SUNSET SPRINT
U.S. Navy Seamen Stephanie Gomez and Amanda Vasquez run clear after removing the chains from an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, May 14, 2008. Both sailors are flight deck handlers aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy, which supports a humanitarian and civil assistance mission building on friendship between partner nations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Joshua Valcarcel

Labels: helicopter, MH-60S, Military Sealift Command, photos, Seahawk, US Navy, USNS Mercy

From CENTCOM:


Women in training to become Daughters of Iraq take notes during a class on checkpoint operations given by Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment. The training began May 17. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Paul Monroe)BAGHDAD (May 28, 2008) – The Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment found an ally in the Sons of Iraq (Abn al-Iraq) early on in their 15-month deployment.


by 1st Lt. Augustin Valerio Nunez
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

As part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Rogue worked with the Sons of Iraq to thwart criminal activity in the Al Mansour District of northwest Baghdad for 13 months.

Now the plan is to add women to the ranks.

On, May 17, 31 women from the Adil and Jamia neighborhoods of northwest Baghdad began training to become part of the Daughters of Iraq.

The 10-day training program was held at the Joint Security Station in Adil. There Soldiers incorporated hands-on-instruction with classroom activities to teach women basic military skills.

The women learned how to search rooms, how to handle Kalashnikov rifles and how to identify the threat of a suicide bomber.

The program was designed to give women the skills necessary to conduct operations alongside their Iraqi brethren.

After graduation the women will use these skills to shore up security at schools, checkpoints and government buildings.

The Daughters of Iraq will give Iraqi security forces the ability to combat the increasing threat of females being used as suicide bombers.

“The Iraqi culture has some strict rules on how men should treat women,” said Maj. Christopher Budihas, a plans officer with 1st Bn., 64th AR. “A lot of times they will not search women because of these cultural rules.”

The Daughters of Iraq presence at checkpoints will be an acknowledgement of these cultural rules.

They will also assist security forces with routine house searches where it is not uncommon to find a house full of men, children and women.

Capt. John Dixon commander of Co. A said the goal is to search everyone and to do it within Iraqi cultural standards.

After graduation the new recruits will work in Adil and Jamia.

Dixon also said TF Rogue hopes the success of the program will encourage more women to train and in turn double the amount of women in the program.

Labels: 1-64th Armor Regiment, Daughters of Iraq, Good News, Iraq, US Army

...this is what the terrorists want:



SITE Intelligence Group released this and other computer generated images; stills from a video entitled "Nuclear Jihad: The Ultimate Terror." While it is unlikely that this is an Al-Qaeda effort, and the FBI is saying there is no credible threat, there can't be any doubt that the desire to do us harm is alive and well.

What I can't believe is that people still dismiss the threat posed by these malevolent lunatics.

Labels: SITE, terrorism, terrorists

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Changing Iraq, One Picture at a Time
Marine in Iraq Pulled From Duty After Allegedly Handing Out Christian Coins
Improved Iraqi Forces Contribute to Four-Year Violence Low

Operation Enduring Freedom
'Operation CARE' helps Afghan children

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Al Qaeda near defeat, on defensive: CIA chief
AP: US probes whether laptop copied on China trip

Fallen Heroes
U.S. Army suicides highest in 2007

Other Military News
Army to Remove Memorial Sign and Crosses From Chapel in Kosovo Camp
111 Nations OK Landmark Treaty Banning Cluster Bombs

Politics / Government
Video: McClellan defends tell-all book
Obama's New Pastor Issue - Priest apologizes for mocking Clinton
BRIEFING BOOK: Puerto Rico Primary (pdf)
Clinton Rolls Out Endorsements in Race's Closing Days
Hillary's Final Push
Hillary Clinton Keeps It Interesting
McCain proposal for joint action gains support
Obama distances himself from another clergyman
Ailing Kennedy fading as top target for right wing
Obama used party rules to foil Clinton
McClellan: A Bush turncoat, or truth-seeker?
Dear Scott, You Miserable Creature
Rice: Bush 'Was Very Clear About the Reasons for War'
End of Democratic race could be near
Race could redraw political map
Blog: McCain has "a lot of work to do"
Factbox: Proposals for economy
Condoleezza Rice enlists in Kiss Army fan club
Some parts of housing bill unhelpful: Paulson
Bush phones Pakistan's Musharraf to reiterate backing
Olmert's party considers ballot over scandal
Full Coverage: 2008 Election
World leaders to tackle food crisis at Rome summit
Backed by Clinton, Blair launches Faith Foundation

