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BANGOR, Maine — Guess who’s coming to dinner? Waylaid in Bangor by bad weather farther to the north and east, a political who’s who of high-profile travelers greeted troops at Bangor International Airport on Friday night and livened up the local downtown scene before flying out early Saturday. [snip] [Sen Collins said "Rebecca Hupp (airport mgr)] told us they were expecting two planeloads of troops shortly after 5 p.m.,” she said. “She asked if we would be willing to wait at the airport and greet them.” Collins filled her guests in on the city’s storied troop greeters program. [snip] The...

HOUSTON - A small piece of luggage exploded at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday afternoon. No injuries were reported. According to a spokeswoman for the Houston Airport System, the luggage exploded shortly after the jet landed around 2 p.m. Ground crews said they noticed something strange about the luggage and were working to remove it when the explosion occurred. While no injuries were reported

A top priority of DOI Secretary Ken Salazar was to settle the 13-year old Indian Trust lawsuit. That goal was just met and announced. The settlement says the Federal Government will: o Establish a $1.4 billion fund to settle historic trust mismanagement and accounting claims. o Create a $2 billion fund that DOI will use to buy back fractionated Indian lands to ensure the problems raised by Cobell do not occur again. To provide an additional incentive for account holders to sell their interests in fractionated lands, Interior will direct up to 5 percent of the value of fractionated land...

10/16/2009 - BAGHDAD (AFNS) -- The Iraq Civil Aviation Authority assumed full control of daily air traffic operations at the Baghdad International Airport air traffic control tower Oct. 1. Before the transition to full Iraqi control, air traffic operations at BIAP were conducted by Iraqis and U.S. Airmen assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron at Sather Air Base, while more Iraqis trained with the Washington Consulting Group, an American contract firm. "ATC-wise, we work two runways," said Master Sgt. John Kirby, 447th EOSS chief controller. "One side is civil and one side is military. On the civil side,...

HOUSTON - A missile may have just barely miss hitting a Continental Airlines flight on Friday. Liberty County sheriff deputies are meeting with the FBI and FAA to discuss this incident. Sheriff deputies say on Friday a missile may have been launched near Interstate 10 and mount Belview. A continental flight which had just taken off from Bush Intercontinental Airport may have been the target.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, July 7, 2008 – Leaders from Multinational Division Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government broke ground July 5 for a project to revitalize the road from Baghdad International Airport to the heart of the Iraqi capital. A member of the Iraqi National Police stands behind three gold-painted shovels while Baghdad Mayor Saber al-Esawi speaks during a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the Airport Road revitalization effort in southern Baghdad, July 5, 2008. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team worked with leaders from...

Several of California's largest gaming tribes have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a little-known body to successfully speed up their land applications - a necessary step for casino expansion, Capitol Weekly has learned. The California Fee to Trust Consortium was established under the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Regional office in 2000 in order to expedite land claims, many of which have languished for years. The consortium arrangement allows tribes to pay into a fund that pays the salaries of the BIA employees who evaluate these claims. Documents about the little-known governmental organization came to light following...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERELEASE No. 20070927-14September 27, 2007Three Baghdad International Airport staff detainedMulti-National Corps – Iraq PAOBAGHDAD – Coalition Forces detained three extremists in an early morning operation at the Baghdad International Airport Sept. 27.The corrupt workers are suspected of having positioned themselves in several high-level jobs at the airport to establish a base and conduct kidnapping operations against Iraqi Security Forces and innocent civilians who stand up against the group’s criminal activities.The men are further suspected of participating in attacks on Iraqi and Coalition Forces with improvised explosive devices and mortars.

Thermal, Calif. (AP) -- Life is harsh for the 4,000 migrant workers who live in the Desert Mobile Home Park, where hundreds of dilapidated dwellings sit along dirt streets. The 110-degree air is thick with large black flies and the stench of raw sewage. Wild dogs prowl the alleys. But conditions could get even worse if the federal government follows through on its threat to close this site on a sun-baked Indian reservation because of rampant health and safety violations. "Where are we going to go, where are they going to put us?" asked Angelina Cisneros, 59, who lives with...

