from CNN:

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two civilians thwarted an attempted terrorist attack Tuesday when a vehicle loaded with explosives attempted to crash through the front gate of a U.S. base in the Afghan capital, according to the U.S. military.

The two men, an interpreter and a security guard, dragged the apparent suicide bomber from the vehicle before he could detonate explosives, said Col. Tom Collins, the chief spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"I think it's a pretty amazing and heroic event," Collins said.

He said that at about 9 a.m. Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET Monday) a driver crashed his vehicle into Camp Phoenix, the base where the Afghan National Army and police are trained. The driver reached for what appeared to be a cord to detonate a bomb, he said.

"Amazingly, a couple of Afghans who just happened to be on the scene there realized what was happening," Collins said.

"Anyone's inclination would have been to run away but these guys are genuine heroes," Collins said...

Read the Rest

Wing begins new chapter with F-15E
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFNEWS) -- Continuing to show a strong force and a visible presence in Afghanistan, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing added a new capability to its inventory Jan. 14.
More

Received via email on January 5th:

I am the woman that was fired for taking an already approved absence to see my husband off to Iraq Oct 16 2005.

I just wanted to let you know that my husband has returned from his tour of duty Dec 23rd 2006. He is right now finishing his demobilization at Camp Atterbury in Indianapolis. Tomorrow will be his last day and there will be an awards ceremony where he will receive a purple heart for injuries received in an IED accident.

My reason for writting this is to again thank those who supported my family, during the time I lost my job. And also to ask that you not forget the brave men and women who volunteer to put their lives on the line for our country. After picking up my husband the 23 rd and spending 10 days with him before he had to return to demob, talking with him made me realize just how very important it is to our soldiers to know that the people back home care and are not forgetting about them. They very much believe in what they are doing over there. And the things they sacrifice to do this job, is unimaginable to most of us.

Losing my job to be with him when he left is nothing compared to what he has been thru, what they all go thru. And these things will forever change them!!!

I am so very proud of my husband and even after being injured he wants to reenlist this year when his time is up, and is willing to go do it all over again.

Please always remember them with your support and remember the ultimate price that some have paid. Shine light on their accomplishments, and remember the fallen in the stories you write and tell. They have certainly earned that!!

Sincerely
Suzette R Boler

Washington, D.C. (Jan. 16, 2007) - Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Dr. Donald C. Winter, Vice President Dick Cheney, Susan Ford Bales, Jack Ford, Mike Ford, Steve Ford, Sen. John Warner, Sen. Carl Levin and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen salute as the model of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is unveiled. The ship as well as the newest class of aircraft carriers was named after the 38th president of the United States during a ceremony at the Pentagon. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shawn P. Eklund

United States Marine Corps Sgt. Craig M. Breiner, 30, of Howell (NJ) plans to carry the U.S. flag from the Belmar boardwalk to the state capital in Trenton to rally support for American military personnel serving in war zones.

"We need to bring the morale of our troops up," said Breiner, a seven-year Marine veteran who spent seven months in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. . . .

Breiner's walk will commence Jan. 20, rain or shine, at the 16th Avenue boardwalk in Belmar and proceed to Route 34 and Route 33. He welcomes people interested in walking with him to show support for American military personnel. . . .

For more information, call Breiner at (908) 415-1640.


Hat Tip to Laurie

PALADIN STRIKE — Sgt Albert Cook runs out of a M109A6 Paladin, a Self-Propelled Howitzer, to retrieve canisters for indirect fire missions at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in the Diyala Province of Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Samantha M. Stryker Story

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1/34 BCT Officially Extended in Iraq
GOP Not Buying White House Iraq Plan
Truck bomber hits police in Iraq's Kirkuk - Video
Iraqis bury victims of university attack
Bush chides Iraq over recent executions

