Saddam's Final Moments
Defiant at Death
Convicted Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq
Vatican Denounces Saddam's Execution as 'Tragic'
Bush: Saddam's Execution Will Not Stop Bloodshed

Photo Essay: Dictator's Demise

Video: At the Execution

Other Videos:
Timeline of Terrors: Life and Times of Saddam Hussein
First-Hand Account: Eyewitness Talks About Execution
World Reaction
Eye Witness Account
Saddam’s Body
Saddam’s Obituary
Saddam Executed

U.S. Army soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Iraqi army soldiers with 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division patrol a rural road near Shalshabar Canal during a mission to prevent planning and execution of future improvised explosive devices in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division patrol a rural road near Shalshabar Canal, Dec. 16, 2006, in support of an operation to prevent planning and execution of future improvised explosive devices in Mahmudiyah, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division provide security as fellow Soldiers search the backyard of a home in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and an Iraqi army soldier from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division take defensive positions on a rural road near the Shalshabar Canal during an operation in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


An Iraqi army soldier with 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division provides security during an operation in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec.16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division search a rural field for weapons caches in support of an operation in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec.16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army 1st Lt. David Stone, from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, reports the status of his squad via radio during an operation in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division provide security as fellow soldiers search the backyard of a home in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division provide security as fellow soldiers search the backyard of a home in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett


U.S. Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and Iraqi army soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division patrol a rural road near Shalshabar Canal in support of an operation to prevent planning and execution of future improvised explosive device in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, Dec. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie Corbett

Ros sends word that Soldiers' Angel ArmyMom is advising of some military wives who could really use our help:

"...an Angel in Texas has informed me that the Army Ball is coming up in midJanuary. Some of these Army wives don't have dresses, shoes, jewelry or anything nice to wear to the ball and these families cannot afford new things 'for just one day.' They are collecting some donations of dresses, shoes, jewelry for the wives to 'shop' through so that they will be able to attend the ball.

If anyone has any of these items that they will no longer be needing (how many of us have stood up for a wedding only to NEVER wear that dress again) and are willing to donate, to make a military wife feel like a princess..."

The Angels are on the case, and Patti says that SA has 5,000 donated dresses to help with, but all the trimmings are in need - if you can help, please email Ros (tankerbrosbrat@gmail-DOT-com) for details.

The date for this event is January 18, so time's a-wasting!

SNIPER POSITION — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sam Fulton, squad leader, 1st Squad, 128th Military Police Company, hides behind sand bags on the roof of a building in Muqdadiya, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Armando L. Monroig

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Saddam Hussein Executed - VIDEO
U.S. Forces Brace For Post-Execution Violence
Iraqi-Americans in Michigan Cheer Saddam’s Execution
Obituary: Saddam Hussein, 1937-2006
Brainroom: Saddam's Atrocities
Fast Facts: Saddam Timeline - PHOTOS
The rise and fall of a strongman
Saddam Hussein in his own words
The life of Saddam Hussein
Bush says Saddam execution will not end violence
Americans cheer Saddam death, but see little change
Military families weigh Saddam execution
Saddam's reign leaves destruction behind
Dictator oppressed Iraq for decades
Dec. the deadliest month for U.S. troops
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Hit 2,9997
Pentagon maps plans for Iraq surge

Operation Enduring Freedom
Mullah Omar Pledges to Expel NATO

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Search for human remains expands at WTC
Sri Lanka renegade group says kills 30 Tiger rebels

Troops on Trial
Manila bows to U.S. over custody of convicted rapist

Fallen Heroes
2 U.S. Sailors Killed After Falling Overboard

Other Military News
Judge: Army can resume Hawaii training
National Guard to the Rescue ... Again
Army General to Be Ford Family Escort

Religion of Peace??
Somali PM Returns to Mogadishu
Somalia's PM promises peace, stability
Bosnia's Muslims divided over inroads of Wahhabism
Muslim pilgrims move to Muzdalifah, pray for peace - Video
Muslim pilgrims pray at desert mountain

Homegrown Moonbats
Sheehan Arrested Near Bush Ranch

Politics / Government
Former President Ford Mourned in California
Last-Minute Tax Gifts From Congress
Disputed Fla. election to spill into U.S. House - Video

