From Multi-National Force - Iraq:


Sgt. 1st Class Boe, a therapeutic dog being used in Iraq to help Soldiers relieve stress, sits in the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Operations Center, Jan. 10. Photo by Spc. Richard Rzepka, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs.


Saturday, 12 January 2008

COB SPEICHER — Ever had a Sergeant 1st Class lick your face? For many Soldiers here, these are not freakish events, but regular occurrences. Sgt. 1st Class Boe is the newest member of the 85th Medical Detachment Combat Stress Control unit at COB Speicher, and is one of two K-9 therapists being used by the Army to help prevent and control the stresses of living in a combat zone.

Along with Staff Sgt. Mike Calaway, an occupational therapy assistant with the Combat Stress Control unit, Boe is part of a new Army program, which encourages Soldiers to interact with dogs in order to help relieve the psychological stresses of war.

The dogs, two Black Labrador Retrievers, were donated and trained by America’s VetDogs and are the first dogs to be used in a combat zone for therapeutic purposes. The organization is part of the larger non-profit group, Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, which has been helping provide guide dogs for the blind since the 1940s. Recognizing a growing need for specialized service dogs for America’s fighting forces, VetDogs recently initiated the therapy dog concept.

The dogs are intended to provide comfort and relaxation through physical interaction, whether it’s a game of fetch or just a peaceful few minutes of petting.

“I felt more relaxed after being able spend some time with her,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brenda Rich, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Medical Operations. “For a few minutes it was just me and the dog and nothing in this environment seemed to matter.”

Calaway spent two weeks training with Boe in New York City to develop a bond, before the pair was sent to Iraq to take on the challenge of helping Soldiers cope with a deployment.

“She’s a very well trained and very intelligent animal,” said Calaway, who recently introduced Boe to Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at COB Speicher. “So far we’ve had an outstanding response from Soldiers,” he said, “whether they need help or not.”

Deployments can create several different kinds of stressors, said Calaway, and Boe helps to break the ice, allowing Soldiers to open up about ongoing issues in their lives.

The major types of stress deployed Soldiers must deal with include operational stress, homefront stress and sleeping issues, said Calaway.

“The Soldiers absolutely love her,” said Maj. Charles Kuhlman, 1st BCT Chaplain.

Often Soldiers on outlying bases will befriend stray dogs for companionship and to get a feel for home, said Kuhlman. “Dogs make a huge difference in morale.”

(Story by Spc. Rick L. Rzepka, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs)


In Other Recent Developments Here:

BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured a suspected Special Groups facilitator early Thursday during operations to disrupt criminal element networks in the Baghdad area.

TAJI – The Iraqi Air Force Training School graduated 116 new warrant officers from its basic military training course held in Taji, Jan 8.

Labels: 101st Airborne Division, 85th Medical Detachment, COB Speicher, combat stress, Combat Stress Control, Iraq, service animals, Supporting the troops, therapeutic dog

SEAHAWK EYE VIEW - A Seahawk lifts off the USNS Flint while loading ammunition with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 9, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin Brossard

Labels: helicopter, photos, Seahawk, ships, US Navy, USNS Flint, USS Ronald Reagan

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Bush: 'Hope is Returning' to Iraq - PHOTOS - VIDEO
Iraq lets Baathists go back to work
Bush says troop cutbacks might stop
Iraqi Army, Local Security Volunteers Unite to Keep Adhamiyah Safe
Tips lead to destruction of booby-trapped houses during Operation Phantom Phoenix (Himbus)
Paratroopers discover rockets thanks to tip (SUQ ASH SHUYUK)
Local Iraqi discovers explosive formed penetrator at major intersection (SUQ ASH SHUYUK)
Coalition forces find prison facility, weapons caches in Diyala; 15 detained
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Says America Must Stay With Fight
New Effort Leaves 'No Holes'
U.S. Breaks Al Qaeda Stronghold

Operation Enduring Freedom
Mullen: More U.S. Troops Could Have Major Impact

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Colombian Hostage: Rebels Threw Snakes, Tarantulas at Us
Yemen urges U.S. to shut Guantanamo to win good-will
FBI agent faults counterterrorism work
New ID rules may complicate air travel

Troops (and Contractors) on Trial
Marine Slaying Manhunt
Cops: burned remains of woman, fetus found - PHOTOS - VIDEO
Urgency of search for Marine questioned
FBI finds Blackwater trucks patched

Fallen Heroes
Macedonian Army Helicopter Crash Kills 11 - PHOTOS
Lessons of war

Other Military News
Lockheed helicopter contract in trouble: report

Worldwide Wackos
Khamenei: U.S. won't bring Iran to its knees
Chavez says no military solution to war in Colombia

