Family and friends await the arrival of their sailors from the frigate USS Taylor, as she pulls into its homeport Naval Station Mayport after a successful surge deployment, Mar. 9, 2007. During the deployment, the USS Taylor served as the Scene of Action Commander in the Northern Arabian Gulf, and assumed a central role in the security of the Iraqi oil platforms, which help to stabilize the Iraqi economy. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


Sailors man the rails on board the USS Taylor as she pulls into their homeport of Naval Station Mayport after a successful deployment, Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


More than 200 sailors on board the USS Taylor, including embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 44, return to their homeport of Naval Station Mayport after a successful deployment, Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


U.S. Navy Seaman Brandon King Sr. embraces his five-month old son for the first time at the homecoming ceremony for guided missile frigate USS Taylor, Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


U.S. Navy Cryptologic Petty Officer 2nd Class Travis Baggerly embraces his son at the homecoming ceremony for guided missile frigate USS Taylor, Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


U.S. Navy Seaman John Neal embraces his son for the first time at the homecoming ceremony for guided missile frigate USS Taylor. Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell


Family members celebrate the arrival of the USS Taylor, after a successful deployment, Mar. 9, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Susan Cornell



Welcome Home and Job Well Done to all of these brave Navy Heroes!

Labels: photo essays, US Navy, USS Taylor, Welcome Home

SECURING BAQUBAH — U.S. Army Spc. Alex Horton with Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, pulls security in Baqubah, March 14, 2007, during the company’s first mission in the city. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico

Labels: 3SBCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Iraq, US Army

The one time this year the weather folks have been right, and it has to be last night.

Sadly, I was unable to make it to D.C. today. I'm not happy about it, to say the least, but conditions here last night made it impossible for me to drive the 40 minutes I needed to in order to meet the bus. It was a decision I didn't want to make.

My heart has certainly been with the Eagles today, even if my body wasn't able to be.

I do expect to have some pictures and details coming from someone who was able to get there.


In the meantime, check out the pics and details of a Gathering of Eagles rally over at American Dinosaur.

Labels: Gathering of Eagles

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq Gas Attack - Truck bombs unleash chlorine gas on Iraqis
Iraq War Supporters, Protesters Flood National Mall (the Massing of Moonbats versus the Gathering of Eagles)
Bush: Congress Needs to Pass War Spending Bill
Bush: Dems try to micromanage Iraq war
Military.com Blog: Roggio's Iraq Report

Operation Enduring Freedom
Taliban attack NATO convoy

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Palestinians OK Hamas-Fatah Coalition
Palestinian unity government takes office
Senators say U.S. should examine detainee treatment (I agree. We're treating these scumbags way too nicely.)

Troops on Trial
GI guilty in Iraqi detainees' deaths

Fallen Heroes
Army: Fatal Helo Crash an Accident

Other Military News
Germany cautions U.S. not to split Europe with shield
Vet's heroism recognized 64 years later
Military.com Op-ed: An Army Stretched Thin
Def Tech: V-22s Will Crash

Worldwide Wackos
North Korea Says It Is Shutting Down Main Nuclear Facility (Please tell me no one's stupid enough to trust them...)
North Korea demands money before nuclear closure - Video (Ah, OK, now I see...)
Iran's military warns U.S. against "stupid move"
Iranian president: sanctions won't work (How scary is this? On this point, I agree with the Nutjob...)

