Posted on 05/24/2005 5:54:29 PM PDT by TexKat
U.S. forces secure the area after a bomb rigged to a parked car exploded next to an American convoy by the al-Dora bridge in Baghdad Tuesday, May 24, 2005 killing three of the soldiers, according to a U.S. military spokesman. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Iraqi border police officers stand guard near the Al-Sheiba oil refinery in the southern Iraq city of Basra, May 24, 2005. The United States is paying out about $200 million a week to contractors involved in rebuilding Iraq, where insurgents have slowed down ambitious U.S.-funded reconstruction plans. Bill Taylor, the outgoing U.S. official overseeing rebuilding work in Iraq, said in an interview on May 24 that projects were moving ahead despite soaring security costs, which U.S. auditors say can chew up half of the funding. (Atef Hassan/Reuters)
U.S. official defends rebuilding work in Iraq
Wed May 25,11:45 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is paying out about $200 million a week to contractors involved in rebuilding Iraq, where insurgents have slowed down ambitious U.S.-funded reconstruction plans.
Bill Taylor, the outgoing U.S. official overseeing rebuilding work in Iraq, said in an interview on Tuesday projects were moving ahead despite soaring security costs, which U.S. auditors say can chew up half of the funding.
Taylor, who is set to finish his assignment in Iraq on Thursday, gave a more modest estimate and said security costs amounted to an average 10-15 percent of the overall price.
"That is still a lot of money to be spending to secure ourselves ... but you have to pay a little bit of a higher price because of the insurgency," he said in a telephone interview from Baghdad.
After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Congress appropriated $18.4 billion to rebuild Iraq's shattered infrastructure.
But two years later, Iraqis complain their electricity grid is more fragile than ever and promises to improve their daily lives have not materialized.
Criticism has also been rife in Congress, where hearings focus on the pace of rebuilding, contractor abuse and the award of billions of dollars of work to companies with close ties to the Bush administration such as Texas-based Halliburton, which was once run by Vice President Dick Cheney.
Taylor strongly rejects suggestions the rebuilding program has not had an impact and points to completed projects as proof.
He said the United States was paying out about $200 million a week to contractors and $5.3 billion had been disbursed in total of the $18.4 billion. A further $12.9 billion had been "obligated," or put under contract.
"This is not a stalled program. This is a program going forward very fast," he said.
CONTRACTORS TARGETED
Taylor said in the past 10 months, 57 U.S.-funded electricity projects, ranging from big to small, had been completed and 103 more were in progress.
Rebuilding has carried huge risks for contractors who have been targets for kidnappings and attack by insurgents.
U.S. Department of Labor statistics indicate as of March 31, 276 civilians had died while working on U.S. government-funded contracts in Iraq.
The statistics do not state the cause of death but most are believed to be at the hands of insurgents rather than for medical reasons, vehicle or other accidents.
Taylor will be returning to the State Department where his job will be to look at what lessons can be learned from Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was assigned before.
"The main lesson I think is that it's important when looking at both Afghanistan and Iraq to get the Afghans and the Iraqis in charge quickly ... That is the key to success," Taylor said.
In the early days of reconstruction, the United States restricted contracts to U.S. companies and those from countries which supported the U.S. invasion. The focus has now shifted to getting Iraqi companies and the new ministries involved.
In a pilot program this year, the United States gave contracting authority to Iraq's construction ministry to build two bridges and a freeway with U.S. funds. Previously, U.S. agencies handled contracts.
"That process is already off to a very good start and if it continues that way it will be a successful program we will want to emulate," said Taylor of the pilot program.
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty No. 518-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 25, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Christopher S. Perez, 30, of Hutchinson, Kan., died May 23 from wounds received as a result of an indirect fire attack while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 517-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 25, 2005
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Charles T. Wilkerson, 30, of Kansas City, Mo., died May 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, when an unknown ordnance detonated near his tent. Wilkerson was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
Seaman Apprentice Vincent L. Carrillo stands watch on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman, Feb. 4, 2003. The Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 were on a six-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by Seaman Ryan O'Connor, USN
'Defending Freedom' Highlights Work of Sailors, Marines
By K.L. Vantrtan
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2005 – Hundreds of color photos depicting the trials and triumphs of the Navy and Marine Corps troops during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom adorn the pages of "Defending Freedom," a new hardcover coffee-table book.
Proceeds of the book's sale will be used to provide financial assistance to sailors, Marines and their families.
