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BAGHDAD, April 18, 2007 — Although the Emerald City gates and a yellow brick road are nowhere to be found, these “Sunflower State” soldiers are definitely not in Kansas anymore. With family and friends back home wanting to help the cause and the Iraqi people needing so much help, one Topeka, Kan., Army National Guard unit stepped up to the plate and killed two birds with one stone with Operation Ruby Slippers. “Operation Ruby Slippers is a result of being outside in the battle space and recognizing the humanitarian aid piece with the Iraqi people that isn’t being provided right...

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2007 – NATO needs to provide more forces to assist in ongoing security and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command said during his testimony at a Congressional hearing today. The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill, has asked NATO headquarters for more troops, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon told House Armed Services Committee members. McNeill took command of more than 30,000 NATO and U.S. troops in early February. McNeill “is on record as asking the alliance in Brussels for additional assets,” Fallon said. “He needs them not...

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – The government of Iraq took a step toward national reconciliation April 2 when it opened criminal cases against a Sunni and a Shiite man accused of “crimes against the Iraqi people,” a coalition legal official said. Army Col. Mark Martins, a staff judge advocate for Multinational Force Iraq and legal advisor to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, MNF-I commander, told online journalists yesterday that the Iraqi government demonstrated its ability to put aside revenge politics by taking definitive action against an alleged Sunni al Qaeda operative and a Shiite national policeman accused of torturing...

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2007 – Understanding the critical role spouses play in the recovery of wounded warriors, Operation Homefront has created the Wounded Warrior Wives Project to help them navigate the challenges they may face. “While the military sees to their physical health, the key to the short- and long-term stability and full restoration of our wounded warriors lies in the support of their spouses,” Meredith Leyva, founder of Operation Homefront, said. “It is the spouses, not the wounded warriors, who are most responsible for key family issues such as financial viability and seeking assistance.” The Wounded Warrior Wives...

How can you support victory in Iraq? Three easy steps... Read the book with the plan from the troops themselves Take action by organizing your friends and neighbors Tell the rest of us what you did! FAQs from the web site: Can the U.S. still succeed in Iraq? Yes. Our troops have made incredible progress, but leaders in Washington and Baghdad need to allow them to finish the mission by embracing some common sense changes. We are running out of time, though, so American citizens need to get involved and the new book, The Troops Need You, America explains how....

Not long ago it would have been unthinkable: a Sunni sheik allying himself publicly with American forces in a xenophobic city at the epicenter of Iraq's Sunni insurgency. Today, there is no mistaking whose side Sheik al-Rishawi is on. Outside his walled home, a U.S. tank is on permanent guard beside a clutch of towering date palms and a protective dirt berm. The 36-year-old sheik is leading a growing movement of Sunni tribesmen who have turned against al-Qaida-linked insurgents. The dramatic shift in alliances may have done more in a few months to ease daily street battles and undercut the...

CAMP STRIKER — On almost every camp, forward operating base and patrol base, renovations are being made to improve the quality of life for the Soldiers who work and reside there. To assist with the many renovations, civilian contractors are in country to help Soldiers get the job done. Recently, civilians from Kellogg, Brown and Root, a company that assists the military, have helped to make the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) Tactical Operation Center feel more like home. “I am here to help the Soldiers,” said Randy Frnka, a KBR carpenter and native of Austin,...