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment
Nifong Could Be Kicked Off Duke Rape Case
Court: Mich. schools can't admit on race
Judges uphold law on inmate religion

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Networks face quandary over Saddam execution
Media, tech firms probe possible high-def DVD hack
Untangle the World Wide Web with RSS

Science / Nature
Colorado Declared Statewide Disaster as 2nd Storm of Week Strikes - VIDEO - PHOTOS
Bush Seeks Shelter During Tornado Alert
Dolly for dinner? Not just yet, critics say - Video
Researchers: Warming may change Amazon
Search ends for U.S. climber in China

Oddities
Thirsty man sells beagle to buy beer
Helpful drunk driver offers aid to police

Fox News
FCC OKs AT&T's BellSouth Buyout
Atlantic City Delays Casino Smoking Ban Vote
5 Die in Pennsylvania House Fire
Wall Street Finishes Up Bull of a Year
Hangover 101: How to Deal the Next Day
'Girls Gone Wild' Appeals Community Service
Cops: Prof's Wife Killed in Fake Burglary
Servant Admits to Abusing, Killing 7 Children
Woman Stuck in Elevator for 3 Days
Michael Jackson Ends Year Homeless and in Isolation
Alleged Serial Child-Killer and Sex Abuser Arrested Outside New Delhi
Model Niki Taylor Marries Nascar Driver Burney Lamar

Reuters: Top News
Indonesia ship with 850 passengers sinks: radio
Vietnamese family in hospital with bird flu symptoms
Basketball great Michael Jordan and wife divorce
Players welcomes back old ball with reservations
UnitedHealth, others to extend Medicare drug date
Julia Roberts pregnant with third child
Indexes dip for the day, but surge in 2006 - Video
Stock rally of 2006 smiled on all sectors
As 2007 starts, mild jobs may lift stocks
Gold hits 3-week high, palladium jumps 3 percent
Stocks finish year strong, but bonds fall
Midwestern puzzle
New book tackles question: What makes an idea stick?
Shanghai wresting lead from Hong Kong
AT&T closes $86 billion BellSouth deal
Apple posts options expenses, stands by CEO Jobs
Goodyear workers ratify three-year contract
Exchanges mark Ford's death with January 2 close

AP World News
'Indiana Jones' to begin filming in 2007
Kobe spoils big game with bigger miscues
Extension cord likely sparked Pa. blaze
Woods to skip PGA Tour's season opener

Military.com
2006 Year in Review
Gearing Up on Railways
U.S., Canadian Navies Challenge Skills
Op-Ed: Happy New Year (Oliver North)
Boaters Stop Using Frequency
Cost of Living Allowance Goes Up
Deal of the Week: Military Discounts on iPods & Other Products
DoD Expands Mental Health Screening
Strykers Shift to High at Grafenwoehr
Documentary Focuses on 'Old Guard'

CENTCOM: News Releases
PAKISTAN SHARES INFORMATION WITH AFGHAN, U.S. NCOS

IP CAPTURES TWO INSURGENT LEADERS DURING RAID NEAR AL ISKANDARIYAH

COALITION FORCES CAPTURE AQI TERRORIST IN SOUTHERN BAGHDAD

IA CONDUCTS OPERATIONS TO CAPTURE ILLEGAL ARMED GROUP LEADER, FINDS WEAPONS CACHE IN SALMAN PAK

ONE INSURGENT KILLED WHILE EMPLACING IED

TWO TERRORISTS KILLED DURING EARLY MORNING RAID IN BAGHDAD

FOUR TERRORISTS KILLED; TWO IED BUILDINGS DESTROYED

INSURGENTS KILL WOMAN, POLICEMAN, WOUND CHILDREN IN ATTACK IN RAMADI

USJFCOM
2006 -- The Year in Review
USJFCOM gets approval to connect U.S., Australian networks - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Six Terrorists Killed, 32 Captured - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Operation in Al Doura Market ‘Sweeping’ Success - Story
Iraqi Doctors Facilitate Change in Healthcare - Story
U.S. Troops Help Conduct Operations in Siniyah - Story
Iraqi Security Forces Increasing Capabilities - Story
Combined Forces Capture 60 Insurgents - Story

