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For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryDecember 22, 2007 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Holiday in the Parks THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Christmas is just a few days away. As Americans gather around the tree with family and friends, we remember the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard men and women who will be spending this holiday far away from their homes and loved ones. America is blessed to have men and women willing to step forward to defend our freedoms and keep us safe from our enemies. We are thankful for their...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2007 – Veterans health care facilities have a friend in a newly formed nonprofit organization. The Gerald T. Parks Memorial Foundation’s mission is to support veterans, past and present, by providing funds to help repair and develop military and Veterans Affairs health care facilities, one of the foundation’s chairmen said. “We have just begun our initial project,” Terri Pendleton said. “We received our (nonprofit) status on June 28. Since then, we have contacted the Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia, S.C., as well as the outpatient clinic in Rock Hill.” Both of the facilities have provided the...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007 – Volunteers in San Jose, Calif., are providing some of the niceties of home to troops serving in hostile and remote areas of the world. These boxes represent the first official shipment of packages from Operation: Action Packed! to servicemembers stationed at Camp Hit, Iraq. The group sends care packages to more than 180 servicemembers each month. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Members of the group, “Operation: Action Packed!” believe they can “all do something to make a difference in the world,” the group’s president, Daniella Magnano, said. “We strive to move...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2007 – The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised the United Service Organizations yesterday for the support the group gives men and women in uniform. Retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, a new USO board member, represented the organization in accepting a check for $325,000 from S&K Sales. The company does business with the Defense Commissary Agency and raised the money through its annual fundraising effort. S&K has donated more than $2 million to the USO over the past 10 years, Mark Phillips, a USO spokesman, said. During yesterday’s check-presentation ceremony here,...

SYMPATHISING with a terrorist organisation is now a "thought crime" in Australia, say human rights lawyers concerned about the use of anti-terrorism laws against Gold Coast-based doctor Mohammed Haneef. They warn the case against Haneef, an Indian national who worked at Gold Coast Hospital and yesterday became the first person to be charged in Australia with "recklessly" supporting a terrorist organisation, leaves thousands of people open to similar charges if they show even "a minute level of support to a terrorist organisation". Haneef was charged after leaving his mobile phone SIM card with two cousins allegedly involved in the recent...

DALLAS, June 28, 2007 – When it comes to showing support for America’s troops, Missouri is living up to its nickname as the “Show Me State” by sending nearly 4,000 base and post exchange gift certificates to soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines. So far this year, supporters from 45 states and the District of Columbia have contributed to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service’s “Gifts From the Homefront” program, with Missouri far and away the most generous, sending an average of 778 military exchange gift certificates a month. Missouri is home to Whiteman Air Force Base and the Army’s...

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is going to stay focused on his job of providing the best military advice to the president, vice president, defense secretary and rest of the National Security Council until his term expires at the end of September. Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at a Pentagon news conference. Reporters asked Pace about the fact that Gates did not nominate him for a second two-year term as chairman. Gates, saying he wanted to spare the military a divisive confirmation...

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2007 – Girl Scouts in southern Nevada are preparing to ship more than 11,000 boxes of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs and other Girl Scout cookies to servicemembers overseas. The Scouts’ donation was made possible through the generosity of the Girls Scouts of Frontier Council, which donated the cookies. The Nevada Benefits Foundation offered its assistance by coordinating the effort and covering the cost to ship the cookies to servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Community service is a long-standing tradition in Girl Scouting, allowing girls to learn the value of helping others,” Toni Carey, product sales director...

The United States is supporting anti-Iranian groups operating out of Pakistan's remote border regions, the speaker of Iran's parliament has said. Gholamali Haddadadel accused the US of trying to put pressure on the government in Tehran, but said Pakistan was not involved in the operations. "There is no doubt in our minds that the United States spares no effort to put pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2007 – As a senior in high school, Tania Foster could easily focus all her energy in preparing for her collegiate pursuits in biochemistry this autumn. However, the 18-year-old is instead putting her spare time into helping others -- primarily the men and women of the armed forces -- through her nonprofit organization “Dallas is Love.” During a family vacation to South Korea in 2004, she interacted for the first time with U.S. troops stationed there. “I had no idea of the strain that they were under, as the majority of them are in Korea without...