Defending Freedom shines a spotlight on the phenomenal work of Navy and Marine photographers and the marvelous jobs the troops are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, said John W. Alexander, the book's designer and co-editor.
Alexander, who has published four other books, said he was honored to volunteer his time on this project.
"I was pleased to do it," said Alexander, director of communications for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. "I love working on books like this."
"This collection of images taken by military photographers and journalists vividly depicts the heroism, courage and compassion of our men and women in uniform who are opposing terrorism and its despicable acts of hatred and violence," Navy Secretary Gordon R. England noted in the book's foreword.
England has since been appointed acting deputy secretary of defense.
"This book, filled with poignant images of our magnificent men and women in uniform, brings to life the inspirational service they perform so valiantly every day," England added.
Navy Chief Petty Officer Johnny Bivera, who has more than 18 years of service, said he was originally going to serve one tour as a sailor, but photography turned out to be such an exciting career that he kept re-enlisting.
Bivera has several photos featured in Defending Freedom.
"It's great to have been part of this book," he said. "There's nothing like sharing your work in print, but more so in a book that will last a long time and be viewed by many people.
"It's also an honor to share the pages with so many of my colleagues," he added. "They're all great photographers."
Navy Chief Petty Officer Kevin Tierney, who has 17 years of service, echoed Bivera's thoughts.
The best part of being a military photographer, Tierney said, is "getting to see the best and brightest of this nation pulling together for the common good of man." The worst, he added, is seeing the suffering of humanity.
Tierney was on hand for autographs at the book's debut in March during the Sea, Air, Space Exposition here.
"I heard nothing but rave reviews," the military photographer said. "It's excellent to see a product shot and produced by Navy and Marine Corps photographers. It's just an incredible book."
Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) leave the top ramp area of the USS Bataan, Dec. 12, 2001, as they head for a helicopter ride to the war zone. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group was operating in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Photo by Chief Petty Officer Johnny Bivera, USN
The back inside cover of the book contains a DVD which features three products: "Operation Enduring Freedom: The Opening Chapter," "Operation Iraqi Freedom: Chapter II" and "Power of Teamwork." A CD also that contains high-resolution photos, those that are in the book as well as 250 others.
The book is available through the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. Requests can be made by e-mail, alexande@hq.nmcrs.org, or phone, (703) 696-1904.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah speaks on a podium decorated with his group's flag during a Resistance and Liberation Day rally organized by the Hezbollah militia group, in Bint Jbeil, Southern Lebanon, Wednesday, May 25, 2005. Hezbollah supporters celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon on May 25, which in Lebanon is called Resistance and Liberation Day. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Hezbollah Vows to Keep Its Weapons
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB, Associated Press Writer
BINT JBEIL, Lebanon - Under international pressure to disarm, Hezbollah's leader vowed Wednesday to fight anyone who tries to take away the group's weapons, which he said included more than 12,000 rockets capable of hitting northern Israel.
Sheik Hassan Nasrallah stressed that the guerrillas' weapons were necessary for Lebanon's defense, and rejected talk of their removal.
"There is talk about disarming the resistance. I say any thinking of disarming the resistance is madness," he told tens of thousands of supporters in his southern Lebanese stronghold near the Israeli border.
"We are among the biggest proponents of peace, stability and national unity. We don't seek to attack anyone and we will not allow anyone to attack Lebanon. But, listen to me, if anyone thinks — anyone — of disarming the resistance, we would fight them until martyrdom," he said.
Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim militant group backed by Iran and Syria, has been labeled a terrorist group by the United States, which wants the group to abandon its weapons.
September's United Nations resolution that forced Syrian forces to leave Lebanon also demands militias in Lebanon give up their weapons.
Hezbollah has refused to disarm, and Lebanese authorities have resisted pressuring the group, calling it a resistance movement, not a militia. The Lebanese army has not deployed in southern Lebanon after Israel's withdrawal in 2000, allowing Hezbollah to retain control.
Nasrallah's speech came on Liberation and Resistance Day, a Lebanese holiday that commemorates the fifth anniversary of end of the Israeli occupation.
Nasrallah, whose guerrillas take credit for forcing the Israelis out, said Hezbollah is open to dialogue about its weapons, but any attempt to forcibly disarm it will be met with force. The group says its weapons are needed to protect Lebanon from any future Israeli attack.
"Any such act is considered an Israeli act," he said. "We will consider any hand that tries to get to our weapons an Israeli hand and we will chop it off."
The crowd cheered and shouted "Death to Israel."
