IRAQ WAR TODAY
Keep Your Helmet On!




Be A Part of a Tribute to Fallen Heroes - Help Build the Fallen Soldiers' Bike
Help support the families of our deployed Heroes - Visit Soldiers' Angels' Operation Outreach
Help Our Heroes Help Others - Click Here to visit SOS: KIDS
Nominate your Hero for IWT's "Hero of the Month" - click here for details!
Search Iraq War Today only

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

In Today's News - Thursday, April 19, 2007

Quote of the Day
“If you know the enemy and know yourself
you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”

-- Sun Tzu


News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Blasts Rock Baghdad, Kill More Than 180
Two Detroit men charged as Iraqi spies
Iraqis bury victims from deadly attacks
‘The War Tapes’ Offers Look at Operation Iraqi Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom
More NATO Help Needed in Afghanistan, Fallon Says
Coalition, Afghans Counter Taliban Offensive
Transcript: Briefing with Brig. Gen. Joseph Votel

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Deal struck to halt attacks on Israel: Abbas aide
U.N. wants to view Lebanon border for arms traffic
U.S. could ease flow of funds to PLO
Other Military News
Corps Bans Non-Issued Armor
Extra Time Off for Frequent Deployments
DoD Concedes on Reservists' Benefits

Worldwide Wackos
Iran making nuclear fuel in underground plant: IAEA - Video

Politics / Government
Pol Uses Bin Laden Name to Lure Voters
Mild Taste on Hill for Gun Control Law - VIDEO
Bush, Democrats Fail to Agree on War Bill
Bush Threatens Sanctions Against Sudan
Top deputy tells Wolfowitz to step down: sources
Democrats scramble to court Sharpton
Gonzales to appear before Senate panel
McCain says he backs no gun control

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Virginia Tech Shootings:
Virginia Tech Gunman Mailed Video Rant Before Murderous Rampage; Court Records Show Killer Was Ruled a Danger in 2005
VICTIMS' STORIES
THE MONSTER WITHIN
POSSESSED BY THE DEVIL?
HOW TO SPOT A PSYCHO
PHOTO ESSAY
Schools review safety after Va. massacre
Va. Tech stunned by images of gunman

Other:
Principal in Trouble for Kissing Boys' Feet
Sex Predator Hotline Calls Sent to Sex Chat
Teen Threatens Students, Then Kills Self
High Court Upholds Partial Birth Abortion Ban
Abortion ruling emboldens opponents
Preacher's Wife: Forced to Watch Porn - VIDEO
Jurors to confer in preacher's wife case
Body of Missing Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell Found in Philippines
Judge Upholds Illinois School's Ban on 'Be Happy, Not Gay' Shirt
Donkey becomes witness in Dallas dispute
Jury gives S.D. woman life in prison

Adventures in Political Correctness
Music execs discuss rap lyrics

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Wall Street Journal names new managing editor

Science / Medicine / Technology
BlackBerry e-mail outage upsets White House, Wall St
Two studies link hormones and cancer in women
Earth's oldest tree had fronds, not leaves
iPhone on target for end of June launch, AT&T says
NASA to test portable robot surgeon
Japan to launch its first lunar orbiter

Mother Nature
NYC whale beaches itself, dies suddenly

Oddities
Smoke Break May Have Saved Woman's Life
Belgrade horses may be drugged for Stones gig
Another toilet-maker in the hotseat

Other News of Note
Chemical Found in 2nd Pet Food Ingredient (This time in another higher-end food...and my dogs have eaten food on the recall list...)
Rwanda files World Court case against France
Crews move tons of rock in miner search
Dow closes above 12,800 for first time

Fox News
Dow Jones Industrials Close at All-Time High
Late Filers Swamp TurboTax's E-File System
Actress Kitty Carlisle Hart Dies at 96
NEWS IN PICS: Italy Factory Fire
Reality Check: 'American Idol' Full of Surprises
Birkhead Sells Photos of Anna Nicole Smith's Baby, as Predicted

Reuters: Top News
Hardline image haunts campaign of France's Sarkozy
Hewlett-Packard keeps lead over Dell in PCs
Southern U.S. town proud of its mandatory gun law
Haiti slum residents enjoy new peace, want more
Picking healthy restaurant foods not so easy: poll
Dow ends at record high; dollar sinks
EBay, Gilead, Labor Ready rise after results
Gold hits 11-month high, but struggles below $700
Yen recovers on solid data, risk-taking caution
Spansion Q1 loss widens; to sell some assets
All in the family
Dollar drop boosts blue chips
EBay profits jump 52 pct
A night without "CrackBerry": Curse or blessing?
Clear Channel gets higher bid, vote still unclear
Hewlett-Packard keeps lead over Dell in PCs

AP World News
'American Idol' says sayonara to Sanjaya
Buehrle no-hits Texas in near perfecto
Rangers move on with sweep of Thrashers
Lohan doesn't consider herself an addict
Haren leads A's past depleted Angels
AP NewsBreak: Haggard leaves Colorado
Rock asks court to weigh paternity claim
Magnetic toys recalled after injuries

Military.com
Def Tech: Don't Forget Anbar
Blog: Reinforcing Outer Baghdad
Ten Step Guide to Joining the Military
Sgt. Shaft: Survivor Benefits Catch-22
Patrolling in the Hindu Kush
Play Trivia and Win an iPod

