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Monday, November 06, 2006

Have a Pen and Some Paper?

If you do, you can make a Hero's Day:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 4, 2006
SR# 110406-05

“You’ve Got Mail…”
Soldiers Speak About Importance of Mail


By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAQUBAH, Iraq (Nov. 4, 2006) -- “There is nothing in the world that is better than receiving mail,” said Sgt. Agustin Sanchez – and he would know.

As the certified mail clerk for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, it is his mission to make sure all the Soldiers from the “Grey Wolf” brigade get the mail they look forward to receiving.

Sanchez, who waits until after lunch to pick up mail from the post office, returns to his office and begins the sorting process. Sanchez said he knows he has to work quickly to meet the needs of those around him.

“Most Soldiers don’t get their mail until after they get back from work,” said the El Paso, Texas native. “When you come home from a long day of working hard or being on a patrol, nothing beats coming back and hearing, ‘Hey, you’ve got mail!’”

"When I get mail it's like Christmas every month because I don't get many packages back home," said Spc. Eddie Quintero, HHC, 3BCT, and a native of San Diego, Calif. "It's like a piece of home in a box."

With the internet being provided at the bases Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility, many Soldiers can go there to receive e-mails or pictures from a loved one. While e-mail is nice because of its timely delivery, Sanchez said he would rather have a hand written letter.

“Receiving a letter beats getting an e-mail any day,” Sanchez said.

“There is no better way to say ‘I love you’ to a Soldier overseas than sending a hand-written letter,” added Sanchez. “To take the time to sit down with a pen and paper, it just makes Soldiers feel loved. It reminds them of home.”

"Mail is love in an envelope," said Pfc. Freddie Scott Jr., HHC, 3BCT, and a native of Tallahassee, Fl. "Mail is like fuel that motivates me, and it lets me know people care about me and appreciate what I am doing for my country."

Feeling loved is something Sanchez said all Soldiers need, adding the letters he hands out lift the Soldiers’ spirits.

“It is the biggest morale booster in the world,” he said. “Any Soldier will tell you that.”

"Sometimes that's all you need -- to know someone appreciates what you are doing," added Scott.

“I remember my last deployment to Iraq,” said Sanchez, remembering the letters and drawings he used to get from children in the states.

“It just makes you smile and it does raise your morale way up,” he said. “I kept those drawings with me -- they meant a lot.”

People taking time out of their busy day to remember the Soldiers who are fighting hard for them overseas are what make the Soldiers keep going everyday, said Sanchez.

“From a colonel all the way down to a private, nothing is better than receiving a hand-written letter, pictures or a care package from a loved one,” said Sanchez. “It reminds you that there is someone out there who cares about what you are doing and appreciates it. They appreciate your efforts.”

-30-


Pvt. Rokeisha Washington, a native of San Antonio, Texas, helps Staff Sgt. Michael Addesso, a native of Fayetteville, N.C.; both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division; sort through mail to be delivered to Soldiers of the “Grey Wolf” Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)



While sorting through the brigade’s mail, Staff Sgt. Michael Addesso, a native of Fayetteville, N.C., hands Sgt. Agustin Sanchez, a native of El Paso, Texas; both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division; a package to be stored inside the mail room. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)



Sgt. Jan Janisch, a native of Las Vegas, hands Staff Sgt. Michael Addesso, a native of Fayetteville, N.C.; both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division; a package to be stored inside the mail room until Soldiers pick up their mail. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)



Staff Sgt. Michael Addesso, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division and a native of Fayetteville, N.C., reads the label on a package to see what 3rd BCT unit it needs to go to. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


To help support our troops with mail and packages, visit Soldiers' Angels

OBTAINING INFORMATION — U.S. Army 1st Lt. Luke Cuddy, from Combat Camera, Multi National Corps-Iraq, obtains information regarding operations between the Polish army's Military Transition Team and the 8th Iraqi Army Division, Oct. 31, 2006, during a visit to the division's headquarters in Diwaniyah, Iraq. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

In Today's News - Monday, November 6, 2006

Quote of the Day
"Courage -- a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger,
and a mental willingness to endure it."