Politics / Government
Edwards' Last Stand?
Hillary Seeks Hispanic Support in West
McCain Picks Up Major Endorsement in S.C.
NATIONAL DELEGATE COUNT
Bush unlikely to pressure Saudis on oil
Pelosi and Bernanke to discuss economy on Monday: aide
Romney sees need for action to avert recession
Bill Clinton defends "fairy tale" remark on Obama
Romney and McCain debate economy - Video
McCain, Romney in tight Michigan race
Nevada Republicans envy others' campaign attention
Dem. nominee chosen for Ind. election
AP poll: Economy ties war as top issue
Huckabee and Thompson trade barbs
Minority vote moves center stage
Pressure mounts on Kenya to defuse crisis - Video

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Retirees may help cut immigration delay

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Stabbed Woman, Four Children Die Under Mysterious Circumstances in Ohio House Fire
Body of 1 of 4 Kids Thrown From Bridge Found - VIDEO
Travelers Arrested in Sex Acts on Commercial Flight
O.J. Jailed for Allegedly Contacting Co-Defendant
Cops Arrest 66 in Online Prostitution Sting
3 shot, hostage taken in Ky.; 1 arrest
New probe in 1988 murders after release

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
WEBCAMS AROUND THE WORLD: Mount Wilson, Calif.

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Astronomers Astonished by Violence of Universe
Slim Apple laptop expected at Macworld
Checklist to identify severe illness in infants

Mother Nature
19 Bald Eagles Die After Eating Fish Waste in Alaska
Study: Northeast winters warming fast

News from My Neck of the Woods
Water Leak Leads to Massive Pot Bust in Connecticut - VIDEO
New York Mom Allegedly Put Son, 7, in Oven as Punishment - VIDEO
New York probes Wall St. banks over suprime data: report
WTC fire probe focuses on contractors

Oddities
New Jersey Man Discovers Pearl in Fried Oyster

Other News of Note
Planes Nearly Collide on Runway at Atlanta Airport
Atlanta Prep School President Jumps From Hotel, Commits Suicide

Fox News
World's Top Surfers Compete in Superbowl of Surfing - PHOTO ESSAY
Deadly Wreck Shocks Canada
Taiwan Opposition Wins Election - PHOTOS
Four Killed in Ohio Plane Crash
Ex-Indonesian Dictator Suharto Shows Improvement
Nicole Richie, Christina Aguilera Give Birth Down Hall at Same Hospital
White House Says 'No' to Denzel Washington's 'Great Debaters'

Reuters
Olympic faces - Video
Literary London
Argentine flight delays spark passenger violence
Taiwan's KMT trounces DPP in legislature poll - Video
Indonesia's rusting infrastructure stymies growth
S.African police chief on leave in latest graft case
Packers rally past Seahawks in snowy Green Bay
Countrywide's hometown braces for leaner times
Alpine resorts scramble to beat warmer winters
Carla Bruni, from catwalk to the Elysee Palace
"Bucket List" kicks off weekend atop box office
Janet Jackson hopes new album ends sales slide
UK picks new Northern Rock boss
Macy's to cut 271 jobs in the Midwest
EU leaders warn on euro, euro zone growth forecast
China and Prince Alwaleed to invest in Citigroup: report - Video
Paulson: Fiscal stimulus should be quick, temporary
Bank results may drag stocks even lower - Video
RIM downgraded on U.S. worries as stock declines
More management changes at Starbucks
Gold hits record high near $900 on safe haven bids
U.S. recession worries hit crude prices
Citi shares rise 3.5 percent on capital hopes
Wall St stocks drop as consumers cinch belts - Video
McDonald's shares fall on concern over consumer
Compuware has lower-than-expected quarterly profit
Only On Reuters: Energy
Rising costs push up oil futures curve
Here comes the earnings recession

AP World News
Filmmakers face book-to-screen challenge
China's coal mines kill 3,786 in 2007
Patriots, Jags stress 60-minute effort
Northwest CEO addresses merger rumors
Directors, studios begin labor talks

CENTCOM: News Releases

USJFCOM
Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa Mission Rehearsal Exercise commences - podcast
2007 -- The Year in Review - photos
U.S. Joint Forces Command, IBM sign new cooperative research and development agreement
More about CRADAs

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Soldiers Place Protective Barriers During Night Operations
Leaders Pave Road Ahead
Operation Raider Harvest holding phase begins (Diyala)
Key leaders discuss issues in southern region (Camp Ur)

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Mullen Urges Productive Role for Iran
Pacific Commander to Visit China

IRAQ NEWS
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Says America Must Stay With Fight
New Effort Leaves 'No Holes'
Iraqis Celebrate Police Day