CENTCOM: News Releases
SUSPECTED CHLORINE-BOMB TERRORISTS DETAINED
FIVE KILLED, 30 DETAINED IN RAID NEAR FALLUJAH
JOINT STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR ASQUITH, AMBASSADOR CROCKER AND GEN. PETRAUS - MAYSAN PROVINCE
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 17
131 DEAD, MORE THAN 160 WOUNDED BY MULTIPLE CAR BOMB ATTACKS IN BAGHDAD MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION
ISF, CF CONTINUE OPERATIONS IN BUHRIZ
OPERATION EAGLE LIGHTNING NETS TERRORISTS, WEAPONS CACHES AND IEDS

USJFCOM
Joint Individual Augmentee Training Program goes online - podcast
USJFCOM to co-host 2007 industry symposium - podcast

DefenseLink
Gates Visits Israel During ‘Days of Remembrance’- Story
Transcript: Gates and Israeli Defense Minister Peretz
Gates: Iraq Resolution Important to Region, World - Story
Program Offers Compensation for Deployments - Story
Suicide Bomb Attacks Present Top Challenge - Story
Fallon: Radical Islamic Leader’s Aims Remain a Puzzle
Army Restricts Spending While Waiting Approval - Story
Gates, Mubarak to Meet in Delayed Trip to Egypt
Gates Expresses Condolences to Virginia Tech
Campaign Urges Parents to 'Never Shake a Baby'

Military News
Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon
DoD Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility

War on Terror
Coalition Helps Iraq Secure Law - Story
Multiple Car Bombs Kill 131 Iraqis
Fourth Province Transfers to Iraqis
Iraqis, Coalition Kill, Detain Terrorists


America Supports You
Association Honors Actor, Others for Dedication, Troop Support - Story
Group Helps Families Reconnect
USO Opens Lounge at Dulles
Group Provides Stars for Stripes


Transformation
Service Integration Vital to Change
Joint Force Ops Industry Symposium
Sailors Will Need CAC to Log In


Face of Defense
Iraqis Appreciate U.S. Military - Story
New NCO in Charge Still a Scout
Brothers Reunite in Iraq
450th ‘Ironhorse’ Re-enlistment

DefendAmerica
ON THE GROUND
'Bandido Charlie' Secures Western Iraq - Story
Soldiers Support Iraqis with Help From Home - Story
Seabees Build Modular Protected Billeting - Story
Security Team Trains Humanitarian De-miners - Story


IN IRAQ
Troops Embrace Pocket-Size Memories
Medics Bring Hope to Injured Iraqi Boy
Army Completes Reconstruction Projects
Engineers Bring More Electricity Near Iraq
Troops Working with Diwaniyah Residents
Iraqi Tankers Take on First Patrol Mission


IN AFGHANISTAN
First Permanent Customs Building Opens
Joint Effort Continues at Jalalabad Airfield
Kabul Hosts Engineering Contractor Open House
Marines Prepare for Afghanistan Deployment


IN DJIBOUTI
Air National Guard Crew Flies First C-5 to Djibouti
U.S. Military Conducts Human Rights Training