"All of the north of occupied Palestine, its settlements, airports, seaports, fields, factories and farms is under the feet and hands of the Islamic resistance," he said.
Hezbollah occasionally fires rockets across the Israeli border, but the inaccurate, unguided munitions are rarely effective, usually falling harmlessly on farm fields. Israel, however, considers the rockets a threat to its northern residents and at times responds with airstrikes.
"They (the Israelis) want to take this power away from Lebanon," Nasrallah said. "They say 12,000 rockets ... I say more than 12,000 rockets."
Nasrallah's statement that Hezbollah has more than 12,000 rockets was the first time he quantified the guerrillas' arsenal. The revelation came as the country was headed into parliamentary elections in which Hezbollah is fielding candidates.
Hezbollah has been seeking a greater political role after its ally Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon last month, weakening Damascus' role in the country.
In Israel, the Defense Ministry refused to comment on Nasrallah's comments about his missiles.
Israeli officials have accused the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah of acquiring longer-range rockets that could strike deep into Israel.
Hezbollah has refused to confirm or deny the missile claims, but it is known to possess thousands of 127mm Katyusha rockets with a range of up to 17 miles. These are inaccurate unguided munitions. Israel has responded to the usually ineffective rocket strikes with airstrikes.
25 May 2005 13:15:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS, May 25 (Reuters) - NATO member Greece on Wednesday increased its involvement in the Iraq war saying it had agreed with the alliance to help transport equipment bound for Iraq on commercial cargo ships.
A strong opponent of the war, Greece has refused to send troops to Iraq, and as a NATO member has so far only agreed to train Iraqi officers in third countries.
"This (agreement) concerns the transport of equipment bound for Iraq," Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos told reporters during a briefing.
He did not say whether the Greek cargo vessels would dock and unload at Iraqi ports or whether they would berth at some other port in the Middle East.
"This is equipment bound for Iraq," he said after being pressed to say where the ship or ships would dock.
Koumoutsakos said the cargo of the ships would only contain "training equipment".
NATO's current involvement in Iraq includes alliance officers helping train Iraqi military personnel inside the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and acting as a clearing house for weapons offers to the Iraqi government.
Diplomats in Greece said the agreement was the result of last week's meeting in Washington between U.S. President George W. Bush and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanalis.
"In a way the United States can now add another country to the list of those that are supporting their efforts in Iraq in some way ... without sending troops," a Greek diplomat said.
The Merchant Marine Ministry confirmed the deal but said the ministry would only be responsible for awarding the contract.
"Under the agreement we would be asked by our defence ministry to find one, two or more cargo ships to transport equipment," a ministry spokesman told Reuters.
"So we would then issue a tender for such a project which would then be awarded to one of those bidding for the contract. That is our only involvement in this."
Defence ministry officials could not be reached for a comment.
4-5 pm ET.
A U.S. Marine shakes hands with an Afghan boy during a pause in operations in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on May 23, 2005. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, are conducting operations in concert with Afghanistan Army soldiers in the region. DoD photo by Spc. Harold Fields, U.S. Army. (Released)
An Iraqi soldier with the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army, and U.S. Army Maj. Davis of the 18th Airborne Corps Military Transition Team review a map of the area during operations in Wasit Province, Iraq, on May 20, 2005. DoD photo by Sgt. Arthur Hamilton, U.S. Army. (Released)
Bump!!
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld speaks at a luncheon of the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia, Wednesday, May 25, 2005. Rumsfeld fielded questions about the war in Iraq and complained about the challenges of fighting a war in a global information age. (AP Photo/Coke Whitworth)
Cessna Story Illustrates Government Problem, Rumsfeld Says
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service
PHILADELPHIA, May 25, 2005 – There was absolutely no truth to the Washington Post article saying Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ordered Air Force fighter jets to shoot down a Cessna that intruded into restricted airspace, but the incident illustrates an on-going problem the government face, Rumsfeld said here today. Speaking to the World Affairs Council, he used the Post story to make a point. He said the global war on terrorism is the first to be fought in an era of multiple global satellite television networks, 24-hour news outlets and a global Internet "with universal access and no inhibitions."
News organizations provide live coverage of terrorist attacks, disasters and combat operations. Most westerners have access to e-mail, cell phones and digital cameras. And many people have "a seemingly casual regard for classified information resulting in a near continuous hemorrhage of classified documents to the detriment of our country," the secretary said. "We see almost daily that a lie can make its way halfway around the world while the truth is still getting its boots on, as Mark Twain was reported to have said."