Homegrown Moonbats
Up to 30,000 Expected to Protest Iraq War in DC
Christians gather in D.C. to protest war

Politics / Government
McCain's Straight Talk bus rolls through Iowa
John McCain Uses Term 'Tar Baby,' Later Calls it Mistake (I don't think that's what 'straight talk' means...)
Outed Spy: Leak Felt Like 'Hit in Gut' - VIDEO (Oh, barf...)
Plame sheds little light in leak case
U.S. swamped with passport requests
Republican support for Gonzales erodes
Four years on, war costs Bush at home and abroad - Video

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Judge Blocks Former D.C. Madame From Selling Client List
Baltimore Police Arrest, Handcuff 7-Year-Old Boy for Riding Bike on Sidewalk
Affair Between Student and Married Teacher Leads to Teen's Murder in Tennessee
3 Cops Indicted in NYC Wedding Day Shooting
3 North Carolina Men Sentenced to Jail for Castration 'Dungeon'
Courts to release trial tapes online
Calif. trucker gets death for 4 killings

Adventures in Political Correctness
Confederate Flag Hanging From Noose to Stay on Dislpay in Florida Art Museum
Ban word "terrorist" from U.S. trial, lawyer asks

Science / Medicine / Technology
Study shows more risk with Pfizer antibiotic: FDA
Urine test may predict diabetic kidney disease

Mother Nature
Slushy St. Patrick's Day
Over 1,000 Flights Nixed
Cleanup continues after Northeast storm
U.S. odd man out in climate consensus (Wow, we're actually thinking for ourselves...how awful)

Oddities
'Da Vinci'-Obsessed Woman Takes Own Life
Man smuggles grenade in pot of honey - Video
Most Germans want speed limit on autobahn? - Video

Other News of Note
Pet Owners Beware
Alaska Town Giving Away Free Land

Fox News
Doc: Cruise Jumper Saved by Girth
7 Killed in Russian Plane Crash
'Jeopardy' First: Contestants in Three-Way Tie
60 Million Containers of Pet Food Recalled After Dog and Cat Deaths
Pop Tarts: Britney Spears Wants Your Help

Reuters: Top News
AU chief "greatly concerned" about Zimbabwe - Video
Landing speed key factor in Indonesia plane crash
Pakistani lawyers, police clash over judge
Memory workouts beat other computer games in study
More video games, fewer books at schools?
Slacker personalizes Internet radio with iPod rival
Boston's gritty Irish enclave goes upmarket
Housing slowdown may pinch small business - Video
U.S. agency clears Jolie's adoption
Phil Spector murder trial set to begin in L.A. - Video
Oil sector and CPI hit stocks as rate-cut hopes ebb
Oil dips on U.S. economic worries
Dollar sags on subprime troubles
Developers Diversified rises on S&P news
Carnival profit up on European cruises, shrs rise
CDO investors reluctant amid risk
Countrywide dismisses naysayers
Housing may feed stocks' angst in a Fed week
EMC options had sweet timing even in sour times
Wal-Mart pulls bank petition, Home Depot still in
Shell says bid for Canadian unit successful
CVS finally wins Caremark for $24 bln
Disney probe finds Pixar backdated options

AP World News
Dublin throws diverse St. Patrick parade
High-tech slots could transform gambling
Larry King is OK after vascular surgery
Olson out; Winthrop and UNLV advance
Bryant's 65 points helps Lakers end skid
Kobe erupts for 65 to help edge Blazers
Gators open title defense with blowout
Ga. lab aims to halt the hemlock pest
Minn. train leak leads to evacuations

Military.com
Podcast: Philpott Talks to Fired General
Advisors: Truth About the Hidden Injury
The Web's Best Equipment Guide
Battle Rattle

USJFCOM
USJFCOM commander speaks before House Armed Services Committee
NATO military committee visits USJFCOM
More about USJFCOM and Allied Command Transformation
JIOC-X continues to improve intelligence support for joint warfighter - podcast

DefenseLink
Bush Will Support Wounded Warrior Commission - Story
Fallon Takes Reins of Central Command - Story
‘Evolutionary’ Developments Underlie Gains - Story
Security Plan Lowers Violence in Baghdad - Story
CENTCOM Center Represents Strong Coalition - Story
Nature of War Makes Airlift Mission Essential - Story