WASHINGTON - Black leaders in Congress asked the federal government Tuesday to weigh in on the legality of a vote by the Cherokee Nation earlier this month to revoke citizenship from descendants of former tribal slaves.Saying they were "shocked and outraged," more than two dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus signed a letter to the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs questioning the "validity, legality, as well as the morality" of the March 3 vote. "The black descendant Cherokees can trace their Native American heritage back in many cases for more than a century," said Rep. Diane Watson (news,...

WASHINGTON - Federal officials are investigating how National Archives documents of interest to Indians suing the Interior Department were found discarded in a trash bin and a wastebasket. The discovery came to light on Sept. 1, when Archives staff noticed federal records in one of the trash bins behind the National Archives Building near the Capitol. They notified the Archives' inspector general, Paul Brachfeld, whose staff recovered the documents. They found at least a portion of the documents were Bureau of Indian Affairs records dating to the 1950s, according to Jason Baron of the Archives' Office of General Counsel, in...

WASHINGTON - American Indians suing the government over billions of dollars in lost royalties say they are contemplating an offer by members of Congress to resolve their lawsuit for $8 billion. The offer is considerably lower than the $27.5 billion plaintiffs offered to settle for a year ago. But plaintiffs say they are considering it seriously, bringing them closer than ever to ending the lawsuit, which has bogged down the Interior and Justice departments for 10 years. "Eight billion dollars is something I wish was higher, but I'm glad they were able to bring something forward that was equitable," the...

Blasts kill 14 at Baghdad airport Two cars packed with explosives ripped through a busy car park Fourteen people have died and six were hurt in a double suicide attack near Baghdad airport, on a day of violence that claimed at least 30 lives in Iraq.The blasts took place in a car park close to the airport compound, the US military said. Militants north of the capital also attacked the Iraqi foreign minister's convoy, killing two of his bodyguards. The violence came a day after two British soldiers died in a bombing near Basra, the British army said. The...

A Snohomish County judge has struck down a key package of tax increases on liquor and cigarettes, agreeing that lawmakers illegally bypassed voter-approved spending limits to enact the new fees. The judgment, issued Friday by Superior Court Judge James Allendoerfer in Everett, invalidated an omnibus tax plan that Democratic lawmakers used to balance the two-year state budget during the 2005 session. State officials are likely to appeal the ruling, which essentially would require a statewide vote to keep the $263 million, two-year tax package in place. >snip Their lawsuit targeted the 2005 Legislature's overhaul of state taxation and spending limits...

Baghdad's Highway of Death 'now safe' By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 10/12/2005) The US military says it has secured the road linking Baghdad airport to the city - two and a half years after American troops first entered the capital. Attacks on the five-mile route have dropped from 142 between April and June to fewer than a dozen last month. The road had been a glaring symbol of the US failure to control Iraq. It became known as the Highway of Death since the journey meant risking shootings, suicide car bombs and booby traps. In April, 13 people were...

Easy Sailing Along Once-Perilous Road To Baghdad Airport Army Steps Up Presence to Quell Attacks

BAGHDAD, D.C., Iraq, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Baghdad Airport road -- "Route Irish" in U.S. military parlance -- looms large in Western consciousness as one of the most perilous in Iraq. But there hasn't been a car bomb in three months, and the number of smaller, roadside bombs is significantly down as well. Starting in July, Iraqi special police have set up checkpoints at all the feeders on the road, and American forces have been running aggressive patrols and fencing off areas that are habitually used as attack platforms. But rather than trying just to protect the road itself,...

