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When Gunnery Sgt. Marcus Hyman was told he’d get to sit down with Barack Obama on Monday, the Marine knew what he wanted to find out: What’s the president’s plan for Afghanistan? Obama didn’t go into great detail answering Hyman, the young man said after their chat, but the future of the faltering war was clearly on the president’s mind during his afternoon visit to Jacksonville Naval Air Station. (snip) Not everyone in the audience was as excited — some sailors said they were upset about being ordered to come — but for many, the speech was a unique opportunity.

Top 'terrorism suspect' freed: report LONDON (AFP) – The government has released a man it considers a top dangerous terrorist suspect from virtual house arrest, possibly to avoid disclosing secret evidence against him, a report said Monday. The unnamed man has been closely monitored and his movements severely restricted since 2006 because of his alleged links with Islamic terrorists, although he has never been charged, the Times said. His control order, which confines him to his home for 16 hours a day, was revoked last week and his electronic monitoring tag removed, despite government claims that he remains a threat,...

JERUSALEM, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Air Force (IAF) plans to partake in several aerial drills abroad later this year in a bid to train its pilots for long-range flights, reported local daily The Jerusalem Post on Monday. The air force will send F-16C fighter jets to the U.S. state of Nevada later this month for the Red Flag exercise at the Nellis Air Force Base, and meanwhile dispatch several C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to participate in the Rodeo 2009 competition at the McChord Air Force Base in the state of Washington, said the report. In addition, the IAF...

Crew flies injured Iraqi soldiers to Erbil for care. By 3rd Medical Command Public Affairs CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, May 16, 2007 — The Iraqi Air Force continues to display its growing capabilities by performing another first – a double-patient transfer. Not two months after the Iraqi Air Force conducted its first aeromedical transfer, a policeman transported from the 28th Combat Support Hospital to an Iraqi treatment facility, two patients were transported together from the 28th’s hospital to an Iraqi medical facility in Erbil, May 8. This is the second all Iraqi aeromedical transfer to move patients from the 28th CSH...

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – An Air Force logistics officer essentially traded in his blue uniform for Army green during his stint as a convoy commander in Afghanistan. Air Force Capt. Michael J. Frasco poses for a photo in the Pentagon. Defense Dept. photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Capt. Michael J. Frasco, 35, who hails from Albuquerque, N.M., volunteered to be a supply convoy commander during a tour in Afghanistan in 2006, a job traditionally performed by an Army officer. He also served as a trainer for the Afghan National Army....

Boeing Co. is negotiating the sale of 12 Chinook CH-47 military transport helicopters to India's air force, a senior company official said Friday. The cost of the aircraft plus support and training programs totals about US$600 million, said Dean Millsap, the Asia Pacific director of Boeing Integrated Business Development, a division of Chicago-based Boeing. "We have held unofficial meetings with the Indian Air Force officials, but haven't got anything in writing," Millsap said told reporters in Bangalore, according to Dow Jones newswires. Millsap, speaking on the sidelines of an air show in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, said the...

IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shkedy said on Sunday that the IAF had only used "a small proportion of its fire power" in its attacks on Lebanon, adding that it was the IDF's prerogative how much of its military capability to use and warning that "the other side should consider all its alternatives." "Our fighter jets have made over 1000 flights and our attack helicopters over 350," ... "The results of our operations have been good and the targeting precise..." The IAF commander explained that Hizbullah infrastructure had been targeted in the north, south and center of Lebanon. Shkedy added that...

WASHINGTON (ARMY NEWS SERVICE, March 23, 2006) – Army and Air Force officials announced March 17 that a new Joint Cargo Aircraft, designed to enhance the combat readiness of both services, will be developed by a combined team. Fielding of the new aircraft is expected within two years. The Request for Proposals was released March 17 after the Acquisition Strategy Report was signed that morning, according to Pentagon officials. A Joint Program Office, comprised of personnel from both branches of service, will open Oct. 1 in Huntsville, Ala., with the Army taking the lead. “This is a big day for...