-- General William T. Sherman

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Post-Verdict Clampdown in Iraq
U.S. helicopter crashes in Iraq, two killed
Bush calls Saddam conviction milestone in Iraq - Video
Rallies continue in wake of Saddam verdict
World opinion divided on Saddam sentence
Hussein Trial was Flawed but Reasonably Fair
Soldiers Say Pullout Would Have Devastating Results
Advisers a Vital Link to Iraq Exit

Operation Enduring Freedom
AFGHAN GOVERNOR DISCREDITS TALIBAN AND HIZB-I ISLAMI GULBIDDIN MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN
Turkey to Open Provincial Reconstruction Team
Afghan Men Test for Military Academy Class

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Report: Feds refusing FBI terror cases

Other Military News
VIDEO: Military Papers Call for Rumsfeld Ouster
Intrepid museum heads for drydock repair
Sailor Uses Web to Channel Opposition to War
Slain U.S. Sailor Tried to End Fight

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Hamas picks PM candidate but doesn't identify him - Video
Ariel Sharon moved out of intensive care
Hezbollah Uses Influence to Jockey for Power in Beirut
Israel Vows to Attack Gaza Until Rockets Subside

Worldwide Wackos
Japan, U.S. seek talks on N.Korea in Hanoi
Iran ready to share missile systems with others:TV

Politics / Government
Iraq foes would head Democrat war-spending panels
Iraq Key to Midterm Races
Bush Heads South Before Elections
YOU DECIDE 2006: Click here to get FOXNews coverage of all the races, PLUS the latest analysis from RealClearPolitics
Cheney to Spend Election Day Hunting
"Bible Belt" boosts Bush, Republicans
Parties work to turn out voters
Woman runs for Navajo Nation presidency

U.N. / NATO News
NATO chief urges end to "beauty contest" with EU

Mother Nature
Indonesia forest fires, attacks kill 1,000 orangutans
Thousands mourn Calif. wildfire victims
Climate conference convenes in Kenya

Other News of Note
Klansman Serving Life for Civil Rights Killing Dies
Kyrgyz protesters at gates of government HQ
Small bombs hit Mexico election court

Fox News
Early Results Give Ortega Lead in Nicaragua
Survey: Gas Prices Drop 2 Cents Last Two Weeks
Driver, 3 Boy Scouts Die in Car Crash in Virginia
California Targets 'Pot Docs' for Drug Charges
Gomes, Prokopcuka Win NYC Marathon
Stocks to Watch: XM Satellite Radio Holdings
Evangelist Confesses to Followers

Reuters: Top News
Stem cells fill in for liver in mouse experiment
Chinese scientists identify deadly gene in H5N1
HD Radio boosts distribution, holiday ads push
Vodafone first to standardize software - Microsoft
Lice face lousy future from dryer device
U.S. children grow bigger bellies: study
Obscure "Diamond" sparkles for Lindsay Lohan
Bad-boy director rekindles career with "Fire"
Oil slips below $59
Stocks poised for higher start as oil slips - Video
Gold off two-month highs but seen strong
Dollar hits 1-wk high vs yen
Will elections entice stock bulls? - Video
Paul DeMartino tracks widespread enthusiasm on the screens
Four Seasons Hotels gets $3.7 billion buyout offer
GM expects flat global output in 2006
Lenovo's Q2 seen slipping on global woes
Linde sells forklift unit Kion to Goldman, KKR
EU says still probing Visa, Morgan Stanley case
Google to broker print ads in U.S. newspapers

AP World News
Israel refuses to ban gay pride parade
'Borat' makes glorious box office win
Colts, NFL's only unbeaten, top Patriots
Oprah Winfrey makes diet books a hit
Lance Armstrong impresses at marathon
Thousands demonstrate in Mexican city
Gamers give PlayStation 3 rave reviews
Jimmie Johnson grabs NASCAR points lead
Miami ends Bears streak in 31-13 stunner
Paterno may need surgery for broken leg
Europe blackout leaves millions in dark
Google targets newspaper advertising
Obituaries in the news
Condemned inmates often get sedatives

Military.com
Get the Official Tomcat Sunset Calendar
Opinion: The Metrics of War
Sign the Veterans' Bill of Rights!
Gear in the News: EC-130H

CENTCOM: News Releases
ONE TERRORIST KILLED, 15 DETAINED IN EARLY MORNING RAIDS;IED, OTHER EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS FOUND

AG CENTER OFFERS SEED TO ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

ADMISSION TESTING HELD FOR NATIONAL MILITARY ACADEMY

COALITION SPONSORS CHAMKANI SPORTS TOURNAMENT

TURKEY OPENS 27TH PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAM

SOLDIERS DETAIN FIVE TERRORISTS, SEIZE WEAPONS

IRAQI ARMY, U.S. SOLDIERS DETAIN SENIOR MILITIA LEADER

USJFCOM
Planning discussions continue for next multinational experiment
More about Multinational Experiment 5
USJFCOM to participate in Orlando military conference - podcast
U.S., international partners gain knowledge from conference - podcast
Cooperation key for partnerships
International conference discusses current operations
USJFCOM, ACT host 6th CD&E Conference in Greece
USJFCOM takes over Individual Augmentee Program - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Iraqi High Tribunal Sentences Saddam, Two Others to Death - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi Police Complete Second Phase of Training - Story