Basrah - After almost 20 years of sporadic flying and finally being grounded, the first Iraqi Airways flight landed at Basrah International Airport June 4 with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South. The Corps’ goal is to give the Iraqis a functioning civil aviation airport that will allow planes with passengers to land and take off, both domestically and internationally, according to Robert Vanoer, resident engineer for the Basrah Resident Office, Gulf Region District South (GRS).

Jan. 28, 2005, 12:37AM Southwest pulling out of Bush Airport Carrier says it will focus its growth at Hobby By BILL HENSEL JR. Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Southwest Airlines is pulling out of Bush Intercontinental Airport on April 2, citing continued losses at Houston's biggest airport. The nation's low-fare leader is discontinuing six flights at Bush, where it originally began service in 1971. Dallas-based Southwest said it will contact travelers already holding reservations for later travel dates and will accommodate them with flights out of Hobby Airport. After an eight-year absence in the '70s, the carrier has continuously served Bush...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 12.9.04, 8:10a -- Senator Dianne Feinstein is describing a harrowing experience during her visit to Iraq last week. Feinstein told KCBS radio during take-off from Baghdad, the C-130 military transport plane she was a passenger on was forced to take evasive action because of a what may have been a missile attack. The senator told the station that shortly after take-off, she could see light flashing through portholes on the side. The pilot then began taking what Feinstein described as -- "extraordinary evasive action." Feinstein says once the plane landed the pilot explained to her that there...

...after a week of closure under emergency rule, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said on Sunday. BAGHDAD, Nov 14, Baghdad international airport will reopen on Monday after a week of closure under emergency rule, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said on Sunday. "Civil aviation and civilian aircraft will be received in Baghdad airport starting tomorrow," Allawi told Reuters Television. --SPA 2107 Local Time 1807 GMT NNNN

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq's international airport in Baghdad will remain closed for commercial flights until further notice, the office of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said. Allawi on Monday decided to shut the airport for 48 hours after he declared a state of emergency in a desperate bid to curb unrest engulfing the country. On Wednesday, he extended the closure for another 24 hours. Attacks against symbols of the US-backed government and security forces have spiked since US and Iraqi forces invaded the rebel epicentre of Fallujah on Monday in a bid to regain control. Curfews have also been imposed on...

More than 100,000 demonstrators marched past a heavily fortified Republican convention hall on Sunday, chanting denunciations of the administration and the war in Iraq (news - web sites) as delegates flocked to the city to nominate President Bush (news - web sites) for four more years in the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The second-in-command at the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs is recusing herself from Indian gambling and recognition decisions so she can resign and join the private sector - just four months after the head of the department also recused himself from those issues. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Aurene Martin will resign effective Sept. 10, Interior Department spokesman Dan DuBray said Tuesday. Effective immediately, responsibility for tribal gambling and recognition decisions is being given to Mike Olsen, currently the counselor to the assistant secretary. Olsen will become the third official in less than a year...

AN American passenger fatally wounded aboard an Australian RAAF C-130 Hercules in Baghdad was hit by the only bullet to penetrate the aircraft, the Australian Defence Force said today. Casualty ... the C-130 was hit by ground fire about 11pm (AEST), 5pm Baghdad time. Defence spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan said the aircraft was struck by ground fire soon after it took off from Baghdad airport yesterday. Brigadier Hannan said the aircraft usually carried a crew of four or five Australians comprising two pilots, an engineer and two loadmasters. Three US passengers were being flown out of Baghdad as part of...

Transport aircraft attacked By Chris Tomlinson in Baghdad June 28, 2004 A US Air Force C-130 transport plane was hit by small arms fire after taking off today from Baghdad International Airport, resulting in an unknown number of wounded, US officials said. The aircraft took off at about 5:30pm (local time) and was hit about 22km west of the airport, the officials said on condition of anonymity. The aircraft returned to Baghdad airport and landed safely. Ambulances transported the wounded to hospital. Pilots have in the past reported ground fire near the airport. On January 8, a C-5 transport plane...

