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July 1, 2004, my daughter, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas had a four day weekend and decided to fly on the red eye for a weekend home. It was a great visit for our entire family. She flew back on July 5, American Airlines. She had one bag to check. There was nothing important in her bag to anyone but her. There were blue jeans, shirts, sweats, two new pairs of shoes and lots of photos. She decided to take back some senior pictures, photos of a class trip to DC, our family vacation photos to Mexico, and all packed...

FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP)--Five Fort Riley-stationed soldiers who died in a single day this week in Iraq were all in their early 20s but had backgrounds as varied as their hometowns, which stretched from Idaho to Maryland. One joined the Army looking to learn a trade. Another planned to return home later this spring to a newborn child. A third found his calling as a medic after quitting college. They died when a homemade bomb exploded Wednesday beneath their armored personnel carrier in Habbaniyah, Iraq. The Defense Department identified them as 1st Lt. Doyle M. Hufstedler of Abilene, Texas; Spc....

  Troop Rotation to Iraq Continues, Units Assuming Control By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 31, 2004 – The largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II continues in Iraq, Defense Department officials said today. In all more than 250,000 U.S. service members are affected. Planning for the rotation began months ago. New units worked with units in Iraq to learn their new missions and to plan the movement. In December, new units began flowing into the region, and in January, they began the relief-in-place process. Officials expect the rotation to continue through May, when 110,000 U.S....

The western part of Baghdad is now under the control of Fort Hood's First Cavalry Division. Soldiers with the Army Taskforce 2/70 "Thunderbolt" Division handed over responsibility to their newly arrived comrades today (Tuesday). The soldiers of 2/70 spearheaded the invasion of Iraq and fought their way up to Baghdad with battles in Nasiriyah, Samawah and Najaf. After spending nearly a year away from home, the First Armored Division will head home to Fort Riley, Kansas. The First Cavalry will officially take over all of Baghdad in April.

Father sets out to fulfill a pledge to visit Iraq after his son's death in war. Wellsville, Kansas. Jim Butler hasn't slept well since his son left for the war. His wife, Cindy, has gone to bed. Hours of watching television for news about the war gave her a headache. But in a familiar ritual, she has perched a cell phone next to her pillow, just in case their son calls from Iraq. Jim Butler sits alone in front otf the television and wonders what his son is doing at that moment on April l. And he prays, like he...

Transportation Unit Headed for Iraq Sought Extra Protection for Non-Combat Vehicles Associated Press ; Page A22 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Fearing roadside bombs and sniper bullets, members of the U.S. Army Reserve's 428th Transportation Company turned to a local steel fabricator to fashion extra armor for their five-ton trucks and Humvees before beginning their journey to Iraq earlier this month.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Fearing roadside bombs and sniper bullets, members of the Army Reserves' 428th Transportation Co. turned to a local steel fabricator to fashion extra armor for their 5-ton trucks and Humvees before beginning their journey to Iraq earlier this month. But their armor might not make it into the war, because the soldiers didn't get Pentagon approval for their homemade protection. IRAQ: Saddam Captured! • Special Section • Gallery of Heroes • War Links • Support the Troops • War on Terror The Army, which is still developing its own add-on armor kits for vehicles, doesn't...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - He calls her "just amazing." She calls him "the first and the best" American. Theirs is one of the many joyous and fruitful partnerships between U.S. soldiers and Iraqis that are often drowned out by news of hatred and death. Sahira Mustafa spent 10 years and uncounted sums of her family's money building Iraq's only school for children with Down Syndrome. It's named after her daughter Hiba, who is afflicted with the genetic condition. Lt. Col. Richard Bowyer runs a heavy artillery battalion in the 1st Armored Division, which means he's in charge of some of the...

Steadfast Fort Riley As times and the Army's needs have changed over the past 150 years, so has the adaptable yet reliable military outpost. When it opened in 1853, Fort Riley was no different from any of the other frontier forts that were beginning to dot the Old West. Like Fort Scott and later Fort Larned, it was built to keep an eye on neighboring Native American tribes and protect traders and settlers along Kansas' trails. Most of those forts are long gone. But because it has been able to change along with the rest of the nation, Fort Riley...

Posted on Sat, Apr. 05, 2003 Fort Riley soldier's idea keeps weapons workingAn oil-based lubricant for guns is like a magnet for dust and sand in the desert. One soldier found a synthetic substitute.BY TIM POTTERThe Wichita Eagle FORT RILEY - As they head to war in Iraq, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 13th Armor, carry 1-ounce bottles of orange liquid that could save their lives.They contain a synthetic lubricant that keeps pistols, rifles and machine guns working in the desert sand and dust, which can coat, clog and wear any mechanism.The tank battalion, part of the 3rd...