News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Gutsy Grandma Volunteers to Serve in Iraq
Analysis: Iraq surge may be extended
Sunni struggle claims 4th Fallujah chief

Operation Enduring Freedom
Taliban's elusive leader urges more suicide raids

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Israeli forces kill at least six Palestinians
Abbas says efforts being made to free BBC reporter
Hundreds dead as Mogadishu war escalates - Video
Algeria PM says U.S. attack alert "not moral"
52 killed in clashes in Somali capital

Fallen Heroes
War becomes personal at academy

Worldwide Wackos
Ex-Nuke Worker Allegedly Took Codes to Iran
South Korea to resume rice aid, train link to North

Politics / Government
Bush Defends Iraq War; Republicans Blast Harry Reid for Saying Fight Is 'Lost'
Schwarzenegger 'Pimps' Biofuel Impala on MTV
Envoy attacks female circumcision in Kenya
Bush to visit Poland in June: report
Wash. gov. signs domestic partner bill
Clinton says husband would be ambassador
Fundraising breaks political alliances
Obama addresses question of experience

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Border Patrol boost raises concerns

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Virginia Tech Shootings:
Killer Shopped on eBay
Virginia Tech gunman bought ammo clips online
Dems, NRA Seek Tighter Checks for Gun Buyers
Family of Virginia Tech Shooter Expresses Sorrow for Victims of Shooting Rampage
Virginia Tech pays respects to victims, and gunman
Va. Tech anguishes over missed signals

Nasa Shooting:
NASA Gunman Feared Being Fired - VIDEO

Other:
Mass shootings more common since 1960s
Trade brisk at U.S. gun shows after shooting spree
Waiters Charged in $3M Theft of Diners' Credit
Fleeing Man Drowns in Missouri Casino Moat
Inmate Freed With Phony Fax
Head Blows Killed Peace Corp Volunteer
Cops Kill Man Who Threatened Baby Hostage
Police Arrest Man Suspected in Brutal Rape of New York Graduate Student
Waiters Charged in $3M Theft of Diners' Credit
Judge in Whitewater trials dies in Arkansas

U.N. News
Tamiflu key to treat bird flu, avoid steroids: WHO

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
California station sued for Imus reruns
Little returns to correspondents' dinner

Science / Medicine / Technology
Crew, Space Tourist Return to Earth
College drinking may increase heart disease risk
Official takes risks warning on pet drug

Mother Nature
Ga. Fire Burns 18 Homes, Threatens More
Hawaii Park Rangers Trying to Stop Offerings at Volcano

Oddities
Self-Proclaimed 'Antichrist' to Hold Global Conference Despite Ban

Other News of Note
Several Missing After Plane Crash Near Florida
Neo Nazis Take to Streets

Fox News
Pop Tarts: Daddy Spears Sides Against Britney in Manager War

Reuters: Top News
Sarkozy has edge as France holds presidential vote - Video
Violence, abuses taint Nigerian election - Video
Politics, police seen fuelling Kenya clashes
Mobile phones represent next frontier for search
Ivory Coast cocoa farmers miss high prices
Dow 13,000 in focus with earnings on tap
Persistent shortages should push nickel higher
Stock rally stems dollar weakness
Lower taxes loom large in Google earnings surprise
UniCredit says in usual "growth talks" with SocGen
U.S., euro zone bond yields to converge
Tax concerns come to light in earnings
Workers end four-day strike at Freeport Indonesia
Privacy groups challenge Google's DoubleClick deal
Indonesia awaits Newmont pollution case verdict
Compensating family caregivers
Tax concerns come to light in earnings

AP World News
Pistons never trail in taking down Magic
Ortiz sends Boston to 2nd win over Yanks
Change is on France's presidential menu
Bulls turn down Heat in Game 1 of series
Nets hold off Raptors in playoff opener
A-Rod turns jeers to cheers with homers
Red Sox overcome two A-Rod homers to win

Military.com
Poll: Show the Killer's Tape?
Op-ed: Media Massacre Madness
Warfighters Read Warfighter's Forum
Blog: Al Qaeda on the Offensive
Get Military News Via RSS Feed
Def Tech: Vasectomies in Space?

