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11/5/2006 - SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) -- The volunteer efforts by an Air Force captain while deployed to Iraq last year has earned her the honor of being the first American to march with a British regiment at The Cenotaph war memorial Nov. 12 in London's Whitehall. Capt. Jutta Cortes, the deputy director of security forces for the 20th Air Force at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., leaves Nov. 6 for England, where she will meet with veterans from the Royal Air Force Habbaniya Association with whom she will march at a remembrance service. The memorial, built for the first...

Infantry Company’s Efforts Breathe Life into Small Town Farmer’s crops thrive thanks to guidance, equipment from U.S. troops. By Cpl. Michael Molinaro 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO, 4th Infantry Division FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, Oct. 16, 2006 -- Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers delivered an assortment of equipment and goods to the Muehla Agricultural Union, Oct. 9. Refurbished tractors, seed spreaders and water pumps were among the items donated to the union as it begins to move from underneath the guidance of the soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry...

Sacramento -- As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepares this week to sign into law the nation's most ambitious effort to address global warming, a key component of California's push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- increasing the use of renewable power to create electricity -- has faltered. Despite overwhelming public and political support for renewable power, ratepayer contributions of $319 million, and a 2002 law mandating a dramatic increase in the use of sun and wind to create megawatts, California has boosted its use of renewable energy by less than 1 percent of the state's overall electricity use in the past...

President Bush's veto of a bill to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem-cell research will hinder California's $3 billion voter-approved effort to turn stem cells into cures, backers of the state-funded research effort said Wednesday. Bush's rejection of the legislation -- his first-ever veto in his 5 1/2 years in office -- shows his continued support for those who oppose, on moral grounds, destroying human embryos to create stem cells in research intended to develop new treatments for grave conditions such as Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. --snip-- The veto was a crushing blow for advocates who hoped...

6/12/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- In an effort to build better relationships and save lives, the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Fire Department and Manas International Airport Emergency Response team joined forces and trained June 6 to 7. “We have a memorandum of agreement that allows either party to request assistance from the other during emergency responses, so it is critical that we can operate effectively as a team,” said Senior Master Sgt. Shepherd Pinney, base fire chief. He is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. During the exercises, members from each department familiarized themselves...

WASHINGTON - With the demise of charismatic terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida will be looking for a new sales approach in its worldwide fundraising campaigns. Al-Zarqawi had become a key part of al-Qaida's marketing: He was a terror operator who stole headlines with jarring, gruesome attacks carried out by a network of foreign and Iraqi fighters. For more than three years, he evaded an international manhunt. Counterterrorism officials have said al-Zarqawi served as a worldwide jihadist rallying point and a fundraising icon. "The terrorist celeb, if you will," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a former FBI agent who serves...

WASHINGTON, May 26, 2006 – The 91 countries in U.S European Command's area of responsibility represent a vast breadth of culture and geography, yet the command's mission is the same throughout: supporting the Long War and creating conditions hospitable to democracy and stability. Though no combat zones are within European Command's boundaries, the command is doing its part in supporting the global war on terrorism, new EUCOM deputy commander Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward said in an interview yesterday. "Assigned forces of the United States European Command are involved globally in prosecuting this long war. Our forces are serving...

Two sheep stranded without water on a rocky ledge above a highway have defied efforts to shoo them to safety. Officials from fire, wildlife and law enforcement departments on Wednesday shot non-lethal ammunition, explosives and water hoses at the sheep, and let loose dogs, threw rocks, blared sirens and hollered at them. The ram and ewe, however, refused to scale a steep trail that leads off the ledge 50 yards above Highway 166. "They're like a person. Do you want to take a chance or stay where it's safe?" said supervisory wildlife biologist Joe Bennett of the U.S. Department of...

5/5/2006 - DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AFPN) -- One month after a C-5 Galaxy crash-landed less than a mile short of the runway here, recovery operations are proceeding on schedule, officials said. All 17 people on board survived the April 3 crash. “We started the recovery effort the same day of the mishap and have been working every day since,” said Maj. Rob Triplett, the 436th Maintenance Squadron commander and director of the mishap recovery effort. “Safety has been our number-one priority. Our team’s primary focus, besides safety, was to preserve vital evidence for the safety investigation board.” An...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ASADABAD, Afghanistan, April 28, 2006 – Coalition, Afghan National Army and village leaders discussed regional anti-terror efforts, security and reconstruction at a meeting in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province recently. About 50 village elders and townsmen from Ali Abad, Korangal, Arawara Bandeh and Babiel met with Afghan National Army Brig. Gen. Zamari, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 201st ANA Corps; Army Col. John Nicholson, Task Force Spartan commander; Army Lt. Col. Chip Bierman, Task Force Lava commander; and other Coalition leaders as part of Operation Mountain Lion. Coalition delegates vowed to defeat terrorists operating in the Korangal Valley...