More Headline News
Report Discusses Complexity of Iraqi Struggles
New Movie Gives Eyewitness Accounts of War
Joint Forces Command Effects Transformation
Acquisitions Chief Outlines Streamlined Processes

Military News
Sailors, Marines Honor Iwo Jima Veterans
Military Leaders Discuss Readiness on Capitol Hill
Army Guard Leader Visits Troops in Afghanistan

War on Terror
Leaders Help Stem Violence - Story
IED Kills Four Soldiers - Story
Troop Surge Will Total 28,000
Soldier Killed in Iraq
Troops Support Afghan Forces

America Supports You
Utah Thanks Troops - Story
Group Faithful to Injured Troops
Top Enlisted Gets Care Package
Pentagon Honors Groups

Transformation
Command Welcomes C-130J
Idea Encourages Recycling
Air Force Notes 50th Launch

Face of Defense
Civilian Answers Nation’s Call - Story
Father, Son Reunite in Iraq
Couple Serves Together in Iraq
Brothers Reunite in Kuwait

DefendAmerica
NEWS UPDATES
Troop Surge Will Total 28,000 - Story

ON THE GROUND
Groups Meet on Future Afghanistan Development - Story
Canines Help Search Iraq Countryside - Story
Iraqi Army Seizes 20 Trucks of Black Market Oil - Story
Iraqi Transportation Unit Grows With Confidence - Story

IN IRAQ
Iraqis Take the Lead in Joint Cordon, Search
Maintenance Rids Aircraft of 'Battle Damage'
U.S., Iraqi Leaders Open Teachers' Institute
Man's Best Friends Search Iraq Countryside

