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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Teen-led program is music to veterans' ears

Operation WiA Tunes gives music gift cards to wounded soldiers
by Meghan Tierney, Staff Writer, Gazette.net

Like a lot of teenagers, Cat Calantonio loves music and knows classmates who are joining the Army after high school graduation. The two merged this fall when she launched a project to collect music gift cards for wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Calantonio, 17, of Poolesville came up with the idea after she attended a fundraiser for soldiers who were recuperating at the Washington, D.C., medical center's campus.

"I really didn't know what to expect," Calantonio, a self-described "music junkie" who listens to country and indie rock, said of meeting wounded veterans at the event. "I was nervous, I thought they were going to be these banged up guys who were a lot older than me, but they were all 21, about my age. …These guys just inspired me as soon as soon as I [left]."

Calantonio's mother, Marci Calantonio, told her that mothers of soldiers said they loved iTunes gift cards, which can be used to download music online, because they can be used from anywhere in the world. The idea for Operation WiA Tunes — short for Wounded in Action — was born.

"When I told her these guys wanted iTunes, her eyes got big as saucers and she said, ‘I can do that,'" Marci Calantonio said.

Donations to the project, formed under the umbrella of the Poolesville-based nonprofit America's Wounded Heroes, are used to buy gift cards for wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed and eventually at U.S. military hospitals across the world. Cat Calantonio discussed her ideas with soldiers, one of whom came up with the project's name, garnered support from charities and is reaching out to corporate sponsors, publicizing the project and making arrangements to do fundraising at schools.

"I've blown off my homework a few times, but to me this is more worthwhile," Calantonio, a senior at Poolesville High School, said with a laugh.

The hope is that the music will boost the soldiers' morale and provide an emotional outlet during recovery, Calantonio said. The project dovetails with an initiative by the nonprofit Soldiers' Angels, which distributes iPods to injured veterans at Walter Reed, her mother said.

"Cat's project is a really cool project that will be a big help to the wounded soldiers. They don't have a lot to do in the hospital and they all love music," said Lynn Fullerton, treasurer of America's Wounded Heroes, the nonprofit that hosted the September fundraiser that sparked Calantonio's idea.

Ten gift cards had been donated to the project as of last week, and two corporations said they would discuss donating, Calantonio said.

"You can't help but fall in love. [The soldiers are] such great people," Calantonio said. "...On paper it sounds impressive, but I'm really not that cool. I'm just trying to help."

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SEAHAWK MANEUVERS

An HH-60H Seahawk, assigned to the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 4, displays the ability to launch flares and quickly maneuver out of a vulnerable position during an air power demonstration alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 21, 2008. The Ronald Reagan is on a scheduled deployment operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Chelsea Kennedy

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Christmas comes early for Cottonbalers

From Army.mil:

1st Lt. Zachary Boes, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, speaks with a young resident of Musayyib during a patrol March 7. Photo by Sgt. Ben Brody


Dec 01, 2008
BY Sgt. David Turner

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKAN, Iraq (Army News Service, Dec. 1, 2008) -- The Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment expected to spend a second consecutive Christmas in Iraq. This year they received an early Christmas present that changed their expectations.

The Soldiers recently learned their scheduled 15-month deployment would be cut short by several weeks, bringing them home to Fort Stewart, Ga., with the rest of the Vanguard Brigade, in time for the holidays.

"We were not home for Christmas last year," said Lt. Col. Timothy Newsome, 3-7th Infantry Regiment. commander. "But surprisingly, it didn't seem to affect anyone's morale. They are just about getting after the mission. Soldiers kept their chin up. We laugh whenever we greet one another and say, 'Hey, one more Christmas to go.'"

As the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division's mechanized infantry battalion, the "Cottonbalers" faced hardship with good humor and determination in their year-plus at Forward Operating Base Iskan. It contains some of the most dangerous areas in Babil Province, such as Seddah and Jurf as-Sakhr.

The Cottonbalers were charged with a counterinsurgency mission, as the other surge brigades were, aimed at stopping the flow of weapons into Baghdad and giving the new government room to operate.

The area of operations for Soldiers was home to both Sunni and Shia extremists. Even with the troop surge at its height, some villages and towns had seen little or no coalition presence since 2003.

"If I had to use one word to describe the security situation when we first moved in here, the word would be 'tenuous,'" said Newsome. "Folks just didn't go down to Seddah."

The last time the embedded provincial reconstruction team went into Seddah -- about three months before the Cottonbalers arrived in theater -- it had been hit with an explosively formed projectile, Newsome said.

