FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20070425-01
April 25, 2007

Multi-National Division – North PAO

TIKRIT, Iraq – At approximately 3 p.m. Monday, a Coalition Forces’ patrol base in As Sadah, Iraq, was attacked by two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, killing nine Soldiers and wounding 20 Soldiers and one Iraqi civilian.

Twelve Soldiers were returned to duty after initial medical care, and eight Soldiers and the Iraqi civilian were evacuated to a Coalition Forces’ medical treatment facility for further care. Three of those Soldiers were later returned to duty.

“My thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the brave Soldiers who were killed and wounded during this vicious attack,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division commander and senior U.S. Army officer in Diyala. “Today I met with the governor, deputy governor, provincial council chairman, and the provincial director of police, all of whom express their condolences and appreciation for the sacrifices our Soldiers make. I reaffirmed to them that the Coalition Forces inside Diyala will remain on the offense to deny the enemy any safe havens.”

“The attack did not and will not stop the progress we are making,” added Lt. Col. Andrew Poppas, 5-73 Cav. commander. “This has only strengthened our resolve and has emboldened the people’s support of the security forces – Coalition, IA and IP – all of which conducted a joint patrol today to showcase our determination and dedication to the community.”

The enemy attack consisted of small-arms fire, followed by the detonation of two explosive-laden trucks, one of which detonated along an outer barrier.

The second truck detonated approximately 30 meters from the patrol base building. Neither vehicle penetrated the patrol base’s inner perimeter. However, the explosive blast from the second truck ruptured the wall of the patrol base building, collapsing the second floor and, causing the majority of the Soldier casualties.
One house was destroyed and several smaller structures collapsed in the neighborhood around the compound. The civilian hospital and local mosque located approximately 200 meters from the patrol base also received damage.

“This attack is a direct response to our aggressive and persistent operations to target the enemy in Diyala,” Sutherland said. “We will remain disciplined and resolute as we continue to target the terrorists who bring nothing but hatred and violence to those that depend on us.

Immediately following the attack, recovery efforts were on site to assist with medical evacuation and reconstructing the force protection measures. The 5th Iraqi Army Division commander and his personal security detachment were also on site to provide recovery assistance.

The Soldiers of 5-73 Cav. have been conducting operations in the Diyala River Valley from the As Sadah patrol base since March. The Iraqi army and police have been working from another nearby patrol base, reorganizing to establish a joint IA, IP, CF base.

The names of the deceased Soldiers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION – NORTH AT: TFLIGHTNING.PAO-AT-US.ARMY.MIL

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd BCT, 5-73rd Cavalry, 5th Iraqi Army Division, As Sadah patrol base, Diyala Province, Fallen Heroes, Iraqi Army, SVBIED

That's how long I was stuck with a car that wouldn't start.

I'm travelling (watch for a "Where Am I" post later). Trip was great, making great time...stopped to buy a couple of things. Came out, got back in the car, turned the key....nothing.

And this after we put in a new starter!

I'm not a happy camper. I got a lot less happy when I waited for TWO HOURS for the flippin' tow truck!

All in all, not a good scene, and I didn't get to the hotel until midnight.

Upshot of it all is that with tomorrow's work schedule, I won't have a lot of posts up until tomorrow afternoon....so stop back later!

Labels: personal

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Al Qaeda claims killing of 9 U.S. troops in Iraq - Video

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Hamas armed wing breaks truce - Video (I'm shocked...really. Who'd have thought they'd last five months?? Must be some kind of record for the murdering thugs.)

Fallen Heroes
U.S. Delegation Begins Mission to Bring Back Remains of Soldiers Killed in Korean War
GI: I Was Told to Conceal Info About Tillman
Tillman's Brother Blasts Military

Other Military News
NEWS IN PICTURES: Air Force Welcomed
U.S. commander orders quick end to "long war"
Air Force Might Cut Pay for Surge (But you're supporting the troops by holding up the funding, right, Lefties? Cut the crap, and fund the military - because this is completely unacceptable!)

