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Iraqi soldiers from 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Mechanized Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, conduct a simulated air-medical evacuation with a U.S. Army flight crew from Company C, 2nd Battalion., 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, during convoy lane training at Camp Taji, Iraq, March 23, 2006. The flight medic is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Pablo Garza from Eagle Pass, Texas. U.S. Army photo by Maj. David Olson 9th Iraqi Army Division Conducts Logistics Training The convoy lane training included reacting to various events that the Iraqi soldiers may encounter on a mission: snipers, small-arms fire and roadside bomb attacks....

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- At the kickoff of its latest Western Pacific deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group gathered in Hawaiian waters in mid-March to hone its ability to detect, track and counter a threat from beneath the sea. This strike group, centered around the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, from Everett, Wash., is the third to conduct an undersea warfare exercise near Hawaii this year, illustrating Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Gary Roughead’s focus on making anti-submarine warfare his top war-fighting priority. “This is a core competency for naval forces in a joint war-fighting...

ABOARD USS CLEVELAND, Arabian Sea (NNS) -- Members of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 are currently leading a group of six coalition ships conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. The strike group’s flagship, USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and the amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7) are joined by the guided-missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79). The French ships Var (FS 608) and Lafayette (FS 710), and the Pakistani frigate Badr (PNS 181) round out the coalition task group. MSO are part of ESG-1’s regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Nov. 10, 2005) -- Staff Sgt. Jason P. Bennett and his fellow Marines with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment frequently conduct patrols of the villages in their area of operations. During these patrols, the Marines and the 30-year-old provisional platoon commander for 4th Platoon, Company G, locate the local leaders at each village and discuss the concerns and needs of their community. Bennett and his Marines completed a number of these operations from Sept. 6 through the 8. “We come to the small areas a lot to see what we can provide for the locals,” said the...

DUKE FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- The Air Force Reserve continues to save lives in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath by conducting the first of many aerial spray missions that began Sept. 12 over Louisiana in an attempt to reduce mosquito and filth fly populations. The Department of Defense’s only fixed-wing aerial spray unit, the 910th Airlift Wing, and its C-130 Hercules were requested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to spray until the threat of disease subsides. FEMA officials are assessing how many acres need to be sprayed as a result of Katrina. “The...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- If you've ever wondered whether swimming through water makes you faster than swimming through gunk, a university professor has an answer. University of Minnesota professor Ed Cussler has long wanted to know if paddling through a substance thicker than water would slow someone down or allow them to swim faster. With that in mind, Cussler coaxed 19 people, including some members of the university's varsity swim team, to swim in water mixed with guar - a food thickener. Logic suggests that a thicker substance would hinder swimming. Yet, as he watched the swimmers Monday, Cussler said, "It's...