Art 101
Iraqi children pose in front of their artwork after a day spent painting a protective "T-wall" on Forward Operating Base War Eagle in northern Baghdad that lines their route to school, March 29, 2008. Photo by Army Spc. Joseph Rivera Rebolledo.

Labels: Baghdad, children, FOB War Eagle, Iraq, photos

From Multi-National Force - Iraq:

With the ball, Spc. Cortez Cox, a water purification specialist, and Staff Sgt. Howard Benjamin, a section leader, both with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), teach Radwaniyah children how to defend and take the ball away during day two of a three-day basketball camp at Patrol Base Lion’s Den. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT).


Friday, 11 April 2008
By Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback
3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT)

PATROL BASE LION’S DEN — Radwaniyah area children were treated to something a little out of the ordinary when U.S. Soldiers at Patrol Base Lion’s Den held a basketball camp recently.

Holding a basketball camp where Soldiers could teach lessons in teamwork, discipline and hard work, resulted from Staff Sgt. Christopher Dickerson and his company commander, Capt. Sean Morrow, putting their heads together.

Dickerson and Morrow wanted Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), to give back to the community and get the kids in the area together. Their idea captured the support of many company Soldiers, some of whom, like Sgt. Dwight Williams, added ideas and manpower to make the camp a hit.

Williams, originally from Birmingham, Ala., has a brother who holds a basketball camp at home every summer. Williams said he tries to make it to the camp to help each year, but donates $500 to sponsor five children when he can’t be there.

“Being over here this time, I got to work with the Iraqi kids and I felt just like I was back at home,” Williams said. “I was able to give back to the community.”

Giving back to Radwaniyah has involved more than just teaching basketball. One sheikh said the security the Americans had established was the first gift to the community.

“Thanks to God, the Iraqi Army and the Coalition forces, the security is very good,” said Sheikh Hameed Shalal Al-Tharib, a local leader in Radwaniyah. “That makes a good situation where our kids can play soccer, or come here and learn basketball.”

Teaching the children basketball, an American game, instead of soccer - a much more common game in Iraq - had its purpose. The Soldiers wanted to share American culture, but they also wanted to get everyone on common ground, starting off as beginners. They brought in Iraqi Army Soldiers and sheikhs to give the youth figures to look to for learning.

“We wanted to bring them in and have the IA with us so they could serve as good role models,” said Atlanta native, 1st Lt. Trivius Caldwell, 3rd Platoon leader for Co. B, 2-69th Armor Regt. “We wanted to teach them basic elements of life – teamwork, discipline, hard work – things of that nature. I think we accomplished that.”

Williams said he felt the Iraqi children may have had a misunderstanding of why Americans are in Iraq and the basketball camp was one way to show them what kind of people Americans really are.

“The kids really enjoyed it because they had heard about Americans,” Williams said. “But there’s a big difference between hearing about us and standing there with us and shaking our hands. I think they really enjoyed that more than the basketball camp – getting to interact with us.”

Eighteen children showed up for the first day of the three-day camp, 27 came on the second day and there were 47 by the last day.

“It’s just like spreading the word back home; if one kid likes it, he’s going to tell a friend and then he’ll tell a friend,” Williams said. “We were just glad to have so many kids come out.”

The children formed teams and played a championship game at the culmination of camp, allowing them to show off what they had learned. They were then treated to a cookout and given awards. Twenty-five children got one more thing, something they held dearly as they walked away – their very own Quran.

“In my brother’s camp (in Birmingham) we give out Bibles,” Williams said. “Here, a lot of families don’t have Qurans, so we gave out Qurans … Giving out a Quran is letting them know, ‘I respect your religion, just like I respect mine.’”

Local sheikhs happily brought the Qurans in at the request of Morrow.

“It’s a great thing to give the Quran to the children at the end of the basketball camp,” Sheik Al-Tharib said. “We want to teach our kids about more than sports … Since the people here are poor, it’s good that each kid can now have his own Quran – something his family maybe didn’t have before.”