IN IRAQ
Soldiers Deliver Supplies to Iraqi Children
Army Corps of Engineers Teach Safety Rules
UAVs Deliver Lifesaving Information to Troops
Marines Ensure Iraqi Police Get Supplies
Action Film Stars Kick Up Morale in Iraq

IN AFGHANISTAN
Team Visits Remote Afghans Before Winter
Afghan Interpreters Save Lives, Impart Knowledge
Afghan Leader Visits Kabul Military Training Center

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
Soldier, Marine Die in Iraq - 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
1572 - A Supernova is observed in the constellation known as Cassiopeia.
1813 - The Chilpancingo congress declares Mexico independent of Spain.
1844 - Spain grants the Dominican Republic independence.
1850 - Hawaii gets its first fire engine; Yerba Buena and the Angel Islands, in San Francisco Bay, are reserved for military use.
1860 - Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th U.S. President.
1861 - Jefferson Davis is elected to a 6-year term as the Confederate President.
1862 - A NY-San Francisco direct telegraphic link is established.
1884 - A British protectorate is proclaimed over southeast New Guinea.
1885 - The U.S. mint at Carson City, Nevada is directed to close.
1888 - Benjamin Harrison beats Grover Cleveland for President.
1900 - President William McKinley is re-elected, beating.
1911 - Francisco Madeiro is inaugurated as President of Mexico.
1913 - Mohandas K. Gandhi is arrested for leading an Indian miners march.
1917 - The Bolshevik revolution begins with the capture of the Winter Palace.
1918 - The Republic of Poland is proclaimed.
1923 - The U.S.S.R. adopts an experimental calendar, with 5-day "weeks."
1924 - Stanley Baldwin becomes PM of England.
1928 - Herbert Hoover is elected President.
1935 - Canada's Hawker Hurricane military plane makes its maiden flight.
1936 - RCA displays the TV for the press.
1945 - The HUAC begins its investigation of 7 radio commentators.
1952 - The first hydrogen bomb is exploded (by the U.S. at Eniwetok Atoll).
1956 - President Eisenhower is re-elected.
1957 - Felix Gaillard becomes premier of France.
1962 - Edward M. Kennedy is elected for the first time (Sen-MA).
1966 - For the first time, an entire lineup is televised in color (NBC).
1967 - The U.S. launches Surveyor-6; it will make a soft landing on the Moon Nov. 9.
1973 - Abe Beame is elected - the first Jewish mayor of NYC.
1976 - Benjamin Hooks succeeds Roy Wilkins as executive director of the NAACP.
1977 - 39 are killed when an earthen dam bursts at Toccoa Falls Bible College, GA.
1978 - The Shah of Iran places Iran under military rule.
1984 - President Reagan wins 49 states in a landslide re-election.
1985 - In the 22nd Space Shuttle Mission (61A), Challenger-9 lands at Edwards AFB; an exploratory well at Ranger TX, explodes, spilling 6.3 million gallons of oil.
1986 - Reagan signs a landmark immigration reform bill.

Birthdays
1661
- Charles II, last Habsburg king of Spain (1665-1700)
1771 - Alois Senefelder, inventor (lithography)
1814 - Adolphe Sax, musician/inventor (saxophone)
1851 - Charles H. Dow, co-founder of Dow Jones / first editor of the Wall St. Journal
1854 - John Phillip Sousa, march king (Stars and Stripes Forever)
1861 - James A. Naismith, inventor (basketball)
1900 - Heinrich Himmler, Nazi SS leader
1931 - Mike Nichols, stage/film director (Catch 22, Biloxi Blues)
1943 - Michael Schwerner, civil rights worker, murdered in 1964
1946 - Sally Field, actress (Gidget, Flying Nun)

Passings
1632
- King Gustavus, Aldophus of Sweden, in battle
1944 - Hannah Senesh, Jewish poetess, executed by Nazis in Budapest
1987 - Ross R. Barnett, lawyer/(Gov-MS)

Reported Missing in Action
1964

Dawson, Daniel G., US Army (CA); O1F crashed, Killed, body not recovered

1965
Bolstad, Richard E., USAF (MN); A1E shot down, released February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Cormier, Arthur, USAF (NJ); CH3C shot down (pararescue), released by DRV February, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Lilly, Warren E., USAF (TX); CH3C shot down (pilot), released by DRV February, 1973 (injured) - alive and well as of 1998

McKnight, George G., USAF (OR); A1E shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - injured - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Singleton, Jerry A., USAF (OK); CH3C shot down (co-pilot), released by DRV February, 1973 - alive as of 1998

1967
Hagerman, Robert Warren, USAF (IL); F105 shot down, remains returned December, 1985

1968
Turner, Frederick Ray, USMC (OH); KIA in rocket attack, body not recovered

1972
Tolbert, Clarence O., USN (OK); A7B shot down, remains returned February, 1989

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