Worldwide Wackos
U.S. to North Korea: Our Patience Is Limited
More N.Korea nuclear tests said likely if talks fail
Powers consider Iran nuclear proposal (Unbelievable. Caving yet again...)

Politics / Government
Cheney: Democrats Are Defeatists About Iraq (That's putting it mildly!)
Reid, Cheney Trade Fire in Iraq War-of-Words
Congressman Kucinich Introduces Impeachment Articles Against Dick Cheney
Redirect: Is Rove's Investigator Under Investigation? (Oh, for the love of...I wonder who they'll get to investigate the investigators investigating the investigators...your tax dollars at work, folks!)
McCain to Lay Out His Case for Presidency
Senate leader a blunt Bush critic on Iraq
Yeltsin Lying in State in Moscow - PHOTOS

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Miss America Goes Undercover to Bust Online Child Sex Predators
Serial Rape Terror
Riot Breaks Out Among Prisoners at Indiana Prison
Ireland Passes Emergency Under-Age Sex Law in Supreme Court Snafu
Virginia Gov. May Close Gun-Access Loophole
What Americans Really Think About Gun Control (I'm of the 'Gun control is hitting your target' philosophy...)
FBI Investigates Letters About Cheerleaders
Dogfighting operation found in Miss., La.
Police officer, gunman killed in Ind.
Contractor wants indictments dismissed
No jail for Willie Nelson on drug charge
Man sentenced in Nicolas Cage swindle
Bus violence rattles Minn. riders

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Katie Couric's Enemies Are CBS Insiders
GM's OnStar announces partnership with MapQuest (Great...now I can get OnStar, and they can get me lost with MapQuest rather than having to download the directions myself...)
Amazon.com 1Q profit more than doubles

Science / Medicine / Technology
Scientists Discover 'Kryptonite' in Serbian Mine
Astronomers Believe They May Have Found Earth-Like Planet
NASA nebula image captures violent birth of stars
Sony says China pirated Spider-Man DVDs are fakes
Digital camera shipments to fall in 2011: report
Wal-Mart to open 400 in-store clinics

Mother Nature
Texas Twister Kills 5, Injures 40
Snow Wallops Plains
Fossil Arctic animal tracks point to climate risks
Video shows endangered Sumatran rhino

Oddities
4-Year-Old Boy Tackled by College Football Player Recovering Well (Poor kid - he got whumped but GOOD!)
Man beats bookmakers by turning 100
Pregnant cow runs riot across city
Drunk man parks horse in German bank

Other News of Note
'America's Birth Certificate' Turns 500
Is Tainted Pet Food in Human Food Supply? (More than likely...yes)

Fox News
World Bank committee rejects Wolfowitz hearing

Mexico City Legalizes First-Trimester Abortions
Pop Tarts: Will Britney Spears Sing With Sanjaya? (Isn't this one of the signs of the Apocalypse?)
Former 'Apprentice' Contestant Bares it All in June Playboy
Kim Basinger Denies Leaking Alec Baldwin's 'Thoughtless Little Pig' Voicemail to Daughter to Press
Study: Religion Is Good for Kids

Reuters: Top News
France's Royal woos center with government post offer - Video
Rebels kill 74 in Ethiopia oil field raid
Guantanamo war court charges Canadian with murder
Somali government, insurgents battle - Video
Ecuador's Congress dismisses top court judges
Skybus starts with $10 air fares on May 22
Heather Mills knocked out of TV dancing contest
What happens in Vegas, stays - but maybe not your car
Expert panel faults U.S. policies on disabled people
Religious group attacks religion in U.S. healthcare
Jolie seeks to add Pitt to new son's name
Baldwin leaves talent agency - Video
Asia stocks fall, dollar weak, on U.S. data - Video
Oil steady, traders braced for U.S. gasoline draw
Dollar stays near 2-year low vs euro on rate view
Gold holds near NY levels, $700 seen elusive
Nikkei falls 1 pct, KDDI and Daihatsu slide
Hedge Fund Salaries
$570 million payday for top execs
SRI stocks a better bet in the long run?
Amazon raises '07 estimates, shares up
Apple ex-CFO links Jobs to backdated options
IBM, MySQL team up on database software
Hasbro, Mattel results leave toy industry smiling
BP shareholders ask U.S. judge to freeze CEO package