In the bedroom of a dingy apartment on Tucson's South Side, Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Johnston snapped on a pair of latex gloves and gently probed the rib cage of a 40-year-old woman weeping with pain. She'd been sick for days. Her fever was 104. Her only medicine: Nyquil. "Where does it hurt?," Johnston asked. "My chest," the woman panted, crying out as a coughing spasm overtook her. An hour later, Johnston is on another city street, trying to make sense of a babbling 21-year-old woman who seems strung out ---

/20/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Six thousand miles away from her native country of China, Yi Liu knew she wanted to make a name for herself in America. She grew up in a small copper mining town in the province of Canton and immigrated to the United States in 2003. At the age of 21, she lived with her family in a “box-sized” apartment in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “I was thrilled to be in the United States,” said Airman 1st Class Yi Liu, who is assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Services Squadron “Grab and Go” flight kitchen. “We waited...

PARIS, Nov 23 (AFP) - The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will deliver A380 superjumbo airliners to Air France a year late on April 1, 2008, Air France president Jean-Cyril Spinetta said on Wednesday outside a press conference on the airline's six-month results. Spinetta had warned at a general meeting of shareholders in Air France-KLM on July 12 that the A380 would be delivered six months later than the planned date of April 1, 2007. The airline's head of finance, Philippe Calavia, said on Wednesday: "Airbus has had problems in respecting its planning. "We have agreed between us simply to delay...

BEIJING – Shi Jin wears a jean jacket, has razor-cropped hair, and seems gravely earnest. An officer in the People's Liberation Army, he was wooed from a Beijing vocational college three years ago by recruiters who talked up his technical aptitude - and his patriotism. In the past decade, China has undergone two military high-tech reforms designed to give the country a modern fighting force. To sustain that progress, it must attract many more gung-ho young engineers like Shi, who spends most of his time working on an "informational" revolution that planners hope will one day allow them to "see"...

Pakistan's Daily Times reports that India is set to purchase some 50 Heron MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) UAVs from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) in a deal worth $220 million. They will reportedly be put to use carrying out reconnaissance missions on India's mountainous borders with China and Pakistan. India was said to have been close to sealing the deal in 2004, but it was postponed due to the change in governments in New Delhi. The Heron's performance during the December 2004 tsunami apparently clinched the India deal, and they are not alone in being impressed by the Heron's capabilities....

The decision of the Left parties to publicly demonstrate and try to disrupt the India-USA air exercises being held in West Bengal raises many doubts, not only about the understanding of national security issues by major national parties currently supporting the government, but also their sense of responsibility. One wonders how much understanding those demonstrating against the joint exercises have of the issues involved. Let us look at some facts first. The air force base at Kalaikunda was originally built by the Americans (including the two satellite airfields at Kharagpur and Dudhkudi), as part of a vast network of bases...

The stage is all set for the joint Indo-US air exercise from Monday with the arrival of F-16 aircraft at Kalaikunda airbase in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal amid demonstrations by the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists against the event. The Indian Air Force, undeterred by the demonstrations, remained busy with its preparations for holding joint exercise with the Americans, titled COPE- 05, from November seven. "The 250-strong American Air Force contingent, led by Colonel Cobat Nelson, with an F-16 fighter aircraft squadron has reached Kalaikunda from Miswa Air Base in Japan. The custom clearance of...

WASHINGTON -- The Air Force is now fighting three "wars," said the service's senior-most civilian leader. Those three wars are the war on terrorism, the effort to provide disaster relief in the United States, and the push for reform of the Air Force acquisition process, said Pete Geren, acting Secretary of the Air Force, during the Air Force Association's 2005 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 12. Mr. Geren said the Air Force is engaged in the war on terrorism 24 hours a day, but many Americans do not see the service's contributions to that fight. "Our...

