LEARNING TO SAW - U.S. Army Pfc. Ranen E. Casto instructs students at the Kushamond skilled-labor workshop on correct saw techniques and safety precautions at Forward Operating Base Kushamond, Afghanistan, April 24, 2008. Casto is assigned to the 864th Engineer Combat Battalion. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Roscoe

Labels: 864th Engineer Combat Battalion, Afghanistan, photos, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq mass graves yield 100 bodies
Hundreds of Looted Artifacts Returned to Iraq Museum
Iraqi leaders discuss unity govt; 5 die in Baghdad violence
122 Detainees Released as Part of Reconciliation Efforts
Construction Improves Sayafiyah
Sons of Iraq Find Weapons
Iraqi Army Takes Control of Sa’id Abdullah Corridor
Muqtada Sadr says Iraq truce still stands (L.A. Times)
Turkish warplanes bomb PKK positions in N.Iraq (Hurriyet)
UN chief urges less fighting and more talk in Iraq (AP)
Sadr Tells Forces Not to Attack Iraqis
Sunnis Agree to End Boycott, Rejoin Iraq Government
Iran 'stepping up arms to Iraq'

Operation Enduring Freedom
Karzai Escapes Assassins
3 killed in militant attack on Afghan president

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Official: Somali Pirates Paid $1.2 Million Ransom
Sri Lankan Rebels Launch Airstrike On Military in North
Assad says facility Israel bombed not nuclear: paper
Lebanese MP: Hizbullah Involved in Plan to Naturalize Iranians

Fallen Heroes
Ballpark funeral on Sunday for long-missing Ohio soldier

Other Military News
Few states allow overseas troops to vote by e-mail

Worldwide Wackos
IAEA Chief: Senior Agency Official to Visit Iran
Iran: U.S. Attack Unlikely Due to Other Problems
Gov. Bill Richardson: Chavez Willing to Help Hostages
Nuclear talks with North Korea "productive": U.S.

Politics / Government
Clinton: Let's Debate; Obama: No - TRANSCRIPT
Money Can't Buy Love, But Can It Buy Delegates?
Rev. Jeremiah Wright in His Own Words
Obama, Clinton clash over gas tax as Indiana looms
Democrats' last chance to change White House race
Fight intensifies for Superdelegates
Greenspan, Bush to blame for U.S. crisis: Stiglitz

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
'Red' Warning for Sect Caretakers
Lawyer Claims Two Sect Children Unaccounted For
Police: Father Held Daughter in Cellar for 24 Years in Austria
Teen Arrested After 4 Family Members Found Dead at S.C. Home
Police Shoot Man Who Reportedly Took 3 Hostage
Private eye pulls his punches in Hollywood wiretapping trial

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Google optimistic regulators won't bar Yahoo: source

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
Experts see boost to genetic testing from U.S. bill
Urban miners look for precious metals in cell phones

Mother Nature
100 Homes Evacuated as SoCal Wildfire Continues
SoCal Wildfires Inch Toward Homes - PHOTOS
No Sign of Shark That Killed Swimmer Near San Diego
San Diego area relieved to see no sign of killer shark
Polar bear seen in trouble, not endangered

Oddities
Anglers let big cash bonanza get away
Prized police catch escapes again
Philippines' dancing jail; everyone wants to go inside

Other News of Note
Defector Tries to Set Himself On Fire to Disrupt Olympic Torch Relay in Seoul
Torch faces S.Korea protests, festivities in North - Video
Doomed Chernobyl reactor to be buried in giant steel coffin
Scholars run down more clues to a Holocaust mystery

Fox News
Umpire Struck On the Jaw by Pitch at Dodgers Game
Strike in Scotland Closes Major North Sea Oil Pipeline