CENTCOM: News Releases
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 19
COALITION FORCES ELIMINATE POTENTIAL VBIED STOREHOUSE
CAR BOMB STRIKES BAGHDAD
MND-B SOLDIERS ATTACKED FROM MOSQUE; TWO INSURGENTS KILLED
CHLORINE TANKS DESTROYED, TERRORISTS KILLED IN RAIDS

USJFCOM
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense meets with USJFCOM - podcast
Command seeking market research from industry and academia on integrated, Web-based capability - podcast
Download the requirements for submission
Joint Individual Augmentee Training Program goes online - podcast
USJFCOM to co-host 2007 industry symposium - podcast

DefenseLink
New Strategy Focuses on Providing Joint Security - Story
Gates Urges Iraqis to Expedite Reconciliation - Story
Training and Technology Save Lives in Iraq - Story
Reconstruction Teams Help Accelerate Progress - Story
Military Leaders Must Keep Faith With Troops - Story
General: U.S. Must Maintain Superiority in Space - Story
Iraq Must Not Become Terrorists’ Safe Haven - Story

More Headline News
Marines in Anbar Express Optimism to Gates
Gates: U.S. Committed to Relationship With Israel
General Details Iraq, Afghanistan Operations
Defense Department to Partner With Schools

Military News
‘The War Tapes’ Offers Look at Operation Iraqi Freedom
Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon
DoD Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility

War on Terror
Troops Kill, Capture Terrorists - Story
Forces Thwart Terrorist
Four Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Coalition Helps Iraq Secure Law

America Supports You
Movie Exhibition Industry Shows Gratitude to Military Families - Story
Group Sends Packages to Troops
Gridiron Greats Visit Iraq
Communities Prepare for Walks
Groups’ Monkeys Offer Support

Transformation
Service Integration Vital to Change
Joint Force Ops Industry Symposium

Face of Defense
Soldier Embraces Iraq Duty - Story
Airman Awarded Bronze Star
Iraqis Appreciate U.S. Military
New NCO in Charge Still a Scout

DefendAmerica
BLOGGERS' ROUNDTABLE with U.S. ARMY Lt. Col. Jason Wiemann
Training and Technology Combine to Save Lives in Iraq - Story - Transcript
Transcript: Roundtable (pdf)
Bloggers' Roundtable Web Site

NEWS UPDATES
Coalition Kills, Captures Terrorists - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi Soldiers Get Ready to Lead Combat Patrols - Story
Baghdad Primary School to Hold 900 Students - Story
Civil Affairs Teams Enhance Life in Uganda - Story
Coalition Forces Train Afghan National Police - Story
Sailors Return from Middle East Deployment - Story

IN IRAQ
Anaconda's First-ever Chef Competition Sizzles
New Iraqi Military Intelligence Academy Opens
Community Improves, Al Kumait School Reopens
Cargo Teams Move to Improve Customer Service
'Bandido Charlie' Secures Western Iraq
Soldiers Support Iraqis with Help From Home
Seabees Build Modular Protected Billeting

IN AFGHANISTAN
Turkey Partners with U.S. in War on Terrorism
Security Team Trains Humanitarian De-miners
First Permanent Customs Building Opens

DefendAmerica Week in Review
Sunday - Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

