Operation Phantom Fury--Day 157 - Now Operation River Blitz--Day 52

Army Spc. Anthony Dowden of the 3rd Infantry Division presents a plaque made from a piece of armor that saved him from a sniper's bullet to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 12, 2005. Rumsfeld awarded two Bronze Star medals and 10 Purple Heart medals and reenlisted more than 100 troops at a town hall meeting with U.S. and coalition troops. Rumsfeld is in Iraq to visit with U.S. and coalition forces and to meet with the newly elected members of the Iraqi government. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Cherie A. Thurlby, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Rumsfeld: Don't Politicize Iraq Military

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer

SALAHUDDIN, Iraq - On a whirlwind tour of Iraq that included his first visit to the Kurdish region, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld urged the emerging national government on Tuesday to avoid politicizing the Iraqi military.

At a news conference in a shaded courtyard surrounded by young pear trees, Rumsfeld was asked whether Iraqi officials he met earlier in Baghdad had given him assurances about continuity in the senior leadership of the Iraqi security forces.

"It's not so much a matter of continuity as a matter of competence, of capability," he said in an appearance with Massoud Barzani, who has joined political forces with his former Kurdish rival, Jalal Talabani. "It's a matter of not causing undue turbulence in the Iraqi security forces and not setting back the important progress that's been achieved."

Last week, Talabani was selected as president of the transitional government now being formed and will lead the country until constitutional elections scheduled for December. Some in the Bush administration fear the new interim government will force out political rivals who have been working with U.S. officials since Iraq regained sovereignty last June.

Rumsfeld said Washington hopes to see in the new government "highly competent people who are not going to politicize security forces" but will keep to the current strategy of maintaining a U.S. presence until Iraq's own forces are capable of defeating the insurgents.

President Bush, meanwhile, visited with soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and said the war in Iraq is "entering a new phase" as Iraqi security forces and government institutions become more capable and self-reliant.

"America and its coalition partners are increasingly playing more of a supporting role," Bush said. "Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended and led by their own countrymen. We will help them achieve that objective so Iraqis can secure their own nation. And then our troops will come home with the honor they have earned."

Bush likened the April 9, 2003, toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad to the fall of the Berlin Wall, calling it "one of the great moments in the history of liberty."

Afterward, the president met privately for nearly 3 1/2 hours with relatives of 33 soldiers who have died in Iraq. He asked each family if they are getting the help that they need from the military, and he directed aides to follow up on concerns about benefits and other issues that some expressed, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

As is his practice on trips to Iraq, Rumsfeld held what he calls a "town hall-style" meeting with a few hundred soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division, the main U.S. force in Baghdad. He pinned Bronze Star medals and Purple Heart awards on several soldiers and participated in the re-enlistment of about 100 soldiers.

The best-remembered Rumsfeld encounter with troops was his question-and-answer session last December with National Guard soldiers in Kuwait, many of whom were preparing to head to Iraq. One soldier complained to Rumsfeld about inadequate armor for his unit's vehicles, and Rumsfeld's response was seen by many as dismissive of the armor problem.

In what appeared to be a counterpoint to that moment, one 3rd Infantry Division soldier at Tuesday's session came forward to give Rumsfeld an engraved souvenir: The armor vest plate the soldier was wearing when it stopped a sniper's bullet.

Another soldier — one of the 100 or so who had just re-enlisted — asked Rumsfeld when the Army would reduce Iraqi tours from the current 12 months to six months. Rumsfeld hinted that tours might be reduced, but he indicated it was not expected to happen anytime soon.

Salahuddin, a village near the city of Irbil in far northern Iraq, is Barzani's headquarters. Rumsfeld said he came here to personally thank Barzani for his long record of cooperation with the United States and his help in defeating Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime.

The Kurds, who account for nearly 20 percent of Iraq's population, have won enormous influence in post-Saddam Iraq and received the second-biggest vote total in the Jan. 30 election of a national assembly.

Starting his second trip to Iraq since the Jan. 30 elections, Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad shortly before first light and spent 12 hours on the ground following a 12-hour flight from Washington. He ended his day by flying to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he was spending the night.

___

On the Net:

Defense Department: http://www.defense.gov

A New York City police officer guards the Citigroup Center in New York three weeks after the building was identified as a potential terrorist target in this Aug. 20, 2004, file photo. Federal law enforcement officials said Tuesday, April 12, 2005, that three men have been indicted on charges they targeted the building for attack, along with the New York Stock Exchange and financial institutions in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek, File)

3 Charged in Plot on U.S. Finance Centers

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Three men with suspected al-Qaida ties, already in British custody, were charged Tuesday with a years-long plot to attack the New York Stock Exchange and other East Coast financial institutions.

