Master Sgt. Mitchell Lefler hugs his daughter, Sarah, after arriving back home April 6 from supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lefler is a C-130 Hercules maintenance technician assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing for the North Carolina Air National Guard, and is returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen


Maj. Kevin Mountcastle talks with his family after giving them a tour of a C-130 Hercules, April 6 in Charlotte, N.C. Mountcastle is a C-130 Hercules pilot assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing for the North Carolina Air National Guard, and is returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen


Master Sgt. David Lee hugs his girlfriend, Crystie Wilkins, as he arrives back home April 6 from supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Lee is a C-130 Hercules loadmaster assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing for the North Carolina Air National Guard. He and his unit were deployed in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen


Maj. Kevin Mountcastle walks with his son after arriving back home April 6 from supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Mountcastle is a C-130 Hercules pilot assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing for the North Carolina Air National Guard, and is returning from a tour of duty in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen



Welcome Home, Job Well Done, and THANK YOU!! to all of these brave Heroes.


More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard, photos, USAF, Welcome Home

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Embattled Osprey to Be Deployed to Iraq
Agency weighed prosecutors' politics
Iraq parliament in session of 'defiance'
Civilian deaths drop in Baghdad
Al-Qaida-Linked Group Claims Iraq Blast

Operation Enduring Freedom
Bombings, gunbattles on rise in Afghanistan

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
U.S. embassy warns of possible Algiers attacks

Other Military News
Letter reveals U.S. intent at No Gun Ri
Navy Cancels Second LCS Ship

Worldwide Wackos
Fit as a Fidel
U.S. won't release 5 Iranians held in Iraq: report
Envoy: N.Korea talks lack momentum

Politics / Government
New Jersey Governor Corzine Wasn't Wearing Seat Belt in Car Crash, Spokesman Says
Woman at Heart of Wolfowitz Flap: 'I'm Victim'
Bushes Pay IRS $186,378, Cheney $413,326
Rove in new controversy over e-mails
Libby says not seeking new trial but will appeal
Bush asks Congress to alter 1978 eavesdropping law
Clinton offers reform plan, blasts Bush corruption
Bush renews call for 'culture of life'

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Duke DA Denied
North Carolina Bar upholds ethics charges - VIDEO
VIDEO: Will DA Mike Nifong Be Disbarred?
N.C. State Bar v. Nifong (FindLaw pdf)
Husband Gives Police Cold Details of Wife's Murder (Tara Grant)
Lawyers Ask Georgia Attorney General to Review Controversial Oral Sex Case
'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Joe Francis Charged With Bribing Jail Guard, Having Prescription Pills in His Cell
Alleged D.C. Madam Starts Naming Names in Sex Scandal
Panamanian Cops Question Three in Murder of Wealthy New York Widow
Minnesota Teen Allegedly Stabbed Newborn 135 Times
Slain Preacher's Wife: 'My Ugly Came Out'
Robber lets ailing Fla. clerk call 911

Adventures in Political Correctness
Analysis: Who Is Allowed to Say What?

U.N. News
U.N.'s Ban sends chief lawyer to Lebanon on tribunal

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Rutgers Team Accepts Imus' Apology - VIDEO
Condi Calls Imus' Comments 'Disgusting'
Google Snaps Up DoubleClick for $3.1 Billion
Researchers explore scrapping Internet

Science / Medicine / Technology
Yoga shown to help women with breast cancer
Human error blamed in failure of NASA Mars craft
Bone stem cells may morph into sperm: report

Mother Nature
Severe Weather Kills One In North Texas
Forecasters: Devastating Storm Heads East
91-Year-Old Survives Attack by 1,000 Bees
Spring storm drops snow, spawns tornado
'Landmark' ocean plan passes in Calif.
Wanna bet on global warming? You can

Oddities
Police gaffe makes Muslims pray in wrong direction
Pieces of Titanic transformed into luxury watches (This can NOT be good karma)
Man jumps from Empire State Building

Other News of Note
FDA Issues Warning on Olives - Potential of deadly bacteria prompts recall

Fox News
Teens in Abstinence Groups Still Having Sex
Principal, Teacher Quit Amid Taped Sex Tryst
Sources: Larry Birkhead Cuts High Six-Figure Deal With NBC
Anna Nicole Smith Custody Hearing Delayed; Arthur, Birkhead Set to Meet

