Posted on 08/26/2006 4:14:40 PM PDT by Gucho
By Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer - 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Aug 26, 2006
Field Artillery celebration in Kirkuk
KIRKUK, Iraq -- Soldiers with 320th Field Artillery Regiment and guests from across 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division gathered at Forward Operating Base Warrior today to celebrate the history of Field Artillery and honor St. Barbara -- the patron saint of the FA.
St. Barbara’s Day is an annual event held to honor those Soldiers, past and present, who embody the spirit of what it means to be an Artillery troop. Those individuals meeting the standards established by the artillery “brotherhood” are rewarded with an induction into the Order of St. Barbara, an honor only a select few receive annually.
“Why celebrate St. Barbara’s Day? The holiday is normally celebrated in December,” said Lt. Col. Marty Holland, commander, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. “In 1990, in a tent not much different than this one in Saudi Arabia, the Red Legs of the 101st Airborne Division gathered to celebrate St. Barbara’s Day. I was fortunate enough to receive my St. Barbara’s medal from the division commander … it is an event I will never forget … why celebrate St. Barbara now? The better question is, why not.”
This year the battalion known as the “Balls of the Eagle” held their St. Barbara’s celebration in August, just before the Brigade’s expected return to Fort Campbell, Ky. Several FA Soldiers were inducted into the Honorable Order of St. Barbara, a memorable event that Holland says he hopes his Soldiers never forget.
“Today is a celebration of fire support and the fire support team,” Holland said. “It is not an individual celebration, but a unit celebration.”
Before awarding the honorees, leaders from Balls of the Eagle mixed up the traditional Artillery Punch -- a brew of ingredients symbolic to those within the unit. This year’s concoction included chai (a tea popular among the residents in Iraq), an energy drink, some protein powder, an old sock and even a dose of antacid - in honor of the many bouts of indigestion suffered by some after dining on the local fare. The grog may seem noxious to some, but to the Soldiers in attendance, each charge held memories of the past year, be they solemn or humorous.
“Let’s take a few moments to laugh at ourselves,” Holland said, “and a few minutes to celebrate the traditions of the Field Artillery.”
After proving their worthiness to St. Barbara by downing the Artillery punch, inductees were congratulated by Col. Skip Larsen, commander, 18th Field Artillery Brigade.
“Providing fire support is a complex objective, made of numerous tasks, but a singular objective to support the maneuver commander,” said Larsen. “We did that task, that objective, better than any other Army.”
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
KIRKUK, Iraq -- Soldiers with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division stand to be recognized before being inducted into the Honorable Order of St. Barbara at Forward Operating Base Warrior. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer)
By Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
Aug 25, 2006
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A platoon of Estonian soldiers attached to 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, detained five suspected terrorists and seized their weapons after a small-arms engagement Tuesday north of Baghdad in Saab al Bour.
The Estonian soldiers searched the area near the source of the hostile fire and seized three AK-47 assault rifles, a PKC machine gun with ammunition and a sniper scope.
The suspects are being held for questioning.
In a separate incident, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, confiscated a large weapons cache and detained one suspected terrorist Tuesday in eastern Baghdad.
The MND-B Soldiers discovered the cache when they stopped a suspicious looking convoy of civilian vehicles and found several armed men mixed in with the vehicles.
Upon searching the vehicles, the Soldiers discovered 28 AK-47 assault rifles, three PKM machineguns, a Dragunov rifle, 55 AK-47 magazines and various amounts of ammunition.
The weapons were confiscated and a suspected terrorist is being held for questioning.
By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Aug 25, 2006
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Police discovered and disarmed an improvised explosive device outside of Asadabad in Kunar Province on Aug. 23.
ANP secured the sight to protect civilians from the area and a Coalition explosives ordnance disposal detachment from Asadabad disarmed the device.