"Seddah was left alone, and it was pretty much Jaysh al-Mahdi central -- it was a perfect staging location," Newsome said. "They were not used to seeing coalition Soldiers and didn't seem to be interested in seeing coalition Soldiers."

Musayyib, a town on the banks of the Euphrates River just south of FOB Iskan, had seen too much violence. A car bomb there killed eight Iraqis in April 2006. The town's central traffic circle turned into a dumping ground for garbage and scrap. Newsome knew that a successful counterinsurgency campaign would not only have to provide citizens with security, but give them confidence that peace and prosperity would return.

Citizens there might turn against the insurgency, Newsome thought, if the unit could get some baseline security requirements in place.

"If we can get those requirements in place, and if we can build upon that with projects and governance tie-ins and have people actually start to believe in the promise of a better tomorrow again - that was something that was sadly lacking in the area for such a long time," Newsome said. "They had not been embraced by us, by the government of Iraq, nor by the provincial government. They made perfect targets for the insurgents."

Recent reconstruction efforts showed citizens there that progress could be made. Today, the traffic circle is regularly patrolled by Iraqi Police, the streets are clean, new sidewalks are installed, and there is even a fenced-in park nearby.

"We're not the only ones who notice that," said Newsome. "The population looks at that."

Before Coalition-led reconstruction could begin, the Soldiers of 3-7 had to drive out insurgents who still held sway in areas south of Baghdad. Operation Marne Roundup was the first major combat operation for the 4th BCT, and the Cottonbalers played a large role. A kinetic operation aimed at clearing out al-Qaeda cells in key areas, Marne Roundup focused on areas in the town of Khidr.

Al-Qaeda gave citizens there a choice, said Newsome: "You can support us, either actively or passively, or we're going to blow your home up."

Khidr residents suffered heavily at the hands of the terrorists.

"There were multiple homes blown up; the entire area was leveled except for three or four homes," he said. "You can go through there and see which homes were rebuilt and which homes were left."

Gradually, residents began to return after the area was cleared. Soldiers helped bring construction materials so that people could repair their homes and return to a normal life.

"They have salvaged the bricks, knocked the mortar off of those bricks and rebuilt those homes. You have an entire population of that town, over 700 families who had been driven out by AQI, that came back in, and they have resettled the area now," said Newsome.

Newsome recalled a turning point in the struggle. About the second week in January 2008, just a month or so after the unit had finished ridding the area of Al-Qaeda, families began moving back into the city.

"They started holding classes in a bombed-out school while their parents were rebuilding their homes - it was pretty impressive," Newsome said.

Newsome is especially proud of schools his Soldiers helped to rebuild. He sees those projects as reinforcing the citizens' faith in their own country. As security returned, the government of Iraq began investing more of its own money into reconstruction.

"The populations here in Musayyib, Jurf as-Sakhr and Seddah -- they were sick and tired of the violence," Newsome said. "They want an opportunity to raise their families, work a normal job, bring their kids up in a safe environment, allow their kids to pursue an education, all in the name of getting after a better tomorrow. What we achieved by building those schools, it demonstrated our sincerity.

"In those situations where the Iraqi government was behind the effort or there were Iraqi funds that were involved in the effort, that is a great indicator for the population who want their government to be involved in their lives. They want to be part of the country of Iraq."

As operations in the area transitioned from kinetic to non-kinetic, Soldiers found themselves increasingly involved in combined operations with the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. Babil Province officially took responsibility for its own security in October. Platoon sergeants now routinely patrol with their IP counterparts, introducing them to local citizens they have come to know well. Company commanders and platoon leaders attend town council meetings, helping to build the capacity of those local governments.

An essential part of successful counterinsurgency operations is working with the population to help meet their basic needs, Newsome said. After serving his first tour in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom I, Newsome helped implement some of the lessons he learned as an observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. There, he said, he learned from the mistakes of others. It was an experience that served him well in OIF V. Getting the citizens of Iraq on the coalition's side, he said, meant forming relationships based on trust and respect.

"It's all about the relationship. You've got to go out there and shake hands," Newsome said. "You've got to convince people that we have their best interests in mind, and you have to work hand-in-glove with the Iraqi Security Forces that are there, no matter what condition they are in. If the population sees coalition forces and ISF together, there's a measure of trust that's there," he said.