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
0607 - Comet 1P/607 H1 (Halley) approaches within 0.0898 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1451 - Alam Shah of Delhi resigns throne
1524 - Pope Clemens VII fires Netherlands inquisitor-General French Van de Holly
1529 - 2nd Parliament of Spiers bans Lutheranism
1539 - Charles, protestant German monarch, signs Treaty of Frankrfurt
1552 - Mauritius of Saksen captures Karel
1587 - Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz, Spain & sinks Spanish fleet
1591 - Chartres surrenders to king Henri IV in France
1713 - Emperor Karel VI ends Pragmatic Sanctions
1770 - Captain James Cook 1st sees Australia
1775 - Minutemen Captain John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon; Revolution begins-Lexington Common, shot "heard round the world"
1782 - Netherlands recognizes US
1825 - 33 patriotic exiles return to Uruguay
1839 - Treaty of London constitutes Belgium an independent kingdom and Luxembourg a Grand Duchy
1853 - Netherlands Van Hall government forms
1861 - Baltimore riots - 4 soldiers, 9 civilians killed; Lincoln orders blockade of Confederate ports
1863 - Union troops/fleet occupy Fort Huger, VA
1864 - Naval Engagement at Cherbourg, USS Kearsage vs CSS Alabama
1874 - Barracks on Alcatraz Island destroyed in fire
1890 - Henry Morton Stanley is inaugurated in Brussels
1904 - Much of Toronto destroyed by fire
1906 - Belgian naval education ship Comte The Stain de Naeyer sets sail
1916 - Italian troops conquer Colonel di Lana at Merano
1919 - French assembly decides on 8 hour work day
1921 - Funeral of last German Emperoress, Augusta Victoria
1923 - New Egyptian law allows suffrage for men, except soldiers
1928 - Japanese troops occupies Sjantung-schiereiland
1932 - President Herbert Hoover suggests 5 day work week
1933 - FDR announces US will leave the gold standard
1936 - Anti-Jewish riots break out in Palestine
1939 - Connecticut finally approves Bill of Rights (148 years late)
1940 - Dutch prime minister De Geer declares state of siege
1941 - Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia; Milk rationed in Holland
1943 - Jews attack Nazi occupation forces at Warsaw Ghetto under Mordechai Anielewicz
1944 - Allied fleet attack Sabang Sumatra
1945 - US aircraft carrier Franklin is heavily damaged in Japanese air raid
1947 - French ship explodes in Texas City harbor, kills about 522
1948 - ABC-TV network begins; Chiang Kai-shek elected President of Nationalist China
1951 - General Douglas MacArthur ends his military career
1956 - US actress Grace Kelly marries Monaco's Prince Rainier III (civil ceremony)
1959 - Uprising in La Paz Bolivia, fails
1960 - Baseball uniforms begin displaying player's names on their backs
1962 - NASA civilian pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to an altitude of 6,900 meter
1964 - Rightist coup in Laos, Suvanna Phuma remains premier
1965 - 1st all news radio station (WINS 1010 AM in NYC) begins operating; At a cost of $20,000, the outer Astrodome ceiling is painted because of sun's glare, this causes the grass to die and eventually led to the installation of Astroturf
1966 - Roberta Bignay becomes the 1st woman to run in the Boston Marathon
1967 - US Surveyor III lands on Moon
1971 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic (National Day); USSR Salyut 1 launched; 1st manned lab in orbit; Charles Manson sentenced to life (Sharon Tate murder)
1972 - Bangladesh becomes a member of British Commonwealth; Hungary revises constitution
1975 - India launches 1st satellite with help of USSR
1978 - Yitzhak Navron elected 5th President of Israel
1982 - Sally Ride announced as 1st woman astronaut; USSR Salyut 7 space station put into orbit; Guinon Bluford announced as 1st Black astronaut
1984 - Nemesis, death star of dinosaurs 1st appears in print (Nature magazine)
1985 - 16th Space Shuttle Mission (51-D)-Discovery 4 returns to Earth
1987 - Last wild condor captured on California wildlife reserve
1989 - Republic Day in Sierra Leone; Gun turret explodes on USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors
1990 - Contra guerrillas, leftist Sandinistas & incoming government agree to truce in Nicaragua's civil war
1993 - Branch Dividians/FBI 51 day standoff in Waco TX ends with the deaths of 4 FBI Agents and numerous deaths from suicide of the cult members; Fire in psychiatric institute in South Korea, kills 40
1994 - Inkatha ends boycott of South African multi-racial election; Rodney King award $3,800,000 in compensation of police beating; Supreme Court outlaws excluding people from juries because of gender
1995 - Truck bomb outside Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, kills 168 & injures 500

Birthdays
1320 - Pedro I, King of Portugal (1357-67)
1721 - Roger Sherman, signer of Declaration of Independence, Constitution; Thomas McKean, attorney (signed Declaration of Independence) [or 3/19]
1821 - Mortimer Dormer Leggett, Union Major General
1832 - José Echegaray y Eizaguirre, mathematician/dramatist (Nobel 1904); Lucretia Rudolph Garfield US First Lady (1881-1885)
1866 - Henri Deterding, Dutch oil magnate (Royal Oil, Shell)
1876 - Hendrik, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin/king of Netherlands
1877 - Ole Evinrude, inventor (outboard marine engine)
1883 - Getúlio Vargas President of Brazil (1930-45, 1951-54), modernizer
1905 - John S. "Jimmy" Thach, US pilot/Admiral (WWII)
1910 - Andrew Gilchrist, historian/diplomat
1912 - Glenn T. Seaborg, head of Atomic Energy Commission/chemist/discovered Plutonium/Nobel 1951
1922 - Erich Hartmann, German WWII pilot (downed 352 Russian aircrafts)
1931 - Denis Henry, British high court judge
1931 - Hendrick J. "Kobie" Coetsee, South Africa minister of Defense/Justice
1936 - Wilfried Martens, Premier (Belgium, 1979-81, 1981-92)
1939 - E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (Representative-FL)
1946 - Viktor Viktorovich Zabolotsky, Russian cosmonaut (BST-02)
1947 - Frits Castricum, journalist/Dutch MP (PvdA)

Passings
0843 - Judith, French Empress/2nd wife of Louis de Vrome
1044 - Gothelo, Duke of Netherlands-Lotharingen
1054 - Leo IX [Bruno von Egesheim und Dagsburg], Pope (1049-54), dies at 51
1390 - Robert II, King of Scotland
1645 - Anton van Diemen, Governor-General (Netherlands East Indies), dies at about 51
1658 - Robert Rich, 2nd earl of Warwick English Lord High Admiral, dies at 70
1689 - Christina Queen of Sweden (1644-54)
1813 - Benjamin Rush, physician/abolitionist (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at 67
1862 - Louis Powell Harvey, Governor of Wisconsin, drowns
1881 - Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl (Beaconsfield)/novelist
1882 - Charles Robert Darwin, evolutionist (Origin of Species)
1906 - Pierre Curie, French physicist/chemist (Nobel 1903)
1943 - Alexander Schmorell, Kurt Huber, Willy Graf, German resistance fighters, beheaded
1945 - J. P. Heyboer, resistance fighter, executed
1956 - Léon N. H. Jungschlaeger, head military intelligence Netherlands-Indies, dies at 52
1956 - Lionel K. P. "Buster" Crabb, British diver (WWII), dies at 47
1957 - Charles Funk, Encylopediest (Funk & Wagnalls), dies at 76; Johan W. Albarda, 1st Dutch SDAP minister (1939-45), dies at 79
1966 - Väinö A. Tanner, Finnish premier (1926-27)/minister, dies at 85
1967 - Conrad Adenauer, West Germany chancellor (1949-63), dies at 91
1980 - Alfred [Joseph] Hitchcock, from renal failure at 80
1987 - Maxwell D. Taylor, US commander 101st airborne (WWII), dies at 85
1990 - Vladislav Ivanovich Gulyayev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 52
1993 - David Koresh [Vernon Howell], cult leader (Davidians)
1993 - George Mickelson, Governor of South Dakota, & 7 others, die in a plane crash