“Getting this IED out of the hands of extremists improves the safety and security for all Afghans,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, Combined Joint Task Force – 76 spokesman. “Now this weapon cannot be used against Afghan and Coalition forces or turned against innocent civilians as an intimidation tactic.”
Afghans should report suspicious or known extremist activity to the local Provincial Coordination Center , or to Afghan or Coalition security forces.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The attacks, even the casualties, were expected after the snows melted in southern Afghanistan and insurgents launched their "spring offensive." So too were the raids by the shadowy rebels, meant to test the resolve of British and Canadian troops as NATO got set to take over responsibility for security in the southern provinces late last month. But the ferocious attacks haven't let up. Now experts say Canadian troops face a years-long battle to defeat resurgent Taliban fighters who hide out in Pakistan and have armed themselves with deadly guerrilla tactics learned in Iraq.
By Capt. David E. Nevers - 24th MEU
ABOARD USS IWO JIMA (Aug. 25, 2006) -- Nearly 1,000 Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, fresh from duty in Lebanon, arrived in the East African nation of Djibouti Thursday to begin their first training exercise since returning to the Central Command area of operations.
The Marines moved ashore by helicopter and air-cushioned landing craft dispatched from two amphibious assault ships in the Gulf of Aden, the USS Iwo Jima and USS Nashville.
They’ll spend the next several days firing an array of weapons aboard desert training ranges in the small but strategically important country, situated just north of Somalia at the base of the Horn of Africa. Djibouti is home to the headquarters of the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, a key component of U.S. strategy in the Global War on Terror.
The Marines of the 24th MEU, who returned to the CENTCOM theater Sunday after spending most of the past month off the coast of Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea, welcomed the chance to emerge from the confines of the ship.
“We’ll take every opportunity we can to sharpen our tactical skills,” said Col. Ron Johnson, the MEU commander. “Preparation for combat is continuous, and we want to be at peak proficiency if and when we get the nod.”
Most of the Marines training ashore are with the MEU’s ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. Joined by leathernecks from the MEU’s other elements, the Marines will fire the gamut of individual and crew-served weapons in their inventory, from small arms to heavy machine guns to mortars. Additionally, pilots and crew from the MEU’s aviation combat element will fire a variety of precision-guided munitions, honing their skills in providing close-air and deep-strike support.
The training in Djibouti is the first opportunity the Marines have had to fire and maneuver in open terrain since mid-July, when they cut short a training exercise in Jordan to assist the departure of American citizens from Lebanon.
The 24th MEU, the landing force for the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, consists of its command element; Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (Reinforced); and MEU Service Support Group 24.
By Anita Powell - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition
Sunday, August 27, 2006
BAGHDAD — The infamous resident may be gone, but the fish are still living large at Saddam Hussein’s former lakeside pleasure palace on what is now Camp Liberty in Baghdad.
A huge colony of small fish — each resembling a cross between a catfish and an eel — meets every night in a roiling black mass in the lagoon outside the distinguished-visitors dining hall. After the visitors have had their fill, the fish feast on their leftovers. The tradition of feeding the fish goes back at least two years, said Sgt. Rick Thompson, who does the 7 p.m. feedings.
Thompson, 37, of Chicago, regularly empties half-full trays of food: on a recent night, the fish feasted on chili macaroni and corned beef casserole, mixed vegetables and salad. As soon as the food hit the water, the waiting fish erupted into a riot of heads, tails and mouths.
Their favorite meal?
“Meat,” Thompson said with a grin. “You want to go swimming?”
To illustrate, he dipped his finger into the mass of feeding fish. Less than five seconds later, he pulled out his hand with a yelp.
“Hey!” he yelled, nursing his wet finger. “That punk bit me!”
Living the high life
Speaking of the high life, distinguished visitors to Iraq’s largest American base live it up in style in Saddam’s former hunting lodge on Camp Liberty.