Today's Post reported that Rumsfeld had authorized Air Force fighters to fire on the Cessna that flew into restricted air space over the Washington area May 11. Two Air National Guard F-16s intercepted the small plane and launched flares to get the pilot's attention. As a precaution, authorities evacuated the White House and the Capitol. The plane landed under escort at a suburban airport.
Rumsfeld said the paper relied on "two anonymous sources for the article."
"And of course," he added, "it wasn't true. I never even got on the phone conference call to discuss the circumstance of the little plane."
But the news networks, Internet "bloggers" and the newspaper wires picked up the story and ran it all over the world. "Something that was totally not true," Rumsfeld said. "And it happens on a regular basis."
The problem, according to the secretary, is that the executive branch of the U.S. government is organized for the Industrial Age, and it is facing an Information Age problem.
"In short, the federal government is not well-equipped to cope with the multiple issues that arise from every quarter 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "We continue to adhere to peacetime constraints, practices, requirements and regulations imposed during the Cold War, a period in anticipation of different types of adversaries than we face today."
Thank you Justin for that kind introduction.
Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here -- finally. I do apologize for my not making an earlier scheduled visit, but was kept away.
The World Affairs Council has played a useful role in encouraging an exchange of ideas and I congratulate you for your contributions to the national dialogue on so many of the important issues of the day.
I appreciate this opportunity to return to Philadelphia, the birthplace of the ideals of liberty for which so many generations of Americans have risked their lives.
It has been three-and-a-half years since violent extremists launched their attacks on those ideals by murdering thousands of innocent people here in our country.
The evil that led those extremists to topple the World Trade Center towers and to attack the Pentagon is difficult to comprehend. But the motivations behind their plot are not -- their goal, very simply, is to cripple the United States, to try to intimidate the civilized world, and to inspire and cultivate a new wave of fanatics.
We’re here today about 200 miles from the a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where those brave souls rose up against their captors and, in so doing, gave their own lives rather than allow the terrorists to kill any more of their fellow Americans.
In many ways, those passengers were foot soldiers in a war that had been declared on us, on our country, and on our way of life years before.
In discussing the way ahead in the global struggle against violent extremism, it is useful to consider some of the unique challenges of this era.
This is the first war in history being conducted in the 21st Century -- an era of:
Global satellite television networks; 24-hour news outlets with live coverage of terrorist attacks, disasters, and combat operations; A global Internet with universal access and no inhibitions; E-mail, cell phones, and digital cameras, wielded by everyone and anyone; and A seemingly casual regard for classified information, resulting in a near-continuous hemorrhage of classified documents to the detriment of our country. We see almost daily that, “a lie can make its way halfway around the world while the truth is still getting its boots on,” as Mark Twain is reported to have said.
Operating in this challenging and dramatically new environment is an Executive Branch organized largely during the Industrial Age and arranged along the lines of Congressional Committees and Subcommittee structures. In short, the Federal Government is poorly equipped to cope with multiple issues arriving from every quarter, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We continue to be held to peacetime constraints and regulations imposed during the Cold War, in a different age, and in anticipation of notably different adversaries -- adversaries that had governments, armies, and territories to defend, unlike our adversaries today.
Today we confront an enemy unburdened by bureaucracy or regulation -- or any legal, moral or structural constraints. The enemy is not easily described. It is not a nation, not a religion, nor even one particular organization.
Rather it is a shifting network of violent and fanatical adherents to violent extremist ideologies -- a movement that uses terrorism as the weapon of choice.
They combine medieval views with modern tools and technology; They operate within both hostile and friendly nation-states -- and even in our own country; They will accept no armistice with the civilized world; They will negotiate no separate peace; They are unlikely to ever give up; and Symbolized by beheadings, they seek to impose a dark, joyless vision upon the future of our world. They strike with little or no warning where least expected -- on Spanish railways or Indonesian discos. And despite the great deal that our worldwide Coalition has accomplished over the past four years, the extremists have certain important advantages:
Terrorists can attack at any time, in any place, using any technique. But it is not possible to defend at every location, against every conceivable technique, at every moment of the day or night.
After the 9/11 attacks, the President properly concluded that the only way to win a struggle against this type of enemy is first to confront the violent extremists where they live and operate, rather than allowing them to attack us again here at home.
And second, by fashioning and leading a global Coalition that can deny them the resources they need to operate and survive.
