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MOSUL, Iraq, Jan. 10, 2006 – After years of tyranny and war, the children of Iraq have almost nothing and are very grateful for each gift they receive. Lana Aziz, an Iraqi citizen and junior engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, coordinates the collection and distribution of shoes and school supplies for Iraqi children. With each gift she gives to a needy child, she also gives joy and hope to their lives. Through her childhood, Aziz watched as American organizations sent clothing and items to local churches in her community. She watched as the goods were distributed, and...

HIT, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2006) -- Hand in hand with combating insurgents around the ancient city of Hit, the Marines of B Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, are looking to build bridges between Coalition forces and the Iraqi people. First Lt. Chris Richardella and a handful of his Marines were recently able to deliver school supplies and sports items to children in neighborhoods surrounding their combat outpost. “Our first mission is to provide security and stability,” said B Company's executive officer. “But when we get the chance, we try to start on our secondary mission, improving...

U.S. Army  Spc. Jeremy Teela Army Biathlete Makes Winter Olympics Team By Jack L. Gillund U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 5, 2006 — The U.S. Biathlon Association nominated a soldier this week to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics Feb. 10 through 26 in Torino, Italy. Spc. Jeremy Teela, a member of the Army’s World Class Athlete Program, was nominated to represent the United States in the Olympics as a biathlete following his performance in the TD Banknorth Festival at Fort Kent, Maine, Dec. 28 to Jan 3. Teela is one of 10 biathletes...

BALAD, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 – You can call it "Army water" or "No-name water," but whatever you call it, servicemembers here will stay hydrated while keeping soldiers and civilian truckers safer. Bottled water is a mainstay of life in this theater, and the 3rd Corps Support Command has opened a water purification and bottling plant at the massive logistical area here. The corps has long wanted to open bottling plants in Iraq, officials said. Currently, bottled water - the preferred drink in Iraq - comes in via truck from Kuwait, Jordan or Turkey. Water is bulky and takes a...

(PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Dec. 28, 2005) -- Knowledge support in a coalition environment was among the discussion topics as a multinational team of experts making final preparations for Multinational Experiment 4 (MNE4) met during the event's final planning conference earlier this month. Scheduled for Feb. 20 - March 17, 2006, MNE4 will explore use of the full range of effects based operations (EBO) to influence the behavior of adversaries. While U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) from the United States is the overall lead for MNE4, coalition partners lead the specific concepts and processes being explored. The knowledge support (KS) cell...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Dec. 6, 2005) -- While serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom here, one sailor temporarily put aside her duties as a religious program specialist to perform another job in Fallujah. Petty Officer 2nd Class Sarah Radel, 25, was among many female service members assigned to search Iraqi women and children entering the city. However, Radel, who is operating with II Marine Expeditionary Force, Headquarters Group, II MEF (Forward), is the only RP to fulfill the duty for II MHG to date. According to Radel, the month-long duty was frightening, but an experience she’ll never forget. “I was kind...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2005 – President Bush's National Strategy for Victory in Iraq is available online at the White House Web site, http://www.whitehouse.gov. The 35-page document articulates the broad strategy Bush set forth in 2003 and provides an update on progress in Iraq as well as the challenges remaining, according to the Web site. The document opens with an executive summary, which defines the national strategy as "helping the Iraqi people defeat the terrorists and build an inclusive democratic state." It then gives an overview of the different elements of the strategy before going into detail on the political, security...

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- In a first for the U.S. Navy, an underwater glider was launched with the aid of Navy divers from the Dry Deck Shelter aboard USS Buffalo (SSN 715) Nov. 14. The glider is a uniquely mobile network component capable of moving to specific locations and depths and gathering various information, which is transmitted on a predetermined interval when it surfaces to computers via a built-in satellite phone. “Our interest in the submarine force has been to use these to characterize the ocean,” explained Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Cross, Pacific Submarine Force oceanographer. “They’re equipped with sensors...

Terror Suspect: 'Everyone Makes Mistakes' Thursday November 3, 2005 12:01 AM By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - After confessing to FBI agents that he joined al-Qaida and discussed plans to assassinate President Bush, an American student wrote a letter to his parents saying that ``everyone makes mistakes.'' ``I know this will be difficult for you ... but I've been detained here in Saudi Arabia for some charges of terrorism,'' wrote Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 24, who is on trial in federal court for conspiracy to assassinate the president, providing support to al-Qaida and other charges. ``It...

