Serving through the season: Senior Airman Lindsey Dawson
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- This holiday season, it will be a sure bet that Senior Airman Lindsey Dawson will be manning her desk in the base command post, the nerve center for the 506th Air Expeditionary Group.
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Members of the Iraqi Army and police department, Balad Ruz government officials and Soldiers from the 5-73 Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, join the Balad Ruz mayor, Mayor Mohamed Maroof Al-Hussein, in the ribbon cutting ceremony opening the doors to the Al Noor radio station, Dec. 18. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 21, 2006
SR# 122106-02


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


BALAD RUIZ, Iraq (Dec. 18, 2006) -- In a city where there is no means for releasing information to its people, coalition forces have developed a project to give the people the chance that many Americans take for granted – the privilege of free speech.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Al Noor radio station, also known as the “The Light,” located in Balad Ruz, Iraq, opened its doors to many with high hopes and happy faces from the Iraqi Army and police department, city officials of Balad Ruz and members of the 5-73 Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.

“This is a great day for Balad Ruiz and its people,” said Mayor Mohamed Maroof Al-Hussein, mayor of Balad Ruiz. “I think this is a new stage for our city and a new way to serve our people.”

“This is a free station,” he continued. “The people can say what they want. The people can speak freely.”

With the help of 5-73, the civilians will now be able to here the news and get more information in their homes other than what the terrorist want to put out, said Al-Hussein.

“I remember the first night we were here [at Forward Operating Base Caldwell] and hearing Iranian broadcast in English to target the American Soldiers,” said Capt. John Pratt, Company B, 404th Civil Affairs. “These terrorists were getting their message out and the people here didn’t have a way to get their’s out.”

“This is a pro-government radio station that is to counter act what the terrorists are saying,” said the Myrtle Beach, S.C. native. “It also lets the people know what the coalition forces are doing in their area to help them.”

Pfc. Timothy Bramhall, a member of 5-73, and said this mission was one of the most important missions he had been on. Not just for the coalition forces, but for the Iraqi people, said the Bronx, NY native.

“This is a chance for the city and its officials to reach out to their people,” Bramhall said. “It is also a chance for us to let them know we are here to help them and try to make Balad Ruz a better place.”

Balad Ruz, which is primarily farm land, is currently behind in technological progress. Pratt feels this is a big chance for the government to prove to its people that changes in the economy are just waiting to happen.

“This is a primarily agricultural community and this is proof that Balad Ruz’s new government, along with the progress that is being made in Iraq, that the city is able to take that first technological step to bettering their economy,” said Pratt. “This means more jobs and growth for the community.”

After the ceremony, spectators were given a tour of the new facility and talked with the new employees. The station, which is now up and running, will start operations at 7 a.m. and end at 1 p.m., and will change its hours when employees are further trained.

Though the hopes of progress are high, Balad Ruz government officials and the coalition forces primarily hope the radio station raises awareness and the morale of the Iraqi people.

“I hope this new service will encourage other cities to start stations to better serve their people,” said Al-Hussein.

“I hope the [Iraqi citizens] feel good about this,” said Bramhall. “I hope it gives them a chance to say what they want to say. I think its better for them to hear information from their own people then from us.”

“It’s also their people getting the chance to reflect their own points of view,” he added. “It’s a chance to let those out there know that they are not alone with their views. There are others also that feel the way they feel.”
Bramhall said he hoped the Iraqi people would understand this freedom to say what they feel.

“Something we, as Americans, forget about at times – our right to freedom of speech,” he said. “They will now know what that’s like.”

“This radio station is for the people,” Pratt added. “It’s a way to put out information about what’s happening in their community to better serve the people.”
Employees of Al Noor are currently sending out flyers across the city to promote the station and begin its mission of informing the people.