As Iraqis found they could trust coalition forces in the area, support for insurgents began to erode, and citizens began reporting suspicious activity. That paid immediate dividends for the 3-7th Inf. Regt. Soldiers. To date, a total of 177 suspects have been detained, and the equivalent of 35,000 pounds of explosives have been found. Weapons caches discovered included more than 100,000 items. Without the help of informants, only two people were detained and only six weapons caches were found in a period of 14 months.

One reason citizens have come to trust Newsome's Soldiers is that they never rely on mass roundups to detain suspected insurgents.

"Iraqis are like Americans - we don't like being messed with," he said. "Our home is our refuge. Every time you do that, you sever ties; you sever relationships. We do something called precise targeting. When the people saw we were putting that much energy into making sure we only arrested the bad guys, and that when we arrested the bad guys, they went away for a long time, they started helping us out."

Newsome said he's learned some lessons in Iraq, especially about the value of building relationships.

"I would never have guessed that the value of forming relationships would be as extensive as it is," said Newsome, reflecting on the past year. "What I didn't understand was the value of those relationships when bad times come -- when there are small challenges or blips that may derail your progress. Because of these relationships, those folks reached back to us. We had reached out to them when we first got here to get the relationship started, then when something happens, when you lose a Soldier or when there is an accident, those relationships keep the train of progress on track. I would never have understood that."

Newsome admitted there were hard times along the way. Behind his desk are the pictures of eight of his Soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. He credits the success of his mission to those Soldiers and the others who have kept the area safe from insurgents.

"They have been absolutely essential to the whole process. First of all, they had to believe in the philosophy that I was putting out; this idea of reaching out to citizens and co-opting spheres of influence. I couldn't do that without the company commanders and platoon leaders and the NCOs that we have going out there every day," he said.

(Sgt. David Turner writes for the 4th BCT 3rd Inf. Div)


Photo by Sgt. David Turner
Staff Sgt. Brian Massey, with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, climbs to the roof of a house near Musayyib during a patrol Oct. 5.



Photo by Sgt. Ben Brody
Sgt. Christopher Humes, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, pulls rooftop security during a meeting to discuss humanitarian and infrastructure projects in Musayyib March 9.

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HOMECOMING
Indiana National Guard Spc. Charles Deas smiles with his 4-month-old daughter Andrea at a ceremony on Stout Field in Indianapolis, Nov. 25, 2008, after serving more than nine months supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Deas is assigned to Company A, 113th Support Battalion.Indiana National Guard photo by Spc. William E. Henry

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In Today's News - Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Quote of the Day
"Freedom is not the right to do what we want,
but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might
and in that faith let us; to the end,
dare to do our duty as we understand it."

-- Abraham Lincoln

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
'Chemical Ali' Sentenced to Death in Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom
Pakistani Taliban bomb Afghan supply convoy
Gates: Afghan support makes economic sense
Terror groups feeling pressure along Afghan border


Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings / Modern Pirates
Bombay: You mourn, I mourn with you!
U.S. 'Warned India' of Potential Terror Attack on Mumbai - PHOTOS
India Demands Pakistan Hand Over Terror Suspects
India wants Pakistani sign of faith - Video
Biological Attack on U.S. 'Likely'
Chances of WMD attack in big city greater: report
Defense Secretary Gates: Nuclear Gaffes Unacceptable
International Activists Use Facebook To Fight Terrorism
Luxury Cruise Ship Attacked, Outruns Pirates

Worldwide Wackos
Iranian Government Takes Hard Line on Women's Rights Supporters - UN Experts

Politics / Government
The 'Obama Bounce' on Wall Street. Going, Going, Gone!
Obama Unveils His National Security Team - PHOTOS
A team of rivals - Factbox
Analysis: Defense policy under Gates
Scenarios: Homeland Security issues
A path far from Bush unilateralism
Video: Obama promises another stimulus
How women see Clinton appointment
Governors to Press Obama for Help With Shortfalls (Everybody wants a piece of the bailout pie)
Hillary Is the Buzz at Bill's Donor Conference
Rice says she won't give Clinton too much advice
Bush uses final 50 days in office to tout legacy
Clinton's India ties may complicate Obama policy
Bush calls flawed Iraq intelligence biggest regret
Bush sorry economic crisis has cut jobs, 401 (k)s
Palin urges Ga. voters to back Chambliss in runoff
Georgia votes in key Senate run-off election
FBI Agents Swarm to Arrest Alabama Mayor
Tapes, Records From Nixon Years to Be Made Public
Court Ruling Brings Down Thai Government - PHOTOS
Bangkok's Main Airport Shut Down Until Dec. 15