Smith says tribal land swap requires 'leap of faith' (Washington-AP) -- Senator Gordon Smith says a plan to return federal land to one of Oregon's poorest Indian tribes requires a leap of faith. But the Oregon Republican says there could be payoffs. Smith wants to transfer nearly 63,000 acres of the Siuslaw National Forest near Florence to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. That land would be held for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Smith says recent land swaps have helped Oregon tribes recover economically and culturally. But Smith's plan is drawing criticism from...

Jobs for Indians - American Indians Posted: March 16, 2004 - 10:03am EST Indians are taking jobs from Americans!" That’s the latest outburst of hysteria in U.S. politics, and it’s bound to be a big issue in this year’s presidential election. But for once it’s not about us. The Indians here are India Indians, dwellers on the south Asian subcontinent in the world’s largest democracy. By the wonders of modern telecommunications, large U.S. corporations are finding it cheaper to route help-line calls to answering rooms on the outskirts of Bombay or other centers of that country’s computer boom. Someone...

Tribal leaders call on Congress to deny BIA funds Part one Posted: March 12, 2004 - 10:00am EST by: Jerry Reynolds / Washington D.C. correspondent / Indian Country Today WASHINGTON - Tribal leaders expressed unanimous disapproval of the ongoing BIA reorganization at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing March 10. Witnesses from throughout Indian country followed a "starve the beast" strategy of arguing against congressional appropriations for President Bush’s overhaul of the troubled bureau, which is at an advanced stage operationally and politically. "Congress cannot allow this budget to stand," said Tex Hall, president of the National Congress...

Six or seven blasts hit Baghdad's main airport just hours before Iraqi leaders were due to sign an interim constitution, but there were no reports of casualties, a US army spokesman said. "I can confirm that there were six to seven impacts in the northern part of Baghdad International Airport at between 10:00 am and 10:15 am (0700-0715 GMT)," the spokesman said. He was unable to say what explosive devices had caused the blasts at the airport, where the US Army is based, and said an investigation was underway. "There are no reports of damage or injuries at this time,"...

Meetings with military and civilian officials and visits with U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces in Baghdad Feb. 23 marked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's fourth visit to Iraq since the country's liberation. The day was to have culminated with the secretary having dinner with troops at the Baghdad International Airport dining facility. But when he was inundated with requests from soldiers and airmen to allow a friend to take their picture with him, Rumsfeld spent most of the visit doing just that. Hundreds of troops lined up along the long wall of the building, patiently waiting their turn, and...

PLYMOUTH – A once-tiny, nearly destitute American Indian tribe is pushing hard to build a $100 million casino – but it's not traditional tribal members gunning for riches. Hundreds of people have been newly added to the Ione Band of Miwok Indians' membership rolls, which were opened up by regional Bureau of Indian Affairs officials. Among the new members are several BIA employees and dozens of their relatives. Four congressmen have called for an investigation, though federal officials have so far declined to intervene. Rep. Nick Rahall, ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee, called the BIA's move an apparent...

Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Availability at Baghdad International Airport This is my third trip to Baghdad in the nine months since the liberation of Baghdad. It’s exciting to be back here. It always is. I’m looking forward to three things. Number one is to visit with our commanders and troops and get a sense of what they see is the situation on the ground. I always learn an enormous amount from them. I also learn about things we can help back in Washington . Right now, I think you know we are engaged in a major movement. Essentially we’re moving a...

Volunteers take weight off staff   BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq -- Chief Master Sgt. Barry Deal talks with Army Spc. Samuel Tolley at the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility here. Specialist Tolley suffered a staff infection in his foot. Volunteers help the CASF staff and comfort patients. Chief Deal is assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Communications Squadron and Specialist Tolley is assigned to the 394th Quartermaster Battalian. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Lisa Zunzanyika) View Larger Download HiRes by Capt. Carrie Clear447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs1/30/2004 - BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq (AFPN) -- Aside from the occasional mortar attack, people at...