MILITARY NEWS
Guard May Not Hold Recruits to Contracts
All Active Services Meet December Recruiting Goals
Program Shows Promise in Army Recruiting
Most Air Force F-15s Get Green Light to Fly Missions

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Afghan Villagers Get Health Care

WHY WE SERVE
Army Major Wants to Share Her Story

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Survives Cancer, Joins His Unit in Iraq

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Group Offers Military Families Financial Help

This Week in the Pentagon

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

* If you're deployed, and want to see your location's weather listed here, please email me! *

Today in History
1493 - Last day for all Jews to leave Sicily
1552 - Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, 100s killed
1598 - Pope Clement VIII seizes duchy of Ferrara on death of Alfonso
1684 - French king Louis XIV marries Madame Maintenon
1701 - Parts of the Netherlands (Frisia & Groningen) adopt the Gregorian calendar (others 1 year later)
1773 - 1st US public museum established (Charleston SC)
1777 - Mission Santa Clara de Asis founded in California
1806 - French evacuate Vienna
1807 - Gunpowder-ship explodes in Leiden Netherlands, 150 die
1809 - British take Cayenne (French Guiana) from the French (until 1814)
1816 - France decrees Bonaparte family excluded from the country forever
1836 - Battle of Wetumka, FL; HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin reach Sydney Australia
1839 - Anthracite coal 1st used to smelt iron, Mauch Chunk PA
1861 - FL state troops demand surrender of Fort Pickens
1863 - President Davis delivers his "State of the Confederacy" address
1865 - Union fleet bombs Fort Fisher, NC
1879 - British Zulu War begins - Lieutenant-General Chelmsford invades Zululand
1896 - 1st X-ray photo in US (Dr Henry Smith, Davidson NC)
1900 - Freeland Colony founded in US
1903 - Rhodes Opera House burns in Boyertown, PA, killing 170; Harry Houdini performs at Rembrandt theater, Amsterdam
1904 - Southwest-Africa uprising under Samuel Maherero against German garrison
1907 - Britain grants responsible government to former colony of Transvaal
1915 - House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women the right to vote
1916 - Britain proclaims Gilbert & Ellice Island colony in the Pacific
1932 - Hattie W. Caraway elected 1st woman senator (AR)
1933 - Uprising of Guardia Civil in Spain, 25 die; US Congress recognize independence of the Philippines
1937 - Plow for laying submarine cable patented
1942 - National War Labor Board created; British troops reconquer Sollum; Dutch troops on Tarakan surrender
1943 - Frankfurters replaced by Victory Sausages (mix of meat & soy meal)
1944 - Churchill & de Gaulle begin a 2-day wartime conference in Marrakesh; Failed resistance raid on distribution office of Borgerstraat, Amsterdam
1945 - German forces in Belgium retreat in Battle of the Bulge; US Task Force 38 destroys 41 Japanese ships in Battle of South China Sea
1948 - Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast; 1st Supermarket in UK opens
1949 - Dutch court affirms death sentence against SS chief Hanns Rauter
1950 - Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die; USSR re-introduces death penalty for treason, espionage & sabotage
1952 - University of Tennessee admits its 1st black student
1953 - 9 "Jewish" physicians arrested for "terrorist activities" in Moscow
1954 - Austria's worst avalanche-kills 200; 9 hours later 2nd one-kills 115; Queen Elizabeth II opens New Zealand parliament
1961 - UN genocide pact goes into effect
1964 - Revolution overthrows Sultan of Zanzibar, 1 month after independence
1966 - "Batman" with Adam West & Burt Ward premieres on ABC TV; LBJ says US should stay in S Vietnam until communist aggression ends
1967 - Louisville KY, draft board refuses exemption for boxer Muhammad Ali
1970 - Biafran War ends, Biafra surrenders to Nigeria; Boeing 747 makes its maiden voyage
1971 - Fed grand jury indicts Reverand Philip Berrigan & 5 others, including a nun & 2 priests, on charges of plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger; "All in the Family" premieres on CBS featuring 1st toilet flush on TV; Congressional Black Caucus organizes
1974 - Libya & Tunisia announce they are merging as "Islamic Arab Republic"
1975 - Chrysler Corp offers 1st car rebates
1976 - UN Security Council votes 11-1 to seat Palestine Liberation Organization
1977 - Anti-French demonstrations takes place in Israel after Paris released Abu Daoud, involved in the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli athletes
1979 - Los Angeles's Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, arrested in Bellingham; Record blizzard strikes the midwest, killing over 100
1986 - 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7-launched
1987 - Britain's Prince Edward resigns from his Royal Marines training
1989 - 6 claim to survive in rubble, 35 days after Armenian quake (hoax); Idi Amin expelled from Zaire
1990 - Civil Rights activist Reverand Al Sharpton is stabbed in Bensonhurst, NY; Romania bans Communist party (1st Warsaw Pact member to do so)
1991 - US Congress gives George Bush authority to wage war against Iraq
1992 - Algeria's General elections canceled after strong gains by Islamic Salvation Front in the 1st round
1994 - Malcolm X's daughter arrested for plotting Louis Farrakhan's murder
1995 - Major earthquake kills 5,092 in Kobe, Japan; Murder trial against OJ Simpson, begins in Los Angeles; Pope John Paul II begins visit to Southeast Asia
1996 - Russian troops arrive in Bosnia (joint operation with US)
1997 - HAL becomes operational (2001: A Space Odyssey); this date was given as January 12, 1992 on screen, but 1997 is the date used in both the novel and screenplay; Space Shuttle STS 81 (Atlantis 18), launches into space

