Posted on 03/20/2006 3:54:55 PM PST by Gucho
March 20, 2006
BAQUABAH, Iraq -- The Mountaineer Academy is designed to turn legal clerks, medics and truck drivers into a single unit charged with protecting the lives of property of all those who are stationed here.
Prior to going on shift as a member of the base’s force protection Soldiers must complete the daylong academy training. It includes a review of the duties guard posts, rules of engagement, a weapons systems refresher and finally an orientation on the guard post itself.
"You guys are a very important piece," said 1st Lt. William Cunningham, who serves as force protection officer for Forward Operating Base Warhorse. "Don’t discount the importance of your duties over the next couple of weeks."
Cunningham, who hails from Berryville, Va., presides over the initial briefing along with the sergeants of the guard. He tells the incoming guard force that they need to be in the proper uniform whenever they are on duty and that they must remain vigilant as a deterrent against insurgent forces.
One of the sergeants of the guard is Sgt. Anthony Smith from Compton, Ky. A former Marine, Smith is a TOW missile systems technician who is permanently assigned to the Base Defense Operating Center.
"You stay busy," Smith said. "It keeps you occupied."
Smith works a 12-hour shift each day. He is responsible for ensuring Guards are properly stationed and is the first person notified if anything out of the ordinary happens.
Many Soldiers have varying degrees of experience both in the Army and familiarity with weapons systems used in the base’s defense array. While some have served here during previous rotations others are fresh out of advance individual training.
Under the watchful eye of Sgt. Doug Winchester (left) Pfc. Yolanda Santos takes aim with a 50-caliber machine gun. She is among those training for base force protection duties. (Photo by Spc. Lee Elder, 133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)
"The hardest part is training up some Soldiers who have never been on Guard," Smith said. "It’s our job to make sure they are mentally prepared to handle the different guard posts."
The force handles security at all the post’s gates and towers as well as the dining facility. Each position has its own unique set of challenges and procedures.
Most Soldiers pull four-hour shifts twice a day for two weeks. Many also continue working in their normal places of duty while working on force protection duty.
After the briefing is over, Soldiers are quickly formed up and bussed to the range. Once there, they will be familiarized with the 50-caliber machine gun and the squad automatic rifles used at the various guard posts. They are also instructed on the use of the thermal sight device.
Among those Soldiers pulling her first stint as a member of the Guard are Pvt. Justine Novak, Company B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion. A Madison, Wisc., native, normally maintains computers and radios in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team communication shop.
"I don’t know what to expect yet," Novak said. "I’ve never done this before so I’m kind of excited."
Along with other Soldiers, Novak sees her time on shift as a welcome change in routine. It’s a break of sorts from the long hours in an office or a company area.
"I’m probably not going to get a chance to go off the FOB," Novak said. "A guard tower may be the closest I’ll get to see the outside of the base camp."
Also new to Iraq is Pfc. Yolanda Santos, a medic with Company B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion. She had only been in country two weeks and was now attempting to the 50- caliber mounted on the back of a Hummer. Her instructors, Sgt. Doug Winchester, of Paris, Tenn., and Spc. Eric Baird of Tucson, Ariz., watch her closely.
"We do this every day," Winchester said. "I could see how somebody who hasn’t done this much might be a little nervous."
Soldiers are assigned to their posts and finish their training by observing those manning their soon-to-be duty positions. Then, they are ready to take their places.
At the forefront of all the training is the seriousness of the task at hand. It’s a point that is reinforced by each instructor.
Sgt. Donald Hawthorne is another of the sergeants of the Guard. The Eufaula, Ala., native usually works repairing tank turrets, but is now working fulltime with the Base Defense Operating Center.
"It’s a really important position to be in because we are responsible for the safety of everyone on this FOB," Hawthorne said. "I don’t take it lightly."