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

Today in History
687 BC - Chinese record a meteor shower in Lyra
0296 - St. Gaius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0536 - St. Agapitus I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1056 - Supernova Crab nebula last seen by the naked eye
1073 - Pope Alexander II buried/Ildebrando chosen as Pope Gregory VII
1145 - 19th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1164 - Raynald of Dassel names Guido di Crema as anti-pope Paschalis III
1370 - Bastille begins being built in Paris, France
1500 - Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovers Brazil & claims it for Portugal
1509 - Henry VIII ascends to throne to become King of England
1521 - French king François I declares war on Spain
1526 - 1st slave revolt occurs in South Carolina
1529 - Treaty of Saragosa Spain & Portugal divide eastern hemisphere
1648 - English army claims king Charles I responsible for bloodshed
1659 - Lord protector Cromwell disbands English parliament
1671 - King Charles II sits in on English parliament
1674 - Netherlands & Münster sign peace treaty
1676 - Battle of Etna - Netherlands/Spain vs France, M de Ruyter fatally wounded
1677 - Battle at Catania between French & Dutch fleet
1692 - Edward Bishop is jailed for proposing flogging as cure for witchcraft
1722 - 19 VOC "komplotteurs" in Batavia executed
1769 - Madame du Barry becomes King Louis XV's "official" mistress
1793 - President George Washington attends opening of Rickett's, 1st circus in US
1796 - Napoleon defeats Piedmontese at Battle of Mondovi
1809 - Battle at Eckmühl - Napoleon beats Austria arch duke Karl
1817 - Curaçao prohibits use of white paint due to fierce sunlight
1823 - R.J. Tyers patents roller skates
1838 - English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after Atlantic crossing
1861 - Robert E. Lee named commander of Virginia Confederate forces
1864 - US mints 2¢ coin (1st appearance of "In God We Trust")
1884 - Thomas Stevens starts 1st bicycle trip around the world (2 years 9 months); US recognizes King Leopold II's Congo Free State
1889 - Oklahoma land rush officially starts; as many as nine out of ten of these settlers had jumped the gun, earning themselves the name "Sooners"
1893 - Francis Dhanis army occupies Kasongo; Paul Kruger elected President of Transvaal for 3rd time
1898 - 1st Spanish-American War action, USS Nashville takes enemy ship; Congress passes Volunteer Army Act calling for a Volunteer Cavalry
1898 - US President William McKinley orders blockade of Cuban harbors
1906 - Olympic games held in Athens are not accepted by the IOC
1913 - Montenegro troops march into Skoetari, North-Albania
1914 Babe Ruth's 1st professional game (as a pitcher) is a 6-hit 6-0 win; México ends diplomatic relations with US
1915 - 1st military use of poison gas (chlorine, by Germany) in WWI; 2nd Battle of Ypres begins; New York Yankees don pinstripes & hat-in-the-ring logo for 1st time
1916 - France battles at Fort Douaumont
1922 - South Ossetian Autonomous Region is established in Georgian SSR
1924 - Hague Chambers of Commerce forms, Netherlands
1926 - Persia, Turkey & Afghánistán sign treaties of security
1930 - US, Britain & Japan sign London Naval Treaty to reduce naval forces
1931 - Egypt & Iraq sign peace treaty
1933 - Dutch government forbids leftwing radio address
1940 - Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig testifies before US Senate Naval Affairs Committee that war with Japan is inevitable (He was right)
1943 - German counter attack in North-Tunisia; RAF shoots down 14 German transport planes over Mediterranean Sea
1944 - Allies land near Hollandia, New-Guinea; Hitler & Mussolini meet at Salzburg
1945 - Concentration Camp at Sachsenhausen liberated
1946 - SED, Sozialistic Einheitspartei Deutschlands, party forms
1951 - Ticker-tape parade for General MacArthur in NYC
1952 - 1st atomic explosion on network news, Nob, NV
1954 - Senate Army-McCarthy televised hearings began; Achiel van Acker forms Belgian government; USSR joins UNESCO
1955 - Congress orders all US coins bear motto "In God We Trust"
1961 - Uprising of French parachutist of General Salan/Challe in Algeria
1964 - World's Fair (Flushing Meadow, Corona Park, New York) opens
1967 - Martial Law goes into effect in Greece
1969 - 1st human eye transplant performed; Robin Knox-Johnston ends 312 day non-stop sailing
1970 - 1st Earth Day held internationally to conserve natural resources; Flat Earth celebrated
1971 - Soyuz 10 launched
1972 - Apollo astronauts John Young & Charles Duke ride on the Moon
1974 - Barbara Walters becomes news co-anchor of the Today Show
1977 - Simon Peres becomes premier of Israel
1978 - 'The Blues Brothers' (Dan Akroyd and John Belushi) make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live
1981 - 10,000 copper workers in Chile strike; Almost 1 million West German metal workers on strike
1982 - Launch of STS-3-Lousma & Fullerton
1983 - Soyuz T-8 returns to Earth; Stern magazine announces major historical find-discovery of 60 volume personal diaries written by Adolf Hitler (turned out to be a hoax)
1987 - Sri Lanka Air Force bomb Tamil, 100s killed
1988 - Women are allowed to compete in the Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington IN, for the 1st time
1990 - Lebanon releases US hostage Robert Polhill after 39 months
1991 - Intel releases the 486SX chip; Johnny Carson announces he will retire next year from Tonight Show; Earthquake strikes Costa Rica & Panamá, killing 95
1992 - 6.0 earthquake in California; Gas explodes in sewer, killing 200 in Guadalajara, México; Plane crash at Perris Valley Airport, California, kills 16 parachutists
1993 - Holocaust Memorial Museum dedicated in Washington DC
1994 - 7,000 Tutsi's slaughtered in stadium of Kibuye, Rwanda

