U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. James A. Robson, a 120mm M1A1 Abrams tank main-gun loader with Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, watches the sun rise in the western Euphrates River valley as his tank sits in an over-watch position. The company has been providing support for 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, since the start of their deployment in March. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser


A tank with Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, supporting Task Force Highlander, Regimental Combat Team 2, sweeps through the Iraqi desert in the Al Anbar province in support of Operation Punisher III. The operation was part of the ongoing regimental-wide Operation Mawtini, which is aimed at countering an insurgent surge of activity in the Al Anbar Province, as well as disrupting the flow of weapons and other illegal items toward the urban areas. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser


Tanks with Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, supporting Task Force Highlander, Regimental Combat Team 2, speed across the Iraqi desert in the Al Anbar province. The tanks spent nearly a week combing the Iraqi desert in support of Operation Punisher III. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser


Master Sgt. Jerri A. Schlickenmayer, the tank leader for Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, supporting Task Force Highlander, Regimental Combat Team 2, leads a group of Marines to search a Bedouin (nomad) tent in the Al Anbar province. The tanks spent nearly a week combing the Iraqi desert in support of Operation Punisher III. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser


The sun sets in the western Euphrates River valley as a tank sits in an over watch position. Company B, 1st Tank Battalion, has been providing support for 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, since the start of their deployment in March. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ryan C. Heiser



More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: 1st Tank Battalion, Al Anbar Province, Iraq, military vehicles, photo essays, photos, Regimental Combat Team 2, tanks, Task force Highlander, USMC

SAILORS BATTLE BLAZE IN GREECE
U.S. Navy firefighters assigned to U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay help fight a brush fire near the mountain village of Lakki in western Crete, Greece, Aug. 24, 2007. The fires have claimed at least 49 lives, according to news reports. U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley

Labels: Greece Wild Fires, Navy firefighters, photos, US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, USN

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi PM Rips American Critics
Bush pleads for more patience for Iraq war
Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims march amid tight security
Dispute over how deep to cut Iraq troops
Iraq body count running at double pace
Group: 1.14M Iraqis have been displaced
Lone Female Pulling Weight in Iraq
Operation Lightning Hammer disrupts al-Qaeda in Diyala
Clearing operations in Samarra strike hard at insurgency

Operation Enduring Freedom
Foreign raid kills dozens of Afghans: residents

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA
Passenger Arrested After Trying to Open Door During Flight
At Least 42 Feared Dead in Two Bomb Blasts in India
Hamas Re-Creates 'Lion King' to Celebrate Gaza Victory
Egyptian man, stranded in Gaza, swims home
Suicide bomber kills four Pakistani policemen

Troops on Trial
Former Cop Gets 90 Days in Jail for Lying About Iraq Duty

Fallen Heroes
Family loses 2nd son; 3rd brother serves

Religion of Peace??
Four killed, 2 wounded in Muslim Thai south

Worldwide Wackos
Iran slow to markedly expand atom work: diplomats

Politics / Government
Fla. Dems Lose Convention Delegates - UPDATE ‘08
Clinton stumps with celebs in Vineyard
Obama names Republicans he'll work with

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Activists, mayors protest U.S.-Mexico border wall

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Arizona Police Discover Suspected Drugs in Dog Raid on Rapper DMX's Home
Vick couldn't scramble out of this mess

Adventures in Political Correctness
University Adds Bathrooms for Trangendered Students

U.N. News
"Momentum building" for new climate deal: U.N.

Science / Medicine / Technology
Horse flu outbreak spreading in Australia
France extends farm restrictions due blue tongue
Scientists bringing bad breath out of the closet
Flying robot to aid China Antarctic expedition

Mother Nature
Floods, Power Outages Cripple Upper Midwest - PHOTOS - VIDEO
Thousands Lose Power After Tornadoes Rage in Michigan
Greek fires kill 51 and threaten Olympia - Video - PHOTOS
Idaho Wildfire Forces Thousands to Evacuate
Toll rises in South Asia floods
Icky algae alarms New England fishermen
Bird flu found at German poultry farm
Oddities
Father of 7-Year-Old Boy Accused of Biting Son's Toes
Neighbor Who Bought Feces-Filled New Jersey Mansion Wants Out of Deal (Gee, why?)