Discovery of the alleged terrorist plan last summer prompted the Homeland Security Department to raise the terror alert for the targeted buildings, located in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J. Security in those cities also was tightened.

A four-count indictment returned by a New York City grand jury alleges the men, all British citizens, visited and conducted surveillance of the buildings and surrounding neighborhoods between August 2000 and April 2001.

The plot was foiled when Pakistani investigators seized a computer with information from the surveillance. British authorities were alerted and arrested eight men, including the three suspects, on terrorism-related charges last August, Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey said.

The indictment "sends a message about our resolve to terrorists," Comey said at a Justice Department news conference.

The grand jury returned the indictment on March 23 but it was unsealed only Tuesday. Named in it are Dhiran Barot, 33, Nadeem Tarmohammed, 26, and Qaisar Shaffi, 26. They could receive life sentences if convicted of the most serious charge, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in the United States. The indictment lists those weapons as improvised explosive devices and bombs.

U.S. officials claim Barot is a senior al-Qaida figure, known variously as Abu Eisa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi and Issa al-Britani.

Prosecutors say the men conducted surveillance on the stock exchange and Citicorp building in New York, the Prudential building in Newark and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, including video surveillance in Manhattan around April 2001.

U.S. officials have previously described detailed surveillance photos and documents, which they believe came from Barot, that were found on the computer in Pakistan. Comey declined to provide any specifics.

Although they allegedly were doing their surveillance at the same time the Sept. 11 hijackers were making their final preparations, nothing in the indictment links this group to the hijackers.

The indictment does not allege any specific actions by the men in the United States or elsewhere after April 2001, though Comey said their plotting continued. "This conspiracy was alive and kicking until August 2004," he said.

Bush administration authorities said the decision to raise the risk of a terrorist attack to "high" for those specific financial institutions was based on an abundance of caution and because of al-Qaida's history of lengthy planning and plotting.

The move, coming in the midst of a tight presidential election, drew criticism from Democrats, who claimed it was aimed at boosting President Bush's re-election effort.

"Politics had nothing to do with it. You have my word on it," Comey said Tuesday.

The threat level was lowered to yellow for the buildings after the November election.

Barot is charged in England with possessing reconnaissance plans for the U.S. financial institutions and notebooks containing information on explosives, poisons, chemicals and related matters "of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism."

Tarmohammed was charged there, along with Barot, with possessing plans of the Prudential building. Shaffi also was charged in Britain with possessing an extract from the "Terrorist's Handbook" on the preparation of chemicals, explosive recipes and other information.

British proceedings and any sentences would have to be completed before U.S. agents could question the men or seek their extradition, the Crown Prosecution Service said. The trial in Britain is scheduled to begin in January, it said.

"They are indicted here and whether or not they actually ever are extradited here I guess is a matter of discussion," said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "But I think it's important, both substantively and symbolically important, that you come here, you do this type of surveillance, we're not going to forget."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as President Bush returned to Washington from his ranch in Texas, called the indictments "another significant step in the global war on terrorism."

"We're going to continue to go after and pursue those who seek to do us harm and those who seek to do harm to the civilized world," McClellan said.

___

On the Net:

Justice Department: www.usdoj.gov

Bolton: Terror, WMDs Key Focuses If Confirmed for U.N. Duty

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2005 – Stemming the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and supporting the global war on terror will be two key priorities if he is confirmed as the U.S. representative to the United Nations, John Bolton said April 11 during the first day of his confirmation hearings. Bolton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he places these priorities on par with two others for the world body: to strengthen and build institutions that promote democracy and freedom and to address humanitarian crises.

Stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction is critical to ensure that terrorist organizations and the world’s most dangerous regimes are unable to threaten the United States or its friends and allies, said Bolton.

As undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, he said he has worked hard to promote effective, multilateral action to curb the flow of dangerous weapons and vowed to continue that focus if appointed to the United Nations.

Another priority at the United Nations, he said, will be to continue pressing forward in the global war on terror. “We all learned on September the 11th, 2001, no one is safe from the devastating effects of terrorists intent on harming innocent people,” he told the committee.

“And to win this war requires long-term cooperation with all like-minded nations,” Bolton said, noting President Bush’s commitment to working with the United Nations to make this shared goal a reality.

“No government should ignore the threat of terror, because to look the other way gives terrorists the chance to regroup, recruit and prepare,” he said. “And all nations that fight terror as if the lives of their own people depend on it will earn the favorable judgment of history.”