Reuters
Rate uncertainty hangs over U.S. stocks
Will rebate checks translate into sales?
Factbox: Promotions for tax rebates
Tax rebate checks in mail on Monday
Reuters Blog: Food for thought
Full Coverage: Rising cost of food
Myanmar nationals protest constitution in Singapore
WITNESS: From war to election - Nepal's exhilarating ride
HBOS to discuss rights issue before AGM: papers
Zuckerman submits $580 million Newsday bid: source
Strike closes major British oil pipeline
Wachovia part of probe into Latin drug money: report
Noble founder Elman turns scrap into gold
Australia says no block to China resource investment
IPO values Turk Telekom at up to $13 billion
Rock acts upstage Coachella headliner Jack Johnson
Clay Aiken doing it his "Way" with new album
Lakers crush Nuggets, take 3-0 series lead
Dolphins formally draft offensive tackle Jake Long
McFadden glad draft is over, ready to get on the field
Magic tame Raptors to take 3-1 series lead
U.S. women's hockey team reach Beijing with 3-1 win

AP World News
Strike in Scotland closes major North Sea oil pipeline
Wall Street looks for cues from Federal Reserve meeting
Nadal defeats Federer on clay in Monte Carlo, 7-5, 7-5
Prince plays Coachella, covers Radiohead
Defending champ Russia defeats US, advances to Fed Cup final
Some well-known names in third round
Smith soars over Celtics as Hawks trim series deficit to 2-1

News Blaze
Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories
Five Criminals Killed During Mnd-B Night Operations
Raider Soldiers Find Cache in Bayaa
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Read about Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos
Authorities Prepare Ceremony for Olympic Torch in Potala Square: Fear in Lhasa
US Government Urged to Enact An 'Action Plan' on Tibet
China's Willingness to Meet Dalai Lama Aides 'Very Encouraging'
Earmarks Must Be Eliminated
Russia Delegation Arrives in Tehran-Nuclear War Issues

CENTCOM
PRT, military leaders brief Wasit council on progress
Calm descends on Bayji during medical engagement
Warij residents become Sons of Iraq
White House nominates Petraeus for top CENTCOM job
Afghan veterinarians come to ranchers' aid
Warij residents become Sons of Iraq
Reward program leads to more insurgent weapons finds

USJFCOM
Joint Knowledge Online earns prestigious award for distance learning
Learn more about Joint Knowledge Online
Joint Knowledge Development and Distribution
Follow USJFCOM news on Twitter
Interoperability assessment begins - podcast
Learn more about JSIC
Provincial reconstruction team supports Iraqi farmers
Task Force Ramadi gets fuel flowing
DoD honors USJFCOM efforts to improve command and control linkages - podcast

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Suicide bomber kills 1 Iraqi civilian, wounds 8 Iraqi traffic policemen (Baghdad)
Five criminals killed during MND-B night operations (Sadr City)
27 detained, bomb-making materials destroyed in Coalition operations
IPs attacked during separate incidents in Ninewah
Remains found in Diyala
Iraqi Army Soldiers detain 17 suspected AQI terrorists in as- Sa’diyah, find weapons cache

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Nuclear Project Reaffirms Proliferation Dangers
Mullen: Iranian Meddling Destabilizes Iraq, Region - Photos

MILITARY NEWS
Walter Reed Honors Medical Staff
VA to Contact Combat Veterans
Recruit Waiver Policy Works Well
DoD Announces Environmental Awards

IRAQ NEWS
Troops Kill Suspected Terrorists, Capture Dozens
Coalition Soldiers Repair Schools in Iraqi City

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Coalition, Anti-Afghanistan Forces Clash in Kapisa

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Pentagon Kids Enjoy 'Work Day' Fun - Photos
Attendance Doubles for 'Work Day' - Photos

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldier Lives New Dream
JCOC Delivers Supplies - Special