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
FBI Agent Indicted After Having Affair With Suspect's Wife
Photo of John Travolta Signing Autograph for Drew Peterson Could Be Evidence in Weapons Case
Cops: Woman Stabbed to Death for Calling Man 'Smelly'
'MySpace Suicide' Mom Wants Anti-Bully Pledge - PICS
Teacher Finishes School Day After Heroin Bust
Cops Find $11 Million Worth of Pot in Georgia Woods
Polygamist Sect Leader Warren Jeffs' DNA Tested
Sect members waiting for children to be returned

U.N. News
UN Rights Expert 'dismayed' At Xenophobic Violence in South Africa

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
400 Party-Crashers Trash Mansion After Facebook Invite
Fox News worker sues over bedbugs in office

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
It's a Girl! Baby Survives Impossible Ectopic Pregnancy
Brazil Discovers Uncontacted Indian Tribe in Amazon Jungle
Amazon tribe sighting raises dilemma of contact - Video
Scientists: Stonehenge Was Burial Ground - PHOTOS
'Elephant Man' Refuses to Hide From Facial Deformity
Lung cancer patients fight stigma
Office betting pools can be bad for your health: study
Scientists take the pop out of tiny bubbles
Computer trained to "read" mind images of words
Two new shipwreck sites found: U.S. treasure hunters
Hutchison Telecom in deal with Apple on iPhone
Dell eyes two-thirds of sales from outside U.S. in 5 years
Time Warner Cable to offer web to TV linkup
Computer trained to "read" mind images of words
Carriers hike non-EU roaming rates: study
No time for a vacation? Try a 30-minute virtual trip
Study: Bacteria may be link in sudden baby deaths

Mother Nature
Myanmar starts mass evictions from cyclone camps - Video
Chinese battle quake lake amid official confusion - Video
U.N. talks halt plans for oceans absorb CO2
Italy declares flood emergency, at least three dead
EU to make deeper cuts in fishing quotas
Climate assessment forced by court order
Ghosn sees global car numbers up sharply by 2050
Planalytics sees active Atlantic hurricane season

News from My Neck of the Woods
One Killed in NYC Crane Collapse - VIDEO - PHOTOS
Grunt and Center: Victim Says Workout Shouts Led to NYC Gym Assault

Oddities
Homeless Woman Who Lived Undetected in Japanese Man's Closet for a Year Caught
Businessman to shower money to sell book
And the gold medal for Olympic scams goes to...
Smugglers busted over zip wire border racket

Other News of Note
Emmy-Winning Actor Harvey Korman Dead at 81
45 advance to final day of National Spelling Bee
101-Year-Old Woman Driver Gets Her License Renewed

Fox News
Will Smith's School, Scientology's Teachings
Vatican Delivers Threat Over Women Priests
FOXBusiness: Air Travel Drops, Costing Industry $18B
Pop Tarts: Hugh Hefner's Girlfriend 'Scared' of Being Naked
Pop Tarts: Girls or Guys? Jenna Jameson Sets the Record Straight on Her Sexuality
Report: Clay Aiken Impregnates Woman by Artificial Insemination
Bill Murray's Wife Says Couple Moved to Beat Drug, Sex Addictions

Reuters
Investors eye second act
Texas turbine trouble
Kerkorian's Ford tender offer on track despite slump
Tiffany profit beats view, hikes outlook; shares up
Hi-tech CEOs offer Yahoo, Microsoft merger advice
Oil bubble could prove threat to pension funds
Ex-banker faces U.S. sentencing for trading scheme
HSBC fights off pay backlash, says U.S. arm funding OK
Icahn gets antitrust go-ahead for Yahoo stock buy
InBev looks to pressure Busch into deal
Cash-rich gold miners set their M&A sights lower
Big banks rethink oil expansion plans
Probes focus on price manipulation
European fishermen, truckers protest
Signs of life in foreclosure city
April personal spending up
Factbox: Home price drop by city
Storage stocks ride on foreclosures
Brands hope to weather slowdown - Video
Brand clout keeps shoe buyers loyal
Inflation turns U.S. consumers' mood grim
UAL, US Airways will not merge right now, CEOs say
Nasdaq gains on Dell, S&P flat on oil swings
Gridlock led 27 pct of drivers to abandon trips
Angelina Jolie gives birth in France: report
Tired of waitressing? Try getting paid to shop
Milan Duomo scaffolding comes down
Inspired Bryant leads Lakers past Spurs into final
Serena felled, Sharapova survives again
Detroit's Wallace fined for comments after Boston defeat
Dramatic turnaround in Bryant's Lakers career
Johnson tied for second on career strikeouts list