AP World News
Options troubles at Apple remain
Suns run Lakers out of desert, 126-98
Shaq feeling Heat as Bulls trample Miami
Raptors cap grand day for coach with win
Sonics show Hill, Sund the door
Earnhardt calls Gordon tribute classy
Mitchell reaches summit of NBA coaches
Washington woman named teacher of year
Diocese's bankruptcy plan approved

Military.com
Poll: Air Force Manning the Army?
Op-ed: Recycling the Scandals
Use Your GI Bill Right
Blog: Spinning the Fight
Fitness: Army PFT Overview
Def Tech: New Army Collars

CENTCOM: News Releases
AIRPOWER SUMMARY FOR APRIL 23

USJFCOM
Joint integration vital for Atlantic Strike participants
Noble Resolve 07 kicks off - podcast
Learn more about Noble Resolve
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense meets with USJFCOM - podcast

DefenseLink
Bush: U.S. Security Tied to Success in Iraq - Story
U.S., Polish Leaders Agree on Interceptors - Story
Gates Talks Missile Defense With Polish Leaders - Story
Myers Honored With Portrait Legacy Board - Story
Efforts Against Extremists Continue in Baghdad - Story
Officials Visit Africa, Discuss New Command - Story

More Headline News
U.S. Working to Pop Afghanistan’s Drug Market Bubble
Bombings Backfire on Taliban, U.S. Officer Says
General Says Counterterrorism Requires Partners
Civilian Leaders Gather to Learn About Military
Gates Asks Russia to Partner on Missile Defense

Military News
Extended Deployments Should Lessen Army Stress
Military Spouses Discuss Medical Transcriptionist Careers
Blue Angel Jet Crashes at Beaufort Air Show
‘The War Tapes’ Offers Look at Operation Iraqi Freedom

War on Terror
Forces Detain Terrorists - Story
Explosion Kills Nine Soldiers
Coalition Kills, Detains Terrorists
Taliban Leader Killed in Air Strike

America Supports You
Recognition of Soldiers’ Sacrifice - Story
Louisville Troop Support Shines
Group Fosters Understanding
Louisville Celebrates Sailors
Wounded Warriors Play Golf

Transformation
Service Integration Vital to Change
Joint Force Ops Industry Symposium

Face of Defense
Officer Improves Iraq Water - Story
Coincidence Connects Friends
Soldier Embraces Iraq Duty
Airman Awarded Bronze Star
Iraqis Appreciate U.S. Military

DefendAmerica
ON THE GROUND
Troops Deliver Supplies to Pediatric Hospital - Story
Iraqis Benefit from Army Engineers' Mission - Story
Civil Affairs Soldiers Near End of Deployment - Story
Airmen Provide First Class Postal Service - Story

IN IRAQ
Shadow Heroes Behind Curtain Making it Work
Military Transition Teams Help Train Iraqi Forces
Soldiers Make an Impact on Iraqi Communities
Iraqi Soldiers Get Ready to Lead Combat Patrols
Baghdad Primary School to Hold 900 Students
Sailors Return from Middle East Deployment
Anaconda's First-ever Chef Competition Sizzles

IN AFGHANISTAN
Conn. Guard Soldiers Reflect on Deployment
Coalition Forces Train Afghan National Police
Turkey Partners with U.S. in War on Terrorism
Security Team Trains Humanitarian De-miners
First Permanent Customs Building Opens