IN AFGHANISTAN
Paratroopers Attend Cultural Awareness Class

IN ETHOPIA
U.S. Army Engineers Visit Remote School Project

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

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

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
0432 - St. Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave
0455 - Roman senator Petronius Maximus becomes Emperor
1521 - Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines
1526 - French king François I freed from Spain
1537 - French troops invade Flanders
1580 - Prince Willem of Orange welcomed in Amsterdam
1658 - Pro-Charles II plot in England discovered
1672 - England declares war on Netherlands
1753 - 1st official St Patrick's Day
1755 - Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
1756 - St. Patrick's Day 1st celebrated in NYC at Crown & Thistle Tavern
1757 - Prince Mas Saïd of Mataram surrenders to Mangkubumi in Java
1762 - 1st St. Patrick's Day parade in NYC
1766 - Britain repeals Stamp Act
1776 - British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War
1800 - English warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die
1824 - England & Netherlands sign a trade agreement
1836 - Texas abolishes slavery
1845 - Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour
1845 - Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London
1861 - Italy declares independence; Kingdom of Italy proclaimed
1863 - Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia (211 casualities)
1868 - Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued
1884 - John Joseph Montgomery makes 1st glider flight, Otay CA
1886 - Carrollton Massacre, (Mississippi) 20 blacks killed
1891 - British Steamer Utopia sinks off Gibraltar, killing 574
1894 - US & China sign treaty preventing Chinese laborers from entering US
1898 - 1st practical submarine 1st submerges, New York NY (for 1 hour 40 minutes)
1899 - Windsor luxury hotel in NYC catches fire, 92 die
1905 - Eleanor Roosevelt marries FDR in New York
1906 - President Theodore Roosevelt uses term "muckraker"
1912 - Camp Fire Girls organization announced by Mrs. Luther Halsey Gulick
1917 - Tsar Nicolas II of Russia abdicates the throne
1921 - Lenin proclaims New Economic Politics; Sailors revolt in Kronstadt (thousands die)
1924 - Netherlands & USSR begin talks over USSR recognition; Sweden & USSR exchange diplomats
1926 - Dutch Calvinists oust Reverend J G Geelkerken over Genesis 3
1926 - Spain & Brazil prevent Germany joining League of Nations
1927 - US government doesn't sign league of Nations disarmament treaty
1931 - Stalin throws Krupskaya Lenin out of Central Committee
1932 - German police raid Hitler's Nazi-headquarter
1934 - Dollfuss, Mussolini & Gömbös sign Donau Pact (protocols of Rome)
1941 - National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC opens
1942 - Belzec Concentration Camp opens-30,000 Lublin Polish Jews transported; General Douglas MacArthur arrives in Australia to become supreme commander
1943 - Aldemarin (Ned) & Fort Cedar Lake (US) torpedoed & sinks
1945 - Allied ships bomb North-Sumatra
1950 - Belgian government of Eyskens resigns; Element 98 (Californium) announced
1951 - Government of Drees takes power
1957 - Ramon Magsaysay, President of Philippines, dies in a plane crash
1958 - Navy launches Vanguard 1 into orbit (2nd US), measures Earth shape
1959 - Australia & USSR restore diplomatic relations; Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India
1960 - Eisenhower forms anti-Castro-exile army under the CIA
1961 - South Africa leaves British Commonwealth
1963 - Elizabeth Ann Seton of New York beatified (canonized in 1975); Eruptions of Mount Agung, Bali, kills 1,500 Balinese
1966 - South Africa government bans Defense & Aid Fund; US sub locates missing H-bomb in Mediterranean
1970 - US casts their 1st UN Security Council veto (Support England)
1973 - Queen Elizabeth II opens new London Bridge; St. Patrick's Day marchers carry 14 coffins commemorating Bloody Sunday
1978 - Reds don green uniforms for St. Patrick's Day
1982 - 4 Dutch TV crew members shot dead in El Salvador
1986 - Haemers gang robs gold transport in Belgium of 35 million BF
1987 - IBM releases PC-DOS version 3.3
1988 - Iran says Iraq uses poison gas
1989 - Dorothy Cudahy is 1st female grand marshal of St. Patrick's Day Parade
1991 - USSR holds a referendum to determine if they should stay together; 9 of 15 Soviet representatives officially approve new union treaty
1992 - De Klerk wins a white only referendum; Islamic Jihad truck bombs Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina killing 29; Russian manned space craft TM-14, launches into orbit
1993 - 86 killed by bomb attack in Calcutta
1994 - Iran transport aircraft crashes in Azerbaijan (32 killed)
1995 - Sinn-Fein leader Gerry Adams visits White House; US approves 1st chicken pox vaccine, Varivax by Merck & Co

Birthdays
1473 - James IV, king of Scotland (1488-1513)
1777 - Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott decision)
1781 - Dominique J. de Eerens, Governor-General of Netherland Indies
1787 - George Simon Ohm, physicist (discovered Ohm's Law)
1804 - James Bridger, scout/fur trader/mountain man par excellence
1820 - Patrick Edward Connor, Union Brevet Major General
1828 - Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, Confederate Major General, the "Stonewall" of the West
1832 - Walter Quintin Gresham, Union Brevet Major General
1834 - Gottlieb Daimler, engineer/inventor/auto pioneer-designed 1st motorcycle
1873 - Chard Somerset, 1st woman Cabinet minister (1929-31); Margaret Bondfield, British Labour leader/1st woman cabinet member
1901 - Eisaku Sato premier of Japan (Nobel 1974)
1907 - Jan M.J. van Houtte, premier of Belgium (1952-54)
1909 - Patrick Reilly, British diplomat
1910 - Bayard Rustin, civil rights leader
1918 - Wilhelmus M.J. Russell, Dutch attorney/Member of 1st chamber (KVP/CDA)
1919 - Nat "King" Cole, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa)
1930 - James Benson Irwin, Colonel USAF/astronaut (Apollo 15)
1936 - Thomas K. Mattingly II, Captain USN/astronaut (Apollo 16, STS-4, 51C)
1942 - John Wayne Gacy, Jr., serial killer (32 boys)
1955 - Cynthia McKinney (Representative-GA); Gary Sinise, actor (Apollo 13, Forrest Gump) (a great supporter of our Heroes)

