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CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — It makes no difference what a person’s faith is, or even if a soldier does not believe, chaplains work across theological lines in helping GIs solve personal problems. In a combat area, the work of the Army’s uniformed religious leaders takes on greater significance, Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Mark Zerger said. The building that is his office for the next 13 months, has sandbag protection on this tightly-controlled military installation. As the 11th Signal Brigade’s chaplain, the 55-year-old Zerger said deployments are stressful for soldiers who are called to leave their families and comfort of their stateside...

NEWARK, N.J. (Aug. 6) - In a city where gun violence has become an all too common part of daily life, these shootings were enough to chill even the most hardened residents: Four young friends shot execution-style in a schoolyard just days before they were to head to college Three were killed after being forced to kneel against a wall and then shot in the head at close range Saturday night, police said. A girl was found slumped near some bleachers 30 feet away, a gunshot wound to the head but still alive. The four Newark residents were to attend...

"Operation Thank You" Offers Opportunity To Send Cards, Letters Or Packages To US Troops In Iraq Or Afghanistan Franklin, TN: Shooting USA Television has launched a new effort to support the troops named "Operation Thank You". The effort is posted on the www.ShootingUSA.com website to connect viewers of the show with one unit each month that's deployed at a Forward Operating Base in Iraq or Afghanistan. Show viewers are invited to send a letter of thanks, a card, or a package of small items to express support for the troops risking their lives overseas. Jim Scoutten, Executive Producer of the...

PLAYAS VALLEY, N.M. -- For the 100 years that Robert Been's family has been grazing cattle and raising horses on this isolated, scrub-brush desert in New Mexico's southwestern corner, illegal aliens have been crossing into the United States. Mr. Been, whose 2,500-acre ranch straddles a long-established immigration corridor, recalls his parents giving illegals food, water and clothing to guard against the cold desert nights. It was "just a way of life here." "They were respectful of us, and we returned that respect." But things have changed in this remote desert valley and the adjoining Animus Canyon. "The alien smugglers and...

TAMPA - Silver-bearded Vietnam veteran Pete Howatt, more drill sergeant than job recruiter, slowly paced the dimly lit Crowne Plaza hotel ballroom and addressed 36 men and four women seeking a career change Thursday. Nobody shifted in their armless chairs when Howatt spoke. They hung on his soft, deep voice that delivered a strong opening message in a deliberate style. ``This job is not for everyone. ... We have lost 68 men in 2 1/2 years. ... It is work in a combat zone.'' His trenchant words began a job-recruitment seminar for KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton Inc. that employs...

Report: Military buying Chrysler minivans, Pacificas to ferry troops in non-combat zones.NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The U.S. military has ordered 24,000 Chrysler minivans and Pacifica crossover SUVs for use as light-duty vehicles in Iraq and other places, according to a report in a Canadian newspaper.DaimlerChrysler, Chrysler's parent company, builds the Pacificas in Windsor, Ontario and makes minivans there, as well as at other locations.The order is for 19,000 minivans and 5,000 Chrysler Pacificas, according to the story. The Pacifica is not designed for off-road use and resembles a large, tall station wagon.The military has complained about the use of fuel-thirsty...

SpongeBob is off to war. “The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie” is one of several titles troops downrange can see for free during the holidays. The annual Army and Air Force Exchange Service/Hollywood Holiday Film Festival runs through through Jan. 7 at bases in the Balkans, the Middle East and Southwest Asia. The festival will show first-run flicks in 35 mm to U.S. troops stationed in the Balkans, Camp Doha, Kuwait, and Balad, Iraq. Troops in more remote locations will see video copies of the films. The movies include “The Incredibles,” “National Treasure,” “Alfie,” “Christmas with the Kranks” and “Alexander.” Advance VHS...

Working Out The Kinks Of Life In The War Zone By Jon R. Anderson BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — After months at a remote firebase in Afghanistan, Pfc. Mike Lambert has been a little grumpy lately. To ease his mood, Lambert’s buddies bought him an hour alone with a woman from Kyrgyzstan. A woman with strong hands. Inside a small cubical walled off with heavy blankets, the lights low and music playing softly, Lambert hangs his dusty assault rifle on the wall. The woman orders him to strip to his shorts and lie down on the narrow table. Lambert smiles...

Camp Casey's 2nd ID sees surge of post-traumatic stress disorder By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes Pacific edition, Tuesday, June 15, 2004 CAMP CASEY, South Korea — The 2nd Infantry Division is experiencing a surge in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers who rotated here from assignments in Iraq or Afghanistan, says a senior health official. Division psychologist Capt. Mary Dorritie said that although most of the combat-related PTSD cases she treats haven’t been severe, they are the bulk of her caseload; she treats from 10 to 15 soldiers suffering from the condition. Last year, in contrast, virtually all PTSD...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Kidnappers have released up to 12 foreigners taken hostage in Iraq, a member of the U.S.-appointed Governing Council said Monday. Meanwhile, two U.S. troops and seven employees of American contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Houston-based Halliburton, were missing following an attack "two days ago" on a convoy near Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said Monday. He refused to say whether they had been abducted. More than 30 foreigners from at least 12 countries — including a Mississippi man whose fate also was unclear — have been kidnapped in recent days...

The following is Lt. Col. Allen B. West's own candid comment regarding the situation he faced in Iraq, as reported by the Washington Dispatch on November 5, 2003: "I have never denied what happened and have always been brutally honest," said Col. West. "I accept responsibility for the episode, but my intent was to scare this individual and keep my soldiers out of a potential ambush. There were no further attacks from that town. We ... apprehended two other conspirators (a third fled town) and found out one of the conspirators was the father of a man we had detained...

300,000 without power; water OK No estimate when service will be back By Bartholomew Sullivan sullivan@gomemphis.com July 23, 2003 Roughly 300,000 Memphis Light Gas & Water customers were without power Tuesday as crews worked to assess and repair damage to the utility's infrastructure. Two of 10 water-pumping stations were without power, prompting requests from the utility for customers to use water sparingly. Officials said water quality remained excellent and that it's safe to drink. But the answer to the question on everyone's mind - when will my power be restored? - seemed to be "Nobody can tell you.'' That's how...