Capt. John Pratt, Company B, 404th Civil Affairs and a native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., speaks with the Balad Ruz mayor, Mayor Mohamed Maroof Al-Hussein, after the ribbon cutting ceremony opening the doors to the Al Noor radio station, Dec. 18. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)



Capt. John Pratt, Company B, 404th Civil Affairs and a native of Myrtle Beach, S.C., greet members of the Balad Ruz community, along with Mayor Mohamed Maroof Al-Hussein, the mayor of Balad Ruz, after the ribbon cutting ceremony which opened the doors to the Al Noor radio station, Dec. 18. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

We can move it
Photo by Staff Sgt. John Heresz
December 22, 2006
A CH-47 Chinook lifts a sling-loaded UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after an Army downed aircraft recovery team removed the rotor blades. The helicopter made a precautionary landing in southern Iraq because of a mechanical concern.

Pfc. Timothy Bramhall, 5-73 Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, pulls guard during a mission in Balad Ruz, Iraq. On September 11, 2001, Bramhall was at the World Trade Center Towers helping those hurt by the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of many innocent people. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 21, 2006
SR# 122106-01

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

BALAD RUIZ, Iraq (Dec. 19, 2006) – On the morning of September 11, 2001, Pfc. Timothy Bramhall made his way to downtown New York City to officially end his military career. After proudly serving in the Army Reserves, the Bronx native felt he was at a crossroads in life and needed guidance on what to do with his bright future. Bramhall decided it was time for him to exit the military and start anew.

Little did he know, the guidance on what to do with his life, the guidance he was searching for, was about to hit him like a ton of bricks.

Bramhall stepped off the train at Madison Square Garden station to find the world he knew, the world he grew up in, now searching for his help and his guidance.

On September 11, 2001, a day that will never leave Bramhall’s heart, terrorists attacked both towers of the World Trade Center, causing them to fall and end the life of many innocent people.
“I was getting ready to get out of the Army,” said Bramhall. “On 9-11, I went downtown to be out-processed, but found myself at the World Trade Center doing search and rescue.”

“I just walked out of the Madison Square Garden Train Station, and these Secret Service agents grabbed me and asked if I would help pull security since I was in uniform,” he said. “I didn’t think, I just did what I was asked to do.”

Bramhall, fighting through the chaos from the citizens of NYC, followed his orders and made his way to the Towers to help secure the area. As he was pulling security, Bramhall was asked to help with one of the biggest missions of his life – go into the Towers to help people exit them before they fell.

“While I was pulling security, I was pulled into a mission to start clearing one of the Towers,” he said. “Once again, I followed my orders.”

Though he admits he was scared of what might happen to him, Bramhall bravely entered the second Tower, completely fulfilling one of the U.S. Army’s core values, personal courage. Bramhall put the lives of the people stuck in the Towers over his own. He was driven and knew he had to help.

“At first I was really scared,” Bramhall admitted. “At the time I went into the Towers, people were jumping out of them. I saw one person jump and hit a fire fighter and kill him. After that, I wanted to turned and run.”

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m too young to die,’” he continued. “But then it hit me. These people are scared and what would they think if they saw a guy in uniform run from a situation like this? So I regained my composure and went right back to the mission, not really knowing what would happen next.”

Bramhall’s fear hit a new level as soon as he heard the alarm signaling the Tower was about to fall.

“I was inside the building helping everyway I could when I heard the alarm signaling the Tower was falling,” he said. “All I remember after that was running out the building and down this ally. I ducked down and cradled myself to protect myself from falling debris. I felt this huge rushing wind that seemed to pull everything by me.”

After the second tower fell, Bramhall linked up with another Soldier and two Marines, and went to work searching for people in the wreckage.

“Unfortunately, we mostly were pulling out bodies, but kept up the hope that we would find survivors,” said Bramhall.

But seven days later, as Bramhall put it, a miracle happened.

“On day seven of the search and rescue, we found a handicap person who was not in the Towers, but in a building that was near the Towers that was damaged because of the fall,” he said. “It was amazing that she was still alive.”