Other News of Note
Last Hope Fading at Utah Mine
$100 bill getting high-tech facelift

Fox News
Balloon Crash in Canada Kills 2, Injures 11 - PHOTOS
Chinese MLK Memorial Sculptor Irks Artists, Activists
Officials: Over 1,100 Colombians Flee Conflict to Ecuador
Truck Plows Through Wedding Guests in Canada, Killing 6

Reuters: Top News
Security forces sent to India state - Video
AU envoy Salim urges Darfur parties to talk
Rights group accuses Bangladesh of abuses over curfew
Rain eases in Midwest but flood threat remains
Gay beats Powell in 100 meters final
Mother Teresa felt "emptiness": archbishop
Dibaba wins world title in miracle fightback
Iraq war looms over Venice Film Festival
Indexes rally on strong data as turbulence eases - Video
Wal-Mart shares move on stake rumors: sources
Dollar slips vs euro as credit concerns ease
Home Depot up as investors eye supply sale
Wall St. wonders on lack of Fed borrowing
Subprime issuers test appetite for risk
Special Coverage: Crisis in Credit
Wall St Week Ahead: Bulls crave more calm, Fed in focus
FTSE ends up as economy news trumps credit worries
Temasek approaches Nasdaq to buy LSE stake: report
NBC in talks to buy Sparrowhawk Media: paper
Fed: Trade frictions threaten resilient economy
Ford Europe upholds higher profit forecast: report
Asian trade deals on track; China defends products

AP World News
Argentines win World Tango Championships
Wang and Damon carry Yankees past Tigers
Big Easy struggles 2 years after Katrina
Climate change is a mixed bag for Inuit
Slain British boy remembered at stadium
Wakefield baffles White Sox for 16th win
FAA touts system created to fight delays
Insider tale of city hall in Katrina
Mortgage mess hurts Main Street, beyond

Military.com
Blog: A Tough Time in Germany
DT: Is SOCOM Part of the Problem?
Daily Shock: The Humvee Carwash
Op-ed: Trust Airborne or Brookings?
Join the Veteran Career Network
Football Season Kicks Off
Military.com Career Fair Coming to New York City on August 28th

CENTCOM: News Releases
INSURGENTS TARGET COALITION, BUT KILL CIVILIANS
BAQOUBA TAKES MAJOR STEP FORWARD, FLOUR MILL REOPENS
TASK FORCE ON THE FUTURE ON MILITARY HEALTH CARE VISITS 28TH COMBAT SUPPORT HOSPITAL
AL QAEDA ATTACKS COALITION OUTPOST IN NORTHERN BAGDAD
IRAQI SECURITY FORCES, U.S. SPECIAL FORCES CAPTURE HIGH-LEVEL TERRORIST IN MOSUL
ONE TERRORIST KILLED, 10 SUSPECTS DETAINED IN COALITION OPERATIONS
CIVILIAN VOLUNTEER SECURITY FORCE RECEIVES POLICE TRAINING
OPERATION LIGHTNING HAMMER DISRUPTS AL-QAEDA IN DIYALA
BAQOUBA BANK RECEIVES CASH DELIVERY, PAYS SALARIES AND PENSIONS

USJFCOM
U.S. Joint Forces Command, Boeing sign cooperative research and development agreement - podcast
Noble Resolve 07-2 comes to a close
More about Noble Resolve - podcast
Joint training leader discusses Unified Endeavor 2007
More about the Unified Endeavor program

Multi-National Force-Iraq
New sewer system supports east Baghdad residents
Public Healthcare Clinic opens; one of five in Kirkuk
3-1 Cavalry denies enemy sanctuary in Jisr Diyala
11 terrorists killed, six suspects detained in Coalition operations
Iraqi citizens escape makeshift prison, CF find remains
Troops destroy cache in Southern Baghdad
Stryker Brigade Soldiers convene with Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Iraqi tribal leaders to promote p
Coalition Forces capture foreign fighter in Arab Jabour

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Attacks Down, Economic Development Up in Iraq
Bush Confident of Success as Iraqis Step Up

IRAQ
Tribal Leaders in Diyala Province Band Together

AFGHANISTAN
Coalition Forces Detain Suspected Militants

MILITARY NEWS
Army Displays New MRAPs on Aberdeen
Travels with Pace Special
Pace Thanks U.S. Troops - Story

ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ
Electricity Generation Improves
Engineers Build Health Centers
Sheiks Seek to Unite Community
Iraqis Work to Rebuild Country
Flour Mill Re-opens in Baquoba

INSIDE AFGHANISTAN
Airmen, Afghans Set Up Hospital
Reconstruction Progresses
Video: Freedom Watch Afghanistan

FACE OF DEFENSE
Father, Son Are 'Soldiers First'
Vietnam Vet Leads Support Center
Flight Nurse Lives Dream

