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Sunday, March 05, 2006

Soldiers' Angels Special Projects


Over at Soldiers' Angels Germany is a post about how the local media took notice of one of the special projects SA has - Blankets of Hope.

..."I just wanted to share some excitement that the blanket party we had in January made the local newspaper!! My friends and family came to make blankets for Blankets of Hope a few weeks ago and we were able to do 24 fleece blankets to send!..."
Angel Tara

Blankets of Hope provides homemade blankets to our wounded troops. It's a little bit of home for those who've given so much.

And it's just one of the many special projects started or supported by the Angels. Among the others:

Armor Up
Hero Packs
Wings Of Hope
Project Valour-IT
Guardian Angels For Soldier's Pets
Sew for the wounded
Operation Soldiers Helping Children
Operation Top Knot
Operation Phone Home
Donate Your Car
Saving Soles
Living Trees For Fallen Heroes
Donate Air Miles
Pennsylvania Projects
First Response Backpack
Tennessee WHP Project of Hope
Soldiers Making Bracelets
24/7 Military Support Network

Another note: Angels are still in great need. Here's why:

"Thank you so much for caring. It means so much to the young troops. Knowing America supports them during this effort. Everything cookie cake or care package we receive makes each day a little easier as we struggle through this war on terrorism.You make being an American a wonderful thing… God Bless!"

"I would like to say thank you for being the great patriots that you are and the effort you have made to support our soldiers. With that being said the effort you've put foward is key in the morale of the soldiers and thank you"

"I don't really have any special request.She is a single parent over here and her children don't have the capacity to send her anything that she may need. We are not in a location where we can go and purchase to much of anything and our PX is about as big as a match box cut in half. So we just thank you for being here you don't know how many smiles you have put on these Soldiers faces here!!! She has helped so many others I thought it'd be nice to see her receive for a change. So THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

"these soldiers haven't gotten much or any mail since they have been deployed"

If you need more information on what being an Angel is all about, you can find it here, here, and here.

If you're ready to adopt, or if you want to donate to assist the organization, visit the Soldiers' Angels website.
Staff Sgt. Anthony L. Viggiani, a drill instructor with India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, is congratulated by Brig. Gen. Richard T. Tryon, commanding general, MCRD Parris Island/Eastern Recruiting Region, and Sgt. Maj. Robert C. Hollings, Depot sergeant major, upon receiving the Navy Cross, during recruit graduation Feb. 24, for gallant actions in Afghanistan.Photo by: Cpl. Maryalice Leone

Read Story Associated with this photo

A century's defining moment

By Salena Zito
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 5, 2006

The world holds a stake in democracy's triumph or failure in Iraq, says the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

"Success in Iraq will be a major setback for terrorists and a major asset for the security of this region," Zalmay Khalilzad told me in a telephone interview from Baghdad last week. "The struggle for Iraq is the struggle for the future of the world."

Nathaniel Fick, who wrote about being a post-9/11 Marine officer in the book "One Bullet Away," respects Khalilzad. "If there is any concern, it is that he arrived too late."

Fick hopes he's wrong about that.


Read the rest

Bush Visits Troops in Afghanistan

President Bush addresses U.S. and coalition troops during a visit to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006. Bush, traveling with first lady Laura Bush, thanked the troops for their service and assured them they are making strides towards democracy in Afghanistan. White House photo by Eric Draper


President Bush and first lady Laura Bush wave to an audience of U.S. and coalition troops upon their arrival at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006. White House photo by Eric Draper


President Bush speaks to U.S. and coalition troops at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, during the president's surprise visit to Afghanistan, March 1, 2006. First lady Laura Bush (left) accompanied the president; U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry (right) serves as Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan commander. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Brian Schroeder


President Bush speaks to a crowd of troops during a surprise visit at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006. Bush thanked the troops for their service and assured them they are making strides towards democracy in Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Brian Schroeder


President Bush meets and thanks a group of U.S. and coalition troops during a visit to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006, where the president thanked the troops for their service in defense of freedom. White House photo by Eric Draper


President Bush shakes hands with U.S. Army Sgt. Derek Kessler, 10th Mountain Division Headquarters Company driver, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006. Bush and first lady Laura Bush made a surprise visit to speak to troops fighting the global war on terrorism. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Brian Schroeder


First lady Laura Bush appears before an audience of U.S. and coalition troops during a visit to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 1, 2006, where President Bush thanked the troops for their service. White House photo by Eric Draper

Help Show Your Support for a Fallen Hero's Family

You have likely heard about the family of a fallen hero, whose home was vandalized. There is a way for you to help show the family that these people are NOT America.

From "A Soldier's Perspective":

Army SGT Rickey Jones, 21, of Kokomo, Ind; killed Feb. 22 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during patrol operations in Hawijah, Iraq.

