delivers Supplies, Hope to Students - Story

IN IRAQ
Navy Leader Visits with Sailors in Iraq
Austin Officials Aim to Help Iraqi Public Services
Outlaw Pursues Flight in Skies Over Iraq
Electricity Levels in Baghdad at All Time Lows
172nd Soldiers Deliver 75 Generators to Schools

IN AFGHANISTAN
Agha Jon School Reopens After Taliban Torching
Navy Leader Talks with Sailors in Afghanistan

IN DJIBOUTI
Horn of Africa Troops Work to Stem Terrorism

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Army Casualty - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1774 - The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia.
1825 - The Erie Canal (between the Hudson River and Lake Erie) is opened.
1863 - The Worldwide Red Cross is organized in Geneva.
1868 - White terrorists kill several Blacks in St. Bernard Parish, LA.
1881 - Shootout at the OK corral (Tombstone, AZ).
1905 - The first Soviet (workers' council) is formed in St. Petersburg, Russia; the Union of Sweden and Norway ends.
1921 - Solomon Porter Hood is named minister to Liberia.
1941 - U.S. savings bonds go on sale.
1942 - The USS Hornet (CV-8, a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier), is sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
1955 - Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims Vietnam a republic, with himself as president.
1956 - The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency statute is approved.
1966 - The first Pacific communications satellite is launched (Intelsat-2).
1967 - The Shah of Iran crowns himself.
1968 - Soyuz-3 is launched.
1970 - The "Doonesbury" comic strip debuts.
1972 - Guided tours of Alcatraz (by the U.S. Park Service) begin; Henry Kissinger declares "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam.
1975 - Anwar Sadat becomes the first Egyptian president to officially visit the U.S.
1976 - Transkei gains independence (not recognized outside of South Africa); Trinidad and Tobago becomes a republic.
1987 - The head of the Salvadoran Human Rights Commission is assassinated by death squads.
1988 - A U.S.-Soviet effort frees two grey whales from the frozen Arctic in Barrow, AK.

Birthdays
1855 - Charles Post, breakfast cereal magnate
1873 - Thorvald Stauning, Denmark, PM (1924-26, 1929-42)
1879 - Leon Trotsky, Russian revolutionary (president of the first Soviet)
1894 - John S. Knight, publisher (Knight-Ridder)
1916 - François Mitterand, president of France (1981-1995)
1917 - Felix the Cat, cartoon character
1919 - Edward W. Brooke, first Black Senator in over 80 yrs (MA); Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Aryamehr, Shah of Iran (1941-79)
1947 - Hilary Rodham Clinton, First Lady (1993-2001) / U.S. Senator (NY)
1962 - Cary Elwes, actor (Glory, Princess Bride)

Passings
0901 - King Alfred the Great
1868 - B.F. Randolph, SC state senator, assassinated
1909 - Prince Ito of Japan, assassinated by a Korean
1979 - Park Chung-hee, South Korean President, assassinated
1990 - William Paley, CEO (CBS)

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Morrison, Glenn Raymond, Jr., USAF (IA); F100D shot down

1967
Daniels, Verlyne W., USN (KS); A4E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive as of 1998 *** Also served in Korea ***

McCain, John S., USN (VA); A4E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - now U.S. Senator

Rice, Charles D., USN (NY); F8E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1969
Bynum, Neil S., USAF (OK); F4D shot down (w/Warren)

Warren, Gary D., USAF (IA); F4D shot down (w/Bynum)

1971
Eveland, Mickey E., US Army (CA); CH47B shot down (crewchief), KIA, body not recovered

Finger, Sanford Ira, US Army (NY); CH47B shot down (passenger), KIA, body not recovered

Green, Thomas F., US Army (CA); CH47B shot down (gunner), KIA, body not recovered

Lautzenheizer, Michael, US Army (IN); CH47B shot down (flight engineer), KIA, body not recovered

Nickol, Robert A., US Army (PA); CH47B shot down (passenger), KIA, body not recovered

Trudeau, Albert R., US Army (WI); CH47B shot down (pilot), KIA, body not recovered