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The commander of the Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca is restricting soldiers' assigned to the fort from traveling into Mexico. Additionally, Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast is advising Army civilian personnel and family members of military and civilians to be careful. Following is her message: "In view of the recent increase in drug-related violence just across the Mexican border near the towns of Cananea and Naco, until further notice, I am directing that all military personnel and strongly advising all Department of the Army civilian personnel and their families to restrict their travel by avoiding the border towns of Mexico. If...

Welcome to Sanity Island This morning, President Bush Congratulated General Petraeus on Senate Confirmation and talked about the way forward in Iraq. The text of the President's remarks and those of General Petraeus can be found here. President Bush, right, meets with Gen. David H. Petraeus, the incoming Commander of Multi-National Force, Friday, Jan. 26, 2007 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) At Noon, President Bush addressed Republican members of the House of Representatives at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MD, where he told them in part, "I also appreciate your understanding that...

Iraqi Police in Mosul began specialized training with the Coalition's Police Transition Team in July. Department of Defense photo by Cpl. Richard Vogt. WASHINGTON – The U.S. commander who oversees military operations in the Middle East says extremism “remains a serious danger to global peace and stability” and that the influence of private militias in the Middle East must be curbed. Army Gen. John Abizaid , who leads the U.S. Central Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that the forces of extremism are strong, ruthless and well-connected and that private militias as “the curse of the...

BAGHDAD, April 9, 2006 – Today, on the third anniversary of Iraqi Freedom Day, the Iraqi people celebrate the freedoms that they were denied for more than three decades, and pause to remember the brave people who lead the way out of the darkness of tyranny into the light of freedom. On this day in 2003, Iraqis, assisted by U.S. Marines, toppled the huge statue of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square. This act was not just symbolic. It signaled the beginning of a fledgling democracy that continues to mature. During the past year alone, Iraqis have...

Some thoughts on Peter Pace Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace emerged last week as an important surrogate in the "public opinion" theater of the Iraq war. He's powerful and effective because even John Kerry and Jack Murtha don't want to go on record contradicting the military's top brass about the progress being made in Iraq.

More than just a branch of America’s armed forces, the modern U.S. Marine Corps serves as a model that other military forces worldwide have attempted to emulate, with varying degrees of success. Marines are aware of this, and justifiably proud. But that pride has not always been conducive to working and playing well with others.

But the true story of Iraq is far different than what some would have the American public believe. It is story of enormous sacrifice, commitment, political, and military success, and a desire for freedom on the part of the Iraqi people that in many ways parallels our own War of Independence, 230 years ago. What about America’s military successes and victories in Iraq? They are in many ways, immeasurable: A reality of the overall global war on terror. What is known is that the war — in Iraq and elsewhere — is being waged and won by the U.S. and...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Each day, thousands of people visit the USS Arizona Memorial to pay tribute to the victims of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese sneak attack on Dec. 7, 1941, killed some 2,400 Americans, shattered the U.S. Pacific Fleet and propelled the United States into World War II. A gleaming white memorial straddles the sunken battleship where many of the 1,177 sailors killed that day still are entombed. For many visitors, paying their respects at the Arizona Memorial is a prelude to touring the Battleship Missouri Memorial. The USS Missouri served in World War II, the Korean War and...

Coalition personnel are working with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to head off gasoline smuggling, sabotage of the oil industry infrastructure and black-market profiteering. Officials said these continue to be among the greatest problems facing the Iraqi people. Coalition spokesman Dan Senor and Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the operations deputy at Combined Joint Task Force 7, briefed the press in Baghdad today. Senor talked about steps the coalition is making to combat the gas shortage that is plaguing life in Iraq. Senor cited a number of causes to the gasoline shortage, which has made for long gas lines at...

Gen. to Establish Armed Militia in Iraq Monday July 21, 2003 12:09 AM By PAUL HAVEN Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's daily barrage of attacks killed two more American soldiers and an Iraqi employee of a U.N.-affiliated relief agency Sunday, while thousands of followers of a hardline Shiite Muslim cleric staged an anti-American protest in the holy city of Najaf. Also, the top commander of American and international troops in Iraq said Sunday he is establishing an Iraqi ``civil defense force,'' or armed militia, of about 6,800 men to help American forces combat the violence and sabotage...