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WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2009 – Despite a new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan that entails sending 30,000 additional American forces, the more important operation for the Marine Corps is Iraq, the service’s top officer said today. Gen. James Conway, the Marine commandant who returned recently from visiting troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, called the Afghan mission more dangerous but less vital than Iraq. “What I told the troops in Iraq is that the most dangerous thing that our corps is doing today is happening in Afghanistan,” he told Pentagon reporters. “The most important thing we're doing today is happening in Iraq....

Under the shift in strategy, the teams now focus on targeting key Taliban figures rather than mainly hunting Al Qaeda leaders and have increased the number of raids they conduct, officials say. Reporting from Washington - The U.S. military command has quietly shifted and intensified the mission of clandestine special operations forces in Afghanistan, senior officials said, targeting key figures within the Taliban, rather than almost exclusively hunting Al Qaeda leaders.

In June, McChrystal noted, he had arrived in Afghanistan and set about fulfilling his assignment. His lean face, hovering on the screen at the end of the table, was replaced by a mission statement on a slide: "Defeat the Taliban. Secure the Population." "Is that really what you think your mission is?" one of those in the Situation Room asked. On the face of it, it was impossible -- the Taliban were part of the fabric of the Pashtun belt of southern Afghanistan, culturally if not ideologically supported by a significant part of the population. "We don't need to do...

1. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) high above Earth's rugged terrain, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) 2. International Space Station over cloudy Earth, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) 3. NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) high above the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Algeria, 25 November 2009 (4288 x 2846 pixels) Photos and Captions Taken From http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200911.htm (#8, #9, #12) 

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Nov. 3, 2009 – When a deployed unit approaches its end-of-tour date, the focus begins to shift from the deployment at hand to redeployment stateside. Army Sgt. Nic Light and Army Spc. Andrew Carpenter inspect a truck on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Oct. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andy Mehler  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But not so for those who support the mission until its final moment, such as the mechanics with the 628th Aviation Support Battalion, who face the pressures of repairing vehicles quickly while also taking steps to...

In his new suburban American home, Shaker Yakub, a Yemeni Jew, folded a large scarf in half, wrapped it around his head and tucked in his spiraling side curls. "This is how I passed for a Muslim," said the 59-year-old father of seven, improvising a turban that hid his black skullcap. The ploy enabled Mr. Yakub and half a dozen members of his family to slip undetected out of their native town of Raida, Yemen, and travel to the capital 50 miles to the south. There, they met U.S. State Department officials conducting a clandestine operation to bring some of...

A U.S. Army AH-64D Apache attack helicopter (left) flies alongside an Iraqi UH-1 Huey during a joint air mission over Baghdad between 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, and the 2nd Squadron of the Iraqi Air Force, Oct. 21. Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. CAMP TAJI — In a display of strength and partnership, U.S. military aviators with the 1st Cavalry Division and the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) joined forces for an Iraqi-led helicopter mission over Baghdad, Oct. 21. The leadership of 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Oct. 21, 2009 – Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 17th Fires Brigade and the 14th Iraqi Army Division conducted their first joint medical military-civic operations clinic at Basra Operations Center Oct. 8, drawing about 150 people. Army Sgt. 1st Class Maryfaith B. Payne soothes a child as his mother is seen during a medical engagement in Basra, Iraq, Oct. 7, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “The purpose of an event such as this is to provide treatment for minor illnesses and teach these people how...

The other day, deep in Rego Park, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, Stanley Moscowitz and Walter Israel sat down at a Formica table for lunch at Ben's Best Kosher Deli on Queens Boulevard. Moscowitz, who's 53 and grew up in nearby Forest Hills, ordered first: matzo ball, tip of the tongue, roast beef, rye, Russian, onions and Dr. Brown's diet cherry drink. Israel ordered pastrami on rye bread. His son Jason ordered pastrami on white. In his defense, Jason did not ask for mayonnaise, but the combination of pastrami and white bread enjoys a certain...