Reuters: Top News
Sunken Greek cruise ship's "black box" found
Spring's slow arrival hits crops, baseball - Video
Game accessories strain relationships, decor
Intel may have upper hand in processor war, for now
Alcohol-free areas dry up in Texas
Mortgage fraud seen as undercurrent of subprime woes
Diamond, Spielberg tops Forbes celebrity divorce list - Video
Custody of Anna Nicole's baby still unclear
US STOCKS-Stocks climb on higher profit forecasts
McDonald's stock at 7-year high
Profit growth brightens, may surprise on upside
Oil service company stocks rise may be ending
Company profit picture brightens
Race to buy hedge funds quickens
Google to pay $3.1 bln for DoubleClick ad business
Lehman is sued for alleged stock option backdating
Magna confirms role in possible Chrysler deal
Trade gap narrows, but consumers wary
Growth abroad could shelter GE from U.S. slowdown
Former banker relates Wall St high jinks

AP World News
Bonds belts career homers 736 and 737
Predators even quarterfinal with Sharks
Indians finally set for home opener
Panthers' David Carr embraces 2nd chance
Mel B. names Murphy on birth certificate
Wholesale prices jump 1 percent in March
Indians give Westbrook 3-year extension

Military.com
Def Tech: Robot Rules of War
The Sandbox: On Being Home
Opinion: TV Tyranny of the Left
Check Out the Latest Video News
Podcast: Our Military Kids

CENTCOM: News Releases
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 12

USJFCOM
Secretary of the Air Force visits U.S. Joint Forces Command - podcast
USJFCOM continues to improve Joint National Training Capability - podcast
USJFCOM supports intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance conference - podcast

DefenseLink
Terror Attack in Baghdad Strengthens Resolve - Story
Commander Apologizes for No Notice Extensions - Story
Osprey Aircraft to Make Combat Debut in Iraq - Story
Corps Commander Highlights Progress in Iraq - Story
Detainee Denies Participation in Bombings - Story
Top Official Describes Reserve Mobilization Policy - Story

More Headline News
DoD, VA to Streamline Transition for Wounded
Army Anesthesia Program Ranked Second
Bush Condemns Attack on Iraqi Parliament

Military News
Recruiting, Retention Rates Remain Solid in March
Huachuca to be Home of Human-Intel Training
Four Guard Brigades Alerted for Iraq Duty

War on Terror
Forces Capture 18 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq - Story
Taliban Fighters Killed
Four Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Two Terrorists Killed in Iraq

America Supports You
Group Entertains Troops - Story
Arizona City Lauded for Support
Colorado Supports Troops
Bush Thanks Troops

Transformation
Sailors Will Need CAC to Log In
Chaplain Invents New Chapel Kit
Program Connects Troops to Public

Face of Defense
Pre-dawn Mission Brings Results - Story
Soldier Takes Oath in a Chinook
Army Captain Embraces Life
Siblings Reunite for Promotion

DefendAmerica
NEWS UPDATES
Commander Highlights Progress - Story

ON THE GROUND
Police Trainers Helping Iraqis Break Risky Habits - Story
Air National Guard Crew Flies First C-5 to Djibouti - Story
Kabul Hosts Engineering Contractor Open House - Story
Transition Team Finds Iraqi Police Eager to Learn - Story

IN IRAQ
Terrain Team Ensures Roads are Mapped Out
Officials Honor Audie Murphy Club Inductees
Expert Reconstruction Team Arrives on Taji
Stryker Troops Lead Initial Push into Diwaniyah

IN AFGHANISTAN
Marines Prepare for Afghanistan Deployment
Bagram Airmen Move Army Force Provider Camps
Female Medics Take Forward Mission to Heart

IN DJIBOUTI
U.S. Military Conducts Human Rights Training
Families Donate Soccer Balls to Orphanage
Airmen Help Djiboutians Learn English