Operation Enduring Freedom
NATO Captures 1st Prominent Taliban Leader
Gates to consider more troops for Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Jet with anti-missile system leaves LAX
Top Al Qaeda-Linked Militant Killed in Philippines
Yemeni Gets Year in Jail for Knife in Airport
Nigerian Man Charged With Funding Al Qaeda
Israeli Army Chief Quits for Lebanon Failures
Olmert under pressure after military chief resigns - Video
Court orders new sentence for "millennium bomber"
Official apologizes to detainees' lawyers
Russian forces on high terror alert

Worldwide Wackos
US Turns Focus to Iran
Report: Iran Shoots Down U.S. Spy Drone (The U.S. says no)
Iran president sends note to Saudi king
U.S. to meet N.Korea again on nuclear program
Castro recovery slow: Chavez - Video
Castro sets stage for power transition

Politics / Government
House to Vote on Student Loan Interest Rates
Virginia Lawmaker Says Blacks 'Should Get Over' Slavery (Oh, THAT should go over well...)
Rice leaves Gulf as Arab allies back Iraq plan - Video
Kenyans celebrate as Obama eyes White House - Video
GOP faces tough vote on Bush's war plan

Immigration / Border Control
Groups Try to Save Border Agents From Jail
Immigration centers fail health checks

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment
Man Charged in 'Baseline Killer' Case
Shocking! Cop Tasers Cop During Struggle
Cops: Naked Lawyer Solicited Girl, 14
Kidnap Suspect Evaded Detection for Years
Cops: Man Filmed Wife's Rape, Torture
Reward Offered in Sodomizing of N.J. Puppy (Hanging is too good for this freak)
Suspect Accused of Kidnapping 2 Missouri Boys Evaded Detection for Years
Teen called hero for tip on missing boy
Feds: Too Soon for Duke Rape Probe

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Three Teens Arrested For Videotaped Beatdown Posted on Internet
MySpace to offer parental notification software: report

Science / Nature
Most of California's Billion-Dollar Citrus Crop Lost to Freezing Weather
U.S. proposes new standards for umbilical cord cells
Geron reports new benefit of its stem cell therapy
California aquarium releases second great white shark
Thousands shiver as storm toll hits 54
Ancient weapons found in ruins in Syria

Oddities
Roadside rest-stop costs jeweler
Obedient motorist crashes on satnav command
Handbags a health hazard, women warned
Escaped chimp gets snack, cleans bathroom

Other News of Note
Tick Tock: Doomsday Clock is Ticking
Cell Phone Catches Fire, Burns Man Over Half His Body
Skype Founders Launch Beta of Internet TV Service 'Joost'

Fox News
NASCAR Champ Benny Parsons Dies
Actor Paul Sorvino Pulls Gun on Daughter's Ex-Boyfriend, She Says
Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz Try to Avoid Each Other at the Golden Globes
5-Year-Old Searches For Help After Parents Killed in Truck
Report: Miss New Jersey Ashley Harder Resigns Because She's Pregnant
Paula Abdul: Season Six of 'American Idol' Is 'Beyond Wacky'

Reuters: Top News
Somali parliament votes out dissident speaker
Merkel warns of "historic mistake" on EU charter
Custody row over British girl in Pakistan hits snag
EU investigators urge charge against Intel: WSJ
U.S. families puzzled by tighter China adoptions
Fish tales, wax wails for beauty-mad Singaporeans
China blocks entry to Scorsese's "Departed": sources
Jolie, Pitt move to New Orleans, report says
Oil falls to 20-month low, eyes key $50 mark
Health Management rises on dividend news
Banks boost Dow futures, Intel hits techs
JP Morgan rises after earnings
Investors losing appetite for oil, copper
More Investing News...
Reuters Global Biofuel Summit
Food or fuel?
Audio: A penny more for corn flakes? "Big deal."
Investor sees Bush embracing biofuels
JP Morgan profits rise in fourth quarter
Producer prices rose 0.9 pct in December
GM CEO sees deal with Delphi, union, soon
EU investigators urge charge against Intel: WSJ
Southwest Air earnings dip as fuel costs rise
Mellon profit jumps, beats expectations