USS UNDERWOOD, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Underwood (FFG 36) Sailors are making efforts in counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea during the month of April as part of Partnership of the Americas. Underwood deployed March 24 from Naval Station Mayport, Fla., to conduct counter-narco-terrorism operations (CNT-OPS) in the western Caribbean to stop illegal drugs from reaching the United States. “We‘re out here with other units patrolling in search of drug smugglers as part of our nation’s continuing war on drugs,” said Cmdr. Roderick Fraser, commanding officer of Underwood. Sailors along with an attached U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement detachment...

AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar, April 19, 2006 – The new Joint Intelligence Operations Center here looks like what Hollywood's conception of what a "war room" should look like. The center is the heart of U.S. Central Command Forward, based here. Everything the command can do at its Tampa, Fla. Headquarters also can be done here, officials said. The center is capable of running coalition operations from Kenya to Kazakhstan and Egypt to Pakistan, a senior Central Command official who gave a tour of the facility said. The center is also closely connected with command's headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla....

U.S. Army Spc. Andrea Landi works on the tire of a vehicle at Forward Operating Base Caldwell. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Anthony D. Buchanan U.S. Army Spc. Andrea Landi Recruiting Efforts Attract, Retain Model Soldier By 2nd Lt. Anthony D. Buchanan 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BALAD RUZ, Iraq, April 19, 2006 - ; Spc. Andrea M. Landi, a mechanic from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division was intrigued by an Army recruiting TV commercial in her home in Anchorage, Alaska."I saw a commercial with people jumping out of airplanes and...

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 – Professional Golf Association troop supporters had a memorable day touring the Pentagon today, as both a reward for their work raising money to support the troops and as a catalyst for more work in the coming year. America Supports You members from the PGA Tour, an America Supports You corporate member, toured the Pentagon on April 12 to celebrate their work raising money for America's troops and to set up plans for this year's charity work. Army Spc. Donald Balsavich, a Pentagon tour guide, explains the symbolism in a painting print hanging in one...

Members of the Bayji Security Council meet April 3, 2006, to discuss security issues and ways to use all available agencies to combat the problems. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Amy A. Bishop Bayji Council Coordinates Security Efforts Meetings of the newly formed Bayji Security Council and coalition forces serve as a forum to tackle security issues and convey news about community improvements. By U.S. Army Capt. Amy A. Bishop 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAYJI, Iraq, April 7, 2006 — The newly formed Bayji Security Council and coalition forces are conducting joint meetings to discuss ways to combat...

Soldiers’ Angels Salutes Michigan Teenager and Legislators on Efforts To Establish March 26, 2006 as First National Support The Troops DayFri Mar 24, 7:00 AM ET In this hand out photo released by U.S. military, Iraqi Army Soldiers of 4th Iraqi Army Division exit a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in support of Operation Swarmer in Samarra, Iraq, Thursday, March 16, 2006. U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborn assault in nearly three years, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said. The Operation Swarmer was aimed at clearing 'a suspected insurgent operating area' northeast...

SACRAMENTO – Republican activists’ efforts to get their party to formally denounce Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s policies are gaining momentum, but not their proposal to yank the GOP’s endorsement of him for the November election. The chairman of the state party in recent days agreed to help get three proposed resolutions against the governor’s budget, public works and minimum wage hike plans a "full and fair hearing" at the GOP convention in San Jose later this month. Party chairman Duf Sundheim helped tweak the resolutions over the weekend so that they now avoid any direct attack against Schwarzenegger. "There are 1,400...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – President Bush praised the sacrifices U.S. servicemembers are making to protect the country and urged the American people to stay the course in the war on terror during his annual State of the Union address tonight at the U.S. Capitol. Bush heralded democratic advances in Afghanistan and Iraq, where U.S. troops are helping bring newfound freedoms to millions of people who once lived in fear and repression and forming solid partnerships as they fight terrorism. These successes have come through the skill and spirit of the U.S. military, he said. "Our men and women in...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2006 – Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called on what he called some of the best minds in the country today to help come up with new solutions to the threat improvised explosive devices pose to U.S. troops. Speaking to some 600 leaders from industry, academia, the national laboratories and all branches of the military at a two-day industry conference focused on the IED threat, England challenged participants to find better ways to counter what has become terrorists' weapon of choice in Iraq and, more recently, Afghanistan. "We owe it to the troops," he told the group....

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said efforts by both Democrats and Republicans to reduce the influence of lobbyists are not addressing the core of the problem. Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," the Arizona Republican renewed his criticism of "earmarks," late additions to bills that often provide millions of dollars for lawmakers' pet projects. "If we don't fix the earmarking, then I can assure you the corruption will go on," McCain said. He described an "earmark" as "a single provision in a line that nobody's ever seen or heard of, and most times we don't find out...