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Keyword: quagmirefreenews

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  • "Good morning from the front!!" FReeper Socomofficer [US Army Captain Mike reports in -- from IRAQ]

    03/30/2005 5:58:06 AM PST · by RonDog · 58 replies · 1,539+ views
    Here is an e-mail that I received last night from Captain Mike [US Army, Special Forces] -- who is reporting in, from the front lines in IRAQ: Well, it's early morning here and we are headed east. We have taken some light casualties but for the most part we are combat effective. The young boy was waiting at the airport when we got back and took myself and my senior staff to his folks house for dinner. I am seeing signs of a stabilizing electric grid and consumer goods are starting to come in. Of course I am certain that...
  • Wounded Soldiers,Tammy Duckworeth on CSPAN NOW

    03/30/2005 6:41:27 PM PST · by Ramonan · 11 replies · 647+ views
    CSPAN ^ | March 30, 2005 | Vanity
    Soldiers that were severely wounded, lost limbs, but are going back to Iraq
  • New VC takes title from Aussie (British soldier wins Victoria Cross)

    03/30/2005 5:01:32 PM PST · by naturalman1975 · 14 replies · 950+ views
    The Australian ^ | 19th March 2005 | Leisa Scott and Michael Evans
    A YOUNG British soldier who dragged his wounded platoon commander to safety and rescued 29 other soldiers under enemy fire in Iraq has been awarded the Victoria Cross, finally relieving Queenslander Keith Payne of his 36-year title as the most recent living recipient of the honour. Private Johnson Gideon Beharry, 25, is now one of just 14 living recipients of the award for exceptional bravery after pushing through an ambush in an armoured vehicle while the turret was on fire, in the town of al-Amarah, north of Basra, on May 1 last year. Far from being upset at losing his...
  • Welcome Home, Marine!

    03/29/2005 9:01:29 PM PST · by StarCMC · 53 replies · 924+ views
       Please welcome home Marine Captain Shannon Arnwine from his tour of duty in Iraq.He just arrived homeand met his baby girl for the first time. This thread will be printed outand delivered to his Nana. Please post your wordsof thanks here andlet this hero know he is greatly appreciated.   
  • Medal of Honor to Be Awarded to Soldier Killed in Iraq, a First

    03/29/2005 9:36:00 PM PST · by RWR8189 · 100 replies · 5,672+ views
    New York Times ^ | March 29, 2005 | ERIC SCHMITT
    ASHINGTON, March 29 - Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, killed nearly two years ago defending his vastly outnumbered Army unit in a fierce battle with elite Iraqi troops for control of Baghdad's airport, will receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, administration officials said Tuesday.No soldier who served in Afghanistan or Iraq after the Sept. 11 attacks has yet received the medal. The last conflict to produce a Medal of Honor recipient was in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993; two soldiers were awarded the medal posthumously for actions there, later depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down."Sergeant...
  • U.S. Guards Discover 600-Foot Tunnel in Key Iraq Prison Before Detainees Can Escape

    03/25/2005 7:28:27 PM PST · by WestVirginiaRebel · 24 replies · 1,330+ views
    ap.tbo.com ^ | 03-25-05 | WestVirginiaRebel
    WASHINGTON (AP)-U.S. military guards discovered a 600-foot tunnel-dug with makeshift tools-leading out of the main prison facility for detainees in Iraq before anyone had the opportunity to escape, officials said Friday.
  • Iraq's Insurgents "Seek Exit Strategy" (Can we blame Bush for this too???)

    03/25/2005 8:48:30 PM PST · by Yashcheritsiy · 14 replies · 960+ views
    Financial Times ^ | 03-25-2005 | Steve Negus
    Many of Iraq's predominantly Sunni Arab insurgents would lay down their arms and join the political process in exchange for guarantees of their safety and that of their co-religionists, according to a prominent Sunni politician. Sharif Ali Bin al-Hussein, who heads Iraq's main monarchist movement and is in contact with guerrilla leaders, said many insurgents including former officials of the ruling Ba'ath party, army officers, and Islamists have been searching for a way to end their campaign against US troops and Iraqi government forces since the January 30 election.
  • Operation Phantom Fury--Day 139 - Now Operation River Blitz--Day 34

    03/25/2005 9:30:57 PM PST · by TexKat · 44 replies · 1,203+ views
    Various Media Outlets | 3/26/05
    U.S. Army Capt. Chris Owen (far right) and Col. Terry Sellers (center), 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, meet with United Nations field representatives on the east bank of the Helmand River to discuss the needs of residents displaced by four days of flooding, March 22, 2005. The United Nations and the U.S. Army are providing short term emergency relief to the refugees until they are able to rebuild. Local Afghan government officials are leading the effort by assessing needs and distributing aid while the Afghan National Army, local police and Coalition soldiers are providing security and manpower for the delivery...
  • Amputees Join 3,500 in Bataan Death March (Awesome, inspirational, WOW, patriotic)

    03/24/2005 7:48:58 PM PST · by Former Military Chick · 9 replies · 751+ views
    Army News Service ^ | March 21, 2005 | Donna Braun
    WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. - One generation of war heroes paid tribute to another March 20 at the 16th annual Bataan Memorial Death March. After 26 miles through gravel, sand and wind-blown dust, Sgt. 1st Class Michael McNaughton sprinted toward the finish line. He was one of five men, all amputees, sponsored by Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who participated in this year's march. "I wanted to do this for the Bataan survivors," McNaughton said. "The sacrifices they made were incredible." McNaughton knows first-hand about the sacrifices Soldiers are called to make during wartime. He was wounded while deployed...
  • Television Helps Break Mystique of Holy Warrior (72 dark-eyed virgins need not apply)

    03/24/2005 9:14:40 PM PST · by quidnunc · 27 replies · 1,655+ views
    The Financial Times ^ | March 24, 2005 | Steve Negus and Dhiya Rasan
    Say the word mujahid — or holy warrior — these days and many inhabitants of Baghdad are likely to snigger. An appellation once worn as a badge of pride by anti-American insurgents has now become street slang for homosexuals, after men claiming to be captured Islamist guerrillas confessed that they were holding gay orgies in the popular Iraqi TV programme Terror in the Hands of Justice. For Iraqis opposed to the predominantly Sunni Islamist insurgency, Terror in the Hands of Justice, which airs twice daily on Iraqi public television, has broken the mystique of a force that used to strike...
  • Kentucky guardsmen recall firefight with Iraqi insurgents

    03/24/2005 4:30:30 PM PST · by Mount Athos · 44 replies · 1,809+ views
    Associated Press ^ | 3/24/2005 | Bruce Schreiner
    The Kentucky National Guardsmen were outnumbered and under heavy gunfire when they counterattacked Iraqi insurgents who ambushed a coalition convoy southeast of Baghdad. A 30-minute firefight ensued on a Sunday morning, pitting 10 guardsmen against dozens of insurgents. When the shooting ended, 26 guerrillas lay dead and another was mortally wounded, while six others were wounded and another was captured unharmed. The guardsmen didn't go unscathed. Three members of the military police unit were wounded and later transported for medical treatment in Germany, where they are recovering. "It was crazy," recalled Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester. "Adrenaline pumping, you didn't have...
  • IRAQ: Al Qaeda Losses Up, American Losses Down (Kickin' arse and takin' names!)

    03/24/2005 5:02:43 PM PST · by FreedomNeocon · 24 replies · 1,095+ views
    StrategyPage ^ | 03-24-05
    IRAQ: Al Qaeda Losses Up, American Losses Down March 24, 2005: More Iraqis are losing their fear of terrorists. In the last three days, tips from Iraqis have led Iraqi police and troops to several terrorist hideouts. This has resulted in some spectacular gun battles, and the deaths of over 130 terrorists (and about a dozen police and soldiers.) The Iraqis have been using their growing force of SWAT teams to carry out the raids, with American forces providing backup and air cover. One raid, north of Baghdad, left 85 terrorists dead, and revealed a suicide car bomb workshop, as...
  • Iraqi Women as Police Recruits !!

    03/23/2005 4:55:39 PM PST · by davidosborne · 34 replies · 2,779+ views
    FOX ^ | 23 March 2005 | Live on FOX
    LIVE on FOX
  • At Least 80 Killed in Raid on Insurgent Camp in Iraq

    03/23/2005 4:55:56 PM PST · by neverdem · 21 replies · 1,300+ views
    NY Times ^ | March 23, 2005 | EDWARD WONG
    BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 23 - Iraqi and American forces killed at least 80 insurgents during a Tuesday morning raid on what appeared to be the biggest guerrilla training camp yet discovered, Iraqi officials said today. Seven Iraqi police officers were also killed and six were wounded in what American and Iraqi officials characterized as an especially fierce battle. "It was one of the largest such engagements that I'm aware of," said Col. Robert Potter, a spokesman for the American command in Baghdad. The number of anti-government fighters killed was the most reported in a single conflict since the American offensive...
  • Small Guard Unit Fends Off Dozens of Iraqi Insurgents=(women in combat)