Bolton noted the positive steps the United Nations has taken in the war on terror but said much more remains to be done.

Among initiatives he said he supports is to encourage membership in the U.N. Conventions on Terrorism, to continue negotiations on a nuclear terrorism convention, and to build on Security Council Resolution 1368 that classifies every act of international terrorism as a threat to international peace and security.

U.N. countries must also work together to build their capacities to combat terrorism as outlined in Resolution 1373, he said. This resolution obligates all U.N. member states to use their domestic laws and courts to keep terrorists from sheltering resources or finding safe havens. It also requires nations to cooperate in investigating, prosecuting and preventing terrorism, wherever it occurs.

So far, this resolution is having “impressive results,” Bolton reported, with 142 countries have issued orders freezing almost $105 million in assets of suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations.

Bolton said Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are committed to building a strong, effective United Nations able to meet the challenges ahead.

“Now more than ever, the U.N. must play a critical role as it strives to fulfill the dreams and hopes and aspirations of its original purpose,” Bolton said. This, he noted, is “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”

Bolton’s confirmation hearings were scheduled to continue today.

Developments in Iraq

Tue Apr 12, 6:04 PM ET Middle East - AP By The Associated Press

Developments in Iraq on Tuesday:

_ Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Iraq to urge the country's new leaders to stay on track in forming a new government.

A U.S. Army helicopter from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's entourage flies past a shepherd and his flock (background L) in rural Iraq after meeting with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani in Sala Hudin, Iraq, April 12, 2005. REUTERS/Gerald Herbert/Pool

_ U.S. troops battled arms smugglers and fighters near the Iraqi town of Qaim along the Syrian border Tuesday, killing an unknown number of foreign insurgents, the U.S. military said. Officials at a local hospital reported at least nine people killed in clashes in the same area, and said they believed most of the dead were civilians.

_ The Iraqi government claimed to have captured an insurgent and former member of Saddam Hussein's regime, Fadhil Ibrahim Mahmud al-Mashadani, at a farm northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday.

_ Poland's defense minister said his country wanted to pull its troops out of Iraq in the first few weeks of 2006, the latest blow to the U.S.-led coalition.

Polish Army soldiers stand at attention during a ceremony held in Diwaniya, in southern Iraq, in this photo taken March 24, 2005. Poland's government decided on Tuesday to withdraw its troops from Iraq at the end of 2005, making official an earlier proposal, Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said. Picture taken March 24, 2005. REUTERS/Stringer

_ A suicide car bomber killed five civilians and injured four others in the northern city of Mosul; another car bomb in nearby Talafar, a car bomb killed five people and wounded eight, including seven children, the U.S. military said.

A U.S. Army Stryker (R) vehicle stands by as an unidentified vehicle burns following a car bomb attack in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, April 12, 2005. At least five Iraqis died following two car bombs which struck two hours apart and targeted U.S. military convoys, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports on U.S. casualties. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily

_ In a letter released Tuesday, Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called on the U.S. commander in Iraq to review the cases of Iraqis being held without charges.

Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Ecuadorian Chairman of Defense Adm. Victor Rosero address questions from reporters in Quito, Ecuador, on April 11. Myers called the nation of 13.6 million people a good ally of the United States. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF

Cooperation a Must to Counter Narcoterrorist Threat

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

QUITO, Ecuador, April 12, 2005 – At every stop in South America, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has stressed the need for regional and global cooperation in the war on terror.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers stressed this point again during a meeting with Ecuadorian leaders April 11.

Myers met with President Lucio Gutierrez, Defense Minister Nelson Herrera and Chief of Defense Vice Adm. Victor Rosero. He traveled to Quito from Colombia.

During a press conference following his meeting with the president, Myers thanked Ecuador for its help in the war on terrorism. He called the nation of 13.6 million people a good ally of the United States.

He thanked Ecuador for sending a company of military engineers to Haiti. “They are performing a valuable service in helping rebuild Haiti,” Myers said.

U.S. government officials said countering the threat posed by narcoterrorists must be a region-wide effort. While Colombia is the epicenter of the drug trafficking problem, the whole region feels aftershocks.

Ecuador shares a border with Colombia. The main terrorist group in Colombia –the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC – uses drug money to sponsor its revolution. In reality, FARC is a simple terror organization that has lost any intellectual underpinnings to its rebellion, officials said.

The organization has money and it has bought people on both sides of the Ecuador-Colombia border, U.S. officials said. It is important that both countries work together to make the border area secure.