It is worth noting what some of those resources are:
First they need ideological support, the key to extremist recruitment and indoctrination; And leadership and command structures; Plus a regular flow of recruits; And they need safe harbors where they can train, plan and operate; Weapons, potentially to include chemical, biological, or nuclear; Financial support; Communications networks; and, finally, Access to targets in free nations.
In considering their requirements, two realities become apparent. First, that this conflict cannot be won by military means alone. And second, that this struggle can’t be won by any single country.
Despite the successes, new terrorist leaders continue to step forward, and new networks emerge. Madrassas around the world continue to turn out new recruits from the ranks of the misguided and the misled.
What, then, is the strategy for winning this struggle against violent extremists? I would offer some of the following considerations.
First, we must find ways to reduce the ideological appeal of violent extremism. This is a chief motivation behind President Bush’s strategy of promoting political and economic freedom. When people have more control over their own lives, and have civil outlets through which to air and remedy grievances, they are far less likely to be attracted to the appeals of extremists.
The events of the past few years in Afghanistan and Iraq testify to the powerful and universal appeal of freedom. The new Iraqi government is determined to be inclusive and broad-based. Many Sunnis now regret their decision to boycott the successful January 30 elections -- and they are now seeking and finding roles in the political process. Iraq’s security forces continue to grow in size, confidence and capability, and are steadily taking over more responsibility from U.S. and Coalition forces.
Afghanistan is making economic and political progress unknown in its history. And it has been good to have President Hamid Karzai in Washington, D.C. again this week -- a voice for moderation in the Muslim world and the first democratically elected leader in Afghanistan’s 5,000-year history. What is happening in Afghanistan -- and in so short a time -- is truly remarkable.
The world is watching these developments closely. We see events in the Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. For the first time in memory, talk on the streets of Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority is about democracy and human rights.
These developments are steps in offering would-be terrorist recruits and sympathizers another way of life.
For extremists, ideological support comes in many forms -- from madrassas, from radical mosques, and other sources. Anti-American messages and images of hate quickly find their way across the world via the Internet and other advanced technologies.
Yet for decades, the international community’s response to this ideological battle has been inadequate. In particular, the standard U.S. government public affairs operation is still rooted in the era of daily and weekly news cycles, rather than the 24-hour global maelstrom of instant coverage on cable news, talk radio, and the Internet.
Communications operations may well require substantial innovation, greater agility and the speed that accompanies a transformed military. We will need to develop considerably more sophisticated ways of using the many new communication channels available to reach diverse audiences critical to success in this new world -- and to do so near instantaneously.
This will require developing better access to the non-mainstream media around the world -- as their influence continues to grow and as the influence and reach of more traditional channels continue to decline.
Despite the damage that can be done in an era of mass -- and sometimes reckless -- communications, free people eventually get it right. The American people seem to have an inner gyroscope that can sort through the clutter of information, misinformation and opinion and eventually reach balanced conclusions.
Policymakers will also need to consider new approaches for the government as a whole. The old, rigid divisions between war, peace, and diplomacy, conflict and reconstruction -- and the roles of the various government departments that go with them -- may no longer serve us as well, as we should require.
For example, when I was in Afghanistan recently, I visited a Provincial Reconstruction Team site near Kandahar that exemplified this point. Outside of Kabul, the U.S. military is playing a nearly exclusive role in helping train local Afghans in reconstruction efforts -- reaching out to local populations, building trust and confidence, while at the same time being ready to respond to attacks waged by Al Qaida and Taliban remnants.
The original concept behind Provincial Reconstruction Teams was to involve other federal agencies in partnership with the Afghan people. Their tasks could best be done not by the military alone, but by cooperation from a variety of departments and agencies.
In 1986, the Goldwater-Nichols legislation transformed the way the U.S. Armed Forces fought conventional wars. I am increasingly persuaded that the entire federal government may need a similarly transformative cultural, if not institutional, shift. The interagency process eventually will need to be adjusted to bring the disparate elements together.
In this complex multi-dimensional struggle, the President needs the flexibility to choose which instrument of national power, from within which agency, may be best suited for a given situation, challenge, region or country.
This presents a formidable challenge for the U.S. defense establishment -- still largely organized, trained, and equipped to fight conventional wars against other large armies, navies, and air forces. For example, while the mission of training and equipping other nations’ forces had once been the mainstay of elite special units, it has become, and will likely remain, a standard requirement for our military as a whole -- across different branches and components.
This has implications for the kind of people we recruit and the skill sets they will need -- physical, cultural and intellectual.