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
'American Spirit' Aids Wounded
Group Offers ‘Hear 4 You’
Air Force NCO Still Going Strong - Story - Special

DefendAmerica
BLOGGERS' ROUNDTABLE with U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh
Electricity Generation Improves - Story

NEWS UPDATES
Citizens Commit to Stop Violence - Story - Video

ON THE GROUND
U.S. Marines, Sailors Return from Iraq Duty - Story
U.S. Airmen, Afghans Set Up New Hospital - Story
Engineers Work on Four Health Care Centers - Story
Sheiks Strive to Unite Community, Country - Story

IN IRAQ
'Volunteers' Take Oath to Protect Community
Seabees, Marines Help Iraqis Build Future
Flour Mill Re-opens, Will Employ 100 Workers
U.S. Troops Deliver Food, Water to Residents
Marines, Iraqi Police Host Youth Soccer Day

IN AFGHANISTAN
No Mountain Too High for Reconstruction Team
IN DJIBOUTI
Civil Affairs Team Delivers Medical Supplies
IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Commander Thanks Airmen for Dedication

IN KYRGYZSTAN
Project Hope Brings New Equipment, Training

NEWS UPDATES
Citizens Commit to Stop Violence - Story - Video

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
War on Terror Reconstruction Report
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
55 BC - Roman forces, under Julius Caesar, invade Britain.
1346 - English longbowmen defeat the French in Battle of Cr‚cy
1791 - John Fitch is granted a U.S. patent for his working steamboat.
1846 - W.A. Bartlett is appointed as the 1st U.S. mayor of Yerba Buena (San Francisco).
1883 - Krakatoa erupts; its increasingly large explosions kill 36,000.
1907 - Houdini escapes from chains underwater - in 57 seconds.
1914 - The Germans defeat the Russians in the Battle of Tannenberg.
1920 - The 19th amendment passes, granting women the right to vote.
1942 - 7,000 Jews are rounded up in the Vichy Free Zone of France.
1957 - The U.S.S.R. announces its successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
1973 - The University of Texas at Arlington becomes the first accredited school to offer belly dancing.
1974 - Soyuz-15 carries 2 cosmonauts to the Salyut-3 space station.
1978 - Soyuz-31 carries 2 cosmonauts (one of them an East German) to the Salyut-6 space station.
1982 - NASA launches Telesat-F.

Birthdays
1676 - Sir Robert Walpole (Whig), British PM (1721-42)
1743 - Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry (Oxygen)
1820 - James Harlan (Rep-IA)/U.S. Seretary of the Interior (1865-66)
1850 - Charles Richet, French physiologist, Nobel Prize winner (anaphylaxis-1913)
1873 - Lee De Forest, inventor (Audion vacuum (radio) tube)
1875 - Sir John Buchan, Governor-General of Canada / writer
1884 - Earl Biggers, author ("Charlie Chan" detective series)
1901 - General Maxwell D. Taylor, former US Army Chief of Staff
1906 - Dr. Albert B. Sabin, discoverer of the polio vaccine.
1909 - Frank Gasparro, U.S. chief engraver (1965-81)
1917 - William French Smith, Attorney General (1981-85)
1932 - Joe H. Engle, Brigadier General USAF / astronaut (STS T-2, T-4, 2, 51I)
1935 - Geraldine Ferraro (Rep-NY), first female major-party VP candidate
1942 - John E. Blaha, Colonel USAF / astronaut (STS 29, 33, STS 43)
1960 - Ola Ray, Playboy Playmate (Jun, 1980), actress (Thriller)

Passings
1963 - Larry Keating, actor (George Burns Show, Roger-Mr Ed)
1974 - Charles Lindbergh, aviator
1981 - Roger Nash Baldwin, founder of the ACLU

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Davis, Edward A., USN (PA); A1H shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Day, George Everette, USAF (NY); F100F shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel alive and well as of 1998
*** Medal of Honor winner, "most decorated officer since MacArthur," PFC/Corp WWII - South and Central Pacific April 1942 - November 1945, 2 Tours Air Defense F-84's, Radar tracking vs. Soviet radar, author of "Return with Honor" ***

Fuller, William Otis, USAF (TX); F4C shot down (w/Kilcullen), presumed KIA, body not recovered

Kilcullen, Thomas Michael, USAF (MD); F4C shot down (w/Fuller)

1971
Vennik, Robert N., US Army (NJ); APC ambushed, KIA, body not recovered

1972
Cordova, Sam Gary, USMC (CA); F4J shot down, remains returned December, 1988

Labels: Headlines, History