UH-60 in Mosul, Iraq Night video. In this video, a helo fires at an insurgent position with its minigun, 20mm cannon and rockets. Unfortunately, the location is unknown. Also see a video reportedly of an UH-60 Blackhawk attacking an insurgent position in Mosul. Visit the video archives

WASHINGTON -- Within hours of Hurricane Katrina passing through the Gulf Coast region, the Air Force started responding by not only taking care of its own people and infrastructure, but also assisting in rescue and recovery missions. "The total force of the Air Force -- the active duty, Guard and Reserve -- have responded aggressively and effectively to the challenge of the Hurricane Katrina (aftermath)," said acting Secretary of the Air Force Pete Geren. "We currently have over 8,000 Air Force personnel deployed right now (in support of operations)." Air Force units have provided aerial photography and imagery of the...

$93.4M Winner Comes Forward! (powerball lottery goes to an AF Sgt.)   John San Cartier August 10, 2005New Mexico Albuquerque, NM – A master sergeant assigned to the 58th Training Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque has claimed a $93.4 million Powerball jackpot. John San Cartier correctly matched all six numbers drawn on August 10. It was the New Mexico Lottery's third Powerball jackpot, the second-largest prize in the state, and the largest claimed by an individual. The winning numbers were 13-31-36-38-49 and the Powerball was 2. San Cartier chose the $52.2 million lump-sum option. After federal withholding taxes...

TORONTO (CNS) -- A Tanzanian priest aboard an Air France jet that crashed in Toronto and burst into flames said he was "prepared for death." "I was actually prepared for death. I said, 'God, we are dying. Save us God.' That was my last prayer," Father Ayub Mwampela told The Catholic Register of Toronto a day after the Aug. 2 crash. As Father Mwampela was praying, passengers around him began to shout. Panic mushroomed inside the plane as people realized something was very wrong. Passengers had gone from applauding the crew for a difficult landing to the grip of fear....

Nikola Tesla: Unsung genius or raving loony? The history of technology is populated with a marvellous cast of characters. On the one hand you have the colourful, hard-working inventors like Thomas Edison who slaved away morning, noon and night to produce many of the wonders that we take for granted such as the incandescent light, the telephone, and the garlic peeler. On the other you have the moonbat crazies who show up at the patent office with a cardboard box stuffed with wires and a torch battery claiming that they've made contact with John Kerry's charisma. And then there is...

TENSION: The US defense secretary indicated that India is the country to watch in the Asian region, and that China stood to cripple itself unless it embraces political reform AFP AND AP , SINGAPORE Saturday, Jun 04, 2005,Page 1 US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday said he expects US military ties with India to strengthen over the coming years and predicted that China's influence will decline unless it moves to a freer political system. "It's pretty clear where India's going, and one would anticipate the relationship with India will continue to strengthen as we go through the period ahead," Rumsfeld...

DENVER (AP) - The Air Force said Tuesday it is setting up a task force to investigate the religious climate at the Air Force Academy after reports of intolerance, including incidents of anti-Semitism. The task force will assess Air Force policy and guidance when it comes to religious respect and tolerance, acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael L. Dominguez said in a statement. It will also look into practices by commanders "that either enhance or detract from a climate that respects both the free exercise of religion and the establishment clauses of the First Amendment.

Help build the movement to stop the war: 1) Endorse - http://troopsoutnow.org/endorse.html 2) Organize transportation from your area http://troopsoutnow.org/orgcents.html 3) Forward this update to your lists 4) Donate http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.html Plans for the March 19, 2005, March and Rally in Central Park, NYC are drawing support from antiwar groups across the country. Saturday, March 19, the second anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, is a world-wide day of protest. In New York City, a broad coalition of antiwar, community, solidarity, and labor organizations will march from Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem to Central Park's East Meadow to demand the immediate,...