10/15/2009 - FORT GORDON, Ga. (AFNS) -- An ordinary day for the Kapisa/Parwan Provincial Reconstruction team in Afghanistan became an unforgettable opportunity for an Airman from here to help save children's lives. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Okeefe, a 338th Training Squadron Det. 1 satellite, wideband and telemetry systems instructor at Fort Gordon, recently returned from a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan where he served as the chief communications officer for the Kapisa/Parwan PRT based out of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. "Each PRT is assigned to one of the 26 provinces in Afghanistan," Sergeant Okeefe said. "The mission of each team is to make...

The US voiced disappointment Thursday at the failure of a seven-nation mission to persuade coup leaders in Honduras to accept a settlement and renewed its support for ousted president Manuel Zelaya. "We are disappointed by this inability to move forward," the State Department said in a statement to AFP. "The United States supports the peaceful restoration of democratic and constitutional order in Honduras with President Zelaya?s return as president to finish his term," it said. "We firmly believe a negotiated solution is the appropriate way forward and that Costa Rican President Oscar Arias' plan for resolving this crisis is a...

Focusing on the needs in Uganda the International Mission Board, the sending arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, sends missionaries for two years through their Journeyman Program. The Journeyman, such as Chris Bosson, shadow a church and primarily start new churches and equip them with everything from food, medical care, to Bible resources. Chris Bosson's time was spent ministering to the youth in villages by showing the Jesus Film, leading youth Bible conferences, and teaching a weekly youth Bible Study out of his home. This weekly Bible Study-Crossover continues today under Pastor Enoch Kategaya's oversight.

The world is celebrating the amazing journey that Apollo 11 made to the Moon 40 years ago. But few realise that an early bid to reach the Moon was launched from England, way back in the 17th century. Wilkins and Hooke aboard their spaceship Incredible as it may seem, one of the greatest scientific minds of the time, Dr John Wilkins, a founder of the Royal Society, was planning his own lunar mission four centuries ago around the time of the English Civil War. It wasn't hot air either. Inspired by the great voyages of discovery around the globe...

British Army Capt, Adrian R. Craddock, Kineton, Warwickshire, England and U.S. Army Col. Patrick J. Kelly, commander of Task Force Troy, prepare the British flag for casing at the casing ceremony signifying the end of mission for the British military contingency assigned to the task force at Camp Victory, Iraq, July 15. CAMP LIBERTY — Members of the multi-national, multi-service team known as Task Force Troy gathered on July 15 at the 1st Cavalry Division's Moral Welfare and Recreation's Field House gym on Camp Liberty to say goodbye to their comrades from the British army with a flag casing ceremony.Task...

As the U.S. military continues its slow withdrawal from Iraq, the Iraqi people face a decision that might force those efforts into overdrive. A referendum scheduled for July 30 would give Iraqis the chance to vote for or against the Iraqi-U.S. security agreement that calls for all American troops to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. If the referendum goes ahead as scheduled and Iraqi voters reject the agreement — a likely outcome, observers say — the United States would be obliged to pull out troops one year after the vote, or nearly 1½ years before the deadline set by...

Iraq Assistance Group Command Sergeant Major Hector Davila and Commanding General Brig. Gen. Keith C. Walker, case the units colors on the patio of the Joint Visitors Bureau, Camp Victory, June 3. The function of the IAG has been merged with the Multi-National Corps-Iraq staff. Photo by Staff Sgt. Luke Koladish, Multi-National Corps - Iraq. BAGHDAD — After more than four years of leading the Iraqi Security Force (ISF) development line of effort, the Iraq Assistance Group (IAG) conducted a casing of colors and patch ceremony here on the Camp Victory Joint Visitors Bureau hotel patio, June 3."On the backs...