Labels: 101st Airborne Division, 2-69th Armor Regiment, children, Good News, Iraq, Islam, Patrol Base Lion's Den, Radwaniyah, US Army

VEHICLE CHECK - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Patrick J. Malay, commander, Regimental Combat Team 5, hands a man candy to give to his children during a vehicle check in Baghdad, Iraq, April 4, 2008. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tyler Hill

Labels: Baghdad, Iraq, photos, Regimental Combat Team 5, USMC

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Gunmen Kill Senior Al-Sadr Aide in Iraqi Holy City of Najaf
Gates: Iran boosts support for militias
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Petraeus Gives High Marks to Maliki’s Anti-terror Offensive
Significant caches found North of Habbaniyah
Iraqi Border Patrol discovers large mines cache in Diyala Province
Third cache discovered within seven days (Kirkuk)

Operation Enduring Freedom
Canada Won't Turn Afghanistan Into Thriving Democracy by 2011: Emerson
Detained opium, arms traffickers identified

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Cheney, Rice OK'd Harsh Interrogation, Waterboarding
Bush's Use of Executive Privilege Compared to Nixon's
No signs of Qaeda at U.S.-Mexican border
Indian doctor sentenced over UK car bomb plots

Troops on Trial
Wife Shunned Fugitive Marine - VIDEO - PHOTOS
Lawmaker Blasts Marines
HOUSLEY BLOG: Hiding Out
Navy Officer Describes Paid Sex While Working for D.C. Madam

Fallen Heroes
DoD Identifies Army Casualty (Baghdad)

Wounded Warriors
1st Iraq war vet makes U.S. Paralympics team

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Long tours test troops
War legacy - Video
Russia army vows steps if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO

Worldwide Wackos
Navy: Iranian Boat Approached U.S. Ship in Persian Gulf
Report: Spy Photos Reveal Iran Missile Launch Site

Politics / Government
Obama 'Fired' Up Over Hillary Aide
Bill Clinton Backs Off After Reviving Bosnia Sniper Story
Cheney Photo Causes Stir on Internet
President and Laura Bush Paid $221,635 in '07 Taxes
Election HQ: Clinton Campaign Office Destroyed by Blaze
Obama on Carter's Hamas meeting
Blog: Philly backers tell Obama to pay up
Clinton, Obama to vie for the "faith vote"
Obama closing superdelegates gap - Video
Obama denounces big corporate pay packages
Clinton outlines anti-crime plan
Clinton, Obama mostly the same on policy
Pelosi Statement on 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1968
Dems question timing of Vytorin papers
Protests meet Olympic torch in Argentina

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
Feds Frustrated by Illegal Immigrants Passing Through Holes in New Border Fence

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Report: Teens Behind Florida YouTube Attack to Be Charged as Adults
Prosecutor: Suspected Serial Killer's Truck 'Awash with Blood' of 10 Dead Women
Hostages Released, Six Pirates Captured in Somalia Yacht Hijacking
'Monk,' '90210' Actor Stanley Kamel Found Dead in Home
12-Year-Old Girl Reported Missing Found With 19-Year-Old Internet Boyfriend
Parents Argue Over Which Gang 4-Year-Old Son Should Join
Girl, 14, Gets Probation for Killing Father With Shotgun
Texas Authorities Defend Handling of Polygamist Sect
Polygamist Raid Nets Cyanide Documents - PHOTOS
Polygamist sect encouraged fear
Phoenix Police, Armed Man in Standoff
Police: Stripper Stole Identity to Buy Exotic Cars
Vanilla Ice released from Fla. jail

U.N. News
Food riots to worsen without global action: U.N.

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
People uneasy with Web sites using personal details: poll

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Dangerous Animal Virus On U.S. Mainland?
FEMA Issues New Limits on Trailer Formaldehyde Levels
Man Loses 140 Lbs Eating 1,500 Cans of Baked Beans
Breakthrough Could Mean 500,000 Songs on an iPod
Trans-fats linked to breast cancer risk in study
Soy compound linked to lower breast cancer risk
Operation Beijing storm: rockets target rain
Putin wants Russian space industry to shine again
Appeals court denies EchoStar rehearing request
Drug companies to reveal grant practices
Russia opens monument to space dog Laika
Gov't seeks help with vaccine questions

Mother Nature
Animal rescue - Blog
Council approves salmon fishing ban

Oddities
Man jailed for fake Viagra sales
Porn star unveils campaign weapon-her bottom
Mexican wrestler puckers up to fight
Suspect nabbed after trying to skip fare
College students tour Nevada brothel