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

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
0193 - Lucius Septimus Severus crowned emperor of Rome
0754 - Pact of Quierzy between Pope Stephen II, [III] & Pippin the Korte
0979 - Challenge to throne of King Aethelred II of England
1028 - German emperor Conrad II the Sailor crowns his son Henry III, king
1191 - 85-year old Giacinto Bobo becomes Pope Coelestinus III
1471 - Battle of Barnet-King Edward IV vs Earl of Warwick
1536 - English King Henry VIII expropriates minor monasteries
1544 - Battle at Carignano French troops under Earl d'Enghien beat Swiss
1574 - Battle of Mookerhei-D'Avila beats Louis of Nassau
1611 - Word "telescope" is 1st used (Prince Federico Cesi)
1614 - Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan, marries planter John Rolfe
1629 - England & France sign Peace of Susa
1671 - Cosaks capture Russian boer leader Stenka Razin
1756 - Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia Indians
1775 - 1st abolitionist society in US organizes in Philadelphia, PA
1777 - New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
1792 - France declares war on Austria, starting French Revolutionary Wars
1799 - Napoleon called for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
1809 - Napoleon defeated Austria in the Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1814 - Napoleon abdicates & was banished to Elba
1818 - US Medical Corp forms
1828 - 18-gun sloop Acorn sinks off Halifax with 115 men aboard
1836 - Congress forms Territory of Wisconsin
1847 - Persia & Osmaanse sign 2nd Treaty of Erzurum
1853 - Harriet Tubman begins her Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape
1859 - Charles Dickens' "A Tale Of Two Cities" published
1860 - 1st Pony Express rider arrives in San Francisco, CA from St. Joseph, MO
1861 - Formal Union surrender of Fort Sumter; Robert E. Lee resigns from Union Army
1862 - Battle of Fort Pillow, TN
1863 - William Bullock patents continuous-roll printing press
1865 - Mobile, AL is captured; President Abraham Lincoln shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
1868 - South Carolina voters approve constitution, 70,758 to 27,228
1871 - Canada sets denominations of currency as dollars, cents, & mills
1872 - Dominion Lands Act passed-Canada's Homestead Act
1900 - Veteran's Hospital at Fort Miley is established
1902 - Marie & Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive element radium
1903 - Dr. Harry Plotz discovers vaccine against typhoid (New York NY)
1906 - President Theodore Roosevelt denounces "muckrakers" in US press
1910 - President William Howard Taft begins tradition of throwing out ball on opening day
1912 - The Titanic, launched on 31 May 1911, on route from Southampton to New York with 2200 passengers, strikes iceberg off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia at approximately 11:30pm, and sinks early the next morning (1500+ death toll)
1913 - Belgium begins general strike for voting rights
1914 - Stacy G. Carkhuff patents non-skid tire pattern
1915 - Dutch merchant navy ship Katwijk sunk by Germany torpedo
1918 - Douglas Campbell is 1st US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane)
1920 - Tornadoes killed 219 people in Alabama & Mississippi
1921 - Prince Henry opens Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Bremen-Hamburg air route
1922 - Republic rebels occupies 4 government courts in Dublin
1923 - Etienne Oehmichen sets helicopter distance record of 358 meters
1931 - Spain becomes a republic with overthrow of King Alfonso XIII
1935 - Sandstorm ravages US midwest (Dust Bowl)
1939 - John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" published
1940 - Allied troops land in Norway; RCA demonstrates its new electron microscope in Philadelphia
1941 - 1st massive German raid in Paris France, 3,600 Jews rounded up; King Peter leaves Yugoslavia
1942 - Destroyer Roper sinks German U-85 of US east coast
1943 - Generals Alexander/Eisenhower/Anderson/Bradley discuss assault on Tunis
1944 - Freighter "Fort Stikine" explodes in Bombay India, killing 960+; 1st Jews transported from Athens arrive at Auschwitz; General Eisenhower becomes head commander of Allied air fleet; Greek Colonel Venizelos forms government
1945 - American B-29 incendiary raids on Tokyo & damage the Imperial Palace; Arnhem/Zwolle freed from Nazis; US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa; US marines attack Yae Take on Okinawa
1948 - A flash of light is observed in the crater Plato on the Moon
1949 - International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg's last judgment
1953 - Viet-Minh offensive in Laos
1954 - Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov asks for political asylum in Canberra
1958 - Sputnik 2 (with dog Laika) burns up in atmosphere
1959 - (Robert) Taft Memorial Bell Tower dedicated in Washington DC
1960 - 1st underwater launching of Polaris missile
1961 - 1st live television broadcast from the Soviet Union; Cuban-American invasion army departs Nicaragua; US element 103 (Lawrencium) discovered
1962 - Demonstration for sovereign status of New-Guinea in Amsterdam; Georges Pompidou becomes President of France
1967 - General Gnassingbe Eyadema becomes President of Togo; In the Vietnam War, US planes bomb Haiphong for 1st time
1969 - 1st major league baseball game outside US played in Montréal, Québec, Canada; Student Afro-American Society seized at Columbia College; Tornado strikes Dacca, East Pakistan killing 540
1971 - Fort Point, San Francisco dedicated as a national historic site; President Richard Nixon ends blockade against People's Republic of China; Supreme Court upholds busing as means of achieving racial desegregation
1973 - Acting FBI director L. Patrick Gray resigns after admitting he destroyed evidence in the Watergate scandal
1977 - Supreme Court says people may refuse to display state motto on license
1978 - Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, fired on by Soviets, crashes in Russia
1980 - 1st Cubans of the Mariel boatlift sail to Florida
1981 - 1st Space Shuttle-Columbia 1-returns to Earth
1983 - President Ronald Reagan signs $165 billion Social Security rescue
1985 - Alan Garcia wins elections in Peru
1986 - US aircraft attack 5 terrorist locations in Libya
1986 - Double-decker ferry sinks in stormy weather in Bangladesh, killing 200
1987 - Turkey asks to join European market
1988 - USSR, US, Pakistan & Afghanistan sign Afghanistan treaty
1989 - 1,100,000,000th Chinese born; In the Iran-Contra trial, Oliver North's case goes to the jury
1992 - UN-imposed embargo against Libya takes effect; Court throws out Apple's lawsuit against Microsoft
1993 - Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh promises to surrender after completion of his Seven Seals manuscript
1994 - US F-15 accidentally shoots 2 US helicopters down over Iraq, 26 die