The tasks ahead for them will continue to be demanding and will continue to evolve -- encompassing such things as the need to shift seamlessly between warfighting and diplomacy, serving as educators and humanitarians, working not only with other branches of the military, but other agencies of government, private organizations and Coalition partners.
Fortunately, the men and women in uniform have demonstrated a special talent for rising to the challenges presented to them.
Our country has always been blessed with the great good fortune of having dedicated men and women who volunteer to defend our country and risk their lives in its cause.
Think of the passengers on board the hijacked and doomed Flight 93, over Pennsylvania, who realized that they could become instruments of an attack on their own country. One young man called his mother and said goodbye. Another told his wife he loved her. And a number of the passengers decided that they would not let terrorists decide their fate; they would take the fight to them, though it could cost them their lives.
We can be proud of the men and women who have volunteered to wear our country’s uniform and place themselves at risk. Their courage, skill and grit remain the best hope for safeguarding our freedom. Because of them, I remain optimistic about the future of America and the civilized world.
Thank you so much. I’d be pleased to respond to some questions.
Hollywood actors Dean Cain and Amanda Swisten express their thanks to Task Force Baghdad soldiers during "Taji Fight Night" at Camp Taji, Iraq, May 22. Cain and Swisten visited soldiers in Iraq as part of a two-week "Ambassadors of Hollywood" tour. Photo by Spc. Derek Del Rosario, USA
Superman Pays Visit to Task Force Baghdad Soldiers
By Spc. Erin Robicheaux, USA Special to American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 25, 2005 – He may not have leapt over tall buildings in a single bound or dodged any speeding bullets to get here, but Dean Cain, the former star of ABC's "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," and current host of TBS's "Ripley's Believe It, or Not," did fly by plane to Iraq with his new sidekick, actress and model Amanda Swisten.
Hollywood actors Dean Cain and Amanda Swisten express their thanks to Task Force Baghdad soldiers during "Taji Fight Night" at Camp Taji, Iraq, May 22. Cain and Swisten visited soldiers in Iraq as part of a two-week "Ambassadors of Hollywood" tour. Photo by Spc. Derek Del Rosario, USA
They visited Camp Liberty May 22, signing autographs and posing for pictures with Task Force Baghdad soldiers.
The pair is on a two-week mission to meet with U.S. soldiers and to see firsthand how troops are faring.
What seemed to surprise the stars most was how much is actually happening, in relation to the portrayal by the media. "I didn't see all of the negative stuff that the mainstream media reports," Cain said. "This is war and sometimes bad things happen, but those are isolated incidents. I've seen with my own eyes that this is not the whole story."
Swisten, who has appeared in magazines such as Cosmopolitan, and movies such as "American Wedding" and "The Girl Next Door," echoed Cain's sentiments of the real stories from troops in Iraq.
"The media blows a lot of it out of proportion. The small incidents are made to seem much larger. All we hear about are the scandals, like in the (Abu Ghraib) prison. What about the other stories?" she said.
The two were well aware of the dangers of combat missions, thanks to accounts from soldiers. They visited hospitals and spoke with wounded troops, and witnessed the lengths that military medical teams take to save a human life - even if it is the life of an enemy.
"We met a soldier who was shot, ... and the assassin was shot in the head," recalls Cain. "He shot one of our soldiers and then received excellent medical care from our people."
The stars also paid a visit to Camp Taji, where they dined with soldiers and later got a front-row seat at "Taji Fight Night," the camp's weekly boxing event. The celebrities were welcomed as special guests and given a chance to share their appreciation for the troops.
"This (the tour) has given us a great opportunity to show our support for the troops," Swisten said to hundreds of Fight Night spectators. "We are going to go back to the states and tell everyone what a great job you are doing."
Swisten and Cain decided to get involved when a representative from Pro Sports Marketing Ventures and Promotions asked Hollywood celebrities to show their support for the troops fighting the war on terror. Swisten said that it was far from a difficult decision.
"I lost a lot of friends on Sept. 11, and I'm a patriot at heart. I'm an American, and this is the smallest thing that I can do to give back, to go by and say 'hi' and take some pictures with people who know me from a movie or a magazine," she said.
Swisten also said she admires the bravery of the soldiers she met during her visit. "They have more courage than anybody I know back home," she said.
Cain said the scene was different from what he initially expected. "It's not what you see in the news every day. It's a bunch of really strong, hard-working Americans who are protecting the liberties and freedoms that we enjoy at home every day, and we should all be a whole lot more appreciative of them than we are," he said.