Cooperation is tough for some countries, but embassy personnel use the balloon analogy to show why it is necessary. They point out that if you squeeze a balloon it just bulges out in another place. The way to break a balloon is the squeeze at all points at the same time.

If the Colombians are squeezing narcoterrorists in that country, then Brazilians, Peruvians and Ecuadorians must squeeze too, officials noted.

It is crucial “because terrorism knows no borders,” Myers said. “Terrorists have no morals. They are a danger to all.

New Zealand Official's Plane Door Opens

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - The door to a plane carrying New Zealand's prime minister blew open mid-flight on Wednesday, forcing the pilot into a sharp descent and emergency landing that left the leader badly bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

The door became dislodged when the aircraft hit turbulence, Prime Minister Helen Clark said after the flight. Two security officers grabbed the open door and held it in place while the pilot guided the plane down to a nearby airport.

"What goes through your head is ... are you going to live or die or will the plane land safely. Yes, it was shocking, it was really quite shaky for us," Clark told reporters.

Clark, 55, said she knew her life was in danger as air rushed into the cabin of the twin-engine Piper Aztec, which was en route to the capital, Wellington, from the tourism town of Rotorua in central North Island.

The officers "were strong enough to hold the door during the landing," she told National Radio. "We couldn't shut it."

Clark was jolted as the plane dived sharply. She said she had bruises to her arm after it smashed into a metal bulkhead.

"I think everyone was a little bit shaken, but the (two police) performed superbly," Clark said. Kathryn Street, a press secretary, was the only other passenger.

Street said the door flew open "with a great bang and there were papers flying everywhere" in the small cabin of the six seater.

An X-ray of Clark's arm showed no fracture, her spokesman, Mike Munro, told The Associated press, but "it's badly bruised."

Clark used the charter flight so she could return to Wellington early Wednesday, ahead of commercial flights. Her travel schedule often involves air force and private charter flights as well as standard commercial flights.

Keith Mackenzie, managing director of airplane charter company Mountain Air, said it was investigating the accident, as were officials at the country's Transport Accident Investigation Commission.

Clark became prime minister in December 1999 and faces a general election before the end of September. Her ruling Labour Party holds a 13 percentage-point lead in the polls.

U.S. Army Spc. Allison Urbatsch, left, and Staff Sgt. Victro Perez, personnel specialists for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combined Task Force Thunder, salute a memorial to Master Sgts. Edwin Matos-Colon and Barbaralien Banks during a memorial service at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, April 12, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen

Task Force Thunder Honors Fallen

Combined Task Force Thunder soldiers say goodbye to fallen NCOs

By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen

Combined Task Force Thunder Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, April 12, 2005 - Upon learning of a major problem in at a remote base in Paktika province, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Edwin Matos-Colon pulled his supervisor aside and said, “Sir, I will go.” A couple days later, another problem arose at a different base in Paktika, and U.S. Army Master Sgt. Barbaralien Banks said to the same supervisor, “Sir, I will go down there.”

The two NCOs then went to solve the problems together. To anyone who knew them, this was the ultimate testament to who they were, said Maj. Dewey Mosley, Combined Task Force Thunder logistics officer and the two soldiers’ supervisor.

“They died doing their duty,” he said. “And I will miss them more than words can say.”

Matos-Colon and Banks were among 18 soldiers and civilians killed when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter they were riding in crashed near Ghazni, Afghanistan, on April 6 on its way back to Bagram Airfield.

The two were members of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Combined Task Force Thunder and worked at Combined Task Force Thunder’s Administration and Logistics Operations Center at Bagram.

On April 12, soldiers from the battery and other units at Forward Operating Base Salerno said goodbye to the two soldiers during a memorial service.

Soldiers pack the Forward Operating Base Salerno Chapel for a memorial service for Master Sgts. Edwin Matos-Colon and Barbaralien Banks April 12. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen

Matos-Colon, 42, of Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, was a mechanical maintenance supervisor who entered the Army in March 1984, and was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in April 2004.

Banks, 41, of Harvey, La., was a senior food management supervisor who entered the Army in March 1988, and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in May 2003.

Soldiers pack the Forward Operating Base Salerno Chapel for a memorial service for Master Sgts. Edwin Matos-Colon and Barbaralien Banks April 12. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen

Sgt. Christian Monk, a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Combined Task Force Thunder, spoke at the service. She said Banks was a strong female role model whose faith and motivation carried Monk through her toughest times during this deployment.