Birthdays
1578 - Philip III, King of Spain & Portugal (1598-1621)
1629 - Christiaan Huygens, astronomer (discovered Saturn's rings)
1721 - William August [Duke of Cumberland], English army leader
1738 - Duck of Portland, British PM (1783, 1807-09)
1770 - George Canning, British PM (1827)
1797 - Adolphe Thiers 1st President of 3rd French Republic (1871-77)
1809 - George W. Vreede, Dutch lawyer/politician
1820 - Harry Thompson Hays, Confederate Brigadier General
1831 - Gerhard Rohlfs, German explorer/ambassador in Abyssinia
1832 - James Hewett Ledlie, Union Brigadier General
1862 - Pyotr A. Stolypin, premier Russia (1906-11)
1866 - Anne Mansfield Sullivan, educated Helen Keller
1874 - Count Alexander of Athlone, Governor-General (South-Africa/Canada)
1902 - Menachem A Schneerson, head of Lubavitcher Jews
1906 - Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz, King Saudi-Arabia (1964-75)
1907 - François "Doc" Duvalier, dictator of Haiti; Otto F. A. H. van Nispen, Dutch mayor (Pannerden)/MP (KVP)
1925 - Abel Muzorewa, bishop/premier (Rhodesia)
1928 - Robert Mugabe, President (Zimbabwe)
1929 - William Edgar Thornton, MD/astronaut (STS-8, 51-B, sk:49)
1930 - George W. Gekas (Representative-PA)
1941 - Anatoli Pavlocich Fyodorov, cosmonaut
1943 - Yvonne Vriens-Auerbach, Dutch MP (CDA)
1948 - Chester G. Atkins (Representative-MA)
1953 - Irina Rudolfovna Pronina, Russian cosmonaut
1958 - Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre, Prince of Monaco

Passings
0711 - Childebert III, King of French, dies at about 27
0911 - Sergius III, Italian Pope (904-11)
1240 - Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of Wales, dies
1471 - Richard Neville Warwick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, dies at 42
1574 - Christoffel Palts, German General strategist, dies in battle; Hendrik, Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies in battle; Louis, Earl of Nassau-Dillenburg, dies in battle at 35
1692 - Carlos de Gurrea, Spanish viceroy (Spanish Netherlands)
1924 - Roland Napoleon Bonaparte, French officer/explorer (Surinam), dies at 65
1925 - Pieter D. van Essen, Dutch artillery officer, dies at 54
1948 - Walter P. Reuther, President (United Auto Workers), shot at his home
1949 - Joseph A. Cushman, US paleontologist, dies at 68
1965 - Perry E. Smith and Robert E. Hickok, US murderers (In Cold Blood), hanged
1985 - Enver Hoxha, Albanian leader (1944-85)
1993 - Sam Ntombani, ANC-Secretary in Soweto South-Africa, shot to death
1994 - Selometsi Baholo, vice-premier of Lesotho, murdered
1996 - Benjamin "Zik" Azikiwe, Nnamdi politician, dies at 91

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Quamo, George, US Army (NY); U17 crashed - remains recovered June, 1974

Rodriguez, Ferdinand A., US Army (NY); released by PRG February, 1973 - deceased

1972
Greenleaf, Joseph G., USN (MA); F4E shot down (w/McKinney)

McKinney, Clemie, USN (OH); F4E shot down (w/Greenleaf) - remains returned August, 1985 - ID'd February, 1988

Labels: Headlines, History