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U.S. Army Sgt. Eli Coman hands out candy to a group of students at the Sheragha Shahed Secondary School in the town of Ja Farkhel, Afghanistan. Coman is assigned to the 492nd Civil Affairs Battalion. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth McCooey Task Force Tiger Soldiers Aid Afghan School The civil affairs soldiers brought the secondary school children 200 book bags jammed with school supplies, teaching aids, pens, volleyballs and candy. By Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth L. McCooey19th Public Affairs Detachment BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 14, 2006 — Children with happy, gleaming eyes and eager hands...

ABOARD USS PELELIU IN THE NORTHERN PERSIAN GULF, April 13, 2006 – A multinational task force is hard at work here, seeking to preserve the free and secure use of the northern Persian Gulf by legitimate mariners and to prevent terrorists from transporting personnel, weapons or other illicit material by sea. Combined Task Force 58 includes naval forces from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, including U.S. Coast Guard, as well as Iraqi sailors and marines. U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Carl B. Jensen, who leads Expeditionary Strike Group 3, took command of the task force April 10....

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, March 31, 2006 – A Navy admiral assumed command today of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, the force responsible for detainee operations and intelligence gathering here. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Angel Febles, Joint Task Force Guantanamo command sergeant major, passes the task force colors to Army Maj. Gen. Jay Hood, outgoing commander, during the Joint Task Force Guantanamo change of command ceremony at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, March 31. Navy Rear Adm. Harry Harris took command of the task force. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA   Navy Rear Adm. Harry B. Harris assumed command from...

KRTSANISI, Georgia, March 27, 2006 – A U.S. Marine-led task force marked the completion of training for two Georgian logistics battalions in a ceremony here March 24. Marine Sgt. Michael Szeman evaluates Republic of Georgia soldiers on weapons marksmanship at a range in Krtsanisi, Georgia, Feb. 22. A 53-member U.S. task force, consisting mainly of veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, is training the Georgian soldiers to deploy to Iraq. U.S. European Command's Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program assists the Georgian armed forces sustain those ongoing deployments. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Moor, USMC  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2006 – The 10th Mountain Division assumed command of Combined Joint Task Force 76 at a ceremony here today, replacing the Southern European Task Force. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, 10th Mountain Division commander, assumes command of Combined Joint Task Force 76 in Afghanistan as he receives flag from Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry, commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan, at Bagram Air Base Feb. 21. Army Maj. Gen. Jason K. Kamiya (second from left), who heads Southern European Task Force, is the outgoing CJTF 76 commander. Photo by Sgt. Douglas...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2006 – Three years ago, U.S. Navy SEALs secured the Basra and Khwar Al Amaya oil terminals and started maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. Today, the U.S. Navy and its coalition partners continue operations there and have expanded the range of the maritime mission, but continue to support operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. A utility landing craft and an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter provide assistance to a distressed vessel off the coast of Kenya Jan. 31 while conducting maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean. Naval forces supplied the ship with 10 days of...

1/6/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- By dawn, Airmen of the 424th Medium Truck Detachment had finished preparing for their mission -- move Army 4th Infantry Division supplies and material from Kuwait into Iraq. These Airmen do not fly their cargo, and it’s quite possible they may go their entire deployment without even seeing a flightline. Instead, they drive the most dangerous roads in the world in tractor-trailers and gun trucks to deliver their cargo to Iraq. “I want this to be a safe trip,” convoy commander Tech. Sgt. Bill Bellmore said as he reviewed safety procedures, truck assignments and...

Army Command Sgt.Maj. Angel Febles, Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Stephen Molnar and Spc. John Sisk cut a Christmas cake that was made for Troopers at the Seaside Galley, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sgt. Todd Lamonica • Printer-friendly version • E-mail this article • Commentary; Christmas at Joint Task Force GuantanamoBy Lt. Col. Jeremy M. Martin December 30, 2005 GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Army News Service, Dec. 30, 2005) – During the holidays, American families gather to share in the celebrations of the Christmas season and also reflect on the events of the past year. Military families are truly unique; they share...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2005 – Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers disrupted two terrorist bombing operations yesterday in Baqubah, a city about 20 miles north of Baghdad, killing two terrorists and detaining another at a new checkpoint, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported. Just before noon, soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team stopped a suspicious car and detained the driver after discovering the vehicle was being prepared as a car bomb. An explosives ordnance disposal team found no explosives, but the car was laced with wiring used to detonate explosives. Later, soldiers fired at a second...

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Neil Morrison, explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 710th Ordnance Company, packs a 1,000 pound bomb with plastic explosives, Dec. 16, 2005. Nearly 20,000 tons of munitions were destroyed in Area Echo, north of Baghdad, Iraq. The ammunition dump housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military. U.S Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Bromley More Photos Task Force Baghdad Destroys Tons of Weapons The ammunition dump north of Baghdad housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's military. By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Bromley 3rd...

SACRAMENTO — Republican lawmakers scolded Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, telling him in a closed-door meeting how seriously his support among party stalwarts is wavering. --snip-- The Republican loyalists cast the hiring of Susan Kennedy, a top advisor to former Gov. Gray Davis, as a betrayal that raises a fundamental question about Schwarzenegger: Is he a Republican, or isn't he? "When my quarterback throws the ball to the other team, I've got worries," said Assemblyman Ray Haynes (R-Murrieta), in an interview after the meeting. Some of the lawmakers told the governor that unhappiness over the Kennedy appointment is widespread. There...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Nov.21, 2005.) -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers successfully repelled a terrorist attack near Jisr Diyala Nov. 15. Two terrorists were killed, one was wounded and two suspects were detained after the exchange of fire in the Baghdad suburb. There were no American casualties. “We received small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire from the edge of a small village,“ said Capt. Michael Burgoyne, commander of C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry. “We immediately placed well-aimed fire on the enemy and killed one and severely wounded another.” Iraqi Police evacuated the wounded terrorist to a nearby medical facility. “We...

TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 18, 2005 – More than 150 Iraqi civilians were reported killed or wounded in terrorist attacks that destroyed two Shiite mosques in Khanaqin during prayer services today, military officials here said. Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division, were assisting Iraqi security forces in response to the twin bombings. Iraqi authorities conducted medical evacuation of bombing victims. U.S. forces sent medical specialists and supplies to assist the Iraqis. Media reports said terrorists entered the mosque and detonated explosive belts. Khanaqin is near the Iran border in Diyala province. Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal teams searched the...

TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 2, 2005 – Task Force Band of Brothers and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) officially took command of military operations in north-central Iraq in a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Danger here Nov. 1. The ceremony marked the transfer of authority from Task Force Liberty and the 42nd Infantry Division, a National Guard unit from New York that has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for a year, to TF Band of Brothers. TF Band of Brothers is composed of two brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade of the 101st Airborne Division,...

The 173rd Long-Range Surveillance Detachment has had to modify its mission to short-range reconnaissance in the hunt for insurgents in Iraq. By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Raymond Drumsta 42nd Infantry Division Public Affairs FORWARD OPERATING BASE SