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12/6/2006 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFPN) -- A Luke AFB pilot killed in action Nov. 27 in Iraq was remembered by Air Force leaders and friends as a warrior-patriot who made a difference in everything he did in a ceremony Dec. 6 here. Maj. Troy L. Gilbert's F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed while flying a combat mission in support of ground forces in Anbar Province, 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. Major Gilbert was deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq, in September from the 309th Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB. "The 56th Fighter Wing extends its heartfelt condolences to the...

If you believe as I do that US Airways did the right thing in removing the imams from the plane in Minneapolis, please send them a note of support! Here's the link to US Air customer service http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/contact/customer_relationsform.aspx

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2006 -- Whether it’s an infantryman in Iraq needing a new firing pin for his rifle or a fighter pilot on a carrier in the Persian Gulf who needs to replace a cracked landing strut, the Defense Logistics Agency stands ready to support warfighters worldwide, the organization’s director said in a recent interview. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed around the world supporting the global war against terrorism routinely make requests from their units for critically needed supplies, Army Lt. Gen. Robert T. Dail told the Pentagon Channel. “It may be a part that keeps an...

To: Lt. Thale Goodluck & fellow soldiers From: a long lost best friend in New Mexico Hello there!!! Will it sure has been a long time. I understand that u are there to serve ur country and protect us here in the U.S.A. As a friend u make me proud and safe as u always have. Please come home soon and take care of urself. May God Bless u and ur fellow soldiers. This nation should be very happy to have a great soldier to help them protect us all. Just remember that all the people of the U.S.A are...

One of my saddest experiences working in the field of journalism occurred just a few short weeks ago. At that time, I had the opportunity to read a letter sent back home from an American soldier in Afghanistan. During fifteen years of writing, I have delved into some unbelievably terrible stories, including the murder of entire families. In my life, I have come across individuals who have surrendered to their innermost dark side and reveled in the idea of doing so. I have written about tragedies of the human spirit which would shake the mettle of the strongest among us....

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2006 -- The troops in Iraq appreciate the support and help they receive from the United States, a top coalition spokesman said today. “Veterans Day is an important holiday for the men and women here,” Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said during a telephone interview. He said U.S. leaders understand how incredible the more than 140,000 U.S. men and women in Iraq are. “That’s a big piece that sometimes people miss,” Caldwell said. “There are 1.4 million active duty servicemembers, 1.2 million reserve, 25 million living veterans, and they all look...

PHOENIX, Nov. 6, 2006 -- For every drain ABC Plumbing and Rooter Company Inc., clears, a local troop-support group clears a $5 donation. Rudolf Kellner (right), director of ABC Plumbing and Rooter Company Inc., a Chandler, Ariz.-based company, and William Chiusano, the company’s president, presented the non-profit troop-support group Packages From Home with a $5,000 donation. Photo by Samantha Quigley  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We decided that $5 out of every call -- every home, every business those trucks pull up to -- would go to ‘Packages From Home,’” Rudolf Kellner, the Chandler, Ariz.-based company’s director said....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2006 -- A group of South Korean pastors made a pilgrimage to the Pentagon today to show their support for the U.S. military. Left to Right: Lee Sang Hyung, General Secretary of the Korean-American Protestant Pastors’ Association; Shin Shin Mook, KAPPA co-chairman; Bishop Kim Hong Do, head of the Kumnan Methodist Church; and Kim Dong Kwon, KAPPA co-chairman, pose for a photo in the Pentagon Memorial Chapel Oct. 31. The South Korean churchmen were part of a 52-member group that visited the Pentagon to show their support for American-South Korean partnership. The group had helped to...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2006 -- How to pay for a child’s college education shouldn’t be a consideration for those who lose a loved one in battle, and one troop-support group is working to ensure it isn’t. “We provide financial assistance and college grants to the children and spouses of the fallen … and severely injured servicemembers,” Rebecca Campbell, founder of The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, said. “It’s all for different needs, but (applicants) have to have a financial need.” The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program...

