Free Republic

RUSAFA, Iraq, Dec. 15, 2005 – "All the time and money you have spent training the Iraqi army, you harvest it today," Iraqi Army Maj. Gen. Mobdir Hatim Hothya al-Delemy told 3rd Infantry Division Commander Army Maj. Gen. William Webster following a tour of polling places today. Initial indications in and around Baghdad were that more Iraqis were voting than during the constitutional referendum, and the level of violence appeared to be low, officials said. Army Col. Joseph P. Di Salvo, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, said more Iraqis were going to their polling places...

NEW YORK - Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said Thursday at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner that he hasn't decided whether he's running for president, "so please just stop asking me." "Relax and enjoy the evening, Governor Pataki," he concluded, to a roar of laughter from the audience at the $1,000-a-plate fundraiser. Gov. George Pataki, too, has been considering a run for the highest office in the land. Standing on a dais crowded with politicians, the Arizona Republican teased several of them, as well as the monied guests at the event sponsored by the Archdiocese...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2005 – Jan Packwood was a strong supporter of the Guard and Reserve long before he became president and chief executive officer of IdaCorp and Idaho Power, a commitment that's deepened since he watched several employees and his two sons deploy to Iraq. Packwood, a retired Army Reserve colonel, understands the contribution the reserve components make to national security and the risks members face in the process. He also knows firsthand the difficulties the families they leave behind often face during long deployments, from emotional and financial stresses to problems getting to military medical facilities or doctors...

10/14/2005 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Should deployed troops need on the spot surgery, there is a five-person mobile forward surgical team on standby, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice to help them. The team -- an MFST -- can deploy in 24 to 48 hours. It is the smallest forward-deployable surgical team that can do field surgery. The team, part of the 379th Expeditionary Medical Group, has been deployed here for a month. It has performed 38 operations and seen 107 clinic patients. Once on location, the team can set up to operate within 15 minutes of arrival....

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- The Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport office of the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS) is providing financial assistance to military victims of Hurricane Katrina here. Just two days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed large sections of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Gulfport's NMCRS was helping military personnel and their family members secure emergency funds through interest-free loans. As of Sept. 14, NMCRS worldwide had assisted 3,574 victims; 1,701 of whom were seen at the Gulfport office. More than $1.3 million in loans have been awarded so far, with more than $400,000 of that amount going to Gulfport....

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) Sailors have teamed up with Salvation Army volunteers to prepare care packages for residents of the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina. Crew members sifted through hundreds of bags and boxes filled with donations to ensure each care package was filled with the necessary supplies. “Our first goal is to meet the immediate needs of the people affected by this hurricane, such as providing food and water,” said Salvation Army Warehouse Supervisor Perry Balcom. Balcom and many of the other volunteers are part of an organization known as Hope Force International. They...

GULFPORT, Miss., Sept. 8, 2005 – Above the Mississippi Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center, various types of military aircraft are carefully navigating the busy skies. National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-1 Huey helicopters, and C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III aircraft are either taking off fully loaded with humanitarian relief supplies or coming back after delivering a load of relief aid somewhere along the Mississippi coast. On the ground, military personnel from all services work steadily in the heat, unloading humanitarian supplies from cargo aircraft and then reloading them into helicopters or trucks that distribute ice, water, military...

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss., Sept. 6, 2005 – A private airport here has been converted into a forward operating base from which more than 1,500 soldiers and airmen from the Alabama National Guard are supporting disaster-relief operations for Jackson, George and Greene counties in Mississippi as part of Task Force Alabama. "We are providing humanitarian assistance, zone recons, and we're providing a presence," the task force's chief of staff, Army National Guard Lt. Col. Nicky Medley, said. Like many storm victims, task force soldiers are living in austere conditions. Most soldiers are sleeping outdoors, a few in vehicles. Some soldiers also...

9/5/2005 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- It is not unusual to see vehicles lined up, five to six deep, patiently waiting in the aftermath of a hurricane. Usually these long lines are for fuel to power cars and generators. Here, however, these cars are lined up for a different reason: they are waiting to donate goods to those in need. A lengthy line of cars waited to unload their goods at the Airman’s Attic Sept 2. People brought clothes, furniture, toys and household appliances to help military families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and who have lost everything...

The Air Force is part of the national support network that is providing aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina in disaster stricken regions of Mississippi and Louisiana. The 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., is the lead for planning, orchestrating and overseeing Air Force support to Joint Task Force Katrina. Units from Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and Air Force Special Operations Command are aiding 1st Air Force and supporting disaster relief efforts. Assets from AMC include aeromedical evacuation teams that flew between Keesler AFB, Miss., and Lackland AFB, Texas. The command, responsible for orchestrating airlift...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 22, 2005 — More than a year of hard work has finally led to the completion of a bridge project in southern Afghanistan, Aug. 10. The bridge will link the Rawanii, Raubud, Dand, Karaizak and Kawajali districts to Kandahar. The districts are usually cut off by a river during the winter months. The bridge is more than just a crossing point for the three districts on the opposite side of the bridge from Kandahar. Although the riverbed beneath the bridge is currently dry, the Tarnac River will be an intimidating barrier when the winter snows begin to...