Seeking to play down India's concern over supply of arms to Pakistan, the United States said on Monday that it would like to be a "bigger supplier" of weaponry to New Delhi. It also dismissed New Delhi's apprehension that the US move would have negative impact on bilateral ties as well as on the India-Pakistan dialogue process. Rumsfeld's India visit | More News "The US is deeply sensitive to India's views on these matters," US Ambassador David Mulford told a group of reporters in New Delhi when asked about India's concerns over the defence supplies that could adversely affect the...

The clothier boycotted last winter by pro-family groups for its pornographic holiday quarterly has skipped the nudity and salaciousness in this year's edition. One of the hallmarks of the past several Christmas seasons is nowhere to be found this year — and family advocates couldn't be happier. What's missing? A nudity-packed holiday catalog from notorious clothier Abercrombie & Fitch, which has toned down its pornographic marketing strategy in the wake of a boycott launched last winter by Focus on the Family and other pro-family groups. "They were compelled to make a change because of the economic impact of people who...

Civil rights attorneys today announced the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Gonzalez v. Abercrombie & Fitch, requiring the retail clothing giant to pay $40 million dollars to Latino, African American, Asian American and women applicants and employees who charged the company with discrimination. The settlement, approved this morning by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston, also requires the company to institute a range of policies and programs to promote diversity among its workforce and to prevent discrimination based on race or gender.

JERUSALEM: Signalling continuity in the high profile strategic defence partnership between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy, would pay a five-day visit to Israel early next month. "His visit is a part of the annual plan to strengthen bilateral military cooperation between the two countries," a spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces said here. The visit to commence on September 5 "will reciprocate an earlier visit to India by Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Dan Halutz last year, the official said. Air Chief Marshal Krishnaswamy will visit various Israeli...

Michigan's Air National Guard A member of the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., prepares for an armed reconnaissance mission in Kirkuk, Iraq, April 13, 2004. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Glenn Wilkewitz ==========================  Q                       ==========================  Q     Members of the 107th Fighter Squadron from Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., prepare for an armed reconnaissance mission in Kirkuk, Iraq, April 13, 2004. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Glenn Wilkewitz         ==========================                    Q    ===================    Q                   =====================================     Q  ...

Airmen recruit Iraqi military IRAQ -- Capt. Pete Ellum (left) and Master Sgt. Greg Elmore wait outside a recruiting station here. They are recruiting for the Iraqi armed forces, border patrol, police force, facilities-protection service and other agencies here. Captain Ellum is deployed from the 319th Recruiting Squadron at Portsmouth, N.H. Sergeant Elmore is from Air Force Recruiting Service at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. (Courtesy photo) by Tech. Sgt. John Asselin Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs 3/31/2004 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Two Air Force recruiters are using their training and skills to recruit a distinct group of...

F/A-22 required for deep strike against enemy threats by Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez Air Force Print News 3/5/2004 - WASHINGTON -- Maintaining deep-strike capability is critical to future warfighting operations. In a March 3 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on projection forces, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley said the Air Force must continue to maintain its deep-strike capability. "(Deep strike) must be defined as the capability to achieve the desired effects rapidly and persistently upon any target set in any environment, anywhere, at any time," General Moseley said. "Simply said, we must continue to be...

PARIS (AFP) - A strike by Air France flight attendants caused minimal disruption at the two major airports serving Paris, after the airline cancelled a number of flights as a precaution, airport sources said. "Several flights" were cancelled at the main Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, north of the capital, and about a dozen at Orly, south of the city, in the morning, but afternoon schedules were unaffected. A source said support for the stoppage was weak at Roissy while only about 30 percent of flight attendants joined it at Orly. The strike was scheduled to end at midnight on...

Tick Tock at Tallil Printable VersionAs the first forward-deployed air base established in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, day-to-day life changes at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, like the shifting sands. Located 180  miles south of Baghdad, there’s adrenaline-pumping excitement sandwiched between days of boredom. The war, although not as intense as it once was, brings with it a sense of purpose and pride.by Tech. Sgt. Orville F. Desjarlais Jr.photos by Master Sgt. Lance CheungPre-dawn: Before the desert sun generates heat levels capable of exploding an aerosol can inside a car where internal temperatures can skyrocket to 150 degrees, members...