Bramhall and his new “brothers” helped the woman out of the wreckage and to a place where she could receive aid.

“That was a great felling,” he said. “You lose hope after time that anyone will be alive. You want to keep hope, but it slips after seeing the wreckage. So, to find this woman on the seventh day, it was amazing. We felt so good.”

The mission was not yet over for Bramhall. He and his fellow servicemen stayed at the wreckage site until January 2002, working 12-hour clean-up shifts and sleeping in a local high school hallway.

“Times were hard out there but we kept reminding ourselves that we were in the military,” Bramhall said. “This is what we were meant to do; this is what Soldiers are meant to do – help people in need.”

After his service to the World Trade Center Towers was complete, Bramhall still decided to exit the military. He then went to work for the Rescue 1 Fire Station in NYC, hoping to continue to serve the people of New York. But after some time of reflection, Bramhall decided the best way he could serve the people of New York and his country was to go back into the Army.
Now a member of the 5-73 Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Bramhall says he’s right where he needs to be – serving his country in Iraq.

“This is one of the reasons I am here in Iraq,” he said. “I’m here in support of those people in the Towers who didn’t make it out of there. I’m doing this for them. I’m also doing this for another person who worked with me at the Towers.”

On the year anniversary of the falling of the Towers, Bramhall met up with those who had helped him and others clear the buildings, trying desperately to save the lives of those inside.

“One of the guys who helped us lost his Uncle, Brother and Father to the crash of the Towers,” said Bramhall. “He wasn’t doing so well a year later. He went through some really hard times afterwards, so I’m also doing this for him, too.”

Bramhall says he proudly serves his country for all of those out there who want to lend a hand to their country, but can’t.

“I do this for those guys who want to be out here, but can’t be out here,” he said.

“This is not about revenge,” Bramhall added. “I just think about those who lost so much, and how I can help bring peace to their lives.”

Though Bramhall still has a way to go in his year-long deployment with 5-73, he says he’s okay with that. Bramhall said he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I would not chance anything,” he said. “I’m glad I’m here, doing my part.”

ABOARD THE EISENHOWER — A U.S. Navy sailor drags arresting gear wires into place aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower while under way in the Persian Gulf, Dec. 20, 2006. The Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 are supporting maritime security operations and Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman David Danals

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Four U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq
Gates plans report to Bush on Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom
Bomb blast kills 5 Afghan police

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
New York rail tunnels seen as vulnerable: report
Fatah and Hamas members clash in West Bank - Video
Ethiopian tanks roll toward Somali battlefront

Troops on Trial
8 Marines Charged in Killing of 24 Iraqi Civilians
Iraq town has little faith in U.S. trial of Marines

Other Military News
2 Dead, 1 Missing in Army Copter Crash
Selective Service Plans Test of Military Draft
U.S. to maintain long presence in Gulf region: Gates
Defense Tech: Radar Still Messed Up
New Uniforms Coming

Worldwide Wackos
Iran's Prez Calls Bush 'Most Hated Person' in the World
Ahmajdinejad continues tirade against West
West wants Friday U.N. Iran vote but Russia says no
North Korea talks end with no deal - Video

Homegrown Moonbats
Donald Trump Tells FNC: 'Rosie O'Donnell's a Loser'

'Tis the Season
A real Christmas story
All at sea for Christmas? Rig workers celebrate early
Their real name is Christmas
Poll: Christmas tradition trumps trendy
Blog: Holiday Wishes From Kosovo
The Right Kind of Presents
Advisors: Flu-Fighting Foods

Politics / Government
Rep. Defends Letter Blasting Muslims
Condi: America Is Ready for a Black President
Top Calif. lawmaker proposes expanding health care
California governor calls for $11 bln prison reform

Immigration / Border Control
U.S. Judge Orders Saudi Princess Deported for Immigration Violations
'Transmigrantes' head home via Mexico

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News
YouTube helps police find murder suspect

Science / Nature
Giant squid caught on video by Japanese scientists
Huge plant-eating dinosaur unearthed in Spain
NASA may face only second N.Mexico shuttle landing
Airport, roads, mail halted in snow-bound Colorado
Fog disrupts London's Heathrow airport again
Small teams look for clues on Mt. Hood
Gorilla on fertility drug gives birth
Travelers still stranded in Denver

Oddities
It's Christmas! Have a little more bat meat!