IN IRAQ
Soldiers Rescue Kidnapped Iraqis from Insurgents
Five Iranians Detained in Recent Baghdad Raids
Soldiers Take Pride in Transferring Supplies
Chief of Naval Operations Visits USS Boxer
Trainers Tell Gates They're Pleased With Progress

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Officials, U.S. Troops Open Runway
Chief of Chaplains Brings Support to Region
Buccaneers Return from Afghanistan Tour

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-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim 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 Kut
An 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 Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

** If you're deployed, and want to see your location's weather listed here, please email me! **

Today in History
0274 - St. Felix I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0987 - French King Hugo Capet crowns his son Robert the compassionate king
1621 - English king James I cracks Protestation of Parliament
1685 - Don Francisco de Agurto installed as land guardian of South Netherlands
1703 - Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die
1731 - 1st US music concert (Peter Pelham's great room in Boston)
1794 - French troops conquer Grave, Netherlands
1809 - Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
1813 - Danzig surrenders to allied armies
1817 - 1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1835 - After gold discovery in Georgia, Cherokees are forced to move across Mississippi River; HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin sails from New Zealand to Sydney
1836 - Lehman-theater in St Petersburg catches fire; 100s die
1853 - Gadsden Purchase - 45,000 square miles (120,000 km) by Gila River from México for $10 million; Area is now southern Arizona & New Mexico
1854 - Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, 1st in US, incorporated in New York, NY
1861 - US banks stop payments in gold
1869 - Philadelphia Knights of Labor forms
1873 - American Metrological Society forms (New York NY) weights, measures & money
1875 - Andrassy Note calls for Christian-Muslim religious freedoms
1888 - Belgian King Leopold II installs Order of African Star
1892 - Dr. Miles V Lynk, physician, publishes 1st Black medical journal
1893 - Russia signs military accord with France
1897 - Province of Zululand annexed to Natal colony
1903 - 602 die as flames swept through Iroquois Theater in Chicago, IL; American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans, LA
1906 - Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1907 - Abraham Mills' commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball
1911 - Sun Yat-sen elected 1st President of Republic of China
1918 - John E. Hoover decides to be called J. Edgar Hoover
1922 - Soviet Union organized as a federation of RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR & Transcaucasian SSR
1926 - Chicago Tribune reports the Tigers threw a 4-game series to the White Sox in 1917 to help Chicago win the pennant (never substaniated)
1927 - Japan dedicates 1st subway in the Orient (route under 2 miles long)
1929 - Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority incorporates
1933 - Government disallows NSB-membership for civil service
1935 - Italian bombers destroy Swedish Red Cross unit in Ethiopia
1936 - United Auto Workers stage 1st sit-down strike, at Fisher Body Plant
1938 - Electronic television system patented by V. K. Zworykin
1940 - California's 1st freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) opens
1941 - Nazis require Dutch physicians to join Nazi organization; Winston Churchill addresses Canadian parliament
1944 - King George II of Greece abdicates his throne
1947 - King Michael of Romania is forced by communists to abdicate his throne; Romanian republic proclaimed
1949 - India recognizes People's Republic of China
1950 - Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia become Independent states in France Union
1952 - Tuskegee Institute reports 1952 as 1st year in 71 with no lynchings in US
1957 - Israeli government of Ben-Gurion, resigns
1958 - French franc devalued
1959 - The George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub, is commissioned
1963 - Congress authorizes the Kennedy half dollar; "Let's Make A Deal" debuts on NBC-TV
1965 - Ferdinand Marcos inaugurated as President of the Phillipines
1972 - President Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
1973 - 1st picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek-Skylab)
1974 - Beatles are legally disbanded (4 years after suit was brought)
1975 - Constitution of Democratic Republic of Madagascar comes into force
1977 - Carter holds 1st news conference by US President in Eastern Europe (Warsaw)
1979 - Rock group, Emerson Lake & Palmer break up; Togo adopts constitution
1980 - "Wonderful World of Disney" last performance on NBC-TV
1981 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record of 50 goals by 39th game of season
1982 - US Assay Office in New York City, NY, closes
1985 - IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 released; President Zia of Pakistan ends martial law
1986 - US begins Military exercises in Honduras
1987 - Premier Mugabe elected President of Zimbabwe
1988 - Canadian Senate OK's free trade pact; with US; North subpoenas Reagan & Bush as defense witnesses for upcoming trial; Yugoslav government resigns
1993 - Vatican recognizes Israel
1997 - An abandoned building collapses on New York's 42nd St, no one hurt