Reported Missing in Action
1961
Baker, Leo, ANG (AL); B26 shot down in Bay of Pigs (flight engineer, w/Ray), captured / shot (KIC), buried

Ray, Thomas "Pete", ANG (AL); B26 shot down in Bay of Pigs (pilot, w/Baker), captured / shot (KIC) - remains returned 1979

1966
Adams, Lee A., USAF (CA); F105D crashed on bombing run, Killed / body not recovered

Brown, Joseph O., USAF (CT); O1F shot down - remains returned, ID'd December, 1998

Robbins, Richard J., USAF (OH); A1E shot down - remains returned September, 1996

1967
Hamilton, John S., USAF (NM); A1E shot down - remains returned October, 1997

Madison, Thomas M., USAF (AL); F105F shot down (pilot, w/Sterling), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

Sterling, Thomas James, USAF (TX); F105F shot down (w/Madison), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1968
The following US Army personnel reported MIA after their helicopters were shot down while making supply runs in the A Shau Valley of South Vietnam:
From a CH47A:
Blodgett, Douglas R. (VA); crewman

Dennis, William R. (PA); flight engineer

Gonzalez, Jesus A. (PA); crewchief

From a CH47:
Housh, Anthony F. (IL); flight engineer

Wallace, Michael J. (MI); crewchief

From a CH54:
Lord, Arthur James (GA); aircraft commander

Millard, Charles W. (NC); pilot

Shafer, Philip R. (CO); crewchief

Werdehoff, Michael M. (OH); flight engineer

Also reported MIA this day in 1968:
Wilburn, John E., US Army (OK); fell out of UH1H when it was hit by enemy fire and began to spin - presumed Killed / body not recovered

Labels: ,


Cpl. Nathan B. Damigo, a light armored vehicle driver with Jump Platoon, 1st Light Armored Vehicle Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2 prepares to tie down the tarp roof of the battalion’s mobile combat operations center. The forward COC provides a link in the chain of communication with the battalion’s firm base and its mobile units. Photo taken by Lance Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser


Read the story associated with this photo

Labels: , , ,

Tonal Troop Support - Shawn Hlookoff

Canadian musician Shawn Hlookoff has one heck of a song - "Soldier" - that you simply must hear.

A teaser - here are some of they lyrics.

Some people say I'm a fighter,
Some people hate what I do.
But I stand for my country,
I stand for you.

[...]


So if I die, don't judge me,
'Cause I will not judge you.
And if I die, please accept it,
'Cause I would die for you.
..

And that's just a little bit. Really, you're missing something special if you don't listen to this one. The video is pretty powerful, too.

Soldiers' Angel Shelle tells me that the song and video for "Soldier" has been nominated for the top video of the year for Universal Muisc!

Please take the time to listen, and to vote, and be sure to leave a comment.

Winning the contest means huge exposure for the song and for Shawn, and it's well deserved.

Want a copy of the song? You can download it at the Soldiers' Angels website. Shelle tells me that there have been more than 125,000 downloads so far, and I'm one of them.

HOOAH, and Well Done, Shawn.

Labels: , ,

An Air Force B-1B Lancer flies a mission over Afghanistan. In recent weeks, the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron has maintained a persistent presence in Iraq and Afghanistan to support increased operations. The B-1B can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Lance Cheung)

Labels: , , , , ,

Medics Bring Hope to Iraqi boy

1st Lt. Terri Gurrola, medic in Company C, 203rd Forward Support Battalion, casts the leg of Hussein, a 15-year-old Iraqi boy, April 9, at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq. Hussein lost his leg in an improvised explosive device incident four years ago. Photo courtesy of 203rd Brigade Support Battalion


Soldiers fit 15-year-old for new prosthetic leg.

By Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team,
3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, April 17, 2007 — Medics from Company C, 203rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, gave a little hope to a local Iraqi boy when they provided him with a new prosthetic leg, April 9.
Hussein, the 15-year-old son of a local vendor, lost his leg in an improvised explosive device incident four years ago. He was treated and fitted for a prosthetic leg at a hospital in Baghdad. Since that time, due to normal adolescent growth and the harsh environment in Iraq, Hussein has outgrown the now worn-down prosthetic.

According to Maj. Cynthia Majerske, battalion surgeon for the 203rd Forward Support Battalion, kids should have their prosthetics replaced once a year, teens once every two years.

"The challenge is the conditions you take for granted back in the (United States.) Here, it is one more challenge to face." said Majerske, who is attached to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team from Fort Bragg where she is a physical medicine and rehab physician. "The prosthetic I would have proscribed is a silicone sleeve with a locking pin, but due to the harsh conditions here I want to give Hussein an exoskeleton design with a hard outer casing."

Majerske said she wants Hussein to have something he can easily take care of on his own, because it's more difficult in Iraq to take the leg to a medical professional for adjustments.

"It was very rewarding to do this for Hussein," said Sgt. Jae Min Yandon, medic in Company C, 203rd Forward Support Battalion. "The father was so thankful."