By Spc. Lee Elder - 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
On the road to Karbala, Shiite pilgrims take part in the religious observance of Arba’een, which happens 40 days after Ashura, a holiday that commemorates the death of Husayn bin Ali, grandson of Muhammad. During Arba’een, Shiites make the trek to Karbala, the site of the A.D. 61 battle in which Husayn and 72 of his followers were killed. The meaning behind the holiday is justice, and takes place as Iraq continues on its path to democracy.
March 20, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, detained three individuals March 17 who are suspected in a drive-by shooting in northwest Baghdad.
The detainees’ vehicle contained multiple AK-47 rifles, a PKC rifle, cell phones and chest racks (load bearing vests). The detainees were brought to Camp Liberty for in-processing.
Elsewhere, elements of the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, and an Estonian platoon, found a weapons cache while on dismounted patrol northwest of Baghdad.
An Iraqi civilian tipped off the patrol to the cache’s whereabouts.
The cache consisted of two 37 mm rounds, three 125 mm rounds and an unknown amount of .50 caliber rounds.
By MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION - BAGHDAD 4th Infantry Division - CAMP LIBERTY - BAGHDAD, IRAQ
Iraqi, Coalition Force leaders meet to discuss security procedures for the anticipated five to six million Arba'een pilgrims.
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Hilliard, commander, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and Iraqi Col. Meryeed M. Hanoun, commander, 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, conduct reconnaissance from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over a main artery that leads into Najaf, March 15, 2006. Shi'a pilgrims are making the trek to Karbala in celebration of Arba'een. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro)
By U.S. Army Cpl. Michael Molinaro - 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, March 20, 2006 — Securing Iraq is a major task for the Government of Iraq and its security forces. Making its residents and guests feel safe is a demanding job for any government.
Arba’een, a Shi’a religious holiday that attracts five to six million pilgrims from all over the Middle East to the city of Karbala, Iraq is currently taking place. Leaders from the Iraqi government and security forces met with Coalition Forces leaders during the past week to discuss security procedures and to see for themselves how the plan is working.
Col. John Tully, commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, held security meetings Thursday in Karbala with Akil al-Khazali, the governor of the Karbala province, and Gen. Razzak, Kerbala provincial police chief.
“We have had a great relationship with Coalition Forces in the past, and the good feelings toward each other continue,” said al-Khazali.
It was the first meeting between Tully and al-Khazali since the Warhorse brigade assumed Karbala and the surrounding provinces as its area of responsibility. The two leaders spoke at great length on security for the holiday.
The threat of terrorism and sectarian violence has made securing the area for the participants a major challenge, said al-Khalazi. Some Iraqis walk as much as 600 kilometers along the roads to Karbala to take part in the festival. Ensuring their safety and making them feel comfortable in the province is a top priority.
“Iraqi Security Forces have clearly taken the lead in providing security for the Arba’een,” Tully said. “We are here to support them if they ask.”
The majority of those making the pilgrimage stay in close proximity of the Hussein shrine downtown, one of the most revered shrines in the Shi’a religion. The area could become a target for violence.
Gen. Razzak, Karbala provincial police chief, and U.S. Army Col. John Tully, commander, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, share a laugh during a meeting at the Joint Communications Center in Karbala, Iraq. The pair discussed security measures for the Arba'een pilgramage. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro)
“My forces are well-prepared to secure the festival,” said Razzak.
Karbala has been relatively peaceful for some time now. As an example, more than 100 Sunni families from Fallujah settled in Karbala recently to feel safe, said al-Khalazi. The province lives as one family, regardless of religious or tribal affiliation.
The hope is that Iraq can move past the recent violence and Sunnis and Shi’a can work together, Tully said. Karbala is a shining example of that.
Razzak said he has held several meetings in the past few days with his officers on how to stick to their duties and deter terrorist threats. So far, few crimes have been reported.
Coalition Forces have provided aerial support in the area, and ISF from surrounding provinces have been brought in to aid in the security for those walking.