I need some suggestions before I reinstall the operating system. When I boot my computer I get a black screen. I can operate in safe mode.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2007 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers helped victims of a vehicle-bomb attack today near the village of Muhammad Baqir, Iraq, and officials have issued a revised count of soldiers injured in an attack on a military compound yesterday. About 100 Iraqi civilians were injured in today’s Baghdad attack, officials said. An insurgent bomber blew up his truck, which held two chlorine tanks -- a chemical that officials said terrorists use with the intent to take out large numbers of civilians. The tanks containing the chlorine separated from the vehicle. They did not explode, but leaked the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 – When he returned home from an 11-month deployment to Iraq in October 2005, Army Staff Sgt. John Reid realized he’d stashed away a sizeable sum of cash and wanted to put it to work for himself. “I didn’t want to waste it on a new car or something like that,” said the New York National Guardsman, who spent five years on active duty before joining the Guard in 1989. Instead, Reid decided to invest in his own business. He attended a franchise expo, ultimately buying a Glass Doctor franchise in Somerset, N.J. Only when...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2007 – Cooperation among government agencies is crucial for success in the war on terrorism, the top U.S. general told members of Congress today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, asked members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to look at ways to help the military work more closely with other U.S. government agencies. The general said “impediments” are standing in the way of smooth operations among U.S. government agencies. Pace has often said the military cannot win the war on terror alone. The war on terror requires contributions from civilian...

Paula Lewis, the Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Fisher House manager, holds four-month old Haley Cornish as her mother Sarah looks on. Haley was born three months early and weighed only two pounds at birth. The Fisher House offers a place to stay for patients and family members of people hospitalized at military medical centers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee) Download HiRes • Fisher House Volunteers by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Larlee Air Force Print News 1/29/2007 - LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNEWS) -- Her kind eyes have seen a lot of joy and sorrow over the years, but Paula Lewis never...

Bird Flu Would Ravage U.S., White House Warns Jan 19, 2007 - 01:39 AM A government report says an outbreak could kill 2 million people and lead to quarantines, travel restrictions and an economic downturn. The White House on Wednesday unveiled a foreboding report on the nation's lack of preparedness for a bird flu pandemic, warning that such an outbreak could kill as many as 2 million people and deal a war-like blow to the country's economic and social fabric. It urged state and local governments to make their own preparations beyond the federal efforts. ( Source : Bird Flu...

My wife is having surgery Tuesday 1-2-07. It is routine, but it is major. She's doing better than I am about it. Anyone willing to say a brief prayer on our behalf, I assure you, it will be greatly appreciated.

US Democrats, who are set to take control of Congress next month, have outraged some of their colleagues by their decision to work five days a week, which will almost double their workload. According to an announcement made by the next Democratic majority leader, Steny Hoyer, representatives will have to be present to vote Monday through Friday. What's more, instead of waiting for the traditional State of the Union address by the president at the end of January to begin legislative work, the House of Representatives and the Senate will put themselves to work as early as January 4. A...

Does anybody know of a codex for windows media that allows a person to view a region 0 DVD?

Iraqi Policemen from the Western Ramadi Police Station help offload medical supplies at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Ar Ramadi. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr. AR RAMADI -- Armed with cough syrup and headache medicine, Coalition Forces are conducting operations to meet the needs of the women and children in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Iraqi Police officers from the Western Ramadi Police Sub-Station conducted a medical relief operation at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Western Ar Ramadi. The Police, comprised mainly of Ramadi residents, unloaded nearly 3,000 pounds of essential medicines and medical devices for the...

If anyone would like to help me out, I'm doing a research paper on women and national security. (Sorry, guys, my topic had to be related to my gender.) I decided to make up a survey. So if you're female and you would like to help me, you can either post here or you can FReepmail me your responses. Either way is fine. I'd REALLY appreciate it if you can help! Thanks :) 1. When voting, how important is national security to you (on a scale of 1 to 10)? Explain why. 2. Do you agree with President Bush's national...

Hey there fellow FREEPers.... I am creating a banner for the HUB radio show web site..... if anyone has flash or animation abilities, I sure could use your help.... Thanks ec

After what they have seen and heard over the past few weeks -- events including the news of a Republican congressman's improper correspondence with a teenage page and the recent release of journalist Bob Woodward's unfavorable portrayal of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq – respondents to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, say they have a less favorable impression of the Republicans maintaining control of Congress. What's more, a strong plurality believes the Iraq war is hurting the country's ability to win the war on terrorism, a significant shift from a month...