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
4977 BC - Johannes Kepler's date for creation of universe
1509 - Pope Julius II excommunicates Italian state of Venice
1518 - Treaty of St Truiden anti-French Trapdoors/Bourgondisch covenant
1522 - Battle at Bicacca Charles I & Pope Adrianus VI beat France
1526 - Mogol King Babur beats sultan of Delhi
1565 - 1st Spanish settlement in Philippines, Cebu City, forms
1576 - Peace of Beaulieu & Paix de Monsieur
1646 - King Charles I flees Oxford
1650 - Scottish General Montrose defeated
1662 - Netherlands & France sign military covenant
1694 - Frederik August I "the Strong" becomes monarch of Saksen
1746 - Battle at Culloden Moor Duke of Cumberland beats "James VIII & III"
1773 - British Parliament passes the Tea Act (eventually leads to Boston Tea Party on December 16)
1805 - US Marines attack shores of Tripoli
1813 - Americans under General Pike capture Toronto; Pike is killed
1828 - Zoological Gardens open at Regent's Park, London
1838 - Fire destroys half of Charleston
1857 - Establishment of Jewish congregations in Lower Austria prohibited
1859 - "Pomona" sinks in North Atlantic, drowning all 400 aboard
1860 - Thomas J. Jackson is assigned to command Harpers Ferry
1861 - President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus; West Virginia secedes from Virginia after Virginia secedes from US
1863 - Battle of Streight's raid Tuscumbia to Cedar Bluff, AL
1865 - 1450 of 2000 paroled Union POWs on their way home are killed when river steamer "Sultana" explodes on the Mississippi River; Cornell University (Ithaca NY) is chartered
1870 - Heinrich Schliemann discovers Troi
1874 - White League, Paramilitary white supremacist organization, forms
1877 - President Rutherford Hayes removes Federal troops from Louisiana - Reconstruction ends
1881 - Pogroms against Russian Jews start in Elisabethgrad
1890 - French troops under Captain Archinard occupy Oussébougou, West Sudan
1897 - Grant's Tomb (famed of song & legend) dedicated
1905 - World Exposition opens in Luik
1908 - 4th modern Olympic games open in London
1909 - Sultan of Turkey Abdul Hamid II is overthrown
1910 - Belgian parliament rejects socialist motion for general voting rights
1920 - Pogrom leader Petljoera declares Ukraine Independence
1921 - Hadjememaar, [Corn de Gelder] elected in Amsterdam
1922 - Yakut ASSR formed in Russian SFSR
1933 - Karl Jansky reports reception of cosmic radio signal in Washington DC
1935 - Brussel's World Expo opens
1937 - US Social Security system makes its 1st benefit payment
1940 - Himmler orders establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
1941 - German troops occupy Athens, Greece
1942 - Tornado destroys Pryor, Oklahoma killing 100, injuring 300; Belgium Jews are forced to wear stars
1943 - Lou Jansen & Jan Dieters arrested, lead illegal CPN party in Holland; Soviet Union breaks contact with Polish government exiled in London
1945 - 2nd Republic of Austria forms; Italian partisans capture Mussolini prisoner; US 5th army enters Genua
1946 - 1st radar installation aboard a commercial ship installed
1947 - Babe Ruth Day celebrated at Yankee Stadium & through the US
1948 - Arab legion attacks Gesher bridge on Jordan River
1950 - South Africa passes Group Areas Act segregating races
1951 - Mohammed Mossadeq chosen premier of Persia
1953 - Wrestler Freddie Blassie coins the term "Pencil neck geek"; 1st general elections in British Guyana, won by Jagans PPP
1956 - Burma Premier U Nu's Volksliga voor Vrijheid loses election
1959 - "Today" show goes abroad for the 1st time (Paris, France); Liu Sjau-chi elected President of People's Rebublic of China
1960 - 1st atomic powered electric-drive submarine launched (Tullibee); France grants Togo independence (National Day); South Korean President Syngman Rhee resigns
1961 - NASA launches Explorer 11 into Earth orbit to study gamma rays; NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton OH; Sierra Leone declares independence from UK
1963 - Cuban premier Fidel Castro arrives in Moscow
1967 - Expo '67 opens in Montréal
1968 - Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) forms in Netherlands
1972 - Apollo 16 returns to Earth; NYC Mayor John Lindsay appeals that John Lennon not be deported
1974 - Pan Am 707 crashes into mountains of Bali, killing 107
1976 - Arabic Monetary Fund established in Abu Dhabi
1977 - Bloody riots in Soweto, South Africa
1978 - Accident at nuclear reactor Willow Island, Charleston WV, kills 51; Afghánistán revolution (National Day), pro-Russian military coup
1982 - Québec Nordiques 1-New York Islanders 4-Semifinals-Islanders hold 1-0 lead
1982 - Trial of John W. Hinckley Jr., attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan, begins
1986 - Captain Midnight (John R. MacDougall) interrupts HBO
1987 - US Justice Department bars Austrian Chancellor Kurt Waldheim from entering US, due to his aid of Nazi Germany during WWII
1989 - Beijing students take over Tiananmen Square in China; Mandatory seatbelt law goes into effect in Italy; Hurricane in Bangladesh kills 500
1990 - 50th annual barbershop quartet singing convention held (Michigan)
1993 - Afghan Antonov AN-32 crashes at Tashqurgan, kills 76
1994 - President Richard Nixon buried in Nixon Library in California