Lt. Col. Scott Rutter (U.S. Army, Ret.), who led the liberation of Baghdad International Airport, gives his views on the War on TerrorWith regard to terror and safety; let there be no doubt that we as Americans are better off today than we were one year ago. We are on the offense and are taking a stand. Individuals that are part of terror networks and working to attack our country are currently being caught before their acts are committed. The recent communication intercepts and coordination with French Intelligence resulting in the cancellation of several commercial airline flights on Christmas...

SAMs and political gambles Posted: December 19, 20031:00 a.m. Eastern By Tom Marzullo© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com Baghdad International Airport has seen a number of tumultuous events in the last year, but this run of luck is not over by a long shot as yet. For what is coming up is a sizable political gamble on the part of the Bush administration. What I refer to is the resumption of civilian flights into Baghdad. Managing to get that airport open for routine business is certainly a noticeable outward sign of progress toward normalcy, as defined by the international media and diplomats. So do please...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Guerrillas hit a U.S. Air Force transport plane with a surface-to-air missile, causing the engine to explode, a senior Pentagon source said Wednesday. The plane landed safely. The C-17 had just lifted off from Baghdad International Airport before dawn Tuesday when the engine exploded, slightly injuring one of the 16 passengers and crew, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Carrie Clear of 447th Air Expeditionary Group, based at the airport. The plane returned to the airport and landed safely, Clear said. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the explosion as a direct hit by...

<p>November 28, 2003 -- President Bush paid a Thanksgiving visit to troops in the field yesterday, a mission meant to convey various messages - not the least of which being the most obvious: "I bring a message on behalf of America," the president said. "We thank you for your service, we're proud of you, and America stands solidly behind you."</p>

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov 27, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- It was the biggest of holiday surprises. The troops were getting ornery, 300 of them sitting for over an hour, waiting - for no good reason, it seemed - to get in the chow line at the Bob Hope Dining Hall at Baghdad International Airport and get their turkey dinners. Finally, a visibly nervous U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer III strode to the podium with Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the U.S. military commander in Iraq. The two dispensed a few quick words. Bremer then turned to Sanchez and said he...

SAM Hits Cargo Jet, 3 Dead as Ops Continue in Iraq By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2003 -- Baghdad International Airport was closed to all civilian traffic after a DHL cargo aircraft was hit by surface-to-air missiles Nov. 22, coalition officials said during a press conference today in Baghdad, Iraq. Three U.S. soldiers also were killed in Iraq, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7. Kimmitt said gunfire was involved in the deaths of the soldiers, but would not comment further. Coalition officials said the airport will...

BAGHDAD (AP) -- A civilian cargo plane landed at Baghdad International Airport Saturday with its wing on fire, the military and witnesses said. The plane was trailing thick smoke and part of its wingtip was missing as it overflew Baghdad's Mahmoudiya district prior to touching down, said a witness who asked not to be identified. Capt. Carrie Clear, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military base at the airport, said the pilot had declared an in-flight emergency. The plane, belonging to the DHL package delivery service, landed safely and no one was hurt, she said. The military spokeswoman said an...

U.S., Australian airmen defend base BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq -- (From left) Sgt. Nathan Hogg, Staff Sgt. Shawn Schwantes, Aircraftman Lucas Kilpatrick and Senior Airman Sheridan Conklin meet up during their air base defense patrol. Hogg and Kilpatrick are members of the Royal Australian Air Force, and Schwantes and Conklin are assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. Schwantes is deployed from the 319th Security Forces Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., and Conklin is deployed from the 9th SFS at Beale AFB, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Ferguson) View Larger Download...