Other News of Note
Truck Hauling Uranium Overturns in North Carolina
"Stay the course" named top catch phrase of 2006
Police baffled by murder of ex-Russian spy

Fox News
Arizona Becomes Nation's Fastest Growing State
'Ipswich Ripper' Suspect Appears in Court
Miss Nevada Katie Rees Fired Over Raunchy Photos
Study Projects Flu Pandemic Could Kill 81 Million Worldwide

Reuters: Top News
Dragons to disco: Choice of youth video games widens
Internet threatens NY diamond dealers' way of life
"Museum" comedy set to rule Christmas box office
Indexes open little changed on techs, data
Dollar slips on tame U.S. inflation data
Oil steady after tumble from 3-mth high
Benign U.S. inflation dents dollar, boosts bonds
Liberty Media, DirecTV rise
Chance of rate cut rises after data
Toyota set to overtake GM in 2007
Incomes, spending rise in November
Creditor group expects Delta to weigh options
Walgreen quarterly profit jumps
News Corp. reaches deal with Liberty Media
Ford boss plans radical overhaul: WSJ

AP World News
Man won't seek bail in British murders
Jessica Simpson out of Parton tribute
Consumer spending picks up in November
Marlins pitcher arrested on DUI charge
Favre leads Packers past Vikings 9-7
Red Hat 3Q profit drops but beats views
Pfizer's McKinnell to get $180M package
Paternity test ordered for Smith's baby=
Hilary Duff becomes a Barbie doll
Pettitte and Yankees finalize $16M deal
Obituaries in the news
Concord jet moves to temporary NYC home
Ex-cop plans video on how to hide drugs

Military.com
Op-ed: Ollie's War Diary

CENTCOM: News Releases
MAHMUDIYAH IRAQI POLICE DEFUSE CAR BOMB

IRAQI TEENAGER DIES OF WOUNDS FROM IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE IN WESTERN ANBAR PROVINCE

PARATROOPERS UNCOVER EXPLOSIVE CACHE

ONE TERRORIST KILLED, 25 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED IN REGIONAL RAIDS

RADIO STATION OPENS IN BALAD RUZ

MND-B SOLDIERS PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR IRAQI ARMY’S MEDICAL MISSION

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 15

NAJAF TEACHING HOSPITAL NEARS COMPLETION

GOOD PREPARATION, LUCK GETS JOB DONE

FOUR MEN DETAINED ON SUSPICION OF IED MANUFACTURING

IRAQI POLICE RECRUITING DRIVE SIGNS UP 1,115 IN AL ANBAR

IRAQI ARMY, COALITION FORCES DISCOVER CACHE, KILLS SEVEN AIF

‘CACHE HOUSE’ UNCOVERED IN EASTERN BAGHDAD

IRAQI, U.S. FORCES DELIVER TRANSFORMER

AN NAJAF NOW UNDER PROVINCIAL IRAQI CONTROL

IRAQI POLICE FIND IEDS INSIDE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN RAMADI

CIVILIANS WOUNDED BY ANTI-IRAQI MORTAR ATTACKS

AN NAJAF PIC CEREMONY ‘B-ROLL’ FOOTAGE AVAILABLE ON DVIDS

CAR BOMB DISCOVERED NEAR MAHMUDIYAH

USJFCOM
USJFCOM gets approval to connect U.S., Australian networks - podcast
USJFCOM’s new super computer to enhance joint experimentation, training - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Gates Assures Iraqis of U.S. Support - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Soldiers, Mayor Discuss Progress of City Cleanup - Story
Iraqi Police, Coalition Forces Deliver Supplies - Story
Afghan Officials, U.S. Troops Open Runway - Story
Najaf Teaching Hospital Nears Completion - Story
Shaw Airmen Return from Iraq, Afghanistan - Story