AP World News
Train blaze continues to burn in Ky.
Digital music sales doubled in 2006
Federer, Williams advance at Aussie Open
MoMA debuts movie project on outer walls
Okla.St.-Texas game a triple OT thriller
Man charged in Phoenix serial case
Boggan outduels Durant; Cowboys win
Jordan's Petra named 7 wonders candidate
Heigl upset with co-star's comments
Trump gets star on Hollywood Fame Walk

Military.com
Military Faces Mental Crisis
USS Stennis Heads to the Gulf
Learn more about Nimitz-class carriers
DT: Laser Weapons Now
Op-ed: For Your Country
Sgt. Shaft: Webb Troop Education Bill
Kit Up!: Tell Us About Cool Gear

CENTCOM: News Releases
COALITION FORCES DETAIN 28 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS IN AREA RAIDS
ISF CAPTURES 2 INSURGENT CELL LEADERS
IRAQI ARMY RESCUES KIDNAPPING VICTIM
OPERATION SQUEEZE PLAY MAKES RAMADI SAFER MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE
IRAQI ARMY FORCES DETAIN 19 IN OPERATION TO CAPTURE ILLEGAL ARMED GROUP LEADER MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS
HIGH-VALUE TARGET DETAINED IN EASTERN BAGHDAD
IRAQI ARMY FORCES CAPTURES BOMBING CELL LEADER MULTI-NATIONAL CORPS - IRAQ PAO
CAR BOMB DETONATED IN AL MANSOUR

USJFCOM
Liveblogging: Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Mission Rehearsal Exercise 07-1
USJFCOM hosts first-responder focused modeling and simulation demonstration event
Not your typical reserve position: USJFCOM seeks reserve officers to join Standing Joint Force Headquarters
More about Standing Joint Force Headquarters Core Elements - podcast
Exercise to begin to prepare Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa for deployment
More about the mission rehearsal program

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Afghan Army Making Great Progress - Story
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Undersecretary Tours Iraqi Fertilizer Plant - Story
Volunteers Spark Warmth at Burn Center - Story
Iraqi Cops Take Lead With a Little Help - Story
Four-Legged “Troops” Sniff Out Explosives - Story
Oil Protection Forces Guard Vital Pipelines - Story

IN IRAQ
Iraqi Police Patrol Keeps Tigris River Safe
Safety Officer Develops Lifesaving Tool
Iraqi, Coalition Forces Conduct Major Offensive
Soldiers Use Air Assets to Capture Comb Makers
Hundreds of Ramadi Residents Join the Police
U.S. Army Cavalry Train Iraqi National Police

IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S. Air Assets Support Strike in Afghanistan
U.S. Air Force Engineer Helps Afghans Rebuild
Afghans Graduate From Agricultural Course
Afghans, U.S. Soldiers Distribute Relief Supplies
277th Named Army’s ‘Top Aviation Battalion’

