Free Republic

AN icy blast of wind rips down the Chora Valley in southern Afghanistan, sending eddies of dust swirling around the newly constructed mud-brick fort at Nyazi. Winter has arrived. Beyond the valley, looking east from the Australian-built strong point, early snowfalls have dusted the jagged peaks of the towering Hindu Kush, presenting a shimmering patina in the distance. The snowfalls have brought a welcome calm to the strategic valley, once part of the ancient Silk Road trade route. It has also affected the valley's other occasional residents: armed Taliban extremists. Senior Australian military intelligence officers say these visitors were ousted...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — In the midst of a combat zone, the Prince of Peace was honored with a Christmas Eve candlelight service. The service held in Al Faw Palace filled the nearly four story rotunda as sounds of carols echoed off the marble hall. It was time for Christians to remember their roots, Chaplain (Col.) Mike Tarvin said. Those roots go back to the Middle East, a place many Americans and others from a host of nations now find themselves, the senior chaplain for Multi-National Corps-Iraq said. “I love Christmas, even here in Iraq,” the Christian Church of Disciples...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Defence Minister Peter MacKay touched down at Kandahar Airfield to spend Christmas with the troops. Accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier, and the U.S. ambassador to Canada, the trio spent the better part of the past two days hopping between bases dishing out festive fare. On hand for the grand Christmas Day dinner at Kandahar Airfield, MacKay expressed his gratitude to the Van Doos in particular. Calling them the pride of both Quebec and Canada, MacKay said Canadians across the country have a great respect, affection and appreciation for the work they're doing....

The holidays offer a special time to remember our many blessings as Americans – perhaps chief among them are the dedicated Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who protect our nation. Since assuming this post a year ago, I have been awed and humbled by our men and women in uniform who are carving for themselves a noble place in American history. We began the year by deploying tens of thousands of additional troops to Iraq as part of a concerted civil-military effort. Violence has declined sharply, and former enemy strongholds are being transformed into communities of hope and possibility. While...

A soldier (Lt Col Ryan Kuhn) serving in Iraq gets a Christmas surprise when his family crashes his interview on CNN.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2007 – Soldiers from 458th Adjutant General Postal Company stationed here run the central mail hub for the entire Task Force Bayonet area of operations and are responsible for handling, sorting, and processing all incoming and outgoing letters and packages through Jalalabad, Afghanistan, for thousands of soldiers. A forklift aligns to move a bulk pallet of outgoing mail to the air strip Dec. 20, 2007, to load onto the next C-130 Hercules at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan. Mail at FOB Fenty has tripled since the beginning of November, averaging 9,000 pounds...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Today the birth of the savior will be celebrated by an extended family that is far from their real ones, the 11th Signal Brigade’s chaplain said. For this special holiday “married and single soldiers here in Iraq are our family,” Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Mark Zerger said. For those who are Christian the day has a significant meaning for it is about “Christ coming into the world to have a personal relationship with us. That’s the true meaning of Christmas,” the Southern Baptist pastor said. And, while the brigade soldiers are separated from their families, it is...

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Dec. 25, 2007 – A small, blinking Christmas tree sits in the dining facility. Aside from a few other lights, it is the only symbol of Christmas on Forward Operating Base Wolverine. Army Maj. Trent Darling, commander of Embedded Training Team 4-2, hands out candy during a humanitarian assistance visit in Khunay, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2007. The visit was a joint effort between the mentors and soldiers from the 4th Kandak of the Afghan National Army’s 205th Corps. These visits to neighboring villages are meant to give assistance to villagers and build their trust for the...

hristmas Eve, late afternoon, and U.S. soldiers from 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment piled into their Stryker armored vehicles for a patrol out on the streets of Baghdad. This is the fifth Christmas that U.S. troops have been out in Iraq, and commanders say the best way to keep morale up is to keep moving. There are special dinners, packages from home, religious services and decorations around camp, but no let-up in patrols. "My personal goal would be to try to go ahead and keep the mission constant," said Ray Ramsey, who has spent 23 years in the army and...

Thousands of Iraqi Christians made their way to church through checkpoints and streets lined with blast walls, many drawing hope from a lull in violence to celebrate Christmas Mass in numbers unthinkable a year ago. "We did not celebrate last year, but this year we have security and we feel better," said Rasha Ghaban, one of many women at the small Church of the Holy Family in Karradah... Families streamed into the church's courtyard, wrapped in heavy winter jackets to protect them from the early morning chill. Young children with neatly combed hair held their parents' hands, and women stopped...