Yandon said the vendor has another son with the same problem and is trying to make arrangements with the 203rd medics for surgery.

Labels: , , , ,

TITIANA, Solomon Islands (April 16, 2007) - Lt. Cmdr. Karlwin Matthews provides medical aid to a native child. Matthews is an individual augmentee from Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego, embarked aboard Military Sealift Command (MSC) roll-on/roll-off ship USNS Stockham (T-AK 3017). Stockham is deployed to facilitate humanitarian assistance after an 8.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunami caused casualties and significant damage in the area. Stockham is one of 16 Navy ships of MSC’s Pre-Positioning Program and has a mixed crew of Navy personnel and Merchant Marine seamen. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Meyers

Labels: , , ,

Tomahawk Troops Embrace Pocket-Size Memories

(Left to right) Infantrymen with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Pfc. Joshua Ruth, Spc. Nicholas Myers, and Pfc. Brandon Kroger have all kept pieces of metal which wounded them during their deployment to Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma


By Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma
1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division, Baghdad

BAGHDAD, April 17, 2007 — One undeniable commonality in every battle fought is the memories of war that burn into the minds of the soldiers who fight in it and the small pieces that remind them to never forget.

Three infantrymen with Company C, 1st "Tomahawk" Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, experienced three different attacks, on three separate occasions and each came away with different stories to tell and some proof that fit into the palm of their hand.

"There was concrete blowing up everywhere and then I felt something hit me in the leg, right in the shin."-- U.S. Army Spc. Nicholas Myers
The Shot
After clearing a corner house on a road named for its high frequency of rocket-propelled grenade attacks, RPG Alley East, Oct. 12, Spc. Nicholas Myers was standing outside pulling security when a car blazed by and sprayed gunfire in his direction.

Simultaneously, about half a mile away, people shot from rooftops across the highway.

"When the gun shots started going off I was looking around and asking myself 'Where are these guys?'" Myers recalled, wanting to return fire. As his eyes continued to scan, he saw a row of bullets, one by one, climb up the wall behind him.

"There was concrete blowing up everywhere and then I felt something hit me in the leg, right in the shin," said the native of Licking, Mo. "I thought it was a chunk of concrete that blew out of the wall and nicked me in the leg."

Soldiers display pieces they have kept
from their attacks during their deployment April 13.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma

Instinctively, he ran back into the house with the rest of his squad and got on the roof where they could seek out where the shots were coming from, but the assailants were gone.

The throbbing became more intense as he looked down at his blood-soaked pant leg. Still unaware he had been shot, his squad got back into their Stryker vehicle and a tightly-wrapped field dressing was applied to his wound. When he finally got back onto the base, he walked to the aid station where they X-rayed him and discovered, lodged in the back of his leg, a bullet. He ended up keeping the bullet the medical staff extracted from his leg. Soon after, he went straight to a phone and called his wife and mom to tell them what had happened.

Myers said that his mom stayed emotional during the entire conversation and although his now-expecting wife, Felecia, started off very emotional, ended the phone call with a "Well, I guess that's pretty cool" attitude.

An Explosive Christmas
Later that year, operations for Pfc. Joshua Ruth continued as usual. It was Christmas day, and Ruth was out on a clearing mission in New Baghdad and the path they were wheeling through was Route Predator.

"We've been taking contact and hostilities all day," said the native of Elizabethtown, Ky.

That night they were going to have three to four hours to eat a Christmas dinner and relax before heading back out to patrol and secure their area of operation. This battalion effort had the soldiers on rotations, but another platoon was outside the wire and hit an improvised explosive device. The attack flattened a couple of tires, forcing Ruth's group to go out earlier than expected.

So they answered the call to duty and were out of the wire once again. They were driving along and then it happened.

"I remember the sound of the (explosively formed projectile) and I remember thinking that it must be somebody else," Ruth said. "The next thing I remember is me lying on the floor."

The blast had knocked him down into the vehicle. It exploded about a meter and a half away from him. It sent shrapnel across his face, perforating both eardrums and giving him a concussion.

"For a little bit, we were just disoriented; there was smoke everywhere; the vehicle was totally destroyed," Ruth said.

As the squad dismounted and pulled security, Ruth started to feel lightheaded so they took him over to the physician who cleaned and patched up the lacerations on his face.

The next morning, they went back out to the site to secure other items. "I was looking at the vehicle and where I was when it happened and I found it stuck up inside of one of the hubs and I pried it out," Ruth said.

The battalion was hit by its first EFP and now Ruth has a lasting reminder that fits in the palm of his hand, a piece of that ten-slug EFP that hit them that day.

"Because we spent the nights sleeping on the ground at other (forward operating bases), it wasn't until a couple days later that we got back and I was able to call my family," Ruth said. "On the phone, my mom started crying, but my dad said that they were just so happy to hear my voice."

Pieces of That Day
It was early morning, Jan. 24, and the first objective was a mosque.

While Pfc. Brandon Kroger and his squad secured the area, an Iraqi army element was trying to get into the mosque to search it.

"But they couldn't find a way in, so we got ready to help," said Kroger.

"We all dismounted and there we were at the nose of the vehicle. Me, (Spc. Brice Sandefur) and Ruth, were sitting there pulling security waiting for the order to move to go blow this door up."

Then he heard a noise.