Note: The following text is a quote: Eight Uzbekistan Nationals Among 12 Charged with Racketeering, Human Trafficking & Immigration Violations in Scheme to Employ Illegal Aliens in 14 States Twelve defendants, including eight Uzbekistan nationals, have been charged in a 45-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 6, 2009, on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges related to labor racketeering, forced labor trafficking and immigration and other violations in 14 states. Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev, 30, Nodir Yunusov, 22, Rustamjon Shukurov, 21, citizens of Uzbekistan residing in Mission, Kan.; Ilkham Fazilov, 44, Nodirbek...

We were out on my friend's back porch the other night. Unfortunately, discussion led into politics. During our discussion we all agreed that this administration is making A LOT of bad decisions. However, we started to discuss if the Obama administration were just a bunch of people doing what they thought was BEST for the country. I said, "No, I believe this group knows exactly what they are doing and it's to take control of this country and take all the wealth....they are doing this intentionally". Well, it got a bit heated and my buddy kept saying that they were...

A 10-month investigation ended with federal officials filing criminal charges against seven Mission men for mailing 234 packages containing more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana. Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said U.S. Postal Inspectors arrested the following suspects in the case this week: Leopoldo Rodriguez, 41 Juan Carlos Hernandez, 21 Victor Hugo Mares, 25 Angel Margarito Gallardo, 22 Margarito Gallardo, 45 The five remain in custody while authorities search for two Mission men who remained at large for the case on Tuesday afternoon: Concepcion Gonzalez, 37 Roman Vasquez-Mendez, 29 According to a criminal...

Obama tries to recruit Americans into the Green religion by saying Americans don’t want to just pay taxes, but also want be apart of the environmental ‘mission.’ President Obama discussing his energy plan in Newton, Iowa - Tuesday, April 22, 2009: Obama: Americans Don’t Want to Just Pay Taxes, They Also Want to be on an Environmental ‘Mission’ “We got to get everybody involved in this process. I don’t accept the conventional wisdom that suggests that the American people are unable or unwilling to participate in a national effort to transform the way we use energy.” “I don’t believe that...

BAGHDAD, March 31, 2009 – Iraqi special operations forces and their air force partners teamed up recently to conduct their first joint medical evacuation from the Iraqi capital. A wounded Iraqi special operations forces soldier arrives in Baghdad March 20, 2009, after being flown in on the first joint medical evacuation mission out of Baghdad for the Iraqi air force and special operations forces. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Flying a newly refurbished Mi-17 helicopter for the March 20 mission, the Iraqi air force pilots transported an Iraqi lieutenant from Baghdad to the Joint Base Balad...

McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., March 9, 2009 – For Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Thompson, there is no such thing as making a mistake. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Thompson, with the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Wash., is one of a small group of airmen responsible for the safety, security and reliability of a part of the nation’s nuclear arsenal. U.S. Army photo by Benjamin Faske  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He is one of a small group of Air Force men and women responsible for the safety, security and reliability...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 5, 2009 – Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, are improving the Afghan National Army’s ability to respond to enemy activities through various joint training exercises at Combat Outpost Pegasus. Army Sgt. Tyler Bradley explains how to line up the sights of an AK-47 assault rifle during basic rifle marksmanship training with the Afghan National Army. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jill LaVoie  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Delta Company soldiers are training Afghan soldiers on basic infantry tactics, including basic rifle marksmanship,...