Security looked very good on the roads from Musayib to Karbala, said Tully. ISF were checking cars for anything suspicious, and there were plenty of tents and water provided for travel-weary pilgrims to use.
“The plan looks very good,” he said. “I have no doubt that the ISF will provide the needed security to allow the pilgrims to enjoy their holiday.”
- B-52 Pilot Shares Experience, Contributions
U.S. Air Force Maj. Andrea Jensen, 40th Expeditionary Group B-52 pilot, performs pre-flight checks in a B-52 Stratofortress. Jensen has accumulated 100 combat flying hours providing close air support for troops on the ground in Afghanistan in the B-52. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer)
By Master Sgt. Scott King - 40th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, March 20, 2006 — She follows Air Force history – through her family’s footsteps. Her dad, and his brother and sisters grew up in an Air Force family, having nothing but great things to say about the way of life the Air Force had to offer.
Maj. Andrea Jensen, a forward deployed B-52 pilot with the 40th Air Expeditionary Group, said she has had a love of planes since she can remember. On her first assignment as a second lieutenant, she decided to turn that love of planes into reality while she was at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
“I was working as project engineer, for what is now the Air Force Research Lab, at Edwards,” she said. “When I got the chance, I would step outside and watch all the flying activity. I especially enjoyed watching the SR-71 and the C-17 – that’s when I decided to trade my lab job for a career in the cockpit.”
The native of Minnesota earned her pilot’s license while in high school, but thought at the time it would always be a hobby. Now, she has accumulated more than 100 combat hours flying the Stratofortress above the skies of Afghanistan.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to apply my skills as a pilot in a combat environment,” Jensen said. “Providing close air support for our U.S. and coalition ground troops using the B-52 platform allows our ground forces to get some sleep at night – our presence in the air is vital for their sustainment and well being.”
Her schooling has been her stepping-stone into the B-52. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was commissioned from the Air Force ROTC program in 1995. While at Edwards, she applied for pilot training, was accepted, and graduated from Laughlin Air Force Base’s, Texas Undergraduate Pilot Training in 1999.
Her first assignment as a pilot was at Laughlin where she flew as a T-37 instructor pilot. Following her assignment there, she moved on to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and attended B-52 Initial Qualification Training. In May 2004 she graduated as an aircraft commander, and joined the 20th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale.
With relatively short time in the B-52, about two years, Jensen said she feels her role as a pilot supporting Operation Enduring Freedom pays dividends through deterrence.
“Our task is different from day-to-day over Afghanistan,” she said. “At times, we are asked by the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers on the ground, to provide a show of force by coming in low and dropping flares. Other times, when requested, we actually drop bombs – either way, we always have successful effects against the enemy.
“The controllers are extremely professional at what they do,” she added. “They bring a calm demeanor, in the midst of chaotic conditions on the ground. Up in the air, we’re pretty far removed from what’s happening on the ground – I’m just happy we can assist when our forces are in harms way.”
The role and history of women in the Air Force is both impressive and extensive. Jensen said she hopes to make her mark in this history.
“From my perspective, it’s easy to take the role of women in the military for granted,” she said. “More than a decade has passed since women first flew in combat. I really appreciate all the contributions women have made over the years that got us where we are today. Women don’t yet have complete equality in all facets of military operations, and I don’t know if we’ll ever truly reach completely equitable conditions. But from my perspective, being a successful officer and pilot is not about being male or female – it’s about doing your job as best you can.”
Monday, March 20, 2006
Taliban, poverty fueling Afghan opium boom
Monday, March 20, 2006
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (R) shakes hands with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah at the beginning of their meeting in the Secretary's Outer Office at the State Department in Washington March 20, 2006. (REUTERS/Yuri Gripas)
By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 20, 2006 – Extremists cannot hope to match the United States and its coalition allies in battle, but that might not matter at all. Al Qaeda and like terrorist groups understand that they only have to win the battle for American resolve to be successful, a top military strategy official said.
