U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Robert W. Jarvis and Lance Cpl. Ian S. Whoehler sweep the side of a small berm for any weapons caches. Both are assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Engineers conducted cache sweeps north of Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 18-20, 2007. They traveled 31.4 km in two-man teams. During the three-day operation they uncovered a missile, seven 14.5 mm heavy machine-guns, over 8,000 rounds, around 30 mortar rounds and various rifles.U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran


U.S Marine Cpl. Timothy W. Literal assigned to 1st Combat Engineers Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, carries the barrel of a 14.5 mm heavy machine-gun. Engineers conducted weapons cache sweeps north of Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 18-20, 2007. Marines searched every berm along their 31.4 km search. They checked everywhere their metal detectors sounded. Most of the time it was trash but they did end up with some large caches at the end of the mission. Engineers were happy to take the weapons away from insurgents and help Coalition Forces. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran


U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Alexander M. Babcock assigned to 1st Combat Engineers Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, sets up fuses for a command detonation. Engineers with the battalion performed weapons cache sweeps north of Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 18-20, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran


U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Timothy W. Little assigned to 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, digs for weapons. Engineers conducted weapons cache sweeps north of Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 18-20, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran


U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Alexander M. Babcock assigned to 1st Combat Engineers Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, sweeps around a berm for any weapons caches. Engineers in the battalion conducted cache sweeps north of Fallujah, Iraq, Jan. 18-20, 2007. During the three-day operation engineers unearthed a guided missile, seven 14.5 mm heavy machine-guns, around 30 mortars, more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as fuses and a variety of rifles. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Erik Villagran



More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: Fallujah, Iraq, Marines, photo essay

David's got a whole bunch of it over at The Thunder Run - make sure to stop by and visit:

Air strike targets senior al Qaida leaders near Arab Jabour

Weapons cache discovered in mosque near Tarmiyah

IA captures death squad leader operating in southern Baghdad

Iraqi Army, Wolverine troops seize two weapons caches
.
IED cell foiled, five terrorist suspects detained

Four al Qaida, foreign fighter terrorists killed; 29 suspected terrorists detained

Emergency response unit captures cache north of Ramadi.

Labels: Good News, GWOT, Iraq

News of Note
Superbowl XLI
Rice Rooting for Colts in Bowl - PHOTOS
Archie Manning enjoys his 1st Super Bowl
Super Bowl: Soldiers and Da' Bears

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Truck bomber kills 135 in deadliest Iraq blast - Video
White House says Iraq bombing an "atrocity"
Japan FM calls U.S. Iraq policy immature--media (Guess we shouldn't respond with "I'm rubber, you're glue....")
War vote may hinge on a few Republicans

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Fatah, Hamas agree to renew Gaza truce - Video
Life harsher in new Guantanamo unit

Other Military News
Corps aims to shift Big Easy levee funds

Worldwide Wackos
N. Korea: We'll Freeze Nuke Facility for Oil

Politics / Government
Bush to Dems: I Welcome War Debate
Bush says budget will limit non-defense spending
Bush offers Democrats conciliatory words
Bush puts 'ic' back in 'Democrat Party'
Hundreds mourn Bill Clinton's stepfather
Biden Expresses 'Regret' on Obama Comment
Giuliani Says He'll Probably Run for President
Biden tells Dems he regrets Obama remark
Diplomat calls Brazil foreign policy anti-American
Egypt charges four with spying for Israel

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Jury: Man Shoved Phone Down Ex's Throat
Amber Alert Issued for 23-Month-Old Baby
Woman: Ex Sent Me Severed Kitten Head (What the HELL????)
Utah Newlyweds Modern-Day Bonnie & Clyde
Boyfriend of slain NYC dancer testifies

U.N. News
U.N. Kosovo plan shows deep fault lines

Science / Medicine / Nature
Out of House and Home - PICS - VIDEO: 911 Calls
Fla. picks up pieces after deadly storms
46 nations back body to protect planet

Oddities
Some Meth Addicts Turn to Urine to Get High
Cops Arrest Chewbacca Street Performer