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2007 – Military men and women in eastern Kunar province were surprised Dec. 21 by a visit from the Army’s top enlisted soldier and several celebrities at the remote Camp Blessing, Afghanistan. Country music singer Darryl Worley (center) sings for military men and women Dec. 21, 2007, at the Camp Blessing dining facility in Kunar province, Afghanistan, accompanied by band mates Scott Randon (left), and Jeff Jared. Worley was a part of the sixth annual Hope and Freedom USO Tour, hosted by the sergeant major of Army. Worley, four Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, fellow country...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- ... The U.S. military has followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam serving in Iraq. This December, all three faiths observe major holidays within weeks of each other. For some troops, it is not just difficult celebrating these holidays away from home. They are also turning to their faiths that espouse peace to cope with the reality of the war in Iraq... ... At nearby U.S. Army Camp Liberty, Chaplain Felix Kumai says he counsels Christian soldiers who see complications with biblical commandments like "Thou shalt not kill," as they serve God and country. "It is a...

Yesterday, after I left my prefabricated hut in Baghdad's heavily fortified International Zone and made the journey of just one mile to St George's, the city's Anglican Church, I was greeted by more than 150 excited children. "Abouna, Abouna," they cried, using the Arabic word for "Father". "This year we are going to have the best Christmas ever!" I have to be escorted to my church by Iraqi Special Forces in armoured cars. As I took off my bulletproof clothes, I thought about the children's optimism. St George's is still surrounded by razor wire and barricades to deflect bomb blasts....

President & Mrs. Bush left the White House this morning for Camp David, Maryland, where they will spend the weekend before Christmas. Accompanying the First Couple were daughter Jenna Bush and Laura Bush’s mother Jenna Welch.Before leaving, the president released his annual Christmas message, reminding us of the reason for the season. (Transcript) And sent a message to our soldiers and Marines serving overseas, and to their families here at home. President Bush: Our Nation is thankful for the many sacrifices you and your families make every day. During the holidays and throughout the coming year, we ask the Almighty...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, Dec. 21, 2007 – While most soldiers are tucked in their beds for the night, a mail handler with 461st Human Resource Battalion, out of Decatur, Ga., is waiting for the mail to arrive. Army Pfc. Cassie Durkin, from Whitewater, Wis., a human resource specialist for 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, sorts packages at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, Dec. 14, 2007. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We started getting a spike in mail at the end of October,” explained Army Spc. Tony Rogers,...

Friday, December 21, 2007 BAQOUBA, Iraq -- It is nearly Christmas, and most of the young Americans with whom we have spent this month are going to miss the holiday with their families. For many, it is their third Nativity season away from home since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003. Though you may not have noticed it beneath your tree, the troops here have sent you a gift that is far more valuable than a new hand tool or iPod. It's a present that they made by hand with extraordinary care so that you can use it every day...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Dec. 20, 2007 – As the holiday season approaches, many soldiers would like more than anything to receive just one simple present. Army 1st Lt. Adam Samiof, executive officer for Headquarters, Headquarters Company, Task Force 12, wears a Santa hat as he helps other Task Force 12 soldiers decorate a tree for the holidays. The tree was donated to them by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Photo by Sgt. Brandon Little, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. It isn’t a video game system, an MP3 player, or a new digital anything -- it’s the chance...

Third Brigade Combat Team Soldiers waved Chemlights while singing Christmas carols during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Dec. 8, at Forward Operating Base Hammer. Photo by Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs. FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) attended a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Dec. 8, at Forward Operating Base Hammer to welcome a Christmas season spent with their Army family. “I enjoyed the ceremony. It was very motivating and very uplifting,” said Staff. Sgt. Derrick Mears, from Richmond, Va., a communications non-commissioned officer in Headquarters...

1/3/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- With inspiration from New York -- the city that never sleeps -- Airmen at this desert base that never sleeps got to drop the ball this New Year’s Eve. In less than 72 hours, some 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron members constructed a New Year’s Eve Ball like the one dropped at New York’s Times Square every year. “We’ve got New York beaten -- hands down,” said electrician Staff Sgt. Jacob Phillips, the New Year’s Eve Ball project officer. New York’s ball is six feet in diameter. The one he helped build has a...

1/3/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- People around the globe welcomed 2006 with a variety of New Year’s Eve celebrations. High above Iraq, a Reserve C-130 Hercules aircrew headed for Balad Air Base, celebrated in a different way -- flying another mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. With the drone of the aircraft’s four propellers in the background, Senior Master Sgt. Ernie Leyba attached his night vision gear to his flight helmet. It was nearly pitch black on the flight deck, except for the pale green glow of the instrument lights. But it didn’t stop the flight engineer. Since...