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WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2005 – Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Iraq today to hail the country's successful Dec. 15 parliamentary election in which more than 70 percent of Iraqis -- 11 million-plus voters -- participated. Meanwhile, the vice president's wife, an historian, took to the airwaves today to provide historical context for the elections. "It's an honor for me to be here to mark the tremendous success of the Iraqi people," the vice president told reporters in Baghdad. "The participation levels [in the election] all across the country were remarkable." In fact, the biggest change in...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Nov. 29, 2005 - Servicemembers deployed here had the opportunity to sing along to the honky-tonk hits of country artist Aaron Tippin Nov. 26. The country artist, along with other musicians representing Nashville’s talent, performed an acoustic set for servicemembers during a special Thanksgiving concert. “[Tippin] opened with my favorite song,” said Lance Cpl. Erin Sextonson, Marine Integrated Maintenance Management Systems clerk, Engineer Platoon, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (FWD). “I would say this has probably been one of the most memorable events in my deployment.” Stars for Stripes, a non-profit organization aimed to boost...

11/2/2005 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFPN) -- They enjoyed long walks on the beach, romantic dinners and winds of 159 miles per hour? Master Sgt. Leon Palmer and his new bride, Staff Sgt. Rena Palmer, both members of 22nd Security Forces Squadron, had an unexpected visitor during their honeymoon earlier this month in Cancun, Mexico. “We were in Cancun for four beautiful days when another hotel guest approached us on the beach and told us we might be evacuating to a shelter because of a hurricane,” said Master Sgt. Palmer. “We hadn’t been keeping up with the news...

SHANNON, Ireland, Oct. 24, 2005 – Dr. Neil Fruman didn't realize how much of an impact a trip to military installations around the world had made on him until, during an airport stopover in Ireland on the way home Oct. 22, he saw a group of soldiers headed to Iraq. "It became very clear to me then," said Fruman, a family practitioner from Lafayette, Calif. "Looking in the eyes and shaking the hands of these men and women of different countries of origin, nationalities, heights, weights, sexes - all with smiles on their faces, eager, anxious and respectful, standing proudly...

Defense Minister Jovan Manasijevski said his country is committed to being a part of the multinational coalition in Iraq. By U.S. Army Sgt. Matthew Wester3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Oct. 19, 2005 — Macedonian Rangers stood in formation and proudly displayed their nation's red-and-gold flag during a special visit from Defense Minister Jovan Manasijevski Oct. 11. "We will stay until the mission is accomplished."Macedonian Defense Minister Jovan Manasijevski The defense minister, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Miroslav Stojanovski, the senior officer of the Macedonian Armed Forces, spoke to the soldiers, toured the Macedonian living quarters and discussed...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Sept. 29, 2005 – Canada's humanitarian-relief efforts in the United States Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina have shown, once again, that the two countries enjoy "a great relationship," the new U.S. ambassador to Canada said last week during a visit to the headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command here. "In the wake of the Katrina disaster, the support in Canada was overwhelming," said David H. Wilkins, who became the 21st U.S. ambassador to Canada in June. "Canada has proven they are a strong friend and are there when we are...

MEXICALI – The whole menu of hot-button California immigration issues intruded yesterday on a long-awaited meeting between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Baja California counterpart. Schwarzenegger and Baja California Gov. Eugenio Elorduy discussed cross-border cooperation on transportation, trade, education, environmental issues and immigration during a two-hour private meeting in the state government headquarters here. The two issued a joint statement with immigration couched in delicate diplomatic language: "Undocumented immigration is perhaps one of the most challenging and controversial issues that we face, but that does not mean that workable solutions cannot be found. Our dialogue with respect to this issue...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 19, 2005 – NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson scored a slam dunk with wounded servicemembers during a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center Sept. 10, thanking them for their numerous sacrifices, courage and dedication. Johnson visited patients in the BAMC Burn Center and the Amputee Care Center.Wounded warriors being treated at BAMC brought their families in to visit with Johnson. He autographed basketballs, rookie cards and photos while laughing and joking with the servicemembers. Even as time ran short, he left no basketball unsigned. “It really boosts our morale to see someone who is willing...

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 31, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld visited Navy SEALs at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado here Aug. 30, presenting awards and receiving a briefing about current operations. Rumsfeld presented several Bronze Star Medals and one Purple Heart to Navy SEALs who had recently returned from Iraq and also recognized two prior Purple Heart recipients. He addressed Naval Special Warfare Group 1, a part of the force stationed on the base, and then was briefed on secret missions going on all over the world. After his briefing, Rumsfeld was greeted by a class of SEAL candidates going...