BLAKESBURG, Iowa, Dec. 17, 2006 -- Of the 136 scrapbook pages Blakesburg (Iowa) Elementary School students made for Connect and Join’s “World’s Largest and Greatest Scrapbook,” one in particular stood out. Sawyer Deevers, 5, shows Linda Dennis, founder of Connect and Join, how his Brailler works while his Braille teacher, Lane Anthony, looks on. The Blakesburg (Iowa) Elementary kindergartener has been blind since birth. But, through the use of his ‘Brailler,’ he participates in regular classroom activities like creating scrapbook pages for Connect and Join's "World's Largest and Greatest Scrapbook" for the troops. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley   '(Click...

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 12, 2006 -- The Defense Department today honored the PGA Tour organization and its network of affiliated golf clubs for their exemplary support of U.S. servicemembers. Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, left, reads the inscription on a plaque before she presents it to PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem during an employee meeting in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Dec. 12. The Defense Department honored the PGA Tour organization and its network of affiliated golf clubs for exemplary support of U.S. servicemembers through DoD's America...

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2006 – Supporting Iraqi government ministries is the key to developing a peaceful, democratic Iraq, a top U.S. general serving there said today. In particular, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said he believes improving Iraq's economy is "the lynchpin of a peaceful Iraq." "Through the (Iraqi security forces), we can address the symptoms -- violence," Chiarelli said in a satellite briefing to Pentagon reporters. "But by building up Iraqi ministerial capacity to provide basic services and create hope and economic opportunity, we can get at the causes. A prosperous Iraq...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 – The Armed Services YMCA honored individuals and organizations for their support of military families in 2005 at its 19th Annual Recognition Luncheon here today. Bryce Moorehouse, 11, shows Navy Force Master Chief Dave Pennington his art contest entry that earned first place during the Armed Services YMCA 19th Annual Recognition Luncheon in Washington. Bryce's mother, Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Andrea Palermo, is stationed at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The ASYMCA provides social and support services for military families, organization officials said. Last...

4/18/2006 - VIEUX FORT, Saint Lucia (AFPN) -- A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew flew civil engineers to this tropical isle as part of ongoing support for the war on drugs. The mission also provided an opportunity for the aircrew to maintain their proficiency. The transport started its circuitous mission April 7 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., with a mixed Reserve and active-duty aircrew. “We go everywhere to support the Air Force mission,” said Maj. Mike Phillips, a Reserve pilot with the 300th Airlift Squadron. “We like to support as many active-duty and Reserve units as possible.” The squadron aircrew...

CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- Sailors from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 10 “Warhawks,” deployed to the Pacific in support of the global war on terrorism March 24. The detachment of 31 Sailors and two HH-60H Seahawks departed Naval Air Station North Island aboard an Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo jet. “This is our opportunity to go out and do what we’ve been training for, and also help the other branches of the military,” said Lt. Matt Burns, HH-60H pilot and detachment administration officer. HS-10 had a lot of maintenance work to complete over the past two weeks to prepare for the...

NORFOLK, Va. (Mar. 21, 2006) -- Balloons and streamers hang from the wall and ceiling. Anxious family members wait patiently inside as cold wind blows and rain pours, but doesn't dampen the spirit. Twelve Marines from Company A(-), 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion are returning from deployment and in about an hour, hugs and tears of joy will replace the anxiety. Mothers and wives discussing what to cook tonight for the Marines' first meal home provide a backdrop at the Little Creek Amphibious Base USO in Norfolk, Va., for this reunion. The 12 Marines were attached to the 3rd Provisional Security...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – The best way for the American people to promote freedom and liberty around the world is to stand behind the U.S. armed forces, President Bush told a group yesterday at the City Club of Cleveland. Bush said it's his responsibility as president to ensure the public understands why the United States is waging the war on terror and why it's important to stay the course. "And so I will continue making the case. ... But the best way you can help is to support our troops," he told a questioner in the audience at the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2006 – The United States and Poland are friends in liberty, President Bush said while hosting Polish President Lech Kaczynski at the White House today. "I thank the president and the Polish people for their support of the democracy movement in Iraq," Bush said. "We're strong allies and friends. We're friends in liberty, and we believe in peace." Poland has troops serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In September 2003, the Poles assumed command of the Multinational Division Central South in Iraq, and along with their multinational partners have helped train Iraqi forces and stabilize the south...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Army News Service, Jan. 5, 2005) -- Three Army installations are actively supporting the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the all-star high-school football game that will be played in San Antonio’s Alamodome Jan. 7. Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Polk, La.; and Fort Drum, N.Y. all participated in a pilot program that connected their installation to the school of a nearby All-American. This program brought together outstanding student athletes with outstanding Soldiers, giving the students a perspective about the Army and why Soldiers decide to answer the call to duty. The Army sponsors the All-American Bowl to recognize excellence...