Birthdays
1483 - Hendrik van Nassau-Dillenburg en Dietz, Governor/Viceroy of Holland
1492 - Andrea Alicati, Italian author
1562 - Charles Emanuel I, the great, Duke of Savoy
1580 - Jean Baptiste van Helmont, Belgian chemist, (found boiling point temperature)
1588 - John Winthrop, 1st Governor (Massachusetts Bay Colony)
1638 - Ernst R. Tarhemberg, Austrian field marshal (Turkish Wars)
1737 - John Hancock, patriot (1st to sign Declaration of Independence)
1749 - Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff, Austrian earl/prince/diplomat
1751 - Ferdinand I, King of Sicily & Naples
1792 - Robert Patterson, Union Major General
1810 - Ferdinand II king of Sicily
1814 - Jones Mitchell Withers, Confederate Major General
1819 - Zealous Bates Tower, Union Brevet Major General
1825 - Joseph Robert Davis, Confederate Brigadier General
1826 - Charles Cruft, Union Brevet Major General
1832 - Richard Waterhouse, Jr., Confederate Brigadier General
1852 - Joseph J.C. Joffre, French field marshal (Indo-China, Marne)
1871 - Paul Guthnick, German astronomer
1893 - Hermann Goering, Reichsmarshall/propoganda minister (Nazi Germany)
1899 - Paul H. Müller, Swiss chemist (DDT-Nobel 1948)
1902 - Ibn Abdul-Aziz Saud, King (Saudi Arabia); Simon H. Spoor, Dutch General/Intelligence Officer for General MacArthur
1903 - Igor V. Kurtshatov, Russian nuclear physicist (1st Russian nuclear bomb)
1906 - Henny Youngman England, comedian (Take my wife please...)
1908 - Ben Seijes Dutch historian (WWII)
1914 - Edqard John Gurney, politician
1915 - Ernest Armstrong, miner/politician
1915 - Frank Annunzio (Representative-IL); Joseph Roy George Ralston pilot
1916 - A. P(ieter) W. Botha, President of South Africa
1920 - James Farmer Marshall, civil rights leader
1941 - Jaime B. Fuster (Representative-PR, 1985-92)
1942 - Vladimir Sergeyevich Kozelsky, cosmonaut (Soyuz 24 backup)
1950 - Bob McEwen (Representative-OH)
1951 - Rush Hudson Limbaugh III, conservative radio & television host

Passings
0689 - Benedict Biscop, English saint
1049 - Abu Sa'id ibn Aboa al-Chair, Persian mystic, dies at 81
1167 - Aelred of Hexham/Rievaulx, English abbot/saint, dies at about 56
1517 - Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Spanish conquistador/admiral, beheaded at 41
1519 - Maximilian I of Hapsburg, German kaiser
1759 - Anne of Hannover, English princess, dies at 49
1928 - Ruth Snyder, 1st woman to die in electric chair
1943 - Jan R.T. Campert, Dutch resistance fighter/poet (18 Dead), dies at 40
1970 - Blanche Stuart Scott, US pilot, dies at 84
1978 - Nancy Spungen, stabbed to death by boyfriend Sid Vicious
1992 - Harry van Doorn, Dutch MP (KVP/KRO-chairman/PPR/CRM), dies at 76
1996 - Peggy Braithwaite, lighthouse-keeper, dies at 76
1997 - Charles Huggins, surgeon/medical researcher, dies at 95

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Kemp, Clayton Charles, Jr., USN (CO); SH3A shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Reinecke, Wayne Conrad, USN (OR); SH3A shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1968
Cohron, James D., US Army SF (IA)

Port, William D., US Army (PA); DIC November, 1968 - remains returned August, 1985

Labels: Headlines, History