Free Republic

CAMP RAMADI – As the responsible drawdown of U.S. forces from here continues, a Colorado National Guard battalion cased its colors as the latest unit to end its mission in the once-restive Anbar province, March 19. Lt. Col. Al Morris, commander of 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, addressed Soldiers of 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist), under whom his unit fell, the Anbar Provincial Reconstruction Team, the commander of the 1st Iraqi Quick Response Force Brigade, and the Soldiers of his battalion, who were packed and ready to leave by helicopter once the ceremony concluded. "Like many others...

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Ministry of Antiquities recently approached the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division for help in restoring some modern structures at the base of the 3,500-year-old ziggurat in Aqar Quf, 20 miles west of the Iraqi capital. The ziggurat, a stepped, temple tower, is the Mesopotamian equivalent of the Egyptian pyramids. The MoA hopes a renovation will attract visitors and revitalize the economy while preserving the temple. In response, Soldiers from the 16th Engineer Brigade’s Survey and Design Team recently visited the site to assess the proposed renovation’s electrical requirements. The structures, built in the...

3/22/2010 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron aborted an F-15E Strike Eagle mission minutes before takeoff March 12 here when a crew chief noticed an oddity with the flight controls of an aircraft. Staff Sgt. Justin Wilson, a 494th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit crew chief, was watching two taxiing F-15Es at about 11:30 p.m. local time and saw something peculiar as the second aircraft proceeded to the end of runway area to complete preflight preparations. "We were watching them taxi and I noticed when the second jet made its turn the left...

3/22/2010 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) -- In an age when Americans are able to vote for a healthcare bill when they are dissatisfied with the current plan, many people around the world, including in Kyrgyzstan, struggle to afford surgery without any health insurance at all. So, American Airmen from the Transit Center have rallied together, raising or donating funds for what are now 150 heart surgeries for children in Kyrgyzstan, totaling more than $75,000. The 150th surgery happened March 17 when 14-year-old Firuza Nurahunova, who suffered from congenital heart disease since birth, successfully underwent an aortic valve...

3/22/2010 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- As U.S. officials prepare to draw down troops in Iraq, efforts are being made to ensure the effect on the country's infrastructure is minimal. Joint Base Balad's civil engagement program maximizes the base's resources and abilities and helps more than 800,000 Iraqis in the Salah ad Din Province. The program is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of State, the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment based at JB Balad. "The program provides a communication channel between the three entities, which have different missions to support...

/22/2010 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Construction on a new 2.7-mile pipeline to bolster ground refueling operations for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing began March 17 at a non-disclosed base here. The $5.7 million project calls for the construction of an above-ground 8-inch carbon steel pipeline from the existing tanker truck offload facility to the bulk storage fuels area operated by the 380th Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight staff. Capt. Timothy Frank, from the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron who helped coordinate the project, said it was awarded with 2009 military construction supplemental funds. This pipeline improvement is the...