Associated Press
Serena Williams loses at French Open
Remnants of tropical storm Alma hit Honduras
Bryant leads Lakers past Spurs and into NBA finals
Review: `Lost' ends season with answers, mystery
Wright homers twice, Mets beat Torre's Dodgers 8-4
Steven Tyler goes to rehab for 'quiet environment'

News Blaze
PHOTOS: Cavalry Scouts Patrol Baghdad
PHOTOS: FA Soldiers train SoI, patrol Baghdad
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Seabess break ground on well in Kenya
Conference brings key Iraqi energy leaders together
Civilian reports disrupt Kunar attacks

USJFCOM
Exercise ensures readiness, displays coordination of the USJFCOM joint enabling capabilities USJFCOM, Microsoft Corp. extend agreement for one year - podcast
Task Force Ramadi helps free enterprise take hold in Iraq
Command unveils new command and control vision - podcast

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Iraqi Army Aids Shula Residents
Conference Brings Key Iraqi Energy Leaders Together
Soldier Helps Iraqis Take Charge
Iraqi Army detain suspects, seize munitions in Baghdad
Citizens gather, hold peaceful demonstrations in Baghdad
VBIED explosion wounds 12 Iraqis (Tikrit)
First Iraqi led Master Instructor Trainer Course graduates (Tikrit)
AQI bombing network weakened (Tikrit)

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates Honors 66-Year Federal Employee - Special
Gates Views Growth Under Way in Guam - Special
Chairman Upbeat After Indonesian Meeting to Discuss Military Cooperation
Mullen Promotes Cooperation in Pacific
Military Neutrality ‘Bedrock’ of U.S. Democracy

MILITARY NEWS
Iowa Guard Supports Tornado Relief

WOUNDED CARE
Psychiatrist Underscores Army Leadership’s Mental Health Commitment
Army Stresses Suicide Prevention

IRAQ NEWS
Iraqis Reopen Bridge Linking Baghdad Districts
Civilian Contractor in Iraq to Face Court-Martial
Coalition Forces Kill 10, Catch 11 in Operations

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Coaltion Troops Kill Enemy Fighters, Detain 20

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Home-Building Group Tops Charities

FACE OF DEFENSE
Army Physical Therapists Keep Soldiers on Their Feet
U.S. Soldier Leads Iraqis