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
1501 - Cesare Borgia returns in triumph to Rome from Romagna
1562 - Edict of St Germain recognizes the Huguenots in France
1595 - French king Henri IV declares war on Spain
1601 - France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
1656 - Brandenburg & Sweden sign Treaty of Königsberg
1718 - Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
1746 - Battle of Falkirk, Scotland-Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated by Scots
1757 - Germany declares war on Prussia
1773 - Captain James Cook becomes 1st to cross Antarctic Circle (66º 33' S)
1775 - 9 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests, Kalisk, Poland
1779 - Captain Cook's last notation in ship's log
1821 - México permits Moses Austin & 300 US families to settle in Texas
1827 - Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
1832 - Johannes van den Bosch appointed Governor-General of Dutch-Indies
1852 - British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
1861 - Flush toilet (with separate water tank and a pull chain) patented by Mr. Thomas Crapper
1862 - USS Lexington begins bombardment of Fort Henry, TN (thru Jan 22nd)
1863 - Skirmish near Newtown VA
1864 - General Longstreet's command ends heavy fighting at Dandridge TN
1874 - Armed Democrats seize Texas government, ending Radical Reconstruction
1885 - British beat Mahdists at Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan
1893 - Queen Liliuokalani deposed, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic
1895 - French President Casimir-Perier resigns; Félix Faure installed as President of France
1899 - US takes possession of Wake Island in Pacific
1911 - Failed assassination attempt on premier Briand in French Assembly
1912 - English explorer Robert Falcon Scott & his expedition reach the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had gotten there 1 month before
1913 - Raymond Poincaré elected President of France
1915 - Russia occupies Bukovina & Western Ukraine
1917 - US pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands
1920 - Paul Deschanel elected President of France
1928 - 1st fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented
1929 - Popeye makes 1st appearance, in comic strip "Thimble Theatre"
1944 - Corvette Violet sinks U-641 in Atlantic Ocean
1945 - Liberation of Warsaw by Soviet troops (end of Nazi occupation); Auschwitz concentration camp begins evacuation; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, arrested by secret police in Hungary
1946 - United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting
1948 - Netherlands & Indonesia agree to a cease fire; Trial of 11 US Communist party members begins in New York City NY
1950 - 11 men rob Brink's office in Boston of $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities
1951 - China refuses cease-fire in Korea
1954 - Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
1955 - Submarine USS Nautilus begins 1st nuclear-powered test voyage
1961 - Eisenhower allegedly orders the assassination of Congo's Lumumba
1962 - NASA civilian pilot Neil A Armstrong takes X-15 to 40,690 m
1963 - Joe Walker takes X-15 to altitude of 82 km
1966 - Martin Luther King, Jr., opens campaign in Chicago; USAF B-52 carrying 4 unarmed hydrogen bombs crashes on Spanish coast at Palomares, killing 7
1968 - Soyuz 4 & 5 completed 1st docking of 2 manned spacecraft
1973 - New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life; City of Amsterdam decides to support Hanoi
1976 - Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency
1980 - NASA launches Fltsatcom-3
1981 - Philippino President Marcos ends state of siege
1983 - Nigeria expels 2 million illegal aliens, mostly Ghanaians; Alabama Governor George C Wallace, becomes governor for record 4th time
1984 - Supreme Court rules (5-4) private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
1987 - President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
1988 - Leslie Manigay elected President of Haiti
1989 - Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded; Victoria Murden & Shirley Metz are 1st women to reach South Pole overland (on skis)
1991 - Iraq fires 8 SCUD missiles on Israel - 1st US pilot shot down in Operation Desert Storm (Jeffrey Zahn)
1994 - 6.6 Earthquake hits Los Angeles killing 60, $30B in damage
1995 - 7.2 earthquake destroys Kobe Japan (5,372 die)
1998 - President Clinton faces sexual harassment charges from Paula Jones