I am trying to help organize a letter writing campaign to the family of SGT Rickey Jones. As you may have read earlier, their home was vandalized by idiots who wouldn’t understand patriotism if it flew a plane through their bedroom window.

If you own a blog, please post this effort on your respective blogs and ask your readers to post it on their blogs. If you are as disgusted as I am and would like to write a letter to have delivered to this family, please email Lauren (MyWay716@aolDOTcom) for more information. The good people over at Operation Military Pride are helping facilitate the delivery of these letters.

This family recently lost a son and shouldn’t have to deal with people like Fred Phelps and the people responsible for the egging of their home and irreverent phone calls. If you feel the same way I do, please email her and write this family a letter of support and love. Let them know that we appreciate their son’s service and mourn their loss. Let’s show them what America is really made of. This isn’t about whether or not you support the war. This is about common decency for a family that has suffered the ultimate sacrifice…having to bury a child. Thank you in advance. When this is over, I want the post office to have to hire new postmen just to handle the volume. Yes, it’s a challenge, as LinkedinUSAF would say.


Thanks, Linda
OIL PIPELINE FIRE — A U.S. Army soldier performs perimeter security during a reconnaissance patrol by the 66th Armor Battalion in an area where a recent insurgent attack took place on an Iraqi oil pipeline near Taji, Iraq, March 1, 2006. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Larson

In Today's News - Sunday, March 5, 2006

Quote of the Day
"Our strength lies, not alone in our proving grounds and our stockpiles,
but in our ideals, our goals, and their universal appeal
to all men who are struggling to breathe free."
-- Adlai Stevenson


News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Talabani: U.S. Troops Will Stay in Iraq as Long as Needed
UK, US to withdraw Iraq forces by early '07: papers
Iraq PM on ropes as US presses for unity govt
Arab League Plans to Open Office in Iraq
Talabani: Iraqi Prime Minister Divisive
Abizaid: Iraq Can Expect More Bombings
A Top U.S. General Praises Iraqi Troops

Homeland Security / War on Terror
New Tape From Al Qaeda No. 2 Blasts Cartoons
Islamic Militants Released
Al Qaeda's Zawahri calls for strikes against West
Gitmo Inmate: Osama Called Himself Prophet
Police Clash With Basque Separatists
49 Dead in Pakistan Clashes

Other Military News
Army to Probe Tillman's Death

Hamas Rising
Hamas rejects recognition of Israel despite pressure

Dubai Port Proposal
Democrats insist Congress must decide on ports

Worldwide Wackos
EU rejected Iranian offer on atom crisis: diplomats

Politics
Reaffirming Alliances
Bush hit by bouncer and fooled by googly in Pakistan

Oddities
Inmates become amateur TV journalists in Italy jail
Woman seizes police car for 2-hour ride

Other News of Note
On Your Mark, Get Set... (Iditarod)
British Documents Tell Tale of Gestapo Spy

Fox News
Funeral Services Held for Student Slain in NYC
U.N. Will Soon Run Out of Food for 3.5 Million Kenyans
UNC Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder
Cops: Mom Allowed Lawyer to Pay for Sex With Kids
Rappers Make Oscar History
Bishop Calls for Security After Israel Church Attack
Congressman Calls for Better Data on Cruise Ship Crime
The Week in Photos
FULL SPORTS COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
US preparing for bird flu: agriculture secretary
New Orleans mayor campaigns -- in Houston
US nuclear plant leaks fuel health concerns
Termites knocked down, but not out, in New Orleans
Foreigners live in fear of Russian skinheads
Finns to test mobile phone radiation on human skin
Tom Cruise named best "tiresome tabloid target"
'Brokeback' wins honors at independent film awards
Berkshire agrees on Buffett successor
SEC eyes stock pricing and trading reform delay
All eyes on MS drug Tysabri ahead of FDA panel
Emergency crews called to JDS Uniphase facility
Ex-Adelphia COO Rigas gets home confinement
Lights, cameras, stocks! SEC pitches to Hollywood
Nokia sees mass mobile TV takeup by '08
Jobs and rates top stocks' agenda
Dana hits auto shares, Ford touches 3-year low
Palm outlook not as rosy after BlackBerry pact: analysts
RIM shares jump 14 pct
Kenneth Cole shares up nearly 8 pct a day after earnings
Energy worries encourage utility mergers
Europe carmakers target diesel in Japan

AP World News
Thousands of Israeli Arabs Protest Attack
Chechen Parliament OKs Kadyrov As Premier
China Promises More Rural Spending
Tamil Rebels: Ambush Violates Cease-Fire
Opposition Nixes Thai Leader's Compromise
China's Leaders Pledge Help for Rural Poor
Gaza Workers Think Things Will Soon Worsen