Birthdays
1701 - Charles Emanuel I, King of Sardinia
1737 - Edward Gibbon England, historian (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)
1822 - [Hiram] Ulysses S[impson] Grant, 18th US President (1869-77, Republican)
1835 - John Murray Corse, Union Brevet Major General
1840 - Edward Whymper 1st to climb Matterhorn (1865)
1883 - Hubert Harrison, writer/freedom fighter
1892 - Louis Victor de Broglie physicist (studied electrons)
1918 - John Alfred Scali, journalist/correspondant (ABC)
1927 - Coretta Scott King Marion, civil rights leader; John Joseph Moakley (Representative-D-MA)
1930 - Roelof F. "Pik" Botha South African minister of Foreign affairs
1941 - Jan D. Blaauw, Dutch MP (VVD)
1942 - Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-6, TM-18)
1953 - Dr Ellen L Shulman Baker, MD/astronaut (STS 34, 50, 71)
1967 - Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Dutch crown prince/son of Queen Beatrix of Netherlands/heir apparent

Passings
1076 - Willem, bishop of Utrecht (1054-76), murderer of earl Floris I
1124 - Alexander I, King of Scotland (1107-24)
1404 - Philip the Stout, Duke of Burgundy,at 62
1521 - Ferdinand Magellan world traveler, killed by Filipino natives at 50
1605 - Leo XI [Alessandro O de' Medici], Italian Pope (1605), at 69
1656 - Jan J. van Goyen Dutch landscape painter, dies at 60
1682 - Theodorus III, czar of Russia (1676-82)
1694 - Johan Georg IV elector of Saxony (1691-94), at 25
1702 - Jean Bart, French captain/sea hero (Escape out of Plymouth), at 51
1813 - Zebulon M. Pike, US explorer (Pike's Peak), in battle at 34
1872 - Ion Heliade-Radulescu, Romanian politician/author, dies at 70
1881 - Ludwig A. Benedek Austrian General, at 76
1882 - Ralph Waldo Emerson. US poet
1893 - John Murray Corse, Union General, on his 58th birthday
1901 - Richard Redhead composer, at 81
1902 - Julius Sterling Morton who started Arbor Day, at 72
1937 - Antonio Gramsci Italian philosopher/marxist theorist, at 46
1938 - Edmond Rubbens Belgian minister to Colonies, dies at 44
1957 - Mario A. Gianini creator of the maraschino cherry
1959 - Gordon Armstrong inventor of baby incubator
1972 - Kwame Nkrumah President of Ghana, at 62
1978 - Mohammed Daud premier/President of Afghánistán, murdered

Reported Missing in Action
1967
The following USMC personnel were reported missing when their UH34D crashed:

Benton, James Austin (TN); passenger

Castro, Reinaldo Antonio (CA); non-aircrew

Dallas, Richard H. (TN)

Dyer, Blenn Colby (ME); non-aircrew

Osborne, Samuel William, Jr. (SC); non-aircrew

Pennington, Ronald Keith (WV); non-aircrew

1969
Diehl, Bernhard, Civilian (Germany); released 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Schwinn, Monica, Civilian (Germany); released 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

1970
Hill, John R., US Army (PA); UH1H crashed (pilot)

1971
Krupa, Frederick, US Army SF (PA); shot while waiting to exit UH1H during a drop

1972
Molinare, Albert R., USN (CA); F4B shot down - released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

Souder, James B., USN(TN); F4B shot down - released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Commander, alive and well as of 1998

Labels: Headlines, History