IN IRAQ
Soldiers Work 24/7 to Keep Supplies Flowing
U.S. Army Engineers Help Ramp Up Oil Production
Iraq Officials Assume Security Control in An Najaf
Moody Welcomes Airmen Home for Holidays
Village Blocks Insurgents; Gains Jobs, Revenue
Iraqis Graduate from Police Academy in Kirkuk
Iraqi Army Assumes Control of Patrol Base Razor

IN AFGHANISTAN
Chief of Chaplains Brings Support to Region
Buccaneers Return from Afghanistan Tour
Patrol Trucks to Increase Security in Afghanistan

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

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch Garmisch-PartenkirchenGeilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen Hanau Am Main Heidelberg MainzMannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al KutAn Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan MasanMokp'o Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar SiteUlsan Yosu



Today in History
0401 - St Innocent I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
0795 - Leo III succeeds pope Adrianus I
1135 - Norman nobles recognize Stefanus van Blois as English king
1216 - Pope Honorius III delegates degree "Religiosam vitam eligentibus"
1465 - Peace of St Truiden: Louis van Bourbon becomes bishop of Luik
1596 - Ferryboat Meuniers crashes in Paris, 150 die
1688 - Pro-James II, Earl of Danby occupies York
1689 - Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck
1715 - English "pretender to the throne" James III lands at Peterhead
1731 - Dutch people revolt against meat tax
1775 - Continental navy organized with 7 ships
1783 - Washington resigns his military commission as US Army's commander-in-chief
1790 - Russian troops occupy Ismail on Turks
1807 - Congress passes Embargo Act, to force peace between Britain & France
1810 - British frigate Minotaur sinks killing 480
1815 - Spaniards execute Mexican revolutionary priest José Maria Morelos
1832 - HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reaches Barnevelts Islands
1862 - Raid on Morgan's: Bardstown to Elizabethtown KY
1870 - Jules Janssen flies in a balloon in order to study a solar eclipse
1882 - 1st string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison
1885 - Pope Leo XIII proclaims extraordinary jubilee
1894 - French officer Alfred Dreyfus court-martialed for treason, triggers worldwide charges of anti-Semitism (Dreyfus later vindicated)
1910 - US postal savings stamps 1st issued
1917 - Flanders declares its independence, under Pieter Tack
1919 - Government of Ireland Act of Power (Home Rule for Ireland); US deports 250 alien radicals, including anarchist Emma Goldman
1930 - 6 West europe lands signs Convention of Oslo
1937 - Lincoln Tunnel (New York NY) opens to traffic
1939 - 125 die in train wreck at Magdeburg Germany; 99 die in 2nd wreck at Friedrichshafen Germany; Finnish counter offensive at Petsamo
1941 - Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrives in Washington DC for a wartime conference; Japan's invasion leader lands on Luzon, Philippines; Tito establishes 1st Proletarian Brigade in Yugoslavia
1944 - Germans demand surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Sub Swordfish departs Pearl Harbor for Japan
1947 - Italian constituent assembly adopts new constitution
1950 - 2 self-propelled trains of Long Island RR collide, killing 77
1952 - French government of Pinay, resigns
1956 - Last British/French troops leave Egypt
1958 - 2nd Dutch Beel government forms
1963 - Official 30-day mourning period for President John F Kennedy ends
1964 - Lockheed SR-71 spy aircraft reaches 3,530 kph (record for a jet)
1970 - SS Commander Franz Stangl of Treblinka, sentenced to life imprisonment
1971 - UN General Assembly ratifies Kurt Waldheim as Secretary-General
1972 - 6.25 earthquake strikes Managua Nicaragua, 12,000+ killed
1974 - Referenda in Comoros-3 islands for independence, 1 stays French; 2nd cease-fire between IRA & British; lasts until approximately April 1975
1977 - 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes
1978 - Thailand adopts constitution
1980 - President-elect Reagan appoints Jean Kirkpatrick (UN delegate) & James Watt (Interior)
1981 - Argentine General Leopoldo Galtieri sworn in as president; Belgium's 5th government of Martens forms
1983 - Egyptian President Mubarak meets with PLO leader Yasser Arafat
1984 - Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 black youths (muggers) on a NYC subway train
1988 - 2 robbers wearing police uniforms rob armored truck of $3 million in New Jersey; South Africa signs accord granting independence to South-West Africa; Tug hits oil barge, spreads 231,000 gal on 300 miles of Western Australia & British Columbia coast
1989 - After 23 years of dictatorial rule, Romania ousts Nicolae Ceausescu; Chad adopts its Constitution
1990 - Iraq announces it will never give up Kuwait; Israeli ferry capsizes killing 21 US servicemen; Lech Walesa sworn in as Poland's 1st popularly elected president
1992 - Libyan MIG-23UB attacks Boeing 727 at Souk al-Sabt, 158 die
1994 - Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi resigns