“Regardless of whether you knew the person or not, the pain is felt by all,” U.S. Army Col. Gary H. Cheek

“I hope to take what I have learned from her and pass it on to my soldiers,” Monk said. “She was like a mother to us all. I am proud to have served with such a dedicated soldier. She will be greatly missed.”

Col. Gary H. Cheek, commander of Combined Task Force Thunder called Matos a bundle of positive energy.

“He was a man of great enthusiasm, one who would take on any mission, any task,” Cheek said. “He would always do it right and always do it to standard.”

Cheek also said if you looked up the word mechanic in the dictionary, he’s certain there would be a picture of Matos beside it.

“If it had an engine, he loved it,” Cheek said. “Vintage cars, motorcycles, Humvees - these were his passion, and he lived that in the United States Army.”

While every bit the professional soldier, Cheek said everyone knew Banks as a quiet, calm and reserved person.

“But don’t let that fool you - she knew her business, was devoted to her soldiers and won the respect of everyone around her,” he said.

Cheek noted that the command lost a few soldiers and Marines during this deployment here, and said each one was tough to take.

“Regardless of whether you knew the person or not, the pain is felt by all,” he said. “It’s much tougher though when you know the person. In the case of these two, I think I can say we loved them very deeply.”

Matos-Colon is survived by his daughter, Evelyn. Banks, who was promotable, is survived by her daughter, Lashuwanta, and her son, Kent.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

GIs Indicted for Gun Imports From Iraq

PADUCAH, Ky. - Two soldiers and another man were indicted Tuesday for allegedly smuggling machine guns out of Iraq and trying to sell them in the United States.

Army Sgt. Nigel Brown, 31; Sgt. Beau Uran, 24; and Guy Brown, 46, were indicted on federal charges of conspiring to unlawfully import machine guns and aiding and abetting the possession of a machine gun, the U.S. attorney's office said.

If convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for up to three years. The men are scheduled to be arraigned in May.

Nigel Brown and Uran were deployed to Iraq from Fort Campbell in 2003. While there, they acquired 17 Russian-made AK-47s and a Chinese assault rifle, prosecutors said.

The men allegedly placed the guns inside oxygen tanks after sawing the bottoms off and had them shipped back to Fort Campbell in a container.

They retrieved the tanks when they returned from Iraq, the indictment alleges.

Prosecutors said Nigel Brown then asked Guy Brown, a relative, to sell the guns. In May 2004, Guy Brown allegedly sold the guns to an undercover federal agent for $18,000.

Nigel Brown declined to comment when reached by telephone late Tuesday. A relative answering the phone at a listed number for Guy Brown said he was not available. There was no phone listing for Beau Uran in Clarksville.

Lt. Col. Ed Loomis, a Fort Campbell spokesman, said Nigel Brown and Uran were still with their units. He referred questions about the investigation to the U.S. attorney.

AL ASAD, Iraq -- Corporal Michael A. Rivera, small computers specialist with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2, shakes hands with Gen. Michael W. Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, on April 7. Rivera, from Brooklyn, N.Y., works in the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) communications and data operations department as the data and video teleconference noncommissioned officer. He was selected from a large group of Marines to receive a challenge coin from the commandant. Photo by: Cpl. Rocco DeFilippis

Brooklyn Marine takes a mega ‘byte’ out of insurgency

Submitted by: 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200541210159
Story by Sgt. Juan Vara

AL ASAD, Iraq (April 12, 2005) -- When Michael A. Rivera graduated from high school in June 2001 he started working for a company that made burners for residential heating systems. A few months later, when the attacks on America occurred, the company began losing business and Rivera, 17 years old at the time, lost his job.

Many of the companies in New York City were not hiring and Rivera stopped attending computer graphics design school because he couldn’t afford it anymore. Talking with one of his cousins, who had always wanted to become one of the few and the proud, the idea came up of stopping by the Marine Corps recruiter’s office and signing on the dotted line.

In January 2002, Rivera left the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., and reported to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., to go through 13 weeks of basic training to earn the title Marine. After graduating from boot camp he went to Camp Geiger, N.C., for a two-week course on basic infantry skills.

Once done with Marine Combat Training, Rivera traveled to sunny California and reported to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, where he attended Marine Corps Communications Electronics School. He went through the small computer specialists’ course and was one of the first Marines to take the tactical data-networking course, where he learned advanced routing and switching configurations and how to operate tactical servers.

Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2 at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., welcomed him in January 2003 and assigned him to the communications and data operations department as a computer repairman. In February 2004 he deployed to Iraq to reinforce the communications and data operations department of Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced).

Based at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif., MAG-16 (Rein) was the aviation combat element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force in charge of conducting stability and security operations in western Iraq last year.