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2009 – Fred Baker III, an American Forces Press Service reporter, is traveling in eastern Afghanistan, an area of rugged beauty beset by insurgent violence and poverty. In his latest videos, Baker features one of Paktia province's few hospitals, where workers struggle to meet even basic needs, towns where local men grapple for work and handouts from the provincial reconstruction team, and U.S. troops as they strike a delicate balance between ridding the area of insurgency and winning the trust of residents. Baker's videos, along with his stories and journal entries, are posted on the DefenseLINK...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2009 – The Coast Guard is actively engaged in implementing the president’s counter-piracy action plan, senior Coast Guard officials said. Capt. Charles Michel, chief of the Office of Maritime and International Law, and Capt. Michael Giglio, chief of law enforcement, discussed the Coast Guard’s international counter-piracy efforts yesterday with bloggers and online journalists. “Piracy goes back many, many years -- many thousands of years, actually -- about the time that man started first taking onto the water in ships,” Michel said. “Piracy is essentially an act of violence or depredation conducted on the high seas from...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2009 – Cavalry scouts and Afghan National Army soldiers conduct ongoing dangerous missions along the unpaved roadways in northeastern Afghanistan’s Konar province. Army Capt. Paul Roberts gives a night-security plan to Army 1st Lt. John Grant before dark in northeastern Afghanistan, Jan. 11, 2009. The scouts had to wait out the night in the location, securing it for transports coming through the area. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. David Hopkins  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We do about 20 to 25 missions a month,” said Army Capt. Paul Roberts, commander of the...

An Estonian Army Soldier holds his Order of the Spur certificate, a traditional U.S. Army cavalry award, during a farewell ceremony at Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, Dec. 12. The Estonian Soldiers completed their six-month tour in Iraq, during which they served as a vital force in eroding the capabilities of enemy forces in the area by exploiting weapons caches. Due to the increased security and stability in Iraq, the Republic of Estonia has transitioned its forces from Coalition operations to the NATO training mission in Iraq. Photo by Spc. Christopher Long. BAGHDAD — Due to the increased security and...

Please keep sending a message to the world! When I posted my friend's effort to thank G. W. Bush for keeping America safe since 9/11 on FR HERE yesterday, the site had less than 140 unique "Thank Yous" logged. Roughly 24 hrs later? Over 20,000 and 4,000 personal messages to President Bush captured and stored offline--from across the globe. Many of the big conservative blogs (LGF, Hot Air, etc.) featured links to the site, but the word needs to spread through address lists and other alternative media sources to keep up the momentum.

A friend of mine created this site as a way to say thank you to George W. Bush for doing hard things and taking the heat for keeping America safe from terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. http://www.mission1accomplished.com/ The site has counter that only counts your thank you one time, so please send your e-friends to the site to click the thank you button. They also have a place where you can leave a message. He's saving the messages and wants to present them to W.'s Presidential Library on September 11, 2011.

I Love the Too! Should I go, or should I stay? Should I give my life away? Why must it be me, that place is so dark So filled up with sin, and pride rules their heart They will reject me and spit in my face The shadow of the cross is cast on that place. The sins of the world, cast upon me, Listening to demons, laughing with glee. But they need forgiveness, purpose and grace They need a savior in that dark place It has to be done or they will be lost. I must go tell them,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2008 – Pentagon officials have established a new rapid-response joint task force and plan to create two more in coming years to bolster assistance to civil authorities following potential chemical, biological or nuclear attacks or natural disasters, a senior U.S. official said here yesterday. The new units will team with other federal agencies in support of local responders following chemical, biological or nuclear terror attacks on the homeland or during natural disasters, Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas’ security affairs, told American Forces Press Service and Pentagon Channel reporters. The establishment...

11/24/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- Iraqi airmen conducted an aeromedical evacuation mission from here Nov. 21, ferrying an Iraqi servicemember injured in combat from the Air Force Theater Hospital here to Forward Operating Base Gabe in Baqubah, Iraq. "Aeromedical evacuation is crucial to the viability of the Iraqi air force," said Col. (Dr.) Paul Young, the Coalition Air Forces Training Team surgeon general and director of Iraqi Air Forces Aeromedical Services Training. "We're here in an advisory role to help the Iraqi air force create an aeromedical evacuation program that they're comfortable with and one that works...

Poor Economic Conditions Being Blamed Huntington -- The Huntington City Mission has collected only 14 Turkeys for the organizations annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner. Normally, the organization has already collected 30 to 35 by this time of the year. Mission spokesperson Lynn Clagg says 42 turkeys are needed to feed the 175 to 200 people expected at the dinner Thanksgiving Day. The donations are needed by Friday. You can donate at the Mission which is located in the 600 block of 10th street in Huntington.