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
1185 - Sea battle at Dan-no-ura - Minamoto Yoritomo beats Taira family
1449 - Anti-pope Felix V resigns
1507 - Geographer Martin Waldseemuller 1st uses name America
1604 - Count Maurits' army lands at Cadzand
1607 - Battle at Gibraltar - Dutch fleet beats Spanish/Portuguese fleet
1626 - Battle at the Dessauer bridge - Monarch Albrecht von Wallenstein beats Earl of Mansfeld
1660 - London Convention Parliament meets & votes to restore Charles II
1678 - French troops conquer Ypres
1684 - Patent granted for the thimble
1707 - Battle of Almansa - Franco-Spanish forces defeat Anglo-Portuguese
1719 - Daniel Defoes publishes "Robinson Crusoe"
1747 - Prince Willem V appointed viceroy of Zealand
1792 - Guillotine 1st used - to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier
1850 - Paul Julius Reuter uses 40 pigeons to carry stock market prices
1859 - Ground broken for Suez Canal
1861 - 7th New York arrives to reinforce Washington, DC; Battle of Lavaca, TX
1862 - Admiral Farragut occupies New Orleans, LA
1864 - Battle of Marks' Mill, AR (Camden Expedition)
1867 - Tokyo is opened for foreign trade
1881 - 250,000 Germans petition to bar foreign Jews from entering Germany; French troops occupy Algeria & Tunisia
1886 - Sigmund Freud opens practice at Rathausstrasse 7, Vienna
1891 - President Benjamin Harrison visits San Francisco
1898 - US declares war on Spain over Cuba
1901 - Erve Beck hits the 1st home run in the American League
1901 - New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee)
1905 - Whites win right to vote in South Africa
1915 - 78,000 ANZAC troops land at Gallipoli
1925 - Paul von Hindenburg elected 2nd President of Germany (Adolf Hitler is 3rd)
1926 - Persian cossack officer Reza Chan crowns himself Shah Palawi
1927 - Spain routes 20,000 soldiers to Morocco (uprising Rifkabylen)
1928 - Buddy, a German Shepherd, becomes 1st guide dog for the blind
1933 - US & Canada drop Gold Standard
1941 - Operation Merkur - Hitler orders conquest of Kreta
1942 - Luftwaffe bombs Bath
1945 - 46 countries convene United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, CA
1945 - Clandestine Radio 1212, used to hoax Nazi Germany's final transmission; Last Boeing B-17 attack against Nazi Germany; US & Soviet forces meet at Torgau Germany on Elbe River; Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java; British troops reach Grebbe line Netherlands; Red army completely surrounds Berlin
1947 - Trial against WWII mayor of Amsterdam (Edward Voûte) begins
1950 - Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st Black to play in the NBA; Ambon proclaims RMS (Republik Maluku Selatan)
1952 - American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter; German "Country" Bathe-Württemberg forms
1953 - Scientists identify DNA
1954 - Bell labs announces 1st solar battery (New York, NY); British raid Nairobi, Kenya (25,000 Mau Mau suspects are arrested)
1957 - 1st experimental sodium nuclear reactor operated; Ibrahim Hashim forms Jordanian government
1959 - St. Lawrence Seaway linking Atlantic & Great Lakes, opens to shipping
1960 - 1st submerged circumnavigation of Earth completed (Triton)
1961 - Mercury/Atlas rocket lifts off with an electronic mannequin; Robert Noyce patents integrated circuit; Premier Moïse Tsjombe of Katanga arrested in Congo
1962 - US Ranger spacecraft crash lands on the Moon; Cleveland sends Harry Chiti to Mets for a player to be named later - on June 15, the Mets send Chiti back to Cleveland
1967 - Britain grants internal self-government to Swaziland; Abortion legalized in Colorado
1971 - US canal rights in Nicaragua & rights to Corn Islands expire; About 200,000 anti-Vietnam War protesters march in Washington, DC
1974 - NFL moves the goal posts & adopts sudden-death playoff; German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Secretary, Günther Guillaume, found to be a spy; Leo Tindemans forms Belgium government; Marcello Caetano overthrown in Portugal; he is exiled to Madeira and later to Brazil (Carnation revolution)
1975 - 1st Boeing Jetfoil revenue service, Hong Kong to Macao; Mario Soares' Socialist Party wins 1st free election in Portugal; West German embassy blown up in Stockholm, Sweden
1976 - Cub centerfielder Rick Monday rescues US flag from 2 fans trying to set it on fire; Elections in Vietnam for a National Assembly to reunite the country; Portugal adopts constitution
1978 - Supreme Court rules pension plans can't require women to pay more
1979 - Peace treaty between Israel & Egypt goes into effect
1980 - Announcement of Jimmy Carter hostage rescue bungle in Iran
1982 - In accordance with Camp David Accord, Israel completes Sinai withdrawal
1983 - "Nightline" expands from ½ hour to a full hour
1985 - West German Parliament rules it illegal to deny the holocaust
1986 - ETA bomb attack kills 5 in Madrid
1988 - NASA launches space vehicle S-211
1990 - Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by shuttle Discovery; Violeta Barrios de Chamorro begins a 6 year term as Nicaragua's President
1993 - Russia elects Boris Yeltsin
1994 - Bomb attack on taxi stand in Johannesburg - killed; King Azlan Shah of Malaysia resigns; Mexican businessman & billionaire Angel Losada kidnapped; Tsutomu Hata elected premier of Japan