Birthdays
1342 - Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy
1463 - Frederick III the Wise, elector of Saxony (1486-25), protector Luther
1504 - Pius V (Antonio Ghislieri), saint, pope (1566-72)
1612 - Thomas Fairfax, Lord Fairfax, English Parliamentary General
1706 - Benjamin Franklin, kite flyer/statesman/wit/inventor, Declaration of Independence signer
1732 - Stanislaw II August Poniatowski, last king of Poland (1764-95)
1759 - Paul Cuffe, merchant/shipbuilder/Black nationalist
1806 - James Madison Randolph (Jefferson's grandson), 1st born in White House
1818 - Sir Antoine Dorion, joint premier of Canada (1858, 1863-64)
1828 - Lewis Addison Grant, Union Brevet Major General
1853 - Alva Vanderbilt Beaumont, women's rights advocate & activist
1863 - David Lloyd George, British PM (1916-22)
1880 - Mack Sennett, movie creator (Keystone Kops)
1886 - Glenn Luther Martin, aviator (Collier Trophy-1933)
1891 - Norman "Squab" Read, US aviator who lived to be 101
1899 - Al Capone, gangster (Chicago bootlegging)
1902 - Geoffrey W. Lloyd, British minister of Brandstoffen/Energy (1951-55)
1905 - Franz Schmid, ascended northside of Matterhorn (1931)
1910 - Edith S. Green (Representative-OR)
1911 - Luis W. Alvarez, US physicist (sub atomic, Nobel 1968)
1917 - Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (MGR), Indian film star, politician
1918 - Joseph Walker Barr banker/politician
1922 - Luis Echeverría Alvarez, President of Mexico
1930 - Thomas P. Stafford, astronaut (Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10); Bill Benyon, English large landowner/Conservative Lower house leader
1931 - James Earl Jones, actor (Darth Vader - Star Wars); L. Douglas Wilder (Gov-VA)
1933 - Aga Khan, religious leader (Muslim)
1934 - Shari Lewis, ventriloquist/puppeteer (Lamb Chop)
1939 - Maury Povich, TV host (Current Affair, Maury)/Mr Connie Chung
1942 - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), heavyweight champ boxer (1964-7 74-8)
1943 - Daniel Charles Brandenstein, astronaut (STS 8, 51-G, 32, 49)
1949 - Andy Kaufman, comedian/actor (Latka Gravas-Taxi)
1954 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., attorney (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Passings
0395 - Theodosius I the Great, Spanish emperor of Rome, dies at 49
1119 - Boudouin VII, Hapkin count of Flanders
1661 - Andres Malong, Philippines rebel leader, executed
1874 - Chang & Eng Bunker, Chinese/Thai Siamese twins, die at 62
1893 - Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th US President (1877-81), dies in Fremont OH at 70
1902 - Gideon Scheepers, South African Boer leader, executed
1908 - Ferdinand IV, ruler of Toscane, dies at 72
1910 - Thomas Crapper, inventor (flush toilet)
1938 - William H. Pickering, astronomer (predicted Pluto), dies at 79
1955 - Joannes A. Veraart, Dutch judge/MP, (Jews in Netherlands), dies at 68
1961 - Patrice Lumumba, African revolutionary, murdered at 36
1968 - Julis Deutsch, Austrian politician/General Spanish republican army, dies at 83
1977 - Gary Gilmore executed in Utah, 1st US execution since 1967
1990 - Charles Hernu, French minister of Defense (1981-85)
1991 - Olav AFEC van Sleeswijk-Holstein-S-G V, King of Norway (1957)
1994 - Allan G. Odell, Ad executive (Burma Shave), dies at 90; Chung Il Kwon, PM of South Korea (1964-70)
1997 - Asfa Wossen (Amha Selassie), crown emperor of Ethiopia in exile; Clyde William Tombaugh discoverer (Pluto), dies at 90

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Ramsey, Douglas K., Civilian (NV); released by PRG February, 1973 - alive as of 1998

1967
Cogdell, William K., USAF (IN); T28D shot down - remains ID'd May, 1994

Krogman, Alva R., USAF (WY); O1F shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Wozniak, Frederick J., USAF (MI); RF3C disappeared on reconnaissance mission (backseater, w/Wright)

Wright, Gary G., USAF (CA); RF4C disappeared on reconnaissance mission (pilot, w/Wozniak)

1968
Wilke, Robert F., USAF (WI); A1A crashed on rescue mission

1969
Fickler, Edwin James, USMC (WI); A6A presumed shot down on bombing mission (pilot, w/Kuhlman) - presumed KIA, body not recovered

Kuhlman, Robert John, Jr., USMC (IN); A6A presumed shot down on bombing mission (bombardier / navigator, w/Fickler) - presumed KIA, body not recovered

Smith, Victor A., USAF (MD); F4D shot down (systems operator)

1971
Mirrer, Robert H., USAF (NJ); F4E shot down, believed KIA, body not recovered