CORNWALLIS, Canada, Nov. 20, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here today to encourage a more regional approach to the mission in Afghanistan’s Regional Command South during a two-day meeting of defense ministers from nations contributing the lion’s share of forces there. The meeting, at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood, will provide an opportunity for the eight ministers to focus on the situation in Regional Command South and their strategy for stabilizing that volatile area, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters yesterday. In addition to the United States and Canada, the participants represent Australia, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands,...

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Oct. 28, 2008 – If there’s one thing that keeps the 82nd Airborne’s deputy commander awake at night, it’s competing requirements that could threaten the division’s ability to project no-notice combat power and conduct forced-entry missions. Army Brig. Gen. William Mayville shared his concerns as the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team trains to re-assume its role in June as the U.S. global response force. In this capacity, the brigade will be on 24/7 standby, ready to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. Its mission, if called, would be to forcibly enter and seize a defended...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2008 – Iraqi soldiers and Sons of Iraq civilian security members are now performing the bulk of security duties northwest of Baghdad, a senior U.S. military officer in Iraq said today. “All in all, security in the area is vastly improved as the result of the great work of our soldiers and their increasingly confident and capable partners, the Iraqi security forces,” Army Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the U.S. 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference. The U.S. soldiers under McCaffrey’s command do not patrol much anymore, he...

CAMP TAJI — Iraq has seen remarkable gains in security during the last nine months, due in part to the hard work of the Iraqi Army (IA). Until recently the IA only dealt with kinetic-type missions such as kicking in doors, serving arrest warrants, patrolling and defending security sites. However, the continued growth of the IA, both in terms of numbers and operational experience, allows them to take on missions formerly handled exclusively by Coalition forces. Now, due to the increased confidence and experience of IA Soldiers and their leaders, they are beginning to tackle missions through diplomacy, public relations...

CAMP SPEICHER — Tomorrow’s Multi-National Force - Iraq change of command also signifies a shift in the Coalition mission in the country, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said while en route to Iraq to participate in the ceremony. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has commanded forces here since February 2007, will turn the reins over to Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. Petraeus will become commander of U.S. Central Command on Oct. 31. Gates, making his eighth visit to Iraq, told reporters traveling with him that the withdrawal of the last surge brigade earlier this year signaled a mission transition...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2008 – Iraqi security forces will partner with the U.S. Army’s 41st Fires Brigade and occupy the checkpoints and patrol bases in Iraq’s Wasit province that 1st Georgian Brigade manned before the unit members redeployed home during their country’s domestic crisis. “We want to train and work with the U.S. Army,” said Sgt. Namel Watak Nwiyf, of the 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade. Nwiyf is with a contingent of Iraqi soldiers working with U.S. soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, at checkpoints in Wasit to keep the province stable...

8/11/2008 - ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial system pilots here can now talk over a secure Internet phone line using their headsets thanks to one Airman's ingenuity and one dollar. Staff Sgt. Ray Stetler, the NCO in charge of base information and infrastructure for the 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron here, received a 2 a.m. phone call that led him to make the modification, which grants pilots access to Voice Over Secure Internet Protocol. The sergeant said the 407th ECS help desk thought he could fill the request because of his reputation for fixing things. After they...

...Eloise and John, 70, had recently moved into their own house on a gated farm in Kenya, where they grow food for local children. They were working with the non-profit organization Hope for the Nations, based in Kelowna, B.C. The Bergens' lives have long focused on their faith. John said he first fell in love with Eloise after watching her perform with her family band at his church as a teenager. While in college, he befriended Eloise's professor parents, and before long, asked her hand in marriage. They became ministers together in 1962, and married in 1964. The retired couple...