CENTCOM: News Releases
IRAQI ARMY, MND-B CAPTURE SUSPECTED BOMB-MAKER RESPONSIBLE FOR DEATH OF U.S. SOLDIER

Department of Defense
U.S., Pakistan Pledge Unity in Terror War - Story
Bush Pleased with Progress in Afghanistan - Story - Transcript

TOP NEWS
IRAQ
Ops Net 62 Terrorism Suspects
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq (pdf)
Multinational Force Iraq
Eye on Iraq Update (pdf)
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (pdf)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Bush Salutes Troops Photos
Bush Visits Kabul Photos
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
National Guard, Reserve Update

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

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
0254 - St. Lucius I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1461 - Henry VI deposed by Duke of York during War of the Roses
1496 - English King Henry VII hires John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) to explore
1528 - Utrecht Governor Maarten van Rossum plunders The Hague; Smoking tobacco introduced in Europe by Francisco Fernandes
1616 - Copernicus' "de Revolutionibus" placed on Catholic Forbidden index
1623 - 1st American temperance law enacted, Virginia
1651 - South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm
1684 - Emperor Leopold I, Poland & Venice sign Heilig Covenant of Linz
1746 - Jakobijnse troops leave Aberdeen
1766 - Don Antonio de Ulloa takes possession of Louisiana Terr from French
1770 - Blanche Kelso Bruce sworn in as a US Senator (Mississippi); Boston Massacre, British troops kill 5 in crowd; Crispus Attackus becomes 1st Black to die for American freedom
1783 - King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski grants rights to Jews of Kovno
1795 - Amsterdam celebrates Revolution on the Dam; Square of Revolution; Treaty of Basel-Prussia ends war with France
1820 - Dutch city of Leeuwarden forbids Jews to go to synagogues on Sundays
1821 - Monroe is 1st President inaugurated on March 5th, because 4th was Sun
1836 - Mexico attacks Alamo; Samuel Colt manufactures 1st pistol, 34-caliber "Texas" model
1845 - Congress appropriates $30,000 to ship camels to western US
1849 - Zachary Taylor sworn in as 12th President
1856 - Georgia becomes 1st state to regulate railroads
1862 - Union troops under Brigadier-General Wright occupy Fernandina, FL
1868 - Stapler patented in England by C.H. Gould; US Senate organizes to decide charges against President Andrew Johnson
1872 - George Westinghouse, Jr., patents triple air brake for trains
1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes inaugurated as 19th US President
1894 - Seattle authorizes 1st municipal employment office in US
1896 - Italian Governor of Eritrea, General Baldissera, reaches Massawa; Italian premier Crispi resigns
1897 - American Negro Academy forms
1900 - American Hall of Fame is founded
1903 - Definitive treaty for construction of Baghdad railway drawn
1907 - 1st radio broadcast of a musical composition aired
1908 - 1st ascent of Mount Erebus, Antarctica
1912 - Spanish steamer Principe de Asturias sinks northeast of Spain, 500 die
1924 - King Hussein of Hedzjaz appoints himself kalif
1927 - 1,000 US Marines land in China to protect American property
1931 - Gandhi & British viceroy Lord Irwin sign pact
1933 - FDR proclaims 10-day bank holiday; Germany's Nazi Party wins majority in parliament (43.9%-17.2M votes)
1934 - Mother-in-law's day 1st celebrated (Amarillo, TX)
1936 - Spitfire makes its 1st flight (Eastleigh Aerodrome in Southampton)
1942 - Bosnia Tito establishes 3rd Proletarit Brigade in Bosnia; Japanese troop march into Batavia
1943 - Anti fascist strikes in Italy; RAF bombs Essen Germany
1945 - Allies bombs The Hague, Netherlands; Generals Eisenhower, Patton & Patch meet in Luneville; US 7th Army Corps captures Cologne
1946 - Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech (Fulton, MO)
1948 - US rocket flies record 4800 KPH to 126k height
1953 - Josef Stalin's death announced
1956 - "King Kong" 1st televised
1957 - Eamon de Valera's Fianna Fail-party wins election in Ireland; Sergeant Bilko satirizes Elvis Presley (Elvin Pelvin)
1958 - Explorer 2 fails to reach Earth orbit
1959 - Iran & US sign economic & military treaty
1960 - Elvis Presley ends 2-year hitch in US Army
1966 - 75 MPH air currents cause BOAC 707 crash above Mount Fuji - 124 die
1968 - US launches Solar Explorer 2 to study the Sun
1969 - Gustav Heinemann elected President of West-Germany
1970 - 3 SDS Weathermen terrorist group bomb 18 West 11th St in New York, NY; Nuclear non-proliferation treaty goes into effect
1978 - Landsat 3 launched from Vandenberg AFB, California
1979 - Voyager I's closest approach to Jupiter (172,000 miles)
1980 - Earth satellites record gamma rays from remnants of supernova N-49
1982 - Russian spacecraft Venera 14 lands on Venus sends back data
1983 - Bob Hawke (Labour) defeats Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (Conservative)
1984 - Supreme Court rules 5-4) that city may use public money for Nativity scene; US accuses Iraq of using poison gas
1991 - Iraq repeals its annexation of Kuwait
1993 - Fokker 100 crashes at Skopje, Macedonia - 81 die
1994 - Largest milkshake (1,955 gallons of chocolate-Nelspruit South Africa)
1995 - Estonia Centrumlinkse Coalition party wins parliamentary election; Graves of czar Nicholas & family found in St Petersburg

