News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.K. Begins Leaving Basra
Official: More troop reductions in Iraq likely
Al-Maliki Defends Government, Slams U.S. Criticism
Second British general slams U.S. policy in postwar Iraq
U.S. Raids Keep al-Qaida on the Run

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghan insurgents HQ destroyed, 25 killed: U.S. military
Apologetic South Korean hostages return home - Video

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Last Stronghold of Palestinian Militants Falls to Lebanon
Report: Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing Evidence Was Tainted
Rice thought Palestinian leader weak

Supporting Our Heroes
Poll Shows Vets Lack Needed Healthcare

Other Military News
Thousands of Americans Choose Army for $20,000 Signing Bonus
Planes Collide During Air Show Tragedy in Poland - VIDEO
Bush, Cheney Meet with Top Officials at Pentagon

Worldwide Wackos
North Korea AgreesTo Shut Down Nukes - VIDEO
Iran Running 3,000 Centrifuges to Enrich Uranium
Venezuela Changes Name of Caracas Hilton, Converts to Socialist Hotel
Report: Pentagon Has 3-Day Plan to Knock Out Iran's Military

Politics / Government
Idaho Senator Larry Craig Resigns - VIDEO - PHOTOS
GOP touts swift action on Craig
Both Clintons seen as big draw in campaign
Race for the White House kicks into high gear
Clinton embraces mantle of change
Bush to attend Australia economic summit

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Court Rejects Challenge to Opening U.S. Roads to Mexican Trucks Under Bush Program (Damn. Next stop - Meximericanada!)
Mexico's Calderon protests U.S. crackdown on immigrants

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Smelly Serial Rapist Returns?
Fire Dept. Faces Heat for Alleged Prostitution Ring - VIDEO
Feds Search For Alburquerque 'Fanny Pack' Robber
Vick case highlights dog's high U.S. status

Adventures in Political Correctness
Colorado Student Files Lawsuit Over Commencement Speech That Mentioned Jesus

U.N. News
U.N.'s Ban heads for Sudan in Darfur peace drive

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Gynecology group slams cosmetic vaginal surgery
Dutch stroke study urges greater anticoagulant use
New study: Drug-coated stents not so bad
New bipolar disorder treatments tested

Mother Nature
Felix Strengthens to Category 4 Hurricane - VIDEO - TRACKER
Hurricane Felix seen becoming top-ranked storm
Spreading deserts threaten world food supply
Heat Wave Causes Power Shortages in California
4.7 Magnitude Quake Strikes Southern California
Calif. wildfire close to contaiment
Greece buries fire victims, hopes for autumn rain - Video
Number of hunters falls, worrying some

Oddities
Shark Swims to Shore at Queens, N.Y. Beach
Texas Woman Claims Roadkill is Mythical 'Chupacabra'
Record Crowd Flocks to Burning Man Fest - PHOTOS
Man Dies After Getting Caught in Car Wash
Sextuplets born to Florida couple

Other News of Note
Miners' families face unique grief
FAA, controllers fight over air safety

Fox News
Girl, 13, Killed, Another Injured In Mine Shaft Fall
Schools Increasingly Cutting Back on Summer Vacation
Virginia Woman Wins Buffalo Wing-Eating Title
Pop Tarts: Bridget Moynahan Doesn't Want Tom Brady on Sidelines
Ohio Club Owner Not Thrilled About Andy Dick's Behavior During Performances
No. 5 Michigan Suffers Upset Loss to Division I-AA Appalachian State

Reuters: Top News
Musharraf-Bhutto talks stalled but not over
"Halloween" slashes holiday box office record
Navigation makers vie to stand out in a crowd
Bullying in the workplace
Retailers think skirt may be next fad
Pitt plays Jesse James as outlaw who saw end coming
Woody Allen says new film reflects tragedy of life
Anxiety remains even after stock rebound
State Street shares still hold value: Barron's
Barclays recovers after a week of bad headlines
Accredited Home soars 43 pct on new takeover bid
Gillette's Kilts says do the right thing
Corporate U.S. braces for ballot disputes
Job market worries weigh on Monster
Bush and Bernanke spur rally on Wall Street
France salvages giant energy merger
U.S. oil companies monitor Felix, output unharmed
Qatar eyes Nasdaq's London bourse stake
Porsche seeks majority stake in Volkswagen: report
New data reassures on safety of drug-coated stents
U.S. at risk of recession from housing

AP World News
Report: U.S. workers are most productive
Study: Arrhythmia riskier in athletes
Movie studios bask in blockbuster summer
Williams sisters earn U.S. Open quarters
Gaz de France, Suez O.K. new merger plan
Pitt and Jolie ready for fifth child
Australia urges voluntary emission goals
Rookies shine again as Red Sox top Birds
Allen says he has not influenced others
Maine sand castle builders seek record

Military.com
DT: New Combat Rifle Enters Fray
WF: FBI Forced to Reveal Secrets
Weekend Shock: When Freedom Fell
Newsreel: Paris Liberated!
Advisors: Killer Job Interview Q 'n A
Back to School With the GI Bill

CENTCOM: News Releases
C-130 CONDUCTS EVASIVE MANEUVERS WITH CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ON BOARD

USJFCOM
Empire Challenge 07 shows success of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance integration - podcast
Command announces information technology contract
U.S. Joint Forces Command, Boeing sign cooperative research and development agreement - podcast