The Case for choices within the Roman Catholic Church is a very important not only for the Church Hierarchy but for all catholic people active or lapsed. Fact we have amalgamations and or closing down of churches in Europe and America on a grand scale exception is Poland who have seen a growth both to the Roman Catholic Church and the National Catholic church which Rome does recognise as valid. Anglican Clergy can do a quick conversion course and receive Catholic Orders along with his wife and kids. However if Fr o flattery dares to have an affair out he...

The classic World War II-era poster reminded talkative dock workers that "loose lips sink ships." Well, loose nukes present an even more imposing problem, one with continent-cracking possibilities. Last week, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates requested and received the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, Gates' office cited as a reason a Pentagon investigation of lax standards in Air Force oversight of nuclear weapons. One incident involved a USAF bomber with cruise missiles over-flying a wide swath of the United States -- and the crew didn't know the weapons...

PASADENA, Calif. - After a nearly 10-month journey, a NASA spacecraft will land softly Sunday on the northern polar region of Mars, if all goes as planned. The Phoenix Mars Lander is set to touch down in a broad, shallow valley in the Martian arctic plains believed to hold a vast supply of underground ice. Phoenix's job during the 90-day mission is to excavate the soil and ice to study whether the site could have supported microbial life. The stakes are especially high: Fewer than half of the world's attempts to land on the Red Planet have succeeded. "I'm getting...

Canada to launch first space mission to hunt asteroids 23:31 05 May 2008 NewScientist.com news service David Shiga NEOSSat is similar in design to the diminutive Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars (MOST) satellite (shown), which launched in 2003 (Illustration: University of British Columbia)Tools Canada will launch a suitcase-sized satellite in 2009 to spot potentially dangerous asteroids near Earth's orbit. It will be the first space mission devoted to hunting asteroids and may help find ones that are difficult to spot from the ground. Asteroids and comets occasionally hit Earth, with devastating consequences – a 10-kilometre-wide asteroid is thought to have...

County commissioners reaffirmed their stance against the Trans-Texas Corridor, and they took another step toward keeping county government transparent when they met Tuesday. First up on the court's agenda, commissioners heard a presentation by Connie Fogle on behalf of the newly formed Pineywoods Sub-Regional Planning Commission. According to Fogle, the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391, requires state agencies to coordinate with local commissions to "ensure effective and orderly implementation of state programs at the regional level." "Critical in the code is the word 'coordinate,'" she said. "This does not mean the commission has to cooperate. The intent is to...

Air is crucial to human life, and the absence of a breathable atmosphere is one of the main obstacles to discovering other planets. Russian scientists have reproduced a gas mixture that human beings may breathe on the way to Mars and when on the Red Planet. Staff at the Moscow Biomedical Problems Institute have constructed an experimental capsule and reproduced within it the conditions that might be encountered during a mission to Mars. The gas inside accounts for only one per cent of the Earth’s atmosphere but there’s plenty of it on Mars as the gas inside is argon. Mixed...

4/21/2008 - KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- While typical perceptions associated with the Air Force in combat might involve aircraft dropping bombs on targets, the several hundred security forces Airmen deployed here are proving these stereotypes outdated. The Air Force's main mission at Kirkuk is not to fly daily combat sorties, but to maintain the security of the base for the more than 5,000 personnel who operate from here. "The security forces mission at this base is unique, as it's the only installation in-theatre where the Air Force controls security for the entire base," said Col. James Hurley,...

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2008 – American troops fighting in Iraq understand the importance of their mission there despite strains caused by repeated deployments, the senior U.S. military officer in Iraq told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members today. “There is no question that these multiple tours have put enormous strain on the force, absolutely,” Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, told committee members. Yet, current statistics indicate high re-enlistment rates among troops that have served multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Petraeus said. Thanks to lessons learned, the training of American troops and education of military...

The washing of feet is a symbolic action which expresses living a Eucharistic Life, a life of self emptying love in imitation of the Lord who emptied Himself for us. It is an invitation to become a man or woman poured out for others.