Airmen keep theater mail flowing BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq -- Airman 1st Class Christine Mayor, Senior Airman Alaine Wallace and Capt. Denise Freimuth load mail onto pallets in 100-plus degree temperatures. The 447th Expeditionary Communications Squadron team handles more than 150,000 pounds of mail flowing to and from air post offices at American camps in Iraq every day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed) View Larger Download HiRes by Master Sgt. Scott ElliottAir Force Print News 10/27/2003 - BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq -- Eighteen airmen, most wearing two or three stripes, spend several hours a day in a sun-baked warehouse...

BAGHDAD -- Welcome to Iraq, home of the Whopper. Deep inside Baghdad International Airport, past a vehicle search, a body search and four checkpoints, soldiers are lined up for burgers and fries. They have come by plane from Mosul, 220 miles north, for onion rings. They have picked up Chicken Royale sandwiches while picking up buddies flying back from a two-week home leave. They have begged and borrowed Humvees, making up any excuse for a trip to the airport and a reminder of what the pink mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise oozing from a fresh Whopper tastes like. "It tastes...

BAGHDAD -- Welcome to Iraq, home of the Whopper. Deep inside Baghdad International Airport, past a vehicle search, a body search and four checkpoints, soldiers are lined up for burgers and fries. They have come by plane from Mosul, 220 miles north, for onion rings. They have picked up Chicken Royale sandwiches while picking up buddies flying back from a two-week home leave. They have begged and borrowed Humvees, making up any excuse for a trip to the airport and a reminder of what the pink mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise oozing from a fresh Whopper tastes like. "It tastes...

Birgit Smith's husband, Paul, who was killed in Iraq, may get the Medal of Honor. "It doesn't bring my husband back," she said. HOLIDAY, Fla. — It was back on April 4 when Birgit Smith last wrote her husband, Sgt. First Class Paul Ray Smith. "Life without you here is just not the same," she wrote in a tight, neat cursive.She printed out an envelope and stamped it. He was already dead.Two men in uniform came to the door that night, another sergeant and a chaplain. Of course, she knew what the visit meant, but the timing seemed all...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Unidentified guerrillas fired two missiles at a U.S. transport plane taking off from Baghdad just hours before Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld flew out of Iraq, military officials said on Sunday. The missiles missed their target and caused no damage. "Multiple missiles were fired which missed the aircraft," a U.S. military spokeswoman said of the incident, which happened on Saturday morning. Rumsfeld was thought to have passed through the airport on his way out to Kuwait, but the U.S. military refused on Sunday to comment on his exact travel route in and out of Baghdad. The military said,...

Exclusive Military Sources reveal anti air missile was fired Wednesday night at United State military plane over Baghdad International Airport. Attack launched when Rumsfeld was en route to Iraq. Plane was bound to land at this airport.Rumsfeld arrives Thursday in Baghdad. On unannounced trip to Iraq, Gulf and Afghanistan, he calls for 10,000 more troops for Iraq to be provided by other nations other than the United States and Iraiqs themselves of whom 50,000 are already in place.Secretary of State Powell begins drafting United Nations Security Council motion to mandate international force for Iraq under United States Command.

BAGHDAD, Iraq I got a tour the other day of Baghdad's rebuilt airport, which is now quite beautiful, but still hasn't opened out of security concerns. Our tour guides even took us through passport control to show off their new computers that will check for incoming terrorists. As they showed us around, a question occurred to me that I posed to them: "What happens if someone gets off a plane with an Israeli passport?" After all, Iraq under Saddam Hussein not only didn't have diplomatic relations with Israel, it considered itself at war with Israel.All of the officials present shrugged...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A little baksheesh can go a long way in Iraq. At least, that is what U.S. military commanders hunting for Saddam Hussein and his loyalists are hoping. American troops began this month handing out rewards (such “tips” are known in Arabic as baksheesh) to anyone who gives them credible information on the whereabouts of the fugitive former Iraqi leader or any of his elusive supporters. With unemployment in Iraq around 70 percent, soldiers are turning to an incentive that has been successful since Mesopotamians settled on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers thousands of years ago. “The hope...