Birthdays
1357 - Johan I, King of Portugal (1383-1433)
1451 - Isabella I of Castile, Queen of Spain (1479-1504), patron of Columbus
1515 - Antoine of Bourbon, duke of Vendôme/king of Navarra
1610 - Alexander VIII [Pietro Ottoboni], lawyer/Pope (1689-91)
1690 - John Carteret, Earl Granville (C), English chief minister (1722-42)
1773 - Jean V baron de Rebecque Swiss/Dutch army leader
1799 - Jean Poiseuille, physician/physiologist (blood pressure)
1818 - Cadwallader Colden Washburn, Union Major General
1823 - Alfred Gibbs, Union Major General
1827 - William Hopkins Morris, Union Major General
1831 - Alexander McDowell McCook, Union Major General
1832 - Julius Sterling Morton Adams, (Governor-NE), started Arbor Day
1853 - Alphonse Bertillon France, anthropologist, devised crime ID system
1866 - Hans von Seeckt, German General (Future of the Reich)
1870 - Nikolai Lenin [Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov], Bolshevik/USSR revolutionist
1876 - Robert Bárány Sweden, otologist, vestibular expert (Nobel 1914)
1881 - Alexander Kerensky Simbirsk, Russian PM (1917)
1902 - Megan Lloyd George, English politician
1904 - J[ulius] Robert Oppenheimer, head of Manhattan (A-bomb) Project
1916 - Earl of Oxford & Asquith Governor (Seychelles)
1917 - Leo Abse, biographer/MP
1919 - Donald Cram, US biochemist (Nobel 1987)
1926 - James Stirling, Scottish D-day-parachutist/architect/knight
1929 - Robert Wade-Gery, diplomat/exec director (Barclays de Zoete Wedd); Victoria Opoku-Ware, Ghanaian queen
1931 - Henk Gortzak, Dutch MP (CPN/PSP)
1933 - John A. Llewellyn, Welsh-born astronaut
1934 - David Ratford, diplomat
1937 - Jack Nicholson, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Shining); Bobbi Fiedler (Representative-R-CA)
1939 - John Foley, Major-General
1945 - Alan Dukes, Irish President; Robert Key, MP/British undersecretary for National Heritage
1946 - Dectuplets Bacacay Brazil, 8 males & 2 females; Archy Kirkwood MP (L-D)

Passings
0536 - Agapitus I, Italian Pope (535-36)
1253 - Elias van Cortona, Italian General (1232-39), at about 53
1355 - Eleonora Plantagenet, daughter of King Edward II, at 36
1462 - Gilbert of Lannoy, master of Villerval/Tronchiennes/Santes
1521 - Juan de Padilla, Spanish nobleman/communero-rebel, beheaded
1677 - Wenzel E Fürst von Lobkowitz, Austrian chancellor, at 68
1833 - Richard Trevithick, inventor (steam locomotive), dies at 62
1864 - Joseph Gilbert Totten, Union General-Major, at 76
1865 - Francis Washburn, Union Colonel/General Major, of injuries
1908 - Henry Campbell-Bannerman, British premier (1905-08)
1933 - Frederick Henry Royce motorcar pioneer
1946 - Harlan Fiske Stone, Chief Justice Supreme Court (1941-46), at 73
1984 - Ansel Adams, US photographer, at 82
1989 - Huey Newton, Black Panther leader, shot dead at 47
1992 - Joop [Joseph] van Santen Dutch 1st Chamber member (CPN), dies
1993 - Andries Treurnicht, founder, South Africa Conservative Party, at 72
1994 - Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th US President (1969-74), of a stroke at 81
1996 - Hiteshwar Saikia, PM of Indian state of Assam (1991-96)

Reported Missing in Action
1961
The following US Army SF personnel reported MIA after their unit was ambushed:
Ballenger, Orville Roger (OH); released August, 1962

Biber, Gerald Mack (NE): probably KIA

Bischoff, John Malcom (SC); probably KIA

Moon, Walter H. (AR); KIA in escape, July 1961

1966
Boyd, Charles G., USAF (IA); F105 shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a General - alive as of 1998

Brunstrom, Alan L., USAF (FL); RF101C shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as 1998

Nickerson, William B., USNR (CT); A6A shot down (bombardier/navigator, w/Weimorts)

Weimorts, Robert F., USN (AL); A6A shot down (pilot, w/Nickerson)

1968
Cooley, David L., USN (VA); radio contact lost with F111A (w/Palmgren)

Chomyk, William, USAF (NY); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR (pilot, w/Riggins)

Palmgren, Edwin D., USN (NC); radio contact lost with F111A (w/Cooley)

Riggins, Robert P., USAF (IL); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR (bombardier/navigator, w/Chomyk)

1969
Scott, Vincent Calvin, Jr., USAF (VA); O2 shot down, KIA

Van Cleave, Walter Shelby, USAF (TX); F4D shot down, KIA/BNR

1970
The following USAF personnel reported MIA after their AC130-A was shot down; remains returned September, 1995 - group burial November, 1995
Adachi, Thomas Y. (CA); aerial gunner

Brooks, William L. (TX); pilot

Davis, Charlie B., (KY); navigator

Fisher, Donald G. (PA); crew

Harris, Stephen W. (MO); navigator

Hensley, Ronnie L. (WV); crew

Ireland, Robert N. (CA); crew

Lint, Donald M. (IA); crew

Rowley, Charles S., (CT); ID disputed

Towle, John C. (IL); crew

Also reported MIA this day in 1970:
Golz, John B., USN (IL); A4C shot down, KIA/BNR

Labels: Headlines, History