During his tour here, Rivera became friends with an Iraqi man who told him Saddam’s regime had killed his family and that he was grateful for the presence of U.S. Marines in Iraq. “That made me real happy to be here,” said Rivera. “It makes me feel good to know I can help people out.”

After seven months in Iraq, Rivera returned to eastern North Carolina and rejoined the ‘Deuces Wild.’ Shortly after, he found out he was scheduled to come back to Iraq.

The pesky dust devils of Al Asad, mini whirlwinds of twirling dust and sand, had a chance to harass him again in January when he set foot on this former Iraqi air base for a second tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rivera, who has achieved the rank of corporal, is assigned to the communications and data department of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) and serves as the data and video teleconference noncommissioned officer.

His job requires him to help keep up communications, take care of computer problems for commanders and staff noncommissioned officers working in the tactical air command center and setting up video teleconferences for the commanders here to communicate with other commanders in Iraq. He goes out of his way and helps as many Marines as he can with their computer problems and does morale video teleconferences to help Marines here keep in touch with their families back home.

Master Sgt. Gregory L. Biggs, 2nd MAW (Fwd) communications chief, said Rivera stands out from his peers because of his dedication to completing any task assigned to him.

“He believes in what he is doing and he doesn’t settle for just completing the task,” said the Dickinson, Texas, native. “He takes any task he’s given and doesn’t stop until it is completed above and beyond what is required, and that is the mark of a leader.”

Rivera picked the communications and data operations field when he enlisted because his mother always asked him to learn about computers. He said she believed working with computers in the Corps would be a very safe job.

Safe or not, it has brought Rivera to western Iraq on two occasions in two years.

“Being deployed to Iraq for a second time has made me realize the people of this country need help,” said Rivera. “It makes me glad to see we can help rebuild a nation in such a short time. With all the good we have done here, the people of Iraq can live safe, free lives without worrying about someone taking it away in an instant.”

According to Biggs, some of Rivera’s best traits are his dedication to being a Marine, his aggressiveness in completing any task, his belief in doing his job to the best of his ability to really make a difference, and not being afraid to make a mistake and learn from it. “He’s the type of Marine any (staff noncommissioned officer) would die to have in their unit.”

Rivera, proud to be serving in Iraq, sees the Marine Corps in his future and is determined to make it a career. “I want to make the Marine Corps better,” he said. “With a better Marine Corps we’ll be able to accomplish better things.”

The accomplishments of the 2nd MAW (Fwd) can be measured day after day as it helps reduce the number of terrorists and insurgents in Iraq and assists the Iraqis in developing their own armed forces to protect the country on their own. Rivera, by keeping communications here up and running, is doing his part in the making of a brighter Iraq.

- For more information about the Marine reported on in this story, please contact Sgt. Juan Vara by e-mail at varaj@acemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil -

Chris Carney (right) rides out the final leg of his cross-country bicycle ride accompanied by injured veterans Oct. 7, 2004. Carney, who was a bartender in East Hampton, N.Y, left Montauk Point, N.Y., on his bicycle Aug. 17 of last year and rode to San Diego, Calif. to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. His efforts turned into Soldier Ride, Inc. The organization has raised more than $4 million for wounded war veterans. Carney will make a second Soldier Ride to raise more money this year. For more information on Soldier Ride, visit www.soldierride.com. Photo Courtesy of Soldier Ride, Inc. Photo by: Courtesy of Soldier Ride, Inc.

Soldier Ride raises more than $4 million for Wounded Warrior Project

Submitted by: New York City Public Affairs Story Identification #: 200541212136 Story by Sgt. Beth Zimmerman

NEW YORK (April 8, 2005) -- "It goes without saying," said Fox News Channel anchor Linda Vester, "how much we thank you for your service."

Vester directed her comment to 17 "wounded warriors" standing on stage next to her at the Millennium Hotel in Manhattan. Before she could finish the word "service," the entire room erupted in enthusiastic applause. The applause continued for almost three minutes as the entire room demonstrated their respect for the wounded veterans.

Soldier Ride, Inc. and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) joined forces to raise money for WWP April 4. Soldier Ride sponsored a $1,000 per plate fundraiser at the Millennium to raise money for WWP, and ultimately, wounded veterans.

According to WWP's mission statement, the project "was founded to give a voice to new generations of military service members and veterans. This project enables veterans to aid and assist each other through rehabilitation and readjustment to civilian life." Former Marine John Melia, who was wounded during a deployment to Somalia, founded the WWP.

