Free Republic

/20/2006 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- After supporting the global war on terror for three years, Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle No. 3 (UAV-3) received its official homecoming Feb. 20 when its wheels touched down at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. During its overseas deployment, UAV-3 logged more than 4,800 flight hours supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and the Combined Task Force --Horn of Africa. On hand at the homecoming event were Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, commander, Air Force Flight Test Center; Randy Brown, director, Global Hawk Systems Group; Gary...

USS TARAWA, At Sea (NNS) -- Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 is scheduled to return to Naval Station San Diego, after spending more than half a year deployed to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean, and Persian Gulf. The three-ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) strike group deployed to the Western Pacific in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the global war on terrorism. “This was the most successful deployment I've experienced. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the young Sailors and Marines on board Tarawa," said Capt. Peter Murphy, Tarawa’s commanding officer....

Dutch support Afghanistan troop deployment Agencies Friday February 3, 2006 The Dutch parliament last night overwhelmingly supported the deployment of more than 1,000 soldiers under British command in southern Afghanistan, overcoming opposition from MPs concerned about the activities of insurgents and poppy farmers in the region. The prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, emerged at the end of a late night debate to say it was clear the deployment had support and added that he would relay the news to the cabinet. "The mission can go ahead," he told reporters. Britain is due to take up the command in spring and...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 2, 2006) -- During July 2005, a small group of Marines from Marine Attack Squadron 223 detached to join Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (Reinforced), the air combat element of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. They didn’t expect to see their parent squadron again until the end of their deployment, but they were wrong. When the 22nd MEU deployed to northwestern Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, the AV-8B Harriers in the unit relocated to Al Asad, Iraq, the same base their parent squadron deployed to months before. “Before we left, there was talk we might...

1/27/2006 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- For many children, it’s an experience they’ve already been part of when Mom or Dad prepare for deployment -- the processing, the goodbyes, the welcomes home. But this time they got to experience it firsthand in Operation Jr. R.A.P.T.O.R, or Real Air Patriots Training on Readiness. More than 190 youth from the child development center and youth center participated in the program Jan. 20 to 21. It was designed to give them a hands-on look at the deployment process. Groups of children went through a “processing line” on Jan. 20. Stations...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 20, 2006) -- Marines from Camp Pendleton enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation during an afternoon, lakeside barbecue here Jan. 20 as an impending deployment to Iraq creeps up on them in the coming weeks. With so much focus on training and preparing for combat operations in Iraq, the Marines from Brigade Service Support Group 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, took time out of their busy schedules to play hard after working hard for so long. "(The barbecue) gives single Marines and families a chance to interact and have some social time...

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII (NNS) -- The guided missile cruiser USS Chosin (the War Dragon) (CG 65) returned to its homeport of Pearl Harbor after a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and 5th Fleet area of operations Jan. 9. Chosin, commanded by Capt. Doug Venlet, departed Hawaii in July as part of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1. "The Sailors of the 'Mighty War Dragon' performed every mission to Chosin standards - a fantastic effort in everything they did," said Venlet. During the deployment, Sailors from Chosin and helicopter Anti-Submarine Light Squadron 37, Detachment 4 supported maritime security operations (MSO). MSO...

Well, this is not what I expected, but at National Guard Drill this weekend, I expected to receive orders to deploy to New Orleans, LA in support of Operation Katrina relief (yes, Arkansas National Guard is still there), or to Iraq/Afghanistan since I didn't go with the 142nd FA this month. But instead, I received orders to active duty for many months to Fort Huachuca, Arizona.I was needing advice on the SE area of Arizona, specifically, Sierra Vista, Tuscon, Bigsby, etc.I spent all day with ATF getting my Class III firearms ready to go to be stored at the company...

NEW HAVEN (AP) -- The largest troop deployment from Connecticut is scheduled for this weekend as 500 Connecticut National Guardsmen head out. On Saturday, they will be bused to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where they will spend three to five weeks in training. From there, they will be deployed to help rebuild Afghanistan. The 500 soldiers and members of their families were given a send-off last night at Yale University's Payne-Whitney Gymnasium. The Connecticut National Guard says it's represents the largest deployment of Connecticut guardsmen since the start of the war on terrorism in 2001.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2006) -- Just like the training they receive, Marines are equipped with the gear they need to accomplish their missions. In addition to the standard issue, however, many Marines seek out and purchase their own gear as a way to make their job easier and gain the edge. With constant rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism, many Marines have come to learn what gear works best, both issued and paid for out of pocket. Marines throughout the Corps recently commented on the gear they rely...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed San Diego Jan. 4 on a deployment to conduct naval operations in support of the global war on terrorism, as well as national and theater cooperative security commitments in the western Pacific. This will be the maiden deployment for the Navy’s newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. “During both COMPTUEX (Composite Unit Training Exercise) and JTFEX (Joint Task Force Exercise), Ronald Reagan and CVW (Carrier Air Wing) 14 proved to be a formidable fighting force,” said Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, Ronald Reagan Strike Group commander. “Both of these major exercise,...