U.S. soldiers bring toys -- and smiles -- to the young patients during a visit to the Baghdad hospital. CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2005 — Task Force Baghdad soldiers spent part of the day July 31 bringing smiles to a Baghdad children’s hospital during a humanitarian aid mission. U.S. Army Command Sgt. Major James Mays, from Pineville, La., senior enlisted noncommissioned officer of the 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division; and Lt. Col. (Dr.) Joseph Dore, from Charlotte, N.C., brigade surgeon, hosted the mission at the General Children’s Hospital in Baghdad, bearing toys and stuffed animals for young...

ALI BASE, Iraq, Aug. 12, 2005 — Airman 1st Class Catherine Dilena did not know what to think when her first sergeant dropped by her office and told her to stand by to meet with him in a few minutes. Nervously, the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron client support administrator here waited for him to return, mentally running through a checklist of reasons why he would want to speak with her. A few minutes later, instead of chatting with her first sergeant, she received a counseling session of sorts from an unexpected visitor — her mom. “It was surreal to...

NEW YORK (AP) - The burly FBI agent in the pinstriped suit stepped to the front of the mosque and looked out over a sea of Pakistani men in white kufi caps and women in brightly colored headscarves. "A-salaam aleikum," said Charles Frahm, special agent-in-charge of the FBI's New York counterterrorism division. "It's a great honor to be here today in the capacity of a friend." Frahm has become a frequent presence in the mosques and social clubs of New York's Arab and Muslim neighborhoods, trying to ease tensions where law-enforcement scrutiny has spawned some anger and much anxiety. On...

It is not often that a young person can connect with the personal side of the President of the United States, but John Barletta’s new book, Riding With Reagan, allowed me to do just that better than any other book I have ever read about President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was elected one year before I was born. Some of my earliest memories include watching Reagan on the evening news with my mother. Because I was so young, I had no way to understand the profound impact this man was having on our country and our world. But there was so...

In the fight against terrorism, few stones are left unturned. Every day, patient data from a handful of emergency rooms is sent to the Indiana State Department of Health to be crunched and analyzed. An epidemiologist watches intently for upward trends in rashes, fevers and unexplained deaths. Or a sudden surge in over-the-counter drug sales. The practice -- called syndromic surveillance -- broke onto the public health scene immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and later anthrax deaths. The surveillance method is widely viewed as a tool to detect a possible bioterrorism attack. Computers allow the instant sharing...

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NEW YORK - President Bush (news - web sites) dropped by Madison Square Garden this afternoon to see the stage from which he will deliver his prime-time speech tonight. Bush planned to use his convention address to encourage Americans to keep him on the job and to offer himself as a resolute wartime commander in chief with ambitious plans for a second term. His speech will touch off a two-month dash to the finish line in a nation that seems as closely divided now as it was four years ago. "I proudly accept," he intoned from the podium today, then...

NEW YORK (AP) - Prosecutors on Tuesday presented the core of their terrorism case against a civil rights lawyer: grainy videos of her meetings with a jailed Egyptian sheik she allegedly helped to communicate with followers. A hidden camera at a federal prison in Rochester, Minn., recorded conversations of lawyer Lynne Stewart, Arabic interpreter Mohamed Yousry and Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving a life sentence. Prosecutors contend the videotaped conversations prove a conspiracy among the three to aid terrorists. Also charged in the case is postal worker Ahmed Abdel Sattar, who had served the sheik as a paralegal and...

DENVER (Aug. 9) - Fifteen-year-old Heather Herman, who wears leather and eats meat, is an unlikely animal rights activist. Yet largely due to her, Denver voters will decide this week whether to allow the circus to come to town. Herman contends the animals aren't meant to travel the country caged or in train cars, performing for audiences on cue. Her push to petition for a law ensuring abuse-free circuses rather than just passing out leaflets took some supporters by surprise. "I guess you get jaded when you get older," said Ashley Soard, formerly of Rocky Mountain Animal Defense and now...

NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - Protected by 100 guards, Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi visited the war-shattered city of Najaf on Sunday, calling on Shiite militants to lay down their weapons after days of fierce clashes with U.S. forces. But even as Allawi met with Najaf's governor, police and the Mahdi Army militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battled nearby. Gunfire and explosions could be heard as U.S. helicopter gunships circled overhead. Two Iraqi national guardsmen were killed, and 13 people wounded. "We think that those armed should leave the holy sites and the (Imam Ali Shrine compound) as...

<p>The Justice Department will not appeal a judge's decision allowing John W. Hinckley Jr., the man who shot President Reagan, to visit his parents without the presence of staff from a mental hospital. "While the Justice Department has decided not to file an appeal of the court order, the department will continue to work to ensure that there are significant restrictions imposed by the court, which continues to have jurisdiction, on any conditional releases in the future," Channing Phillips, chief of staff of the U.S. attorney's office here, said Friday.</p>