"It sounded like a tin can that hit the ground," said Kroger, a native of Cincinnati. "So I turn, thinking that there's someone there about to shoot me. (I) raise my weapon and, boom!

"Five seconds went by and I didn't even realize I had been hit," Kroger remembered. "Suddenly, my left hand went completely numb and my calf felt like someone took a sledge hammer to it."

Everyone got back into the vehicle and Kroger pulled out his first aid pouch, assessed his wounds, and wrapped them up the best he could.

It was a grenade that exploded about 25 feet away from him. X-rays showed that there were a total of eight known pieces of shrapnel in his body.

His mother didn't take the news so well and once word got around about the grenade attack he survived, e-mails from family members filled his in-box.

A couple of weeks went by and Kroger noticed the color of one of the welts had changed to black. There he was sitting on his bed when he pulled a piece of black metal out of his inner thigh.

He said that although some pieces are slowly seeping out of his skin, there is a piece that is in so deep in his left thigh, a quarter of an inch from his femur, that he is probably not going to get it removed.

"So I'll probably be taking it to my grave," Kroger said. But for now, he has a tiny reminder of that day. "Eventually I will have kids and my kids will have kids," the 24-year-old said. "So I'll be this 85-year-old talking about how he was in Iraq and got hit by a grenade and I'll have a piece of shrapnel to prove it."

Although these 'Tomahawk' soldiers all came back to base with a piece of their Iraq War and a unique story to tell, their attacks left them with something else. All of them came out of this with a desire to get back out and join their fellow comrades in the fight.

"You feel like you're that extra element in your squad, in your platoon, that might make that difference," said Kroger. "Having that extra set of hands and feet out there is good."

Labels: , , , , ,


HUNTING THE ENEMY — U.S. Army 1st Sgt. David W. Christopher (left) and Army Staff Sgt. Gordon M. Campbell stand by after setting fire to a Taliban shelter along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, March 30, 2007. Members of Task Force Fury were patrolling the area during Operation Cat Fury. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew Leary

Labels: , , , ,

In Today's News - Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Quote of the Day
“The bravest are surely those
who have the clearest vision of what is before them,
glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding,
go out to meet it.”

-- Thucydides

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Failed Truck Bomb Containers Filled With Gas, Not Acid
Operation Dixon: Nitric Acid Cache Seized, Three Detained

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghanistan's Hazaras still await their due
Iranian Weapons Found in Afghanistan (What a surprise...NOW is it enough?)
Afghans Seeking Peace, Turn-In Weapons Caches

Troops on Trial
U.S. soldier on trial in Italy for Iraq killing
Haditha killings charges dropped against Marine

Supporting Our Heroes
Military.com Blog: Help Specialist Lozano

Other Military News
Army Cuts Spending as Deadline Passes
DoD Announces Troop Care Improvements

Worldwide Wackos
Conoco CEO says Venezuela talks could last months
Increased activity confirmed at N.Korea reactor: report

Homegrown Moonbats
Bermuda cut from O'Donnell's gay cruise

Politics / Government
Politicians fall behind in cyberspace race
Rampage may not influence '08 presidential race
Corzine's car was doing 91 mph before crash
Contractor says was told to hire Wolfowitz friend
U.S. and Australia strike refugee exchange deal
Edwards' haircuts cost a pretty penny

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Virginia Tech Shooting:
'QUESTION MARK' KILLER QUIETLY SEETHED
VIDEO: 'A LONER'
GUNMAN'S DISTURBING WRITINGS
USER PHOTOS (Fox News)
PROFILES: Victims of Virginia Tech Massacre
- PHOTO ESSAY: Lives Ended by a Killer
Witnesses Paint Grisly Picture of Horror
- Hero Prof Died Helping Kids Escape VIDEO
- FOX FACTS: Timeline of Tragedy VIDEO
VIDEO: Survival Story
Student Heroes
PHOTO ESSAYS: Mourning Prayers Tributes
Click Here for Full Shooting Video Coverage
URGENT QUEUE: Latest on Massacre
Reporter's Notebook: A Reeling Campus
Are Your Kids Safe on Campus?
Virginia Tech Gunman Led Quiet Life in H.S.
U.S. shuts student database to lenders amid concerns
Mass murderers painted as loners bent on revenge
Bush offers condolences at Virginia Tech
Threats rattle schools in 7 states
Reid warns against rush on gun control
U.S. gun laws draw heat after massacre

Other:
Prosecutors: Devlin Tried to Suffocate Boy
Missing Iowa Student Found Dead in Pool
Mayor of Nagasaki Killed in Brazen Attack
Doctor says preacher's wife claims abuse

U.N. News
AIDS ravages poor children needlessly: UN

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Ideology and Imus
Yahoo net profit falls
J-Lo sues National Enquirer for libel in Europe
Participation on Web 2.0 sites remains weak
Google CEO knocks Viacom tactics in piracy suit

Science / Medicine / Technology
FDA Approves First Bird Flu Vaccine
Argentine cow clones to produce insulin in milk
Canadian robot melds brain surgery, rocket science
Tourist handed an extra day in space for free
Study: Antidepressants may help kids

Mother Nature
China creates Tibetan snow as glaciers melt
Global warming may spur wind shear, sap hurricanes
Young whale found in New York harbor

Oddities
Lighting a Fire Under Your Rear End ... Literally (Very funny!)