Passings
0180 - Antonius Marcus Aurelius [Marcus Verus], Emperor of Rome, dies at 58
0461 - St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)
0659 - Gertrudis van Nijvel, saint/patron of travellers, dies at about 32
1040 - Harold, British King (1035-40)
1516 - Giuliano de' Medici, monarch of Florence, dies at 37
1649 - Gerardus Johannis Vossius [Gerrit Vos], Dutch regent, dies at 71
1653 - Johan van Galen, Admiral (battle of Livorno), dies in battle at 48
1704 - Menno baron van Coehoorn, fort builder/Coevorden/howitzer, dies at 63
1764 - George Parker, English astronomer
1796 - Pieter Paulus, lawyer/Dutch CEO (National Convention), dies at 41
1846 - Friedrich W. Bessel, German astronomer (Bessel Functions), dies at 61
1849 - Willem II Frederik GL, King of Netherlands (1840-49), dies at 56
1853 - Christian Doppler, physicist
1863 - John Pelham, Confederate artillery Major, dies in battle at 24
1891 - Napoleon J.K.P. Bonaparte, French prince/member National Convention, dies at 68
1898 - Blanche Kelso Bruce (Senator-MS, 1875-1881), dies in Washington, DC at 57
1906 - Carlos Calvo, Argentinian diplomat (Calvo Clause), dies at 82
1941 - Joachim Schepke, German commandant (U-100), dies in battle
1961 - Suzanna Salter, 1st US female mayor/temperance leader, dies at 101
1965 - Quentin Reynolds, newscaster (Its News to Me)/author (FBI), dies at 62
1982 - Hans ter Laag, Dutch sound technician / Jan Kuiper, Dutch news editor (IKON) / Joop Willemsen, Dutch cameraman / Koos Koster, Dutch newscaster (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
1992 - Grace Stafford Lantz, cartoon voice (Woody Woodpecker), dies at 87
1993 - Laadi Flici, Algerian MP, murdered
1996 - Thomas Enders, diplomat, dies at 64

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Baldock, Frederick C., USN (PA); A4C shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Commander - alive as of 1998

1967
Goeden, Gene William, USN (OR); A1H shot down, KIA, body not recovered

1968
The following USN personnel reported MIA when their S2E disappeared over water - all reported Killed, body not recovered:
Barber, Thomas D. (CO); crewman

Benson, Lee D. (CA); co-pilot

Hubbs, Donald R. (NJ); pilot

Nightingale, Randall J. (IL); Antisubmarine Warfare Technician 2nd Class

The following US Army personnel reported MIA after their unit came under heavy fire - both presumed KIA:
Collazo, Raphael C. (CA); remains returned May, 1993

Ross, JLynn, Jr., (MI); remains ID'd June 1996

Also reported MIA this day in 1968:
Doss, Dale W., USN (VA); A6A shot down (bombardier/navigator, w/Shuman), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

Hensley, Thomas Truett, USAF (LA); F105D crashed, presumed Killed

Shuman, Edwin A., USN (MA); A6A shot down (pilot, w/Doss), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

1969
Armistead, Steven R., USMC (CA); A6A shot down (w/Finney)

Dinan, David T. III, USAF (NJ); F105 shot down, ejected, believed KIA in landing

Finney, Charles E., USMC (MS); A6A shot down (w/Armistead), remains returned March, 2000

1971
The following US Army personnel reported MIA when their UH1H was shot down:
Bauman, Richard L. (OH)

Dix, Craig M. (MI)

Hestand, James H. (OK); pilot, released by PRG February, 1973 - alive as: of 1998

Harris, Bobby G. (TX); KIA

Also reported MIA this day in 1971:
Lilly, Lawrence E., US Army (CA); A1G shot down, KIA, body not recovered

Labels: Headlines, History