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
1035 - Boudouin V van Rijsel becomes earl of Flanders
1087 - German emperor Henry IV crowns his son Koenraad
1381 - English boer uprising begins in Essex
1434 - Battle at Lipany
1498 - Columbus departs with 6 ships for 3rd trip to America
1522 - French troops driven out of Genoa
1536 - English king Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour
1539 - Spanish explorer Fernando de Soto discovers Florida
1574 - Henry III follows brother Charles IX as king of France; Sea battle at Lillo Belgium (Adolf Van Haemstede vs Louis de Boisot)
1584 - Earl Adolf van Nieuwenaar/Meurs becomes viceroy of Gelderland
1588 - Spanish Aramada under Medina-Sidonia departs Lisbon to invade England
1631 - France/Maximilian van Bavarian signs Accord of Fontainebleau
1635 - Emperor Ferdinand II & Saksen sign Peace of Prague
1646 - Spain & Netherlands signs temporary cease fire
1783 - Benjamin Tower of Philadelphia publishes 1st daily newspaper in US
1808 - Napoleon annexes Tuscany & gave it seats in French Senate
1814 - 1st Treaty of Paris, after Napoleon's 1st abdication
1821 - James Boyd patents Rubber Fire Hose
1822 - House slave betrays Denmark Vesey conspiracy (37 blacks hanged)
1832 - Evariste Galois give his theory on free assembly (dies in duel May 31)
1842 - John Francis attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria
1848 - 2nd battle at Gioto: Sardinia-Piemonte beats Austrians; México ratifies treaty giving US; New Mexico, California & parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona & Colorado in return for $15 million
1848 - William G. Young patents ice cream freezer
1854 - Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed Missouri Compromise opens north slavery
1858 - Hudson Bay Company's rights to Vancouver Island revoked
1862 - Battle of Booneville MS - captured General Beauregard evacuates Corinth, MS; Battle of Front Royal, VA
1864 - Battle of Bethesda Church, VA; Cavalry fight at Old Church (Totopotomoy Creek) VA
1868 - Memorial Day 1st observed, when 2 women in Columbus MS placed flowers on both Confederate & Union graves
1872 - Mahlon Loomis patents wireless telegraphy
1883 - Rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge is going to collapse caused a stampede that kills 12
1889 - The brassiere is invented
1896 - 1st car accident occurs, Henry Wells hit a bicyclist (NYC)
1908 - 1st federal workmen's compensation law approved
1908 - Aldrich Vineland Currency Act - forerunner to Federal Reserve System; Paris advocate E. Archdeacon is 1st passenger in a airplane; US Assay Office in Salt Lake City, UT authorized
1909 - National Conference on the Negro is held; Reuben Siegel laid cornerstone of 1st home in Tel-Aviv
1912 - US Marines sent to Nicaragua
1913 - 1st Balkan War ends, Treaty of London
1913 - New country of Albania is formed
1921 - Memorial to Captain Eddie Grant, killed in WWI, unveiled at Polo Grounds; Salzburg Austria votes to join Germany
1922 - Latvia & Vatican sign accord; Lincoln Memorial dedicated
1924 - Socialist Matteotti falls in Italian parliament by fascists
1925 - British mariners shoot on demonstrators
1925 - Peter DePaolo became 1st man to average over 100 mph at Indianapolis 500
1933 - Patent on invisible glass installation
1935 - Babe Ruth's final game, goes hitless for Braves against Phillies
1937 - Memorial Day Massacre - Chicago police shoot on union marchers at Republic Steel Plant in Chicago, 10 die
1941 - 1st anti semitic measures in Serbia; English Army enters Baghdad, chasing pro-German coup government; German capture Kreta
1942 - 1,047 bombers bomb Cologne in RAF's raid of WWII; Reichsführer Himmler arrives in Prague; US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor
1943 - French General De Gaulle arrives in Algiers
1943 - US troops reconquer Attu Aleutians
1944 - Transport nr 75 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany
1946 - United flight 521 crashes on takeoff at LaGuardia Airport (New York) 42 die
1949 - East Germans constitution approved
1955 - Said el-Mufti forms Jordan Government; Tunisia begins domestic self governing
1956 - Bus boycott begins in Tallahassee, FL; Mickey Mantle misses hitting 1st homerun out of Yankee Stadium by 18"
1958 - Unidentified soldiers killed in WWII & Korean War buried in Arlington
1959 - Iraq terminates military assistance pact with US due to neutrality; President Somoza ends emergency crisis in Nicaragua; President Stroessner disbands Paraguay's parliament; World's 1st hovercraft (SR-N1) tested at Cowes England
1961 - Dutch DC-8 crashes after takeoff at Lisbon - 62 die
1965 - Viet Cong offensive against US base in Da Nang begins; Vivian Malone, is 1st Black to graduate from University of Alabama
1966 - 300 US airplanes bomb North Vietnam; US launches Surveyor 1 to the Moon
1967 - Biafra declares independence from Nigeria; King Hussein of Jordan visits Cairo; Robert "Evel" Knievel's motorcycle jumps 16 automobiles
1968 - President De Gaulle disbands French parliament; University church in Leipzig German Democratic Republic, blown up; West German Parliament accepts emergency crisis law
1969 - Gibraltar adopts constitution; People revolt in Willemstad, Curaçao
1971 - US Mariner 9, 1st satellite to orbit Mars, launched
1972 - 3 Japanese PFL terrorists kill 24 and wound 72 at Tel Aviv's Lod International Airport
1975 - European Space Agency (ESA) forms
1976 - Bobby Unser sets world record for the fastest pit stop (4 seconds)
1979 - Percom Data Company Inc release Microdos for Radio Shack's TRS-80; Ted Coombs begins a 5,193 mile roller skate from Los Angeles to NYC
1980 - 1st papal visit to France since 1814
1981 - "Nightline" extends from 4 nights to 5 nights a week (Friday); Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman is shot by group of rebel officers
1982 - Spain becomes 16th member of NATO
1984 - Bomb explodes in rebel leader Eden Pastora headquarters in Nicaragua
1986 - Ariane-2 (ESA) launched; Bobby Rahal is 1st to average over 170 mph in the Indianapolis 500
1987 - West German Mathias Rust lands airplane on Red Square
1990 - Earthquake (6.4) hits Peru, killing 135
1991 - Supreme Court rules prosecutors can be sued for legal advice they give police & can be held accountable
1992 - UN votes for sanctions against Serb-led Yugoslavia to halt fighting
1997 - Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, set afire by 12 year old grandson