"The Wounded Warrior Project is out to make sure the stories of the next greatest generation are told," said Melia during the fundraiser. That's where Soldier Ride came in.

Chris Carney was working as a bartender in East Hampton, N.Y., at The Stephen Talkhouse when the idea of Soldier Ride hatched late one night in March of 2004.

"We were having some beers at the end of the night," said Carney, "and the idea just sort of came to me to ride (a bicycle) across the country for a fundraiser." According to Carney, he discussed the idea the next day with his boss, Peter Honerkamp, who owns the Talkhouse. Honerkamp liked it so much he told he told Carney, "if you don't do it, I'll find someone who will."

"Then we went down to [Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital] and we were blown away by what we saw," said Carney. "I'm 34 years old, and I was surprised by how much (wounded) youth I saw down there," he said. "I had always pictured vets before as the older guys you see on Veteran's Day," said the East Hampton native. "Their attitude was so positive, and we wanted to do something for them."

Carney and his team from the Talkhouse found out about the WWP while they were visiting with soldiers at Walter Reed. At that point, the WWP was a smaller organization focused mainly on distributing wounded warrior packs to the injured service members. The WWP filled the packs with essential items and creature comforts for the service members, including items from socks to CD players.

"We were struggling (financially) to do what we wanted to do," said Melia. "Every effort like this needs [something big] to get it off the ground."

Carney's ride from N.Y. to San Diego, Calif., turned into the nationally-publicized event WWP needed. He left Montauk Point, N.Y., on his bicycle in August of last year.

"I remember sitting here with a bucket for people to put money in," said Sandy Kiegiel, who works at the Talkhouse and is part of Soldier Ride. "People were writing personal checks for five and ten bucks," she said. "Our goal (when Carney started riding) was to raise $500,000, which seemed so far away," said Kiegiel. "Then, Fox News picked up the story," she said. "We started getting checks from all over the country."

"When we hit the one million mark, it was amazing," said Kiegiel. "Then, we hit $4 million," she said. "We still can't believe it. We're just regular people," said Kiegiel. "It really shows that anyone can make a difference."

The difference has been huge for WWP and the service members they support. "Soldier Ride was really the catalyst that got us national recognition," said Melia. "We've been able to do so much more thanks to them," he added. "Our goal is that not one (wounded) service member goes without the services they need."

Carney reached San Diego on his bicycle in October of last year. His cross-country journey took him a little under two months. Six months later, he said he's ready to do it again. The 34-year-old will push off for Soldier Ride 2 from Los Angeles, Calif., May 22. According to Carney, he hopes more veterans can join him on the trip.

"It's so much more now than some bartender from New York trying to raise money for these vets," said Carney. "Now it's more of a way for these vets to get out and ride with us," he said. "The biggest thing is...having the wounded soldiers get back on their feet and make a difference," said Kiegiel. "This is a difference they're making with and for their fellow vets and friends."

According to Carney, he will ride through a major city every couple of days during the ride before he finishes in New York July 17. He and Kiegiel both said they've come too far to stop helping veterans now.

"There's too much we want to do for these guys," said Kiegiel. "We have nothing to do with the military, but we want to keep helping."

"We never really planned to become full-time advocates for these wounded vets," said Carney. "But, as we're exposed to it, it's hard to walk away," he said. "Honestly, I've never done anything as rewarding as this in my life."

Marine home from Iraq returns favor to Longview fourth-graders

The young Marine crisply removed his cover as he passed through the front door Tuesday at Spring Hill Intermediate School and cradled the military cap in his right elbow as he negotiated the hallway to meet some old friends.

His name is Lance Cpl. A.J. Jaster, but the fourth-graders who adopted the soldier serving in Iraq just call him A.J. When he stepped through the door to Barbara Williams' classroom, it was clear that Jaster's visit meant more than a break from preparations for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Anyone who can hold the attention of 9- and 10-year-olds for 45 minutes deserves a medal.

"If it's any consolation, when I was y'all's size I remember taking that (TAKS) too," the 2002 Longview High School graduate told the class responsible for Christmas and Valentine's packages Jaster opened at his base near the Syrian border. When he returns there April 24, he'll take a laminated photo of the class and pictures a reporter shot of him posing with his young friends to remind him of why he's in Iraq.

Not that he needs a reminder.

"I'm doing it because it's my job, but I'm doing it because of y'all," he said. "This class is literally what I was hoping to see when I came back."

Jaster has served two stints in Iraq. He told the 17 students he was about their age when he decided to become a U.S. Marine like his grandfather.