Illegal Immigration / Border Control
At Least 37 Killed in Mexican Border City Over 3 Days
Fix immigration by next Thanksgiving

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Parents: Slain Arkansas TV Anchor Was Sexually Assaulted
Wal-Mart Worker Trampled to Death Lacked Training, Attorney Says (Training?! What, in how to stay alive while being trampled?!? Unbelievable - now it's Wal-Mart's fault that these people killed this poor man!)
Arizona Baby Sitter Arrested for Leaving Children Alone to Drink
Ex-Brother-in-Law Arrested in Hudson Family Killings
Parents: Slain TV Anchor Sexually Assaulted - PHOTOS
Cheney, Gonzalez Indictments Dismissed in Texas
Teen Found Shackled and Bruised at Calif. Gym

U.N. News
No excuse to neglect U.N. climate fight: delegates
IAEA says irradiated crops could ease food crisis
U.S. defends Bush at U.N. climate talks

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Lots of TV and Web harms kids' health
Tough 2009 for cable giant
Classical musicians get shot at fame on YouTube
Colo. man charged with libel over Craigslist posts

Science / Medicine and Health / Technology
1 in 5 Has Personality Disorder
FOXSexpert: Why She Isn't Enjoying Herself With You?
First days after HIV infection may hold vaccine key
Researchers link C-section babies to asthma risk
Brains of autistic slower to react to sounds: study
Nokia unveils N97 touch screen phone
Hitachi to enter memory-based drive business with Intel
Qualcomm ruling affirmed, vacated in part: U.S. court
Clearwire may slow WiMax build to cut funding gap
Video: Cyber Monday traffic "solid"
Depression leads to internal fat in 70-somethings

Mother Nature
China minister unusually upbeat on climate talks
Anti-whaling activists joined by actress
Video: WWF hopes to 'crack the climate nut'
Bad back may stop cane toad invasion
Canada's Pacific coast killer whales still at risk
Search for ivory-billed woodpecker to begin anew

News from My Neck of the Woods
Clintons' N.Y. Neighbor Being Sentenced for Murder
NYPD: Angry Passenger Fatally Stabs Bus Driver
An elaborate FBI sting snares politicians in Mass.
Burress posts bail, will appear in court in March

Oddities
Security intrudes on live interview
Cop pulls gun over scooter helmet violation
Three jailed for kangaroo T-shirts in court
Ant aphrodisiac conman executed
Disgruntled 8-year-old boy crashes teacher's car
Video: Space beer lands in Japan
Holiday Picks: Top 10 stupid gifts from chickens to toilet golf
Man says God ordered him to ram vehicle at 100 mph

Other News of Note
Mormon-owned press releasing Joseph Smith journals
It's official: US has been in a recession all year (and the media is overjoyed...count the number of times you see them use the word today)

Fox News
Big Three to Pitch Plans
Recession-Hit Automakers Brace for Grim U.S. Sales
FOXBusiness: Ford Weighs Selling Volvo
Oil Falls to 3-Year Low on Bleak U.S. Economic News
Gloom Returns to Asian Markets After Dow's Plunge
FOXBusiness: Futures Rebound After 680-Point Plunge
Miami Activist Moves Homeless Into Foreclosed Homes
Pop Tarts: Kim Kardashian's Days of Stripping Off Are Over

Reuters
All eyes on Canada's PM after opposition revolt
Downturn hits U.S. corporate meetings
J.K. Rowling back in stores with charity book
Global stocks tumble
Bargain-hunters fail to save retail sales
Boeing engineers approve work contract
Oil falls below $48
Yen hits 5-week high vs dollar
Uncertainty paralyzes system
CDS market: contributor, not cause
UK guarantee can’t stop housing crash
EU thrashes out economic plan - Video
Nokia unveils N97 touch screen phone
Toyota to cut bonuses and output as sales slump
Crisis prompts Credit Suisse and HSBC to axe bank jobs
Greenberg says AIG needs federal guaranty: report
Coca-Cola seeks anti-trust approval for Huiyuan deal
Ryanair seeks to meet Aer Lingus shareholders
Creditor banks take 54 percent stake in Metrovacesa
"Panda" earns 16 Annie Awards nominations
Michelin awards first Chinese chef coveted 3 stars
U.S. chef serves oodles of noodles to hungry Tokyo - Video
Video: Japan noodles go American
Pierce leads Celtics to win over Magic
Knicks order Marbury to stay away from team
Japanese pitcher Tazawa set to join Red Sox
Hossa fires game winner as Wings dominate Ducks
Gloom returns to world markets after US plunge
Williams, Slaton lead Texans past Jags 30-17
Recession-hit automakers brace for grim US sales
Down we go again: Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow
Ivana Trump separates from fourth hubby Rubicondi
Road salt shortage, soaring prices vex states