Both entertainers said they will walk away from this experience more enlightened and feeling like they know what's really going on. "This has been really grounding to see it for myself, that everybody here is out to do good work and serve their country, even though at the end of the day, they'd love to go home," Swisten said.
Cain agreed. "Being here and living with (soldiers) is a whole different world, and you can see how tough they really are," he said. "If people were to come over here and spend the two weeks that we've spent, their entire worlds would be changed completely around."
Actress and model Amanda Swisten and Dean Cain, host of "Ripley's Believe it, or Not," smile for the cameras with Army Lt. Col. Michael Pryor, plans officer for the 256th Brigade Combat Team. Swisten and Cain spent two weeks visiting troops serving in Iraq. Photo by Spc. Erin Robicheaux, USA
(Army Spc. Erin Robicheaux is assigned to the 256th Brigade Combat Team. Army Spc. Derek Del Rosario, of the 3rd Aviation Brigade, also contributed to this article.)
Army Col. Gary H. Cheek, commander of Combined Task Force Thunder (center), and Command Sgt. Maj. Edmund Murrell, CTF Thunder command sergeant major (right), walk with Capt. John Sego, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, and a member of the Afghan National Army during a foot patrol Nov. 5, 2004, in Sehla, Afghanistan, in Paktika Province. The last Combined Task Force Thunder unit will relinquish control of its sector in Afghanistan June 1 as the unit redeploys to Hawaii. Photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen, USA
Last 25th ID Unit in Afghanistan Prepares to Redeploy to Hawaii
By Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen, USA Special to American Forces Press Service
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, May 25, 2005 – After a year in Afghanistan, the soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Combined Task Force Thunder are preparing to redeploy to Hawaii.
Army Col. Gary H. Cheek, commander of Combined Task Force Thunder (center), and Command Sgt. Maj. Edmund Murrell, CTF Thunder command sergeant major (right), walk with Capt. John Sego, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, and a member of the Afghan National Army during a foot patrol Nov. 5, 2004, in Sehla, Afghanistan, in Paktika Province. The last Combined Task Force Thunder unit will relinquish control of its sector in Afghanistan June 1 as the unit redeploys to Hawaii. Photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen, USA
The headquarters is currently conducting a "relief in place" with 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and will relinquish control of eastern Afghanistan during a transfer-of-authority ceremony scheduled for June 1.
Initially, the headquarters wasn't even slated to deploy. While nearly the entire 25th Infantry Division (Light) received deployment orders to either Iraq or Afghanistan in late 2003, HHB was left out.
That changed when a decision was made to stand up a new brigade in Afghanistan, and Division Artillery was tabbed as the headquarters. More than 100 people from the headquarters deployed to Afghanistan last June, and since then, it has run one of the largest and most diverse commands in Afghanistan.
For the last year, CTF Thunder oversaw Regional Command East, which covers 16 provinces in eastern Afghanistan along the country's border with Pakistan.
The task force included infantry battalions from the active-duty Army and Marine Corps, and Army National Guard. It also included eight provincial reconstruction teams, with a ninth currently being stood up.
Sgt. Roger Amposta, a fire direction specialist for CTF Thunder, is one of the soldiers who will return to Hawaii in the beginning of June after a year in Afghanistan.
The 26-year-old native of Cavite, in the Philippines, spent the deployment working in the brigade headquarters at Forward Operating Base Salerno. In addition to tracking the brigade's artillery assets, he's also helped to track air support.
Before deploying, Amposta was strictly artillery, but now can call for close air support. He said the whole deployment was a good learning experience, particularly when it came to doing things he hadn't done before and working with other units and services.
"Even though sometimes you might get into an argument, but when it comes to the job, people always come together," he said
This was the first deployment for Amposta, who had spent the previous two-plus years in Korea and volunteered to move to Hawaii so he could deploy.
"I was in Korea for two and a half years and I was ready to deploy, and I said, 'Yeah, I'll go to Hawaii. It doesn't matter to me that they're deploying,'" he said
Calling the deployment an "eye opener," Sgt. Allison Urbatsch, a human-resource specialist for CTF Thunder, said it taught her to be grateful for what she has.
The 23-year-old Rock Springs, Wyo., native said one of the highlights of the deployment was going out on five combat patrols with the infantry. During these patrols, she would guard and search Afghan women since the local culture prohibits male soldiers from doing so.