Other News of Note
Air Woes Hit Economy - PHOTOS - Check Your Flight
Fliers Fume as American Grounds 595 More Flights
Huge Oil Reservoir May Lie Under Northern Plains
Torch to blaze through Buenos Aires
Anger, terror warnings cloud Olympics

Fox News
MLB Players, Owners Reach Drug Agreement
Tiger Tries to Warm Up at Masters - LEADERBOARD
'Faces of Meth' Uses Portraits of Addiction to Warn Against Drug Use
Nude Photo of Carla Bruni Sells in New York for $91,000
Reality Check: 'Idol' Gives Back ... and Takes Away

Reuters
Market slumps on GE
GE miss jars confidence
GE another signal of slowing economy
Full Coverage: Subprime fallout spreads
Mugabe snubs regional summit
Immelman takes lead at Masters
Mugabe snubs summit, opposition calls strike - Video
Uganda rebel Kony seeks guarantees as talks stall
American quickens pace of work on MD-80s - Video
U.S. to get taste of pope's communication style
Most Americans gloomy over progress: report
Kylie Minogue album a flop in the U.S.
Foxy Brown to be freed from jail next week
G7 finance chiefs look for ways past credit crisis
GE results tarnish reputation as earnings master
Frontier files for bankruptcy but keeps flying
Linens 'n Things weighing bankruptcy: source
Lawmakers question key Vytorin meeting
Negative feedback loop in full swing in U.S. economy
Judge rejects banks' request in Clear Channel case
United Tech, Textron say on track, despite GE view
GE woes another signal of slowing economy
Yen rallies broadly as U.S. stocks plunge
Oil steadies on weak dollar, demand revisions
Court grants Teva generic Risperdal exclusivity
Bear Stearns sees incurring $288 mln losses in Q2
WaMu faces $14 billion losses, should be shorted: GS
Gold weakens, seen trading in range near term
Fastenal beats estimates; shares rise
Wall St. slumps on GE results, recession fears - Video
Skidding into '08

AP World News
Mills explains divorce court outburst
Stocks fall sharply following GE results
Consumer confidence falls to new low
Frontier files for bankruptcy protection
Michael Johns is booted from 'Idol'

News Blaze
MND-B Soldiers Seize Weapons Cache
This Week At Fort Dix: Terror on Wheels
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Port city of UmQasr is open for business
Aircraft drops bomb on criminal mortar site
Baby left at doorstep finds new home
Iraqi-U.S. joint patrol works to deter oil looting
Troops build African partnerships with well-drilling project
Iraqis want to establish national sovereignty
Village of Hope gives Iraqis new perspective

USJFCOM
Joint Interoperability Division helps training take flight - podcast
USJFCOM opens new Joint Intelligence Laboratory
More about the Joint Intelligence Laboratory
Joint fires team assists Army training center
More about JFIIT
Industry symposium to raise awareness of 21st century capabilities

Multi-National Force - Iraq
MND-N hosts Iraqi Media Day in Baghdad
Significant caches found North of Habbaniyah
DoD Identifies Army Casualty (Baghdad)
Iraqi Border Patrol discovers large mines cache in Diyala Province
National Police, MND-C Soldiers, capture key criminal (Jisr Diyala)
Third cache discovered within seven days (Kirkuk)

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates Foresees Fewer Troops in Iraq in 2009
Troop Levels, Readiness Require 'Delicate Balance'
Robotic Vehicles Steer Into Research Agency's Spotlight

IRAQ NEWS
Iraqi Forces Step Up Operations
'Surge' Brigade Heads to Fort Riley
Coalition Missile Kills Six Criminals

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Cracks Egg Ban for Troops

MILITARY NEWS
PaCom, Indonesia Recommit to Security Interests
Military’s Hawaiian Playground Undergoes Facelift
Pentagon to Host Military Naturalization Ceremony
Course Teaches Tips to Neutralize Vehicle Bombs

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
'Star' Moms Support Troops, Each Other