NewsBlaze
Shula Neighborhood Council Hosts Business Seminar
Freedom Alliance Awards First Lieutenant Andrew Kinard, USMC
Soldiers' Angels and Patriot Guard
Iraq News
Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM
Children return to refurbished kindergarten
Soldiers train Iraqi bomb disposal technicians
Iraqi, Coalition forces discuss border security

USJFCOM
Joint fires assessment teams help Army improve joint training
More about Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team
Multinational conference focuses on joint solutions
Distance learning efforts garners awards
More about JKDDC - podcast

Multi-National Force - Iraq
Iraqi Police Officers Graduate Leadership Development Course
Al Kut Women Receive Maternity and Child Care Lecture
Iraqi Army Soldiers Stand in Lead during Joint Patrol
Coalition Forces Continue to Counter Iranian Lethal Aid
Major Iraqi-led project begins with Army Canal refurbishment (Sadr City)
Zaytun Division celebrates achievements as Iraq mission ends (Irbil)
Eight plucked from AQI's leadership networks (Baghdad)
Complex attack kills 12, wounds 35 in Rusafa (Baghdad)
Solar power project provides energy for Ameriyah Clinic

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Gates to Continue as Defense Secretary
Gates: Nuclear Mission Vital to Security
Bush Supports U.S.-Iraq Security Pact

IRAQ NEWS

Security Pact Sparks Optimism in Iraq
U.S. Army Colonel Notes Absence of Tensions as Iraqi Elections Near
Guard Soldiers Improve Life for Citizens
Iraqis, Coalition Deliver School Supplies
Forces Capture Prison Break Suspects

AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Soldier, Father Receive Silver Stars
Afghans, Coalition Destroy Drugs, Weapons

MILITARY NEWS

U.S. Forces Help Lebanese Military Assert Control
Officials ID Sailor Missing from World War II

AROUND THE SERVICES

Army Secretary Tours U.S. Forces Korea
U.S. Marines Train with Middle Eastern Nation
Navy to Survey Sailors' Use of Technology
Air Force Civilian Earns Award for Research

FACE OF DEFENSE

Soldier Provides 'Eyes in Sky' For Ground Forces in Iraq
Medic Earns Purple Hearts

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
0418
- [Etalius] begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1437 - Albrecht II von Habsburg becomes king of Bohemia
1503 - Battle at Garigliano - Spanish army under G Córdoba beats France
1703 - England & Portugal sign Methuen-Asiento-trade agreement
1741 - Prussian forces take Olmutz, Czechoslovakia
1825 - 1st public railroad using steam locomotive completed in England
1831 - Darwin begins his voyage to South America on board the HMS Beagle
1836 - Worst English avalanche kills 8 of 15 buried (Lewes Sussex)
1845 - Ether 1st used in childbirth in US, Jefferson GA
1850 - Hawaiian Fire Department established
1862 - Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs, MS (Chickasaw Bayou); Battle of Elizabethtown, KY
1867 - Ontario & Québec legislatures hold 1st meeting
1871 - World's 1st cat show (Crystal Palace, London)
1884 - Netherlands recognizes king Leopold II's Congo Free State
1892 - Foundation Stone of the Cathedral of St John laid (New York NY)
1903 - "Sweet Adeline", a barbershop quartet favorite, is 1st sung
1923 - Unsuccessful assassination attempt on prince-regent Hirohito of Japan
1926 - Latkin Square in Bronx named for 1st US Jewish soldier to die in WWI
1932 - Radio City Music Hall opens (New York NY)
1934 - Shah of Persia declares Persia now Iran
1937 - German immigration officials with no explanation bar Juan Carlos Zabala (Argentina), 1932 Olympic marathon champion, from entering Germany
1939 - 8.0 Earthquake in Erzincam Turkey, about 50,000 die
1941 - Japan bombs Manila even though it was declared an "open city"
1942 - 1st Japanese women camp (Ambarawa) goes into use
1943 - German warship Scharnhorst sinks in Barents Sea; Montgomery discusses Overlord with Eisenhower & Bedell Smith
1944 - Greece: British premier Churchill flies back to London
1945 - International Monetary Fund established - World Bank founded
1947 - 1st "Howdy Doody Show" (Puppet Playhouse), telecast on NBC
1949 - Queen Juliana (Netherlands) grants sovereignty to Indonesia
1961 - Belgium & Congo resume diplomatic relations
1972 - New North Korean constitution comes into effect; Belgium recognizes German Democratic Republic
1974 - FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional/Sandinista National Liberation Front) seizes government hostages at a private Managua party
1976 - Albania constitution goes into effect
1978 - King Juan Carlos ratifies Spain's 1st democratic constitution
1979 - Soviet troops invade Afghánistán, President Hafizullah Amin overthrown
1983 - Pope John Paul II pardons man who shot him (Mehmet Ali Agca)
1985 - Terrorists kill 20 & wound 110 attacking El Al at Rome & Vienna airports; President Reagan blames Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi
1988 - Bulgaria stops jamming Radio Free Europe after more than 3 decades