Other News of Note
Cross Controversy - Virginia college president's order to remove cross from campus chapel sparks debate
How Old Is Too Old to Drive? - Issue resurfaces after crash kills Illinois boy
Attention: Don't Feed the Homeless - Orlando latest city to OK controversial measure

Fox News
Irvin Among 6 Pro Football Hall of Fame Picks

Reuters: Top News
Four dead in Colombia mine explosion - reports
AEI think tank sought critique of climate report
High-powered debate shows Syria's economic problems
Flagship India car plant bulldozes farmers' hopes
Most women view "morning after pills" favorably
Britain battles H5N1 bird flu outbreak in poultry
Earnings, data in spotlight for stocks
Seattle Genetics grabs investor notice
Oil jumps 3 percent on political tensions, U.S. cold
Transports' new high could be market's bull signal
Investing in the environment
Political risk could return to haunt stocks
Chrysler reassuring dealers after inventory crisis
Pluto's fate sends shiver through toyland
Goldman seeks more middle-market deals
Siemens CEO denies he knew of bribes: magazine
Dell faces investor lawsuit over Intel pact
Key dealer says Ford not "defending" truck franchise

AP World News
Indonesia floods leave 145,000 homeless
Gold rush tears up a patch of the Amazon
Mexican seeks world chili eating record
Site barred from releasing Hilton data
Taiwan anthem played for China officials
Wolfpack hold on to stun No. 3 UNC
$65 Harry Potter edition topping charts
Dell e-mail details corporate reforms
China offers Zambia investment package
Els takes lead at Dubai Desert Classic

Military.com
Def Tech: Iraq's Re-arm
Op-ed: War and the People
Blog: Tantrum Town
Advisors: Adoption and the Military
Podcast: A Real MNF Brief
Black History Month and the Modern Military

CENTCOM: News Releases
BATAAN TRANSITS SUEZ CANAL, ENTERS U.S. 5TH FLEET
IRAQI POLICEMEN RECOGNIZED FOR SACRIFICE, DEDICATION
EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT COMPOUND IN RAMADI ATTACKED BY SVBIED
MORTAR ATTACK ON WESTERN BAGHDAD SCHOOL

USJFCOM
USJFCOM sends second rotation to support CENTCOM - podcast
USJFCOM begins Integrated Battle Command Experiment Series - podcast
USJFCOM, others evaluate individual augmentee process - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Stability & Security in Iraq Report (pdf)
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

IN IRAQ
Sergeants Show Iraqis How to Run the 'Yard'
Former Small-town Doc Treats Troops in Iraq
Rugged Terrain No Challenge for Riggers
'Instincts Over Feelings' Neutralize Enemy
Army Destroys Insurgent Stronghold in Diyala
Iraqi, Coalition Soldiers Destroy Training Site
Iraqi Village Builds Women’s Center

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

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
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
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