Secretary reveals future systems at AFA symposium by Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski Air Force Print News 2/13/2004 - WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche revealed a list of new focus areas, as well as planned changes to existing systems and proposals for new aircraft that could significantly increase the service’s lethality and effectiveness. The secretary laid out plans to improve special operations, close-air support and battlefield management systems and recommended a trio of new battle management aircraft. Dr. Roche made his remarks Feb. 12 at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air Warfare Symposium in Lake Buena Vista, Fla....

<p>KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — American and Afghan troops raided a compound in southern Afghanistan, sparking a firefight in which one suspect was injured, the U.S. military said Monday. The raid took place Sunday morning near Deh Rawood, spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty told The Associated Press. The town in Uruzgan province has been a focus of activity for suspected Taliban militants.</p>

Is the pornography business racist? Seriously. A cursory — and entirely dispassionate — examination of the marketplace seems to indicate that it is. Pornographers hire on the basis of race all the time. There are porn films, websites, magazines, etc. dedicated solely to African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and, of course, whites. Worse, I suppose, the porn industry regularly traffics in hurtful ethnic slurs — calling young Hispanic women "spicy," for example — the vast, vast, vast majority of which I cannot mention on this family-oriented website (not to be confused with families-of-Orientals fetish sites). Hollywood long ago broke the racial...

Clothier dismissed family groups' impact, had insisted racy quarterly would be back Abercrombie & Fitch announced it will permanently cease publication of a controversial quarterly catalog that prompted a boycott campaign by family advocacy groups. Despite claims to the contrary in recent weeks, the Christmas issue featuring pornography and articles about "group sex and more" will be the company's last "magalog." Abercrombie said it pulled the "Christmas Field Guide" from stores just before Thanksgiving to clear shelf space for a new perfume, but insisted another issue would come out in January with the usual naked young people in sexually provocative...

If you go into your local shopping mall, you’ll find something missing from the counter at Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing store that uses porn to sell clothing to kids. The Christmas edition of its quarterly magazine is gone. Although the company won’t admit it, economic pressure from thousands of citizens is almost certainly the reason it pulled the “Christmas Field Guide” from all 651 stores. The issue featured pictures of naked male and female models in sexual poses, including group sex. And advice from a so-called “sexpert” urges kids to get as much sexual experience as they can in...

In matters of foreign policy, Teddy Roosevelt advised, one should speak softly and carry a big stick. Last month tens of thousands of Americans applied that advice to a vexing domestic matter. Their "big stick" was the threat of a nationwide boycott of one of Roosevelt's favorite stores, Abercrombie and Fitch. The threat worked. Four days before the official start of the Christmas shopping season — Abercrombie, known for overpriced clothes and underdressed models — ordered its 651 stores to stop selling "The Christmas Field Guide," the latest edition of the company's pornographic quarterly magazine. It's evidently the start of...

NEW ALBANY, Ohio, 10:41 a.m. EDT June 17, 2003 - Casual clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch has been hit with a lawsuit for racial discrimination amid claims it favors whites over nonwhites for its sales floor jobs, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The paper said the New-Albany-based operator of more than 600 stores is accused of discriminating against Hispanics, Asians and blacks in its recruitment as it seeks to project what the retailer calls the "classic American" look.

Calling it the 'modern day version of Underoos' a national clothing company is selling thong underwear in children's sizes -with the words 'eye candy' and 'wink wink' printed on the front.Abercrombie and Fitch, the same retailer that enraged paerents last year with a summer catalogue of teenage looking models groping each other in the nude, now offers several varities of the thongs at its Abercrombie stores, the division of the company for children 7 to 14 years old.'It's cute and fun and sweet,' said Hampton Carey spokesman for the company based in New Albany Ohio.But some parents are far from...