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Marines train Iraqis to keep judges safe
Anatomy of TF 1/4's indirect firepower
Police, neighborhood join forces to keep Al Qa’im’s streets safe
Iraqi Provincial Volunteers help secure Radwaniyah
Soldiers respond to truck-bomb attack
Iraqi Security, Coalition Forces detain 16 suspected terrorists
Citizens turn in weapons cache to Wolverines
Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain 36, destroy three large weapons caches
Seven detained in raid southeast of Baghdad
Coalition Forces liberate nine Iraqis, kill eight terrorists

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Pace Thanks Troops, Notes Signs of Progress

IRAQ
Officials Welcome Shiite Cleric’s Declaration - Story
Tribal Leaders Recommit to Reconciliation

AFGHANISTAN
Coalition Forces Provide Medical Aid to Afghans

MILITARY NEWS
Gates Swears in Cartwright as Vice Chairman
Travels with Pace Special

ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ
Iraqis Keep Judges Safe
Marines Provide Training
Airmen Swing into Action
Residents Join Guard Force
Citizens Root Out Terrorists

INSIDE AFGHANISTAN
Police Need Martial Skills
Team Brings Medical Supplies
Afghans Kick Off Project
Afghans, U.S. Soldiers Celebrate

EMPLOYER SUPPORT AWARDS
GM to Receive Freedom Award

FACE OF DEFENSE
Sailor Returns to Djibouti
Couple Deploys Together
Seabee Gives Wheelchair Gift
JAG Preps for Rescue Challenge

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Freedom Walk Nears 200 Mark
Motorcyclists' Annual Ride Honors Families of Fallen
Wounded Warriors Share Experiences Over Dinner

WHY WE SERVE
NCO Shares His View on Service - Story - Special

DefendAmerica
BLOGGERS' ROUNDTABLE with Thomas J. McGrath
Afghan Police Need Martial Skills to Engage Taliban, U.S. Officer Says - Story

ON THE GROUND
Marines Provide Weapons Training - Story
Baghdad School Opens After Renovations - Story
Airmen Swing into Action with Donations - Story
Iraqis Trained How to 'Serve and Protect' - Story

IN IRAQ
Residents Join Guard Force to Boost Security
Iraqi 'Neighborhood Watch' Roots Out Terrorists
Transition Team Sees Success in Habbaniyah
Soldiers Build Relationships with Residents
Engineers Finish Student Center Renovations
Iraqi Doctors, Medics Care for Fellow Iraqis

IN AFGHANISTAN
Team Brings Medical Supplies to Afghan Village
Reconstruction Team, Afghans Kick Off Project
International Military Engineers Work Together
Soldiers, Afghans Celebrate Independence

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Airmen Cool Down Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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

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
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
War on Terror Reconstruction Report
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
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

Today in History
31 BC- Octavian defeats Antony at the Battle of Actium, becoming Emperor Augustus.
490 BC- Phidippides, seeking aid from Sparta against the Persions, runs the first marathon.
1789 - Congress establishes the U.S. Treasury Department.
1864 - Union General William T. Sherman captures Atlanta.
1898 - Lord Kitchener retakes Sudan for Britain.
1901 - Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advises, "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."
1930 - The first non-stop airplane flight from Europe to the U.S. completes its trip - in 37 hours.
1935 - A hurricane kills 423 in the Florida Keys.
1936 - The first transatlantic round-trip air flight occurs.
1944 - Anne Frank (Diary of Anne Frank), is sent to Auschwitz; George H.W. Bush ejects from a burning plane in WWII.
1945 - Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam's independence from France.
1963 - CBS and NBC expand their network news from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Birthdays
1838 - Queen Lydia Kamekeha Liliuokalani, last queen of Hawaii (1891-93)
1853 - Wilhelm Ostwald, physical chemist, Nobel Prize Winner (1909)
1856 - Yang Hsiu-ch'ing, commander in chief of the Taiping Rebellion
1866 - Hiram Johnson (Gov-CA)
1918 - Martha Mitchell, wife of Attorney General John Mitchell
1931 - Alan K. Simpson (Sen-WY)
1936 - Joan Kennedy, 1st wife of Senator Ted Kennedy (MA)
1958 - Marlene Janssen, Playboy playmate (Nov, 1982)
1960 - Eric Dickerson, NFL halfback (LA Rams, Indianapolis Colts)

Passings
1547 - Hernan Cortes, Spanish general (defeated the Aztecs)

Reported Missing in Action
1963
Cruz, Raphael, USAF (CA); B26B disappeared during air cover mission, remains returned October, 1996
McKinney, Neil B., USAF (IN); B26B disappeared during air cover mission, remains returned October, 1996
Purcell, Howard, Philip, USAF (PA); B26B disappeared during air cover mission (pilot), remains returned October, 1996

1965
Collins, James Q., USAF (NC); F105 shot down (pilot), released by DRV (injured) February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Bennett, William G., USAF (AL); F105D shot down, survival unlikely

1972
Greenwood, Robert R., Jr., USAF (VA); F4E shot down (WSO, w/Wood)
Herold, Richard W., USAF (NY); O1 shot down (same location as Greenwood & Wood), KIC
Wood, William C., Jr., USAF (TN); F4E shot down (pilot, w/Greenwood)

Labels: Headlines, History