IN AFGHANISTAN
Female Medics Earn Respect from Afghan Army

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
0708 - Sisinnius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1194 - Richard I Lion Hearted pays Leopold O. Fenrik VI's ransom of 100,000
1508 - Maximilian I assumes imperial title without being crowned
1586 - Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, becomes governor of Netherlands
1600 - Tycho Brahe & Johannes Kepler meet for 1st time outside of Prague
1620 - Prince Bethlen Gábor signs peace with emperor Ferdinand II
1697 - 3 VOC-ships anchor at Dirk-Hartogeiland, Australia
1699 - 350 rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow
1782 - British garrison surrenders to French & Spanish fleet
1783 - Worst quake in 8 years kills some 50,000 (Calabria, Italy)
1787 - Shays' Rebellion (of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers) fails
1789 - 1st electoral college chooses Washington & Adams as President & Vice President
1794 - French National Convention proclaims abolishment of slavery
1797 - Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000
1824 - J.W. Goodrich introduces rubber galoshes to the public
1846 - Mormons leave Nauvoo, MO for settlement in the west
1847 - 1st US telegraph company established in Maryland
1854 - Alvan Bovay proposes the name "Republican Party", Ripon WI
1855 - Soldiers shoot Jewish families in Coro, Venezuela
1861 - Confederate constitutional convention meets for 1st time, Montgomery, AL, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi & South Carolina elect Jefferson Davis President of Confederacy
1864 - Skirmish at Big Black River Bridge, Mississippi
1887 - Interstate Commerce Act authorizes federal regulation of railroads
1895 - 1st rolling lift bridge opens, Chicago
1899 - Revolt against US occupation of Philippines
1913 - Louis Perlman patents demountable auto tire-carrying wheel rim
1914 - US Congress approves Burnett-anti-immigration law
1915 - Experiments to find cause of pellagra begin at Mississippi Penitentiary
1917 - Belgium Council of Flanders established
1919 - City of Bremen's Soviet Republic overthrown
1920 - 1st flight from London to South Africa takes-off (1½ months)
1924 - 1st Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France
1926 - Austrian chancellor Seipel wants to join Germany
1930 - 1st tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks, New Orleans
1932 - 3rd Winter Olympics games open in Lake Placid, NY; Japanese troops occupy Harbin, Manchuria
1933 - Crew of Dutch "7 Provinces" mutiny after pay cuts; German President Von Hindenburg limits freedom of the press
1936 - 1st radioactive substance produced synthetically (radium E)
1938 - Hitler seizes control of German army & puts Nazi in key posts
1941 - United Service Organization (USO) founded; British tanks occupy Maus, Libya; Former Dutch premier De Geer flies to Berlin
1942 - Clinton Pierce becomes 1st US General wounded in action in WWII
1944 - US 7th Infantry Division captures Kwajalein
1945 - FDR, Churchill & Stalin meet at Yalta
1948 - Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) gains independence from Britain (National Day)
1949 - Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia
1952 - 1st Black executive of a major TV station (Jackie Robinson-WNBC New York)
1959 - Israel begins exporting copper ore
1961 - Sputnik 7 launches into Earth orbit; probable Venus probe failure
1962 - Russian newspaper "Izvestia" reports baseball is an old Russian game
1964 - 24th Amendment abolishes Poll tax; FAA begins 6 month test of reactions to sonic booms over Oklahoma City OK
1966 - All-Nippon Airways 727 crashes off Haneda Airport (Japan); kills 133
1967 - US launches Lunar Orbiter 3
1969 - Yassar Arafat takes over as chairman of PLO
1971 - Government exhibit under construction collapses, kills 65 in Brazil; National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington, NC; Apollo 14 lander Antares lands on Moon (Shepard & Mitchell); British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt
1972 - Senator Strom Thurmond suggests John Lennon be deported; 6th round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks ends in Vienna, Austria
1973 - Reshef, Israel's missile boat, unveiled
1974 - Patricia Hearst (19), daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army; Benzine and Gas rationing end in Netherlands
1976 - 7.5 earthquake kills 22,778 in Guatemala & Honduras
1977 - Elevated train jumps track, crashes onto Chicago st (11 die, 200 hurt)
1980 - Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran
1982 - Suriname premier Chin A. Sen flees
1985 - 20 countries (but not US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture; Naval exercises canceled when US refuses to tell New Zealand of nuclear weapons
1986 - Israeli fighters intercept Libyan liner (passenger plane)
1987 - Stars & Stripes beats Australia's Kookaburra 3, sweeps America's Cup; President Reagan's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress
1988 - Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega indicted on drug charges
1990 - 10 Israeli tourists murdered near Cairo
1991 - US postage raises from 25¢ to 29¢
1993 - Admiral Studeman, ends term as acting director of CIA; Russian space agency tests a 82' wide space mirror
1994 - 20 die in armed assault on mosque in Khartum Sudan
1997 - 73 Israelis die when army copters collide; OJ Simpson found liable in murders of Ron Goldman & Nicole Simpson (civil trial); Secretary of State Margaret Albright announces she just discovered that her grandparents were Jewish