Other News of Note
2 miners missing in Md. wall collapse

Fox News
Target-Date Retirement Funds Getting Aggressive

Reuters: Top News
Nigeria opposition demands poll delay over abuses
19 killed in Rio shantytown shootout, police raid
Fracas mars Madonna's Malawi visit
Asian stocks rise, dollar weak on rate cut talk
Gold inches up, but jittery heading towards $700
Oil rises on forecast of lower U.S. gasoline stocks
Nikkei up 0.7 pct, helped by property stocks
Dollar hits 15-year low vs sterling on yield
Drugs stock rally likely to continue
Wells Fargo CFO on mortgage risk
Chrysler set for two new Michigan plants
Intel quarterly profit helped by tax item
IBM profit up on software and services
Clear Channel bidders consider higher bid: source

AP World News
Clyde no longer 'Dancing With the Stars'
Lemaire's gamble pays off; Wild survive
Crosby proves prophetic as Sens top Pens
Chappelle jokes for over 6 hours in L.A.
Decade drought ends: Rangers win at home
NBA referee suspended over Duncan flap
Cardinals looking like September duds
Intel 1Q profit surges 19 percent
Why does Sanjaya reign on 'Idol'?
Stocks up on inflation, housing data

Military.com
Poll: Tougher Handgun Laws?
Op-ed: Freedom's Champs
Warfighters Read Warfighter's Forum
Def Tech: Good Call on M9
Kit Up! Wants You!

CENTCOM: News Releases
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 16

USJFCOM
USJFCOM to co-host 2007 industry symposium - podcast
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
Defense Secretary Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ - Story
Photo Essay: Gates Visits Jordan Part II
Resignation of Iraqi Cabinet Can Be Positive Step - Story
Gates Expresses Condolences to Virginia Tech - Story
Military Runners Conquer Boston Marathon - Story
DoD Policy Change Boosts G.I. Bill Eligibility - Story

More Headline News
Campaign Urges Parents to 'Never Shake a Baby'
Bush Thanks Military Families for Their Sacrifices
Detainee Denies Running Al Qaeda Camps

Military News
Osprey Aircraft to Make Combat Debut in Iraq
Recruiting, Retention Rates Remain Solid in March
Huachuca to be Home of Human-Intel Training

War on Terror
12 Detained in Iraq - Story
Afghans Lead Troops to Weapons
Eight U.S. Servicemembers Killed
Militants Detained in Afghanistan

America Supports You
USO Opens Lounge at Dulles - Story
Group Provides Stars for Stripes
Bikers Salute, Support Troops
Troops Thank Supporters in Arizona

Transformation
Joint Force Ops Industry Symposium
Sailors Will Need CAC to Log In
Chaplain Invents New Chapel Kit

Face of Defense
Brothers Reunite in Iraq - Story
450th ‘Ironhorse’ Re-enlistment
Pre-dawn Mission Brings Results
Soldier Takes Oath in a Chinook

DefendAmerica
NEWS UPDATES
Defense Secretary Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan - Story

ON THE GROUND
Army Completes Reconstruction Projects - Story
Engineers Bring More Electricity Near Iraq - Story

IN IRAQ
Troops Working with Diwaniyah Residents
Iraqi Tankers Take on First Patrol Mission
Transition Team Finds Iraqi Police Eager to Learn
Terrain Team Ensures Roads are Mapped Out

IN AFGHANISTAN
First Permanent Customs Building Opens
Joint Effort Continues at Jalalabad Airfield
Kabul Hosts Engineering Contractor Open House
Marines Prepare for Afghanistan Deployment

IN DJIBOUTI
Air National Guard Crew Flies First C-5 to Djibouti
U.S. Military Conducts Human Rights Training