Birthdays
1755 - Antons Klemens Theodor king of Saksen (1827-36)
1761 - Michael A Barclay de Tolly Scottish/Russian minister of War
1773 - George Cayley England, found science of aerodynamics
1801 - Guillaume L Baud Dutch minister of Colonies (1848-49)
1803 - John ACA van Nispen Sevenaer Member of Dutch 2nd parliament (1848-75)
1814 - James Henry Carleton Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1873
1816 - Eliakim Parker Scammon Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1894
1822 - Louis Pasteur Dole France, bacteriologist (pasteurization)
1829 - James Clay Rice Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1864
1831 - Lucius Fairchild Brigadier-General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1897 - Iwan S Konew Russian marshal/supreme commander pact of Warsaw
1924 - James A McClure (Senator-ID); Mokta Ould Daddah President of Mauritania (1961-78)
1930 - Meg Greenfield US politician(?)
1951 - William Waldorf 4th viscount Astor/English large landowner
1953 - Arthur Kent newscaster [Scud Stud], (NBC-Gulf War coverage)

Passings
0418 - Zosimus, Greek Pope (417-8), dies
0975 - Balderik, bishop of Utrecht (918-75), dies
1065 - Ferdinand I the Great, king of Castile, dies
1590 - Emmanuel-Philibert of Lalaing, marquis of Renty, dies at 33
1641 - François van d'Aerssen, ruler of Sommelsdijk/diplomat, dies at 69
1836 - Stephen Fuller Austin, founder of state of Texas, dies at 43
1919 - Theodoor H de Meester, Dutch liberal premier (1905-08), dies at 68
1936 - Hans von Seeckt, German general/advisor of Chiang Kai-shek, dies at 70
1938 - Emile Vandervelde, Belgian Secretary of State (BWP), dies at 72
1952 - Henri G Winkelman, Dutch supreme commander army/navy 1940, dies at 76
1972 - Lester B Pearson, 14th Canadian PM (Nobel 1957), dies at 75
1978 - Houari Boumédiene, Algerian President, dies after 40 days in a coma at 53
1979 - Hafizullah Amin, President of Afghánistán (1979), murdered
1982 - John Leonard Swigert, Jr., astronaut (Apollo 13), dies of cancer at 51
1994 - Karl AF Schiller, West German economist/SPD-minister, dies at 83

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Ortiz-Rivera, Luis A., US Army (Puerto Rico); released by PRG January, 1968

1967
Innes, Roger B., USN (IL); F4B shot down, presumed KIA

Lee, Leonard M., USN (VA); F4B shot down, presumed KIA

Martin, Sammy A., USAF (TX); F4C shot down, slipped out of rescue sling, Killed, body not recovered

1971
The following Air America Civilians reported Missing in Action when their C123 was shot down:

Ritter, George L.

Townley, Roy F.

Weissenback, Edward J.

1972
Anderson, John W., USAF (OR); F4E shot down (w/Ward), released by DRV February, 1973 (injured) - alive as of 1998

Chipman, Ralph J., USMC (UT); A6A shot down (w/Forrester), KIA, body not recovered

Forrester, Ronald W., USMC (TX); A6A shot down (w/Chipman), presumed KIA

Jefcoat, Carl H., USAF (MS); F4E shot down (w/Trimble), released by DRV March, 1973 - killed in aviation accident in 1987

Trimble, Jack R., USAF (SC); F4E shot down (w/Jefcoat), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Lt. Colonel - alive as of 1998

Ward, Brian H., USAF (CA); F4E shot down (w/Anderson), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive and well as of 1998

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