Birthdays
1698 - Heinrich A. Fouqué, Prussian General
1764 - Carel H. Verhuell, Dutch/French Vice-Admiral/minister of Navy
1819 - Joshua Norton - "Norton I, emperor of USA"
1826 - Halbert Eleazer Paine, Union Brevet Major General
1841 - Clément Ader, French inventor (1st to fly a heavier-than-air craft)
1868 - Constance Gore-booth Markiewicy, Irish patriot/playwright/MP
1875 - Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (father of aerodynamics)
1881 - Kliment J. Woroshilov, Marshal/President USSR (1953-60)
1885 - Cairine Ray Wilson Montréal, 1st female Canadian senator (appointed)
1895 - Hanns (Johann) Rauter, German SS-Lieutenant-General/SS police chief in Netherlands
1897 - Ludwig Erhard chancellor of Germany (CDU)
1902 - Charles A. Lindbergh, pilot (1st fly solo across Atlantic)
1903 - Frank Howley, Brigadier General (Answers for Americans)
1904 - Herman B. Wiardi Beckman, Dutch politician (SDAP)/resistance fighter
1906 - Clyde William Tombaugh, US astronomer (discovered Pluto)
1913 - Rosa Lee Parks, civil rights activist (bus protester)
1917 - Aga Yahya Khan, Pakistan military/politician
1929 - Mary Joan Nielubowicz, Rear Admiral/nurse
1931 - Isabel Perón (Maria Martinez), dancer/president Argentina
1938 - Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (Senator-MI)
1939 - Stan Lundine (Representative-NY, 1976-86)
1944 - Daniel A. Mica (Representative-FL)
1947 - Dan Quayle (Senator-IN) / (44th Vice-President-R 1989-93); Sanford Bishop (Representative-GA)
1948 - Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), rocker (School's Out); Rod Grams (Representative-MN)

Passings
0211 - Lucius Septimus Severus, emperor of Rome (193-211), dies at 64
0708 - Sisinnius, Greek-Syrian pope (708, 20 days)
1189 - Gilbert of Sempringham, English monastery founder/saint
1222 - Willem I, Earl of Holland (1203-22)
1503 - Queen Elizabeth, consort of Henry VII of England
1505 - Joan of Valois, Queen of France/saint, dies at 40
1911 - Peter A. "Piet" Cronje, South Africa Boer General, dies at about 75
1928 - Hendrik A. Lorentz, physicist (L transformation-Nobel 1902), dies at 74
1939 - Henri W.A. Deterding, Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell), dies at 72
1943 - Frank Calder, 1st NHL president
1953 - Alexander Loudon, Dutch diplomat (League of Nations), dies at 60
1956 - Leendert A. Donker, Dutch Social Democrat party-minister of Justice, dies at 56
1957 - Joseph Hardaway, creator of Bugs Bunny, dies at 66
1958 - Frederik de Merode, Belgian prince, dies at 46
1966 - Gilbert H. Grosvenor, president National Geographic Society, dies at 90
1976 - Edward Benjamin Britten, composer, dies at 62

Reported Missing in Action
1967
The following USAF personnel reported MIA when their EB66C was shot down:
Bomar, Jack W., (IA); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Davies, John O. (PA); released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Doby, Herb (OR); remains returned by SRV September, 1977

Fer, John Helmut (CA); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive as of 1998

Poor, Russell A. (IN)

Wilburn, Woodrow H. (TX); remains returned - ID'd January, 1990

Also reported MIA this day in 1967:
Collamore, Allan P., Jr., USN (MA); F4B shot down (w/Thompson)

Thompson, Donald E., USN (NY); F4B shot down (w/Collamore)

1968
Brookens, Norman J., Civilian - USAID (PA); kidnapped by VC (w/Utecht) - released by PRG (injured) February, 1973

O'Conner, Michael F., US Army (MI); UH1C shot down - released by PRG March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Tallaferno, William P., USMC; escaped February, 1968

Utecht, Richard W., Civilian - USAID (NC); kidnapped by VC (w/Brookens) - released by PRG February, 1973

1970
Walton, Wilbert, US Army (NC); remains ID'd September, 1992

1972
Cooper, Daniel D., USN (OR); A7E shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Labels: Headlines, History