Birthdays
1324 - David II Bruce, king of Scotland (1331..71)
1326 - Louis I [the Great], King of Hungary (1342-82), Poland (1370-82)
1512 - Gerardus Mercator, geographer/mapmaker
1578 - Charles d'Albert duke of Luynes premier of France/Governor of Picardië
1585 - Johan Georg I elector of Saxon (1611-56) (Peace of Prague)
1658 - Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac French colonial governor of America
1746 - Jacob Wallenberg Swedish writer/naval chaplain
1825 - John Dunovant, Confederate Brigadier General; Joseph Albert, German photographer (albertotype)
1871 - Maria do Carmo Geronimo, Brazilian lives to be at least 126
1897 - Mei-ling Soong, Madame Chiang Kai-shek
1909 - Sutan Sjahrir, premier of Indonesia (1945-47)
1918 - Halsey S. Colchester, British SAS/spy (MI6)/priest
1920 - Delbert L. Latta (Representative-OH)
1921 - Berkley Bedell (Representative-Democrat-IA, 1975- )
1935 - Philip K. Chapman, astronaut (Apollo 14 support)
1940 - Mary Rose Oakar (Representative)
1953 - Russel D. Feingold (Senator-WI); Valery Grigoriyevich Korzun Russian Colonel/cosmonaut (TM-24)
1957 - Tim Holden (Representative-PA)
1962 - Robert L. Curbeam, Jr., astronaut (STS 85, sk-99)

Passings
0254 - St. Lucius I, Pope (253-54)
1291 - Sa'ad al'Da'ulah, Jewish grand vizier of Persia, assassinated
1574 - Philip of Saint-Aldegonde, Flemish viceroy Holland/Zealand/Utrecht
1576 - Don Luís de Requesens y Zuñiga, viceroy of Netherlands (1573-76), dies at 70
1605 - Clement VIII [Ippolito Aldofireini], Pope (1592-1605), dies at 69
1625 - James I (VI), King of England (1603-25)/poet/author, dies at 58
1644 - Louise Juliana, Countess of Nassau, dies at 73
1770 - Crispus Attuks slave, is 1st of 5 killed during Boston Massacre
1827 - Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist (made 1st battery), dies at 82
1904 - Alfred von Waldersee, Prussian field marshal/chief-staff, dies at 71
1932 - Takuma Dan Japanese baron/financier/industrial, murdered
1941 - Ludwig Quidde, German historian/politician (Nobel 1927), dies at 82
1944 - Max Jacob, French writer, dies in Nazi concentration camp at 67
1953 - Josef V. Stalin, Soviet leader responsible for at least 11 million murders, dies at 73
1963 - Patsy Cline, country singer (Crazy, I Fall To Pieces), dies in a plane crash at 30
1967 - Mohammed H. Mossadeq, Premier of Persia (1951-53)
1982 - John Belushi, comedian (Sat Night Live), dies of drug overdose at 33
1991 - August de Schryver, Belgian politician/founder (CVP), dies at 92
1993 - Peter Bierdrager, Dutch Fokker's-test pilot, dies in air crash
1994 - Abdullah Al-Sallal, President of Yemen (1962-67)
1995 - Peter John Norton, naval diplomat/artist, dies at 82
1996 - Khundaqar Mushtaq Amhed President of Bangladesh (1975); Nicolas Cotoner y Cotoner Spanish courtier, dies at 90

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Hessom, Robert C., USN (CA); A1H shot down - remains ID'd October, 1994

1970
Rosenbach, Robert P., USAFR (MO); F100D shot down - remains listed as recovered on some lists

1971
The following US Army personnel reported MIA when their UH1H was shot down:
Hatley,Joel C. (NC); crew chief, remains returned January, 1990 - ID'd September, 1990

King, Michael E. (GA); door gunner, remains returned January, 1990 - ID'd September, 1990

Moreira, Ralph A., Jr. (PA); pilot, remains returned January, 1990 - ID'd September, 1990

Nelson, David L. (WA); aircraft commander, remains returned January, 1990 - ID'd September, 1990 - ID disputed

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