SAN DIEGO -- The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will depart from Naval Air Station North Island Wednesday on its maiden deployment to the Western Pacific in support of the war on terrorism, 10News reported. Also leaving from San Diego are the guided-missile destroyers McCampbell and Decatur and guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain, part of the Ronald Reagan Strike Group, according to Navy public affairs. "It's just been a challenge getting the crew ready to go -- (their) excitement is building. About 70 and 80 percent of crew has never deployed before," said Capt. Bill Hart, an executive officer of the...

The 213 Things Skippy is no longer allowed to do in the U.S. Army.... 1. Not allowed to watch Southpark when I'm supposed to be working. 2. My proper military title is "Specialist Schwarz" not "Princess Anastasia". 3. Not allowed to threaten anyone with black magic. 4. Not allowed to challenge anyone's disbelief of black magic by asking for hair. 5. Not allowed to get silicone breast implants. 6. Not allowed to play “Pulp Fiction” with a suction-cup dart pistol and any officer. 7. Not allowed to add “In accordance with the prophesy” to the end of answers I give...

This time it will be the Vermont Air Guard that draws the duty in Iraq. Several hundred airmen will be stationed there when the next deployment is complete Gov. Jim Douglas quipped, "One of your colleagues said to me recently, 'I'm just telling my friends I'm going somewhere warm for the winter." It was a joke that many Vermonters in uniform could understand and relate to. The Air Guard, with nearly 1000 members, can expect significant call ups every eighteen months, in which elements of the 158th Fighter Wing are integrated into the active service. A year-and-a-half ago, 350 Vermont...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 – An 82nd Airborne Division unit has again proven the division's unofficial motto of "America's 911 Force" during its deployment to Iraq's Anbar province. It was a short, violent and ultimately fulfilling deployment for the paratroopers of Task Force 3-504, said its commander, Army Lt. Col. Larry Swift. The unit - built around the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and under command of the 2nd Marine Division while in Iraq - was one of two battalions deployed in September from Fort Bragg, N.C. The unit worked with other coalition and Iraqi...

General in Iraq Expects Troop Levels to Drop By LOLITA C. BALDOR ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - The top U.S. military commander in Iraq said Friday he would make recommendations in the next few weeks about troop withdrawals from Iraq, and he expects the force level will drop back to 138,000 by early February. That has been the usual number this year. Speaking from Iraq, Gen. George Casey told Pentagon reporters that by late next fall, the Iraqi military should be able to largely take the lead in the country's defense, with continued support from U.S. and coalition transition teams....

AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 14, 2005) -- The leaders and senior members of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 774 recently held a squadron formation to promote and award members of the squadron and thank them for their hard work and dedication. The Wild Goose, a reserve CH-46E Sea Knight squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va., are currently on their second consecutive deployment to Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. John G. McGonagle, meritoriously promoted three Marines and one of the unit’s Navy corpsman, and awarded nine members of Wild Goose with their...

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Dec. 2, 2005) -- Like hail during a thunderstorm, the bullets landed all around the Marine as he simultaneously fired two M-16 service rifles, one in each arm. His own weapon and the weapon of his platoon sergeant, who was busy carrying another wounded Marine on his back to safety, continuously erupted as he methodically emptied magazine after magazine into the insurgent position. The four Marines were in an open field in Fallujah, Iraq, with no cover. It was later called a miracle that any of them survived, especially considering that two rocket-propelled...

A U.S. soldier assigned to the 84th Engineers Battalion helps guide a scraper to the loading dock so it can be lifted into the cargo ship Tayrona Princess at Ford Island, Nov. 10, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Juan Jimenez 84th Engineers Prepare for Iraq Deployment Soldiers, sailors and civilians worked to load 190 pieces of heavy equipment on board a cargo ship to support the engineers' second deployment to Iraq. By U.S. Army Spc. Juan Jimenez Hawaii Army Weekly FORD ISLAND, Hawaii, Nov. 28, 2005 — The Tayrona Princess, a 450-foot cargo ship from the Philippines, arrived...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722) returned from a six-month Western Pacific deployment to its homeport of Pearl Harbor Nov. 10. According to Capt. Kenneth Sault, Key West’s commanding officer, the deployment was successful thanks to his crew. “It was a long deployment, but we got a lot of good things done," he said. "We’re happy to be home.” Sault said his crew worked hard and in return got a chance to visit a few excellent ports. “We went to Australia and participated in Talisman Sabre for about a month," he...