Birthdays
1220 - Alexander Nevski [Aleksandr], Russian great ruler (1252-63)
1524 - Selîm II Sari the blonde, sultan of Turkey (1566-74)
1672 - Peter I "the Great" Romanov, tsar of Russia (1682-1725)
1757 - Henry Addington Viscount Sidmouth, British PM (1801-04)
1812 - John Alexander McClernand, Union Major General
1830 - Edward Winslow Hinks, Union Brevet Major General
1832 - George Doherty Johnston, Confederate Brigadier General
1845 - Amadeus I duke of Aosta/King of Spain (1870-73)
1881 - George von Küchler German fieldmarshal (Invasion Netherlands); Iman J. van den Bosch, Belgian resistance fighter
1894 - Hubertus J. van Mook, Dutch minister of Colonies (1942-45)
1904 - Ernesto de la Guardia, Jr., President of Panamá (1956-60)
1908 - Hannes OG Alfvén, Swedish physicist (Nobel 1970); Mel[vin Jerome] Blanc, voice (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd & Porky Pig)
1915 - Jerome Bert Weisner, military scientist/disarmer
1916 - Dr. Joseph W. Kennedy, scientist (1 of 4 discoverers of plutonium)
1925 - Gerard John Toorenaar, political commissar in Amsterdam (1975-79)
1928 - John Keith Wright, English economist/assistant Secretary of State (1971-84)
1934 - Alexei A. Leonov, cosmonaut (Voskhod II, Soyuz 19)
1938 - Wilfried A. de Pree, Dutch MP (PvdA)/theologist
1942 - Dan Miller (Representative-FL)
1946 - Candy Lightner political activist/founder (MADD)

Passings
1035 - Boudouin IV count of Flanders (988-1035)
1252 - Ferdinand III the holy King of Castilië/León
1431 - Joan of Arc, burned as a witch by the English at Rouen at 19
1434 - Prokopius Bohemian leader of taboriets, dies in battle
1574 - Charles IX King of France (1560-74)
1840 - Dominique J de Eerens Governor-General of Dutch-Indies, dies at 59
1864 - James Barbour Terrill US attorney/Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 26
1865 - William Clarke Quantrill criminal/Confederate bushwhacker, dies at 27
1912 - Wilbur Wright, US aviation pioneer
1918 - Georgi V. Plechanov, Russian revolutionary theorist
1938 - Raden Sutomo, Indonesian freedom fighter, dies at 49
1945 - Irma Laplasse Flemish farmer/Nazi collaborator, executed
1971 - Audie Murphy, WWII hero/actor (Sierra), killed in plane crash at 46
1981 - Ziaur Rahmen, President of Bangladesh, is assassinated
1983 - Alfred M. Gruenther, US General/NATO-commander (1953-56), dies at 84
1986 - Hank Mobley US jazz saxophonist, dies at 55
1987 - Frank Carlson (Governor/Representative/Senator-KS), dies at 94
1992 - Karl Carstens President German Federal Republic (1979-84), dies at 77
1994 - Baron Marcel Bich, Italian/French baron/pen manufacturer (Bic), dies at 79
1996 - John Cameron, judge, dies at 96

Reported Missing in Action
1962
The following civilians abducted from the The Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium by the V.C.:
Gerber, Daniel A.

Mitchell, Archie E., (WA)

Vietti, Elanor A., (TX); taken from Leprosarium

1966
Hatcher, David B., USAF (NC); F105D shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1967
Mehl, James P., USN (NY); A4E shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1968
Iodice, Frank C., USMC; escaped June, 1968

Potter, Albert J., USMC; escaped - deceased

Smith, Lewis P. II, USAF (PA); O2A shot down

1970
Duke, Charles R., Civilian; abducted (w/Mark)

Ishi, Tomohara, Civilian - CBS (Japan); abducted in Cambodia

Mark, Kit T., Civilian; abducted (w/Duke)

Labels: Headlines, History