Americans are an impatient people, and that impatience will work against final victory in what many people are now calling "the Long War," Army Brig. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., the Joint Staff's director of strategy for the global war on terrorism, said in an interview.
The Long War is more than just the battle in Iraq or Afghanistan, and calling the struggle the Long War does not mean that U.S. troops will be in those nations for a long time. Rather, is the term refers to the overall struggle against the ideology of extremism, the general explained.
Defeating an ideology is tough and will require time and resources to win, Caslen said. Defeating the appeal of fascism took almost 25 years. The appeal of this "ism" began soon after World War I ended and was not defeated until the Allies defeated the Nazis in 1945. Defeating the ideology of communism took most of the 20th century and the long-term resolve of the Cold War.
The United States has proven it can maintain this resolve. The Cold War against an expansionist Soviet Union began soon after World War II ended and ran through the implosion of the nation in 1991. The temperature of the Cold War heated and cooled through the era -- hotter in Korea, Berlin and Vietnam -- but the core of the struggle remained, and it was the grandchildren of those who began the struggle who reaped its benefits.
It will be the same with extremism and terrorism, Caslen said. Americans must retain that resolve and commitment as the war on terrorism continues, he said.
The terrorists have a battle plan, just as Adolph Hitler did. And like Hitler did in "Mein Kampf," al Qaeda and affiliated groups have published their strategic goals, Caslen said.
Their first goal is to drive America from Iraq and establish Islamic authority in the country. This would give the extremists a base to operate from and would help in their second goal, which is to go after and defeat all neighboring "apostate" states -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Syria, Iran and Jordan. These countries, terrorist groups have claimed, have abandoned Islamic ideals.
The third step is to destroy Israel. The fourth step would be to establish a Caliphate -- a government under a supreme religious ruler -- stretching from Central Asia to the Atlantic.
"Could it happen?" Caslen asked. "Yes. If we lose our resolve."
Studies have shown that it takes on average nine years to successfully put down an insurrection, the general said. Studies have also shown that the American peoples' support begins to wane after about three years, he said. Through American history the three-year mark seems to be important.
In 1864, after three years of battles and lengthening casualty lists in the U.S. Civil War, a large peace group blossomed throughout the North.
After three years of war in the 1950s, the United States pushed for an armistice to end fighting on the Korean Peninsula.
In 1968, three years after the first major U.S. combat units landed near Da Nang, South Vietnam, the peace movement in the United States significantly matured.
"So if it takes nine years to overcome an insurrection but the American people only have three years of patience, that leaves you a six-year gap," Caslen said.
Convincing Americans to maintain their resolve becomes a strategic necessity. "Americans would be much more patient with this struggle if they understood what the implications are," Caslen said.
Caslen wondered aloud what the effect on the West would be if extremists were to be successful in their goals. "How would life change? Could free and democratic societies survive? Even if they could, life would be completely different," he said.
Countries would have to curtail freedoms, Caslen said, because if such enemies got weapons of mass destruction they would threaten much of the world. "Osama bin Laden said that it is the religious duty of all Muslims to acquire weapons of mass destruction and use them against the 'infidel,'" Caslen said. "If (bin Laden) had the chance to use asymmetric threats and kill 3 million people instead of 3,000 (on Sept. 11, 2001,) he would have."
A war of ideas exists within Islam between the small numbers of extremists and the vast moderate majority, Caslen said. American strategy, therefore, needs to concentrate on defeating not only extremists in arms, but stopping people from joining extremist organizations.
U.S. strategy has to be aimed at improving conditions around the world so the percentage of those who believe in such extremism shrinks. "Even if just one percent of Muslims worldwide believe in the extremist, terrorist interpretation of Islam, that's 12 million people," Caslen said.
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BAGHDAD, March 20 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari said on Monday that questioning of terrorists revealed plots to ignite a sectarian war. The Prime Minister said the terrorists are deliberately committing these crimes and then putting large numbers of dead bodies in one place to give the impression the crime was committed for sectarian motives.