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
0310 - St Eusebius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1521 - Parliament of Worms Cardinal Alexander questions Martin Luther
1552 - Mauritius of Saksen occupies Linz
1663 - Osman declares war on Austria
1666 - Peace of Kleef Netherlands & bishop Von Galen of Münster
1676 - Sudbury, MA attacked by Indians
1775 - Paul Revere & William Dawes warn "the British are coming!"
1797 - France & Austria sign cease fire
1834 - Charles Darwin sails to Rio Santa Cruz up Patagonia
1835 - William Lamb Lord Melbourne forms British government
1838 - Wilkes' expedition to South Pole sails
1856 - Russian Republic Chancellor Earl von Nesselrode resigns
1861 - Colonel Robert E Lee turns down offer to command Union armies; Battle of Harpers Ferry, WV
1862 - Battles of Fort Jackson, Fort St Philip & New Orleans LA
1864 - Battle of Poison Springs, AR (Camden Expedition)
1865 - Confederate General Johnson surrendered to General Sherman in North Carolina
1879 - Trial of Standing Bear-Crook on Indians citizen rights begins
1890 - New York Commission of Emigration ends, closing Castle Clinton
1902 - Denmark is 1st country to adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals
1906 - San Francisco earthquake & fire kills nearly 3,000 & destroys approximately 75% of the city
1909 - Joan of Arc declared a saint
1923 - Poland annexes Central Lithuania
1924 - 1st crossword puzzle book published (Simon & Schuster)
1927 - Chiang Kai-shek forms anti-government in China
1929 - Palace for People's industry in Amsterdam devastated by fire
1934 - 1st "Washateria" (laundromat) opens (Fort Worth TX); Hitler names Joachim von Ribbentrop, ambassador for disarmament
1935 - Netherlands election (Musserts NSB wins 8% of vote)
1936 - Pan-Am Clipper begins regular passenger flights from San Francisco CA to Honolulu HI
1939 - Franz von Papen becomes German ambassador in Turkey; Hubert Pierlot forms Belgian government
1942 - "Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts; James H. Doolittle bombs Tokyo & other Japanese cities
1945 - Clandestine Radio 1212, after broadcasting pro-Nazi propoganda for months used their influence to trap 350,000 German army group B troops; Epe freed (by Corporal G van Aken)
1946 - League of Nations dissolves (3 months after the UN starts); US recognizes Tito's Yugoslavia government
1948 - International Court of Justice opens at Hague Netherlands
1949 - Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth
1950 - 1st transatlantic jet passenger trip; Polish Catholic church & government sign accord over relations
1951 - Dutch Antilles government of Da Costa Gomez forms
1954 - Colonel Nasser seizes power & becomes PM of Egypt
1955 - 1st Bandoeng Conference - Afro-Asian conference opens
1956 - Egypt & Israel agree to a cease fire
1958 - Government troops reconquer Padang, Middle-Sumatra Indonesia
1963 - Dr. James Campbell performed the 1st human nerve transplant
1968 - Dutch Department of Amnesty International forms; London Bridge is sold to US oil company (to be erected in Arizona)
1974 - Red Brigade kidnaps Italian Attorney General Mario Sossi
1978 - Senate votes to turn Panamá Canal over to Panamá on Dec 31, 1999
1979 - Major Haddad declares South-Lebanon independent
1983 - A lone suicide bomber kills 63 at the US Embassy in Lebanon
1986 - Robert M. Gates becomes deputy director of CIA; Titan rocket explodes seconds after liftoff from Vandenberg AFB
1987 - An unconscious skydiver is rescued by another diver in mid-air
1990 - Supreme Court rules that states could make it a crime to possess or look at child pornography, even in one's home
1991 - Congress ends railroad workers' 1 day strike; Census Bureau says it failed to count up to 63 million in 1990 census
1994 - Former President Richard Nixon suffers a stroke & dies 4 days later; Lebanon drops relations with Iran; STS-59 (Endeavour) lands
1995 - Houston Post folds after 116 years; Quarterback Joe Montana announces his retirement from football

Birthdays
1480 - Lucretia Borgia, murderess (poison)/daughter (Pope Alexander VI)
1521 - François de Coligny, ruler of van Andelot, French General (Jarnac)
1590 - Ahmed I, 14th sultan of Turkey (1603-17)
1797 - Louis-Adolphe Thiers, President of France
1803 - Charles F. Pahud de Montagnes, Governor-General of Netherlands East Indies (1856-61)
1857 - Clarence S. Darrow, defense attorney at the Scopes monkey trial
1889 - Jessie Street, Australian pro women's/aborigine rights fighter
1906 - Edgar Unsworth, Justice of Appeals (Gibralter)
1910 - Jamie L. Whitten (Representative-MS)
1914 - Henk Lankhorst, pacifist/Dutch MP (PSP)
1917 - Louise Frederika, Queen of Greece
1924 - Henry J. Hyde (Representative-IL); Lord Mason of Barnsley, MP (Lab)/British defense secretary
1934 - Jaap F. Scherpenhuizen, Dutch MP (VVD)
1935 - Joel Hefley (Representative-CO)
1938 - Andreas J. "Cat" Liebenberg, supreme commander (South Africa army)
1940 - Joseph L. Goldstein, physician (Nobel-1985)
1942 - Dick K. J. Tommel, chemist/(D66) Dutch Assistant Secretary of State

Passings
0680 - Mu'awijja, kalif of Al-Schaam
1567 - Wilhelm von Grumbach, German military man, dies at 63
1610 - Robert Parsons, English jesuit leader/plotter, dies at 63
1689 - George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem/infamous judge
1690 - Charles V. Leopold, Duke of Lotharingen/Austrian fieldmarshal
1853 - William King, US Vice President, dies a month after his inauguration
1871 - Omar Pasha [Michael Lats], Croatian Governor, dies at 64
1917 - Moritz F. Freiherr von Bissing, Governor-General of Belgium (1914-17), dies at 73
1941 - Alexander Korysis, PM of Greece, commits suicide
1943 - I Yamamoto, Admiral of Japanese fleet
1945 - Ernest T. Pyle, British/US newscaster, killed in WWII at 44
1955 - Albert Einstein, German/US physicist (E=MC²)
1958 - Maurice-Gustave Gamelin, French Generalissmo (WWI, WWII), dies at 85
1963 - Henrietta Kreis 3rd of famous Wallenda aerialist killed in a fall
1986 - Marcel Dassault [Bloch], French airplane builder, dies at 94
1994 - Ken Oosterbroek, South African press photographer, shot dead at 32
1995 - Arturo Frondizi, President of Argentina (1958-62)
1996 - Kalim Siddiqui, Islamic campaigner, dies at 62

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Wheeler, James A., USAF (AZ); A1E crashed at target site

1969
Ellis, Randall S., US Army (SC)

1973
James, Samuel L., USAF (TN); F4E crashed (w/Martin) - remains ID'd April, 1999 - ID disputed

Martin, Douglas K., USAF (TX); F4E creashed (w/James - remains ID'd April, 1999

Labels: ,

nocashfortrash.org