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
0672 - Deusdedit III begins his reign as Catholic Pope
0678 - Donus ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1471 - King Edward IV of England conquers London from Henry VI
1512 - Battle at Ravenna - France under Gaston de Foix beats Spanish Army
1551 - English premier John Dudley appointed duke of Northumberland
1564 - England & France sign Peace of Troyes; Liege Prince-Bishop Robert van Bergen resigns
1567 - Dutch Prince William of Orange flees from Antwerp to Breda
1579 - Venlo joins Union of Utrecht
1580 - Drenthe joins Union of Utrecht
1677 - Battle at Montcassel - French troops beat Prince William III
1689 - William III & Mary II crowned as joint rulers of Britain
1713 - Peace of Utrecht; France cedes Maritime provinces to Britain - English, Prussian, Savoois, Portuguese & French peace treaty
1814 - 1st abdication of France by Napoleon; he is exiled to Elba
1848 - Hungary becomes constitutional monarchy under King Ferdinand of Austria
1856 - Battle of Rivas; Costa Rica beats Wm Walker's invading Nicaraguans
1862 - Rebels surrender Fort Pulaski, GA
1863 - Battle of Suffolk, VA (Norfleet House)
1865 - Battle of Mobile AL - evacuated by Confederates; Lincoln urges a spirit of generous conciliation during reconstruction
1876 - Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks is organized; Sir Charles Gordon ends religious tolerance in Sudan
1881 - River ferry "Princess Victoria" sinks in Thames River Ontario, 180 die
1890 - Ellis Island designated as an immigration station
1891 - 8 year old Jewish tailor's daughter disappears in Greece, rumour spreads that she was a Christian girl ritually killed by Jews
1898 - President William McKinley asks for Spanish-American War declaration
1899 - Treaty of Paris is ratified, ending war; Spain cedes Puerto Rico to US
1900 - US Navy's 1st submarine made its debut
1902 - Battle at Rooiwal, South-Africa
1906 - Einstein introduces his Theory of Relativity
1921 - Iowa imposes 1st state cigarette tax; Turkestan ASSR is established in Russian SFSR
1924 - Socialists win Denmark's parliamentary elections
1925 - Abd el-Krims Rifkabylen beats French army in Morocco
1926 - Flemish Economic Covenant (VEV) forms in Ghent
1927 - Chilean General Carlos Ibáñez names himself president
1929 - Loetafoon celluloid film system demonstrated in Amsterdam
1933 - Hermann Göring becomes premier of Prussia
1939 - Hungary leaves League of Nations
1941 - Germany blitzes Conventry, England; Jewish Weekly newspaper taken control by Nazis; Nazi occupiers in Netherlands confiscate Jewish assets
1942 - Distinguished Service Medal for Merchant Marines authorized
1943 - Frank Piasecki, Vertol founder, flies his 1st (single-rotor) craft
1944 - RAF bombs census bureau in The Hague
1945 - Allies liberate 1st Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald, Germany; SS burns & shoots 1,100 at Gardelegen; US captures Tsugen Shima; US troops conquer Mülheim, Oberhausen, Bochum, Unna, Essen
1950 - Prince Rainier III becomes ruler of Monaco; US B-29 bomber shot down above Latvia
1951 - President Harry Truman fires General Douglas McArthur
1953 - Oveta Culp Hobby becomes 1st at Health, Education, & Welfare
1956 - Singer Nat Cole attacked on stage of Birmingham theater by whites; French government decides to sends 200,000 reservists to Algeria
1957 - Ryan X-13 Vertijet becomes 1st jet to take-off & land vertically; Pablo Neruda arrested in Buenos Aires
1959 - Dutch prince Bernhard visits Lockheed factory
1960 - 1st weather satellite launched (Tiros 1)
1961 - Israel begins the Adolf Eichman WWII crimes trial; Austrian 4th & last government of Raab resigns
1965 - 40 tornadoes strike US midwest, killing 272 & injuring 5,000
1968 - President Lyndon Johnson signs 1968 Civil Rights Act; Polish Marshal Spychalski succeeds Ochab as president; West Berlin student Rudi Dutschke seriously wounded at demonstration
1970 - Apollo 13 launched to Moon; unable to land, returns in 6 days
1972 - Benjamin L. Hooks named to the FCC
1974 - WWII war criminal JP Philippa arrested
1979 - Ugandan dictator Idi Amin overthrown; Tanzania takes Kampala
1980 - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulates sexual harrassment
1981 - Ronald Reagan arrives home from hospital after Hinkley shot him; Race riot in London area of Brixton
1983 - NASA launches RCA-F
1984 - Challenger astronauts complete 1st in space satellite repair; Soyuz T-11 returns to Earth; Chinese troops invade Vietnam; General Secretary Konstantin U Chernenko named President of Soviet Union
1986 - Dodge Morgan completes nonstop sail solo around the world in 150 days; Halley's Comet makes closest approach to Earth this trip, 63 million km; A Canadain 1921 50¢ piece auctioned in NYC for $22,000
1991 - Space Shuttle STS 37 (Atlantis 8) lands; UN Security Council issues formal cease fire with Iraq declaration
1992 - Euro-Disney opens near Paris, France; Irish Republican Army bombs London financial district, killing 3
1993 - Kirsan Ilumzjinov installed as President of Kalmukkie