Birthdays
0039 - Titus 10th, Roman emperor (79-81), conqueror of Jerusalem
1784 - Dorothea von Benckendorff, Baltic monarch of Lieven
1818 - James Cantey, Confederate Brigadier-General
1819 - John White Geary, Union Brevet Major General
1828 - Mark Perrin Lowrey, Confederate Brigadier-General
1847 - John Peter Altgeld, (German/US Governor-IL)/pardoned Haymarket-anarchists
1865 - Rudyard Kipling, author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
1869 - Adolphe Max, Belgian Representative (Liberal)
1884 - Tojo Hideki Japanese PM during WWII
1891 - Antoine Pinay, French premier (1952)/minister of Foreign affairs
1895 - August De Boodt, Belgian politician
1906 - Johan A. earl von Kielmansegg, German general/commandant NATO-Europe
1907 - Robert Grant, politician
1921 - Rashid Karami, 10x PM of Lebanon
1931 - Charles A. Bassett II, Captain USAF/astronaut
1935 - Omar [Albert B] Bongo, President of Gabon
1939 - Doeke Eisma, sociologist/Dutch MP (D66)
1945 - John Kevin Moorhouse, test pilot
1947 - Stephanus S. "Tian" van Merwe, leader (South Africa Democratic Party)
1950 - Yunus I Mahomed, South African attorney/leader (UDF)
1953 - Daniel T. Barry, PhD/astronaut (STS 72)
1958 - Steven L. Smith, astronaut (STS 68, 82)

Passings
0273 - Felix I, Italian Bishop of Rome (or 274)
1572 - Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect (Palazza Marino, Milan), at 60
1591 - Innocent IX [Giovanni Facchinetti] Pope, (62 days), at 72
1777 - Maximilian III Jozef, elector of Bayern (1745-77), at 50
1832 - Colonel Abijah Hammond, owned large portion of Greenwich Village
1870 - Prim, Spanish general, murdered
1893 - Samuel White Baker, English explorer, at 72
1894 - Amelia Jenks Bloomer suffragist (Bloomers named for her), at 76
1896 - José Mercado Rizal, anti-Spanish rule of Philippines proponent
1912 - Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, German foreign minister, at 60
1944 - Romain Roland, French writer/pacifist (Nobel 1915), at 78
1951 - Jozef E. Stokvis, Dutch MP (SDAP), at 76
1959 - Maria Baers, Flemish social female worker/senator, at 76
1966 - Christian A. Herter, US Minister of Foreign affairs (1959-61), at 71; Trygve Halvdan Lie, 1st UN Secretary-General (1946-53), at 72
1992 - Ling-Ling 1st panda China gave US, at 23
1993 - [Irving Paul] "Swifty" Lazar superagent, of kidney failure at 86
1996 - Robert Grant-Ferris politician, at 89

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Swords, Smith III, USAF (CA); F4C shot down (pilot, w/Wortham)

Wortham, Murray Lamar, USAF (TX); F4C shot down (crew, w/Swords)

1968
McCants, Leland S. III, US Army (VA); drowned in river crossing

1969
Ferguson, Douglas D., USAF (WA); F4D shot down (w/Featherston)

Featherston, Fielding W., USAF (OH); F4D shot down (w/Ferguson)

1970
Bunker, Park G., USAF (IL); O1F shot down; KIA on ground

1971
Charles, Norris A., USN (FL); F4 shot down (w/Hoffman) - released by Hanoi September, 1972

Hoffman, David W., USN (PA); F4 shot down (pilot, w/Charles) - released by DRV March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

Holmes, Frederick, USN (CA); A6A shot down, declarled Killed / Body not recovered