With Democratic momentum mounting and control of the House at stake, senior Republican strategists are urging donors to contribute to 33 GOP members and candidates who are “most in need of support right now.” The National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) “Final Push List” consists of 29 Republican seats and only four Democratic seats, indicating that the GOP is playing defense. The list, obtained by The Hill, provides a rare glimpse of the races that congressional strategists are concentrating on close to Election Day. NRCC focuses on most but not all toss-up House races in its Final Push roster, dated Oct....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2006 -- National Guard members perform vital stateside and overseas duties as America stays on the offense to defeat global terrorism, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said at Camp Atterbury, Ind., today. “To serve in the National Guard is to accept a dual mission,” Cheney told gathered Guardsmen. “You can be called on to defend the country against enemies abroad, or to protect lives and properties here at home in times of local emergency.” Cheney praised Indiana and other National Guard troops for accomplishing “difficult and dangerous” missions during the war. Cheney has also traveled this...

China may have the most influence of any nation over Pyongyang, but North Korea's nuclear test illustrates the failure of Beijing's diplomatic approach, analysts say. China has been North Korea's main ally for more than half a century, a relationship cemented in blood when Chinese troops fought alongside North Koreans against US and South Korean soldiers in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. But critics charge that China's ideological ties to the bankrupt communist state have blinded it to the danger posed by Pyongyang's atomic weapons ambitions. "No country should be more embarrassed and more concerned than China," said...

GEORGETOWN, Pa. (AP) - The number of dead from Monday's Amish schoolhouse shooting could soon rise by one more. A county coroner and a doctor who serves Amish children says it appears that one of the survivors is being taken off life-support and taken home to die. Meantime, the other survivors remain hospitalized and continue to fight their injuries. In Monday's attack, the gunmen sent the adults and boys out and bound the ten remaining girls at the blackboard. He was in the school for about an hour before he shot his hostages and turned the gun on himself as...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2006 -- When Army met Texas A&M on the Aggie’s home turf Sept. 16, 100 servicemembers and their guests were in the stands, thanks to the Bank of America Military Bank in San Antonio. Kirk D. Frady, vice president, Bank of America Military Bank, (left) presents the Soldier and Family Assistance Center’s program manager, Judith Markelz, (center) with 100 tickets for the Sept. 16 Army-Texas A&M football game. Markelz distributed the tickets, and others that were donated, to servicemembers recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Others present to share...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – Families of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, are not happy about the unit’s 46-day extension in Iraq, but they are accepting it well and the Army has many systems in place to support them while their loved ones are deployed, the unit’s rear detachment commander said today. “The families don’t particularly like it, but they have understood all along that this was a possibility,” said Army Maj. Tony Perry, commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division’s Task Force Ready. “The families also realize the importance of supporting their soldier and the mission they...

The new record, "Never Give Up, Never Give In." by the band, Hyperbole will be released on December 6th and available locally, in Michigan, or online from the bands own website ilovehyperbole.com There will be release shows all week that week and a full US tour early 2007 to support it. However on, September 11th, 2006 the band made available a track from the record for all to listen to online for free. The song is called, "The Pride is Back" and was inspired when the band was touring california earlier in the year, in Antioc, CA. Getting off a...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2006 – The Defense Department is honoring the Fred Fletemeyer Company, a small family-owned construction business in Colorado Springs, Colo., with its most prestigious award for employers who support National Guard and reserve troops. The Fred Fletemeyer Company is among 15 employers across the United States named as winners of the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The award publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support beyond the requirements of federal law. Employees who also serve in the Guard or reserve nominate companies for the honor. Navy Reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer Bill Feigt, a Fletemeyer...

Iran offers Iraq 'full support' Iran-Iraq relations have improved since Saddam Hussein's overthrow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has offered Iraq full support in stabilising the security situation in the country. He made the remarks in Tehran after talks with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. Speaking to reporters after their meeting, Mr Ahmadinejad said "Iraq's security is Iran's security". Mr Maliki is making his first official visit to Iran since he took office in May. "Iran supports the Iraqi government that has been created by the Iraqi people's votes, and strengthening a united and independent Iraq is in the interest...

Translated Al-Jazeera poll of Muslims, partial: 1) Is the world safer after September 11? Yes - 4.2 % No - 95.8 % 2) Do you support Osama bin Laden? Yes - 49.9 % No - 50.1 % 3) Do you think that the war on Iraq is a war on Islam? Yes - 79.8 % No - 20.2 % 4) Do you think that there is a link between the war on terrorism and the war on Iraq? Yes - 23.4 % No - 76.6 %