    03/23/2005 6:29:09 PM PST · by Flavius · 39 replies · 1,787+ views
    abc news ^ | March 22, 2005 | Martha Raddatz
    BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 22, 2005 — National Guard soldiers from the Richmond, Ky.-based 617th Military Police Company were still reminiscing today about the extraordinary battle they fought on Sunday, when dozens of Iraqi insurgents ambushed a U.S. patrol — touching off one of the fiercest battles in Iraq since the fight for Fallujah last fall. But what is more extraordinary is who the U.S. soldiers are — a shoe store manager, hotel worker, printing press operator and several students. The firefight serves as a reminder of how citizen-soldiers are shouldering much of the burden in Iraq. Of the U.S. forces...
  • Wounded veteran issues a plea / Injured pilot, Maj. Duckworth determined to fly again

    03/19/2005 2:39:54 PM PST · by Former Military Chick · 15 replies · 899+ views
    US Army Soldier Studies ^ | December 29, 2004 | Dennis Camire
    A Black Hawk helicopter pilot had a surprise visit four days before Christmas, receiving an Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal and promotion to major. Maj. Ladda “Tammy” Duckworth, of the Illinois National Guard’s 1-106th Aviation, is recuperating from injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after a rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter she was piloting in Iraq Nov. 12. “I hope this is the worst thing that happens to anyone in the 106th during this deployment,” said Duckworth. “This is not so bad, there is always somebody worse off than you are. I’m just glad it was me and not...
  • Daily Terrorist Round-up Stories - March 14, 2005 (Several good ones today)

    03/14/2005 3:32:22 PM PST · by Straight Vermonter · 27 replies · 598+ views
    3/14/05
    Iraq Forces Capture Two Saddam Relatives Mon Mar 14,11:55 AM ET Add to My Yahoo! Middle East - AP BAGHDAD, Iraq - Security forces in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s hometown captured two of the ousted dictator's relatives, who allegedly were helping insurgents launch attacks in Iraq (news - web sites), the government said Monday. The two were identified as one-time Saddam bodyguard Marwan Taher Abdul Rashid and his cousin, Abdullah Maher Abdul Rashid — who also was the brother-in-law of Saddam's son, Qusai, state-run Iraqiya television reported. The two were captured March 8 in Tikrit, Saddam's hometown north...
  • Prayer puts 3/2 Marine at ease in Iraq

    03/14/2005 4:09:30 PM PST · by SJackson · 4 replies · 249+ views
    Marinelink ^ | 3-15-05 | Lance Cpl. Lucian Friel
    CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (March 13, 2005) -- Deployed Marines are a band of brothers. They train together, live together, eat together and fight together. But do they pray for each other? Lance Cpl. Lesley T. Raulerson, an infantryman with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment definitely does. The Jacksonville, Fla., native prays at the Camp Al Qaim Chapel every time his fellow Marines travel off the base. "I pray for the troops going out. I pray for the convoys to be successful. But, mainly I pray that the Marine leaders will have sound minds and will teach their...
  • Marines, Army kick it with Iraqi children

    03/09/2005 4:06:46 PM PST · by SJackson · 11 replies · 1,095+ views
    Marinelink ^ | 3-7-05 | Cpl. John E. Lawson Jr.
    More pictures at the link CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (March 7, 2005) -- In the dusty little lakeside village of Al Kabani, Iraq, the children rush to the streets as a U.S. convoy pulls into town. The convoy, comprised of Marines from the 1st and 2nd Force Service Support Groups (Forward), of Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., respectively, and the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 112th Armor, 36th Infantry of Austin, Texas, have come to continue civil affairs operations in the village. The March 5 mission included distribution of humanitarian aid supplies to the more than 60 homes in the town,...
  • CA: Healing hands welcomed home ~... 349th General Hospital cared for service members hurt in Iraq.

    03/08/2005 11:01:59 PM PST · by Ernest_at_the_Beach · 4 replies · 533+ views
    Long Beach Press Telegram ^ | Monday, March 07, 2005 - 9:01:37 PM PST | David Rogers Staff writer
    Healing hands welcomed home(staff photo by Steven Georges) LOS ALAMITOS — As a rifleman in Somalia and a sniper protecting former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Army Spc. Salvador Romo had empathy for the wounded soldiers he helped treat at a U.S. Army hospital in Germany. ***************************************************** Healing hands welcomed homeMembers of 349th General Hospital cared for service members hurt in Iraq.By David RogersStaff writerLOS ALAMITOS — As a rifleman in Somalia and a sniper protecting former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Army Spc. Salvador Romo had empathy for the wounded soldiers he helped treat at a U.S. Army hospital in Germany....