Birthdays
1214 - Louis IX, king of France (1226-70)
1228 - Koenraad IV, Roman Catholic German king (1237-54)
1284 - Edward II, king of England (1307-27)
1599 - Oliver Cromwell, Puritan lord protector of England (1653-58)
1608 - Jean, duke of Orléans / brother of French King Louis XIII / General
1769 - Mark Isambard Brunel, engineer/inventor
1825 - Charles Ferdinand Dowd, US, standardized time zones
1840 - James Dearing, Confederate Brigadier General
1862 - Edward Grey English, Viscount of Fallodon/minister of Foreign affairs
1874 - Guglielmo Marconi, inventor (radio/Nobel 1909)
1900 - Lord [Hubert Miles] Gladwyn [Jebb], MP (Liberal); Wolfgang Ernst Pauli Austria, physicist (Pauli inhibition/Nobel 1945)
1906 - William J. Brennan, Jr., 92nd Supreme Court judge (1956-90)
1914 - Marcos Perez Jimenez, President/dictator Venezuela
1939 - Veronica Sutherland, British diplomat
1940 - Al Pacino, actor (And Justice For All, Godfather, Scorpio)
1941 - Lawrence J. Smith (Representative-FL)
1942 - Jon Kyl (Representative-AZ)
1951 - Ian McCartney, MP

Passings
1295 - Sancho IV the Brave, scholar/king of Castile/León
1342 - Benedict XII [Jacques Fournier], Pope (1334-42)
1607 - Don Juan Alvarez, Spanish Admiral (Gibraltar), dies in battle; Jacob van Heemskerck, Dutch Admiral (Nova Zambia), dies in battle
1647 - Matthias Gallas, Austrian earl of Campo/duke of Lucerna, dies at 62
1792 - Nicolas J. Pelletier, Frenchman, first to be guillotined
1862 - Charles Ferguson Smith, US Union General-Major, dies of infection at 55
1928 - Pjotr N. Wrangel, Russian baron General, dies at 49
1960 - Amanullah, emir/king of Afhanistan (1919-28), dies at 67
1981 - Dixie, a mouse who lived 6½ years, dies
1992 - Dany [Daniël S] Tuijnman, Dutch minister of traffic & water, dies at 77
1994 - George Gennimatas, Greek minister of National Economy, dies at 55; Talaat Yassin Hamman, militant Muslim leader, shot dead at 32

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Stackhouse, Charles D., USN (WI); A4C shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive and well as of 1998

Weskamp, Robert Larry, USAF (CO); F105 shot down - remains returned March, 1974

1968
Crossman, Gregory J., USAF (MI); F4D shot down (w/Mitchell)

Guillory, Hubia J., US Army (LA); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

Kelley, Daniel M., US Army (MA); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

Mitchell, Albert C., USAF (NY); F4D shot down (w/Crossman)

Scott, David L., US Army (IL); KIA in ambush - remains left behind

1971
Lemon, Jeffrey C., USAF (IL); F4D shot down (w/Sigafoos)

Odom, Chester R. II, US Army; believed working with VC

Sigafoos, Walter H. III, USAF (PA); F4D shot down (w/Lemon)

1972
Brownlee, Robert W. US Army (IL); evaded across Dak Poko river

1975
Walsh, Brian - led away at gunpoint

Yim, John Sung - possibly beheaded

Labels: Headlines, History