Birthdays
1428 - Richard Neville Warwick, 2nd earl of Salisbury
1515 - Mary of Lorraine, France, pro-French Regent of Scotland
1523 - Charles, "Cardinal" of Bourbon archbishop Rouen
1643 - Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle, French explorer (Louisiana)
1727 - William Ellery, signer of the Declaration of Independence
1728 - Charles Frederick Baden, liberal ruler of Baden
1744 - Abigail Adams, 2nd US First Lady (1797-1801)
1767 - Andreas Hofer, military leader (fought Napoleon's France)
1803 - Joseph King Fenno Mansfield, Union Major General
1826 - James Scott Negley, Union Major General
1831 - Robert Ogden Tyler, Union Brevet Major General
1832 - Edward Hatch, Union Brevet Major General
1847 - Heihatjirô Tôjô, Japanese admiral (Russian-Japanese war)
1856 - Frank Kellogg, Secretary of State (1925-29), tried to outlaw war (Nobel1929)
1863 - Jean-Baptiste Marchand, soldier/explorer (Sudan)
1867 - (Karl Eduard) Wilhelm Groener, German general
1868 - John Nance, (Vice-President - 1933-41)
1881 - Enver Pasa , Turkish politician
1883 - Arthur James Cook, English union leader (coal miners)
1888 - Joseph Arthur Rank, English film magnate/baron
1890 - Charles de Gaulle, premier of France
1891 - Edward L. Bernays, 1st public relations agent
1902 - Jacques-Philippe Leclerc, French WWII hero (liberator of Paris)
1903 - Dr. Barbara Moore, walked across US in 86 days in 1960; H. Keffer Hartline, US biophysicist (Nobel 1967)
1911 - Grote Reber, US astronomer (1st parabolic radio telescope)
1912 - Claudia A. "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson, US First Lady (1963-1969)
1917 - Andrew Fielding Huxley, English physiologist (Nobel 1963); Gene Rayburn, TV game show host (Match Game)
1922 - James C. Wright, Jr. (Representative-TX), Speaker of the House (1987-89)
1935 - John L. Finley, USAF/astronaut
1937 - Marco J. de Castro, Dutch Antillian politician
1943 - Billie Jean King, tennis pro
1945 - Diane Sawyer, newscaster (60 Minutes, ABC Prime Time); Joris J.C. Voorhoeve, Dutch Defense minister (1994-, VVD)
1949 - Robin Gibb, rocker/twin of Maurice (Bee Gees-Saturday Night Fever)
1954 - Jayaseelan Naidoo, South African worker's union leader
1956 - Cojo, 1st gorilla born in captivity
1961 - Yuri Ivanovich Malinchenko, Russian Lieutenant-Colonel/cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-19)