Describing his life there, and answering questions pitched by the students, Jaster revealed the discipline under which he lives – up at 4:30 a.m. each day when his unit hits a six-mile run, followed by weight-lifting and another run of four miles before breakfast.

Jaster and his comrades know to never let down their guard, a habit the visit to home can't interrupt.

"Over there, you learn to watch rooftops, watch alleyways, and I catch myself still doing that (here)," he said.

Regardless of the meal, he said, he has five minutes to eat from the second his commander sits. Aside from daily chow, there are portable Meals Ready to Eat, which like haircuts and the Dress Blues he wore, he must pay for from his own pocket. Beyond that, anything goes in the Marine's diet.

"They've even taught us how to live off the bugs," he said, noticing the squeamish faces and advancing the image he'd created. "Not bad with hot sauce, I might add."

Jaster described his rifle and its accessories, going four days without sleep and the Iraqi children he's seen working 12- to 16-hour days at whatever profession their parents pass along.

"Imagine if y'all graduated second grade and you've got to go to work immediately," he said. "I know kids over there who build their own house."

And he described receiving gifts from the class, packages of playing cards, candy, snacks and – this was the best, he said – clean socks. One package arrived after a day of gunfire exchange.

"That day I was having one of the worst days of my life," he said. "It just helps to know there are people who care for you. ... It's one of the little things over there that mean so much – getting some beef jerky, reading a book you've never read."

Medical Teams Squash Mosquito Threat

U.S. Army Pfc. Suri Morales-Jones, 210th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team preventive medicine specialist, sprays insecticide along the walls of the operations center near the Saddam Tower in western Baghdad, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brian Schroeder)

Saddam Tower, Baghdad

The "Commandos” preventive medicine team works to combat disease and keep troops healthy and safe.

By U.S. Army Spc. Brian Schroeder- 10th Mountain Division

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, April 12, 2005 — “There are thousands of them!” exclaimed U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Dawn Hill, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division environmental officer, as she fished out thousands of squirming mosquito larvae from a pool of water. “This is really disgusting.”

At Camp Gator, home of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, Hill conducted a follow-up base camp assessment of the compound. While she was inspecting the outer area of the Gator’s operations center she noticed the mosquito larvae in a pool of water.

Hill, a native of Bath, N.Y., is part of the team's “Commandos” preventive medicine team, who work closely with the brigade preventive medicine officer to help combat diseases and non-battle injuries for the brigade. They observe and document the possible occupational and health threats the brigade encounters through health surveillance, medical threat analysis, assessing the air and water quality, field hygiene and sanitation where every soldier in the brigade operates.

“Most people don’t even know we exist until there is a problem,” said Pfc. Suri Morales-Jones, 210th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team preventive medicine specialist and a Laurel, Md., native. “When people don’t hear about us, it means we are doing our job.”

Once Cpt. James Birk, A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment executive officer and officer in-charge of Forward Operating Base Gator received word of the mosquito infestation he gathered a group of soldiers and began fixing the problem. He noticed a leaky pipe, which was feeding water to the existing pool. He and his soldiers jumped on the opportunity to mend the pipe and fill in the puddle with dirt.

Hill and Morales-Jones then sprayed insecticide around the outside of the operations center to limit the soldiers’ exposure to the bugs and to prevent the spread of Leishamaniasis, a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of sand flies.

Hill said the majority of the soldiers are receptive to the suggestions or countermeasures she recommends. “Most of our work is done to prevent soldiers from missing days of work because of something they were exposed to that could have been prevented,” she said. “The soldiers understand we are here to help them live safely and healthy.”

Another of the team’s stops was at a base camp near Saddam Tower, a 674-foot space needle that served as a restaurant during the Saddam Hussein regime. Hill examined several aspects of the camp, such as the work-out area, kitchen area and living quarters that soldiers from B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment call home.

Though a few minor problems were noticed on her first visit, Hill said the A Battery Soldiers have made improvements on all of the problems she pointed out on her first visit.

“When soldiers are in the field they do not have time to think about things like having adequate living space or using hand sanitizer before they eat,” Hill said. “(Our job) is about educating the soldiers so they understand why we recommend certain countermeasures.”

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Carlin, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment platoon sergeant, said he appreciates the work the preventive medicine team does for the welfare of his soldiers. He said being in a different environment had made him realize how careful the soldiers must be to maintain a healthy living environment.

“This is a dangerous place and they are helping us out a lot,” Carlin said. “There is so much going on out here we are not used to back in the States. The changes they are making are always good because they are here to improve our quality of life.”

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.