Birthdays
1370 - Frederick I, the Warlike elector of Saxony
1770 - George Canning, British PM (1827)
1794 - Edward Everett, (Governor-MA), statesman/orator
1825 - Ferdinand Lassalle, French politician/founder (Allgemeiner)
1837 - Ephraim Elmer Ellsworth Union Army Colonel
1862 - Charles Evans Hughs, 11th Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1930-41)
1862 - William W. Campbell, US astronomer/director Lick Observatory
1867 - John P. Lotsy, Dutch botanist/geneticist (Genetics)
1893 - Dean G. Acheson, statesman/US Secretary of State (1949-53)
1902 - Quentin Reynolds, newscaster (Its News to Me)/author (FBI)
1910 - Antonio Sebastiao Ribiero de Spínola General/President of Portugal
1918 - Richard Wainwright, MP
1919 - Hugh Carey (Governor-NY)
1929 - Lawrence Coughlin (Representative-PA)
1930 - Nicholas F. Brady, US Secretary of Treasury (1988-93)
1930 - W. G. [Bill] Hefner (Representative-NC)
1932 - F. Gregory Neubeck, USAF pilot
1938 - Michael Deaver, politician/influence peddler (S&L scandal)
1941 - Frederick "Rick" Hauck, astronaut (STS-7, STS 51-A, STS-26); David Lyle Boren (Senator-OK)
1942 - Anatoli Nikolayevich Berezovoi Enem Adygeya, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-5)
1947 - Michael Hindley, British Member of European Parliament
1955 - Piers J. Sellers, PhD/astronaut

Passings
0678 - Donus, Italian Pope (676-78)
1034 - Romanus III Argyrus, Byzantine emperor (1028-34), assasinated by wife
1240 - Llywelyn ab Iorwerth the Great, monarch of Wales (1194-1240)
1512 - Gaston de Foix, French pretender to Navarra throne, dies in battle
1783 - Nikita I Panin, Russian earl/ambassador in Denmark, dies at 64
1875 - Heinrich Schwabe, discoverer of 11-year sunspot cycle
1902 - Hendrik Potgieter, South African Boer General, dies in battle
1903 - Gemma Galgani, Italian saint, dies at 25
1906 - James A. Bailey, circus showman (Barnum & Bailey), dies at 58
1916 - Richard Harding Davis, journalist, dies at 52
1921 - Augusta Victoria, Queen of Prussia/wife of Emperor Wilhelm II
1945 - Kamiel van Baelen, Flemish resistance fighter (in Dachau), dies at 29
1970 - John H. O'Hara, US journalist (Pal Joey, Rage to Live), dies at 65
1985 - Enver Hoxha, party leader/premier of Albania, dies at 76
1989 - Henk van Galen, Last Dutch journalist, dies at 68
1993 - Mohammed el-Himi, Brigadier-General of Egyptian police, murdered; Rachmon Nabiyev, President of Tadzjikistan (1973-92), dies at 63
1994 - Johan Block, Dutch aviation pioneer (Martinair/Transavia), dies at 64
1996 - Daniel Wolf, journalist, dies at 80; Jessica Dubroff, hoped to be youngest to fly across US, crashed at 7

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Swanson, William E., USNR (MN); A1H hit by flak and crashed, Killed, BNR

1968
Whittemore, Frederick H., USN (NV); A4F shot down, KIA/BNR

1970
Nelson, Jan Houston, USMC (FL); A4E shot down, KIA/BNR

1971
Buerk, William Carl, USAF (CA); F100D shot down, KIA/BNR

Labels: Headlines, History