"It was fun," she said. "It was a different world out there, different from staying at camp."
Urbatsch said that before deploying she hoped she would get the opportunity to do something like that, but she never thought she actually would.
"Overall, I'm glad it's over with, but it was a good experience, and it made me realize we should be grateful for what we have," she said.
For Capt. Eric Johnson, commander of HHB, the deployment involved several different aspects. He arrived in country on April 25, 2004, as the commander of Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, then became a brigade plans officer at CTF Thunder for three months before assuming command of HHB.
He spent a month in Ghazni, two months in Tarin Kowt, two months at Bagram Air Base and the rest of the time at FOB Salerno.
Johnson, 31, a native of Port Huron, Mich., said that although it was an exciting year, he's ready to head back.
"As with anything that lasts this long, you're sad to see it end, but you're happy to see it over," he said. "We're excited to go home, but we're excited to finish the mission strong and hand the mission over to the 82nd better than we found it."
More than 5,500 25th ID soldiers deployed to Afghanistan, including the division headquarters and 3rd Brigade, but DIVARTY is the last division unit to remain in the country.
For Urbatcsh, watching the rest of her fellow "Tropic Lightning" soldiers leave helped her to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"It was nice to see them leaving because I knew it was a step in the right direction for us that we were on our way out too," she said
Johnson said it's a special honor to be the last unit from the 25th ID in Afghanistan, especially considering the complexity of the mission it had to perform here.
"This unit was notified late of its deployment after most of the division had either been deployed or was in the midst of deploying, and to bring it back after doing what we've done here is a great honor," he said.
After a year performing a unique role in Afghanistan, DIVARTY will soon reach the end of the road in more than one sense. The unit will be deactivated within weeks of returning to Hawaii.
As the 25th ID moves toward a more deployable, brigade-centric unit, DIVARTY, along with the 25th Field Artillery Detachment and Battery F, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, will be deactivated June 15 during a ceremony at Schofield Barracks.
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Combined Task Force Thunder leads other units participating in the Great Aloha Run Jan. 30 at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan. The last Combined Task Force Thunder unit will relinquish control of its sector in Afghanistan June 1 as the unit redeploys to Hawaii. Photo by Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen, USA
"As is appropriate for an artillery unit, we're definitely going out with a big bang," Johnson said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Bradley Rhen is assigned to Combined Task Force Thunder.)
By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer
CAIRO, Egypt - The Internet and Baghdad streets are teeming with statements about terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. One says he's being treated outside Iraq for gunshot wounds to the lung. Another calls on Muslims to pray for him, indicating his condition may be dire.
Only one thing is sure: none is confirmed.
The latest furor over al-Zarqawi began Tuesday when an Internet statement called on Muslims to pray for his life, followed by competing statements on his health and whereabouts.
The mystery deepened Wednesday after reports that two Arab doctors in another country were treating al-Zarqawi, chief of al-Qaida in Iraq and wanted for some of the deadliest attacks in the country.
None of the Internet postings and rumors have been confirmed, but the amount of speculation about the Jordanian-born militant is unusual both in size and scope.
Securing Baghdad's Airport Road Easier Said Than Done
by Peter Kenyon
AUDIO >>>> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665049 <<<<< AUDIO
All Things Considered, May 24, 2005 · The road connecting Baghdad to its international airport may be the deadliest eight-mile stretch in Iraq. Efforts to secure the highway haven't managed to end insurgent attacks.
Baghdad Sweep Nets Hundreds of Suspected Insurgents
AUDIO >>> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665052
All Things Considered, May 24, 2005 · More than 2,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops are sweeping western Baghdad in a hunt for insurgents. They've arrested hundreds of people since the operation began over the weekend. The U.S. military is calling it "Operation Squeeze Play." Melissa Block talks about the roundup with Sabrina Tavernise, a reporter for the New York Times in Baghdad.
>
Insurgent Leader Zarqawi Injured, Web Site Reports
AUDIO >>> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4665897
Morning Edition, May 25, 2005 · A Web site that says it represents al Qaeda in Iraq reports that insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been wounded. Also, the U.S. military begins a new western offensive. The Washington Post's Ellen Knickmeyer discusses the latest developments in Iraq
Thank you"Al-Zarqawi"is in Iraq.time is time America good persons be strong!!!Do not read what newspersons do write like Newsweek this is good example.This is propaganda this evil devil person do know time is time Be strong!!!Thank you all
Thank you Sara ~ Bump!
Bump - Thank you.
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