Al-Jaafari also said that the large number of dead bodies found in Baghdad is explained by the fact that there are a big number of media people in the capital and the criminals want to show the media that a sectarian war has effectively started in Iraq.
The Samarra bombings were clear indication that the terrorists are seeking a sectarian war among Iraqis, he added in a statement distributed by his office.
As always, thank you very much!
Cheney: Don't Listen to Kennedy
Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 4:23 p.m. EST
Sen. Ted Kennedy is the last person to listen to in matters of national security, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday.
Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation," Cheney responded to host Bob Schieffer's remark that Kennedy, D-Mass., had said on the third anniversary of the Iraq war: "It is clearer than ever that Iraq was a war that we never should have fought. The administration has been dangerously incompetent and its Iraq policy is not worthy of the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.
"President Bush continues to see the war through the same rose colored glasses he's always used. He assures the American people we are winning while the lives of our troops hang so perilously on the precipice of a new disaster."
Said Cheney: "I would not listen to Ted Kennedy for guidance and leadership on how we ought to manage national security. I think what Senator Kennedy reflects is sort of the pre-9/11 mentality about how we ought to deal with that part of the world. We used to operate on the assumption before 9/11 that a terrorist attack, a criminal act, was a law enforcement problem.
"We were hit repeatedly in the '90s and never responded effectively. When the terrorists came to believe not only could they strike us with impunity but if they hit us hard enough that we'd change our policy."
Cheney explained that "we changed all that on 9/11. After they hit us and killed 3,000 Americans here at home we said enough's enough, we're going to aggressively go after them - go after the terrorists where we can find them and go after those states that sponsor terrorism and go after people who provide them with weapons of mass destruction.
"That kind if aggressive forward-leading strategy is one of the main reasons we haven't been struck again. Senator Kennedy's approach is pack [up] and go home and retreat behind the ocean and assume we can be safe. It was learned on 9/11 that in fact what's going on 10,000 miles away in a place like Afghanistan has a direct impact on the United States when we lost 3,000 people.
"We know now that the biggest threat of all that we face is not just another 9/11 but a 9/11 where the terrorists have something like nuclear weapons or deadly biological agents.
"The Iraq situation has to be seen in the broader context of a global war on terror. It is a global contest. You can't look just at Iraq and make decisions there with respect as to how that's going to come out without having major consequences.
"I think we are going to succeed in Iraq. I think the evidence is overwhelming. I think Ted Kennedy been wrong from the very beginning, he's the last man I'd go to for guidance as to how we should conduct national security policy."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/19/162546.shtml
You're welcome Justanobody.
03/20/2006 - 07:45
AFP
ROME (AFP) - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi said Saddam Hussein should still be considered Iraq's legal president and the current government illegitimate as it was elected under an occupation regime.
In an interview with the Italian Sky TG24 television channel, he slammed the practice of sending in troops to get rid of heads of state, saying that by that theory he could be next.
Kadhafi said that "Saddam Hussein cannot be tried because he is a prisoner of war and under the Geneva Convention should be released at the end of hostilities.
"Saddam is still to be considered the legal president of Iraq because he was not overthrown by the people but by the occupation forces."
"It is dangerous to send troops to eliminate heads of state who are not appreciated, because tomorrow it could be the turn of Castro, Kadhafi or Mugabe, or even China and North Korea," he said, referring to Cuban President Fidel Castro and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe.
"The invasion of Iraq was not justified because Saddam had already abandoned weapons of mass destruction," Kadhafi added, referring to the main US pretext for invading Iraq three years ago.
He said that the United States should get out of Iraq in its own interest "because the Iraqis are no longer afraid of the Americans so that the murder of US soldiers has become routine."
Libya and the United States resumed direct diplomatic relations in June 2004 -- after a gap of 24 years which saw US planes bomb Tripoli in 1986 -- following Kadhafi's announcement of a programme to destroy his weapons of mass destruction.
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