Passings
1337 - Daito Kokushi, leader of O-To-Kan Rinzai school in Japan, dies at 54
1419 - John XXIII (Baldassare Cossa), Italian Pope (1410-15)
1440 - Bluebeard, pirate, executed
1603 - Mehmed III, sultan of Turkey (1595-1603), dies at 37
1641 - Maximilien de Béthune, duke of Sully PM of France, dies at 81
1815 - José Maria Morelos, Mexican revolutionary priest executed by Spaniards
1828 - Rachel Jackson, wife of 7th US President Andrew Jackson
1863 - Michael Corcoran, Union Brigadier-General, dies at 36
1890 - Harry Pollitt, chairman, British communist (1956-60)
1913 - Menelik II, King of Ethiopia (1896-1913), dies at 69
1917 - Francesca Saveria Cabrini, US saint/patron of immigrant, dies at 67
1937 - Daito Kokushi, Zen founder of Daitokuji, dies in Kyoto at 55
1939 - Ma Rainey, "Mother of the Blues", US blues singer/composer, dies at 53
1989 - Samuel Beckett, Irish/French writer (Waiting for Godot, Nobel 1969), dies at 83
1997 - Hugh Edward Conway Seymour, marquis of Hertford, dies at 67

Reported Missing in Action
1964
Parks, Joe, US Army (TX); DIC December, 1966

1965
Alcorn, Wendell R., USN (PA); A4C shot down, released February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

Cartwright, Billie J., USN (TX); A6A shot down (w/Gold) - remains ID'd November, 1994

Daigle, Glenn H., USN (LA); RA5C shot down (w/Lukenbach) - released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Gold, Edward F., USN (CA); A6A shot down (w/Cartwright) - remains ID'd January, 1995

Lukenbach, Max D., USN (AZ); RA5C shot down (w/Daigle) - KIA, buried near crash site

Prudhomme, John D., USN (OH); A4C shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1967
Cook, Wilmer P., USN (MD); A4E shot down, remains returned June, 1988, ID'd September, 1989 - buried at sea from the ship named for him

Fors, Gary H., USMC (WA); F4B shot down

Hickerson, James M., USN (GA); A7A shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1969
Burris, Donald D., Jr.,US Army (PA); UH1C crashed after mechanical problems (pilot, w/Kennedy), Killed, body not recovered

Kennedy, James E., US Army (NJ); UH1C crashed after mechanical problems (door gunner, w/Burris), Killed, body not recovered

1972
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their B52D was shot down:

Alley, Gerald W. (ID); remains returned December, 1988 - ID'd June, 1989

Bennett, Thomas W., Jr. (MS);

Camerota, Peter P., (NJ); bombardier / EWO, released by DRV - retired as a Major - alive and well as of 1998

Copack, Joseph H., Jr. (IL); navigator - remains returned June, 1989

Giroux, Peter J., (NJ); co-pilot, released by DRV February, 1973 (injured) - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

LeBlanc, Louis E., Jr. (RI); tailgunner, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Senior Master Sergeant - deceased

The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their B52D was shot down:
Bernasconi, Louis H. (CA); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Conlee, William H. (CA); EWO, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as of 1998

Drummond, David I. (NJ); co-pilot, released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Mayall, William T. (NY); navigator, leased by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Morgan, Gary L. (TX); gunner, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Senior Master Sergeant - alive as of 1998

Yuill, John H. (IN); pilot, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Also reported MIA in 1972:
Sponeybarger, Robert C., USAF (PA); F111A shot down (pilot, w/Wilson), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Wilson, William W., USAF (IA); F111A shot down (w/Sponeybarger), released by DRV March, 1973