In his riveting new film, “Paradise Now,” Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad paints an ugly picture of Israeli occupation and the harsh consequences he believes flow from it, namely suicide bombers. The movie, which won the Blue Angel Award for best European film at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, explores the friendship between Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), and their transformation from unremarkable auto mechanics into would-be bombers. Underlying Abu-Assad’s movie is a chilling but powerful message: Decades of illegal and brutal Israeli rule, he argues, have wiped out hope among young Palestinians and created a growing pool of...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan , Sept. 20, 2005 — Animal health is a concern for Afghan shepherds today and may be a major factor in the quality of herds for years to come. For 20 years, Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mark J. Martinez, a veterinarian, has made it his mission to treat and research diseases affecting animals and working in biodefense research. Martinez is now applying his expertise toward healing the ill animals in Afghan villages so the future of the stocks will be stronger and healthier. Working with the Civil Military Assistance Team from Bagram Airfield, Martinez averages two or...

TORONTO (Reuters) - Comedian Tommy Chong has spent almost three decades wringing laughs from cigar-sized joints and smoke-filled vans but now a nine-month jail term has turned him serious and revitalized his flagging career. Promoting his documentary "a/k/a Tommy Chong" at the Toronto International Film Festival, he hopes the film will expose what he says is the U.S. government's heavy-handed dealing with marijuana offenders in the post-September 11 era. "The United States is under martial law, it's under dictatorship," the 67-year-old father of four said in an interview. The film chronicles the Canadian-born comedian's 2003 arrest and imprisonment for selling...

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, having posted a few times, but been a Freeper for close to two years. I have had lots of doubts with President Bush for some time, even before the 2004 elections, but I didn't like Kerry so I voted for Bush again. But this tragedy has hit too close to home. I lived in Idaho for several years before moving back to Alabama, and I live in Washington County, and I left before Katrina hit, and my home is powerless and won't have power or oil for a while. Although I continue to support...

LaPorte County, IN - About 3,000 to 5,000 marijuana plants, some the size of Christmas trees, have been found about a half mile north of State Road 4 between 600 and 700 East in LaPorte County, just west of Fish Lake. Officials are calling it the largest outdoor marijuana bust in Indiana since the 1980s. The plants are growing in three to five clusters, hidden on the ground in a two-acre plot full of trees. Police discovered the hidden plants over a week ago but it wasn’t until yesterday that they decided to bust up the drug ring. Police say...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday the hiring of five more key staff members in his administration, including aides for homeland security and the environment. Four of the posts are deputy mayors and the fifth fills the post of director of finance and performance management. Annual salaries for each of the five ranges from $104,000 to $130,000. "I looked for people who brought with them a passion for public service, the highest ethical standards and a commitment to improving the quality of life," Villaraigosa said in a statement. Maurice Suh, a former deputy chief of the public corruption division in the...

After his adult son shot a man in the leg Wednesday and sheriff's investigators took his son to jail, James Loudon had many questions. Some were about the details of the shooting, which he and his construction worker son say was self-defense. Loudon, a retiree from Chicago, didn't see the shooting but he thinks he knows most of those details now. His remaining questions are mostly about a new Florida law. It was advertised as expanding the right to use firearms and deadly force when people think they are threatened with illegal violence. Loudon hopes that law, lauded by the...

Gingrich Makes Trip To Iowa, Eyes '08 POSTED: 8:24 pm PDT May 11, 2005 UPDATED: 8:25 pm PDT May 11, 2005 WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich conceded Wednesday that he might run for president in 2008, but said he will spend the coming years focusing on changes needed in the nation and less time talking about his own political ambitions. "We need some time spent by would-be political leaders talking about their vision for the future and answering big questions -- before they run out and hire the consultants and the 30-second attack commercials," the...

Thrift Savings Plan makes saving, investing easier Journalist Seaman David Beyea, USS Kitty Hawk public affairs Posted 11/4/2002 ---------------------------------------------------- ABOARD USS KITTY HAWK AT SEA -- Senior Chief Torpedoman’s Mate (SW/AW) Ron Wood, from Sylacauga, Ala., informs Sailors about the benefits of the Thrift Savings Plan. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Justin Proulx) ABOARD USS KITTY HAWK AT SEA -- Saving for retirement has become easier for Sailors on board USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) with the Thrift Savings Plan. According to the summary of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) for the uniformed services, compiled by the...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Dan Glickman, in his first address to a Hollywood crowd since becoming Motion Picture Assn. of America prexy, said the perception in Washington, D.C., that the movie industry is uniformly Democratic is hurting biz interests. Movie industry lobbyists have had difficulty getting things done this year in Congress, where Republicans are steamed about both the large number of celebrities who were outspoken in favor of John Kerry (news - web sites) as well as the MPAA's decision to hire Glickman, a Democrat, to succeed Jack Valenti. "A congressperson told me, first iit was Whoopi Goldberg (news), then it was Dan...