The self-proclaimed five-star hotel, which sits across the lagoon from Saddam’s Al-Faw palace, was no doubt designed to awe the despot’s visitors with its grandeur. However, the abundance of gilt, marble, mirrors, fake flowers and crystal achieves more of a Donatella-Versace-meets-Wal-Mart aesthetic.
The hotel features intricate (and fake) Moroccan tile work, marble surfaces, salons upholstered with (fake) Louis XVI furniture, chandeliers galore and even Saddam’s surprisingly small private book collection (which has been meticulously curated by American forces).
For guests, the hotel features large, equally gaudily decorated rooms and a luxury rarely seen in Iraq: at least one bathtub.
Co-ed bathroom jitters
The visitors’ bureau is also home to an unusual feature, even for Iraq: a co-ed bathroom trailer. The trailer, which has only toilets and sinks, has one main entrance for everyone, though each gender has a set of private, gender-specific stalls. Men’s stalls are at one end of the long trailer, women’s, at the other.
Still, the thought of doing business in the same room as the opposite sex clearly makes most users a little nervous.
On a recent day, a male officer summed up how most users feel.
“Co-ed bathrooms,” he said to a nearby woman as he washed his hands. “Weird, huh?”
By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Aug 25, 2006
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Coalition forces recovered three weapons caches Aug. 23 while searching three compounds in the Nika District of Paktika Province.
The caches consisted of five AK-47s, a machine gun and ammo, rocket propelled grenade ammo, a mine detector and a Taliban banner and literature.
Serviceable equipment will be turned over to the Afghan National Security Forces for their use and the unserviceable equipment will be dealt with by an explosive ordnance disposal team.
Marijuana was also found in one of the compounds.
“The weapons found in Paktika will no longer be a threat to the lives of Afghan civilians,” said Col. Thomas Collins, Combined Forces Command - Afghanistan spokesman. “We will continue working alongside Afghan security forces to remove these types of deadly weapons wherever we find them to better ensure a peaceful future for the Afghan people.”
A well fed iraqi boy!
Stars and Stripes - European edition
Saturday, August 26, 2006
The U.S. Navy in England passed a milestone this week when the leadership of the unit Commander, U.S. Naval Activities United Kingdom changed hands for the final time.
In a ceremony at RAF Daws Hill on Wednesday, outgoing commander Capt. Stephen Matts handed off charge of the unit to Capt. David Dittmer, who will head the CNAUK until it is “disestablished,” a spokesman for the Navy in the U.K. said.
The Navy’s presence in the U.K. has been diminishing following the move of U.S. Naval Forces Europe to Naples, Italy, and Wednesday’s event heralds the end of the unit’s 41-year run in England.
No date for that disestablishment, however, has been set yet, the spokesman said.
I don't know who captioned that pic, but the Canucks have been slaughtering the taliban.
By Scott Schonauer - Stars and Stripes European edition
Saturday, August 26, 2006
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base wrapped up a two-week exercise in Romania that gave fighter pilots a chance to train alongside their NATO partner and practice low-level flying.
The exercise, dubbed Viper Lance, marked the first time U.S. F-16 pilots have trained in Romania.
About 250 pilots and airmen from the 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were to arrive at their home base on Friday, said Capt. Mike Cumberworth, a spokesman for the 52nd Fighter Wing who deployed with the group.
Although the trip focused on building a better relationship with the Romanians and tactical training, one of the highlights for pilots was flying in the back seat of a MiG-21. The fighter plane was originally built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
It was the first time that Capt. Rob Hansel has flown in the aircraft, which was introduced in the late 1950s and exported to countries across the globe. But the 26-year-old from Anamosa, Iowa, discovered he isn’t about to trade the American-made F-16 Fighting Falcon for the MiG-21.
“Obviously it’s a lot older airplane,” he said by telephone earlier this week. “A lot of the stuff as far as its performance versus an F-16, it isn’t at the same level. But I think the [Romanian] pilots actually do a pretty good job with the airplane that they have, which can be compared a lot to a T-38 in performance.”
U.S. Air Force pilots fly the T-38 Talon to prepare them for such planes as the F-16 and F-15. American pilots still often train to fly against the MiG-21, which also is flown by such countries as Iran and North Korea. The Romanians fly an upgraded version of the plane, called a Lancer.
Airmen from Spangdahlem left for Romania around Aug. 8.
In addition to the demonstration flights, pilots got the chance to practice tactical maneuvers they don’t often get to do in Germany because of restrictions. Pilots got to fly as low as 500 feet off the ground in Romania, Hansel said. Pilots rarely get the chance to fly that low in Germany.
Romania joined NATO in March 2004. The former communist state is to join the European Union on Jan. 1, 2007.
That's what I was thinking.
President's Saturday Radio Address
August 26, 2006
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.
Earlier this week, I had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella in the White House. Rockey is from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, and he and his family lost everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina. Rockey drove to Washington to thank the federal government for its efforts to help people like him. And he brought a trailer along to help remind us that many good people along our Gulf Coast are still living in difficult conditions, and that the hard work of rebuilding has only just begun.
This Tuesday marks the first anniversary of Katrina -- one of the deadliest and most costly natural disasters in American history. In Mississippi, the storm wiped out virtually everything along an 80-mile stretch of the coast, flattening homes and destroying entire communities. In Louisiana, flooding left 80 percent of the city of New Orleans underwater. The human costs were even more terrible. More than a thousand people died, countless families lost their homes and livelihoods, and tens of thousands of men, women, and children were forced to flee the region and leave behind everything they knew.
During the storm and in the days that followed, Americans responded with heroism and compassion. Coast Guard and other personnel rescued people stranded in flooded neighborhoods and brought them to high ground. Doctors and nurses stayed behind to care for their patients, and some even went without food so their patients could eat. Many of the first-responders risking their lives to help others were victims themselves -- wounded healers, with a sense of duty greater than their own suffering. And across our great land, the armies of compassion rallied to bring food and water and hope to fellow citizens who had lost everything. In these and countless other selfless acts, we saw the spirit of America at its best.
Unfortunately, Katrina also revealed that federal, state, and local governments were unprepared to respond to such an extraordinary disaster. And the floodwaters exposed a deep-seated poverty that has cut people off from the opportunities of our country. So last year I made a simple pledge: The federal government would learn the lessons of Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as long as it takes, to help our brothers and sisters build a new Gulf Coast where every citizen feels part of the great promise of America.
That was the same pledge I repeated to Rockey during his visit to the White House. This pledge meant stronger levees and rebuilt homes and new infrastructure. It also means safe streets and neighborhoods filled with locally owned businesses, and more opportunities for everyone.
Next week, Laura and I will return to Mississippi and New Orleans to meet with local citizens and officials, and review the progress we have made. The federal government has conducted a thorough review of its response to natural disasters, and we're making reforms that will improve our response to future emergencies. With help from Congress, we have committed $110 billion to the recovery effort, and we are playing a vital role in helping people clear debris, repair and rebuild their homes, reopen their businesses and schools, and put their lives back together.
The federal government will continue to do its part -- yet a re-born Gulf Coast must reflect the needs, the vision, and the aspirations of the people of Mississippi and Louisiana. And their state and local officials have a responsibility to help set priorities and make tough decisions, so people can plan their futures with confidence.
One year after the storms, the Gulf Coast continues down the long road to recovery. In Mississippi and Louisiana, we can see many encouraging signs of recovery and renewal, and many reminders that hard work still lies ahead. This work will require the sustained commitment of our government, the generosity and compassion of the American people, and the talent and vision of people determined to restore their homes, neighborhoods, and cities. We will stay until the job is done, and by working together, we will help our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast write a new future of hope, justice, and opportunity for all.
Thank you for listening.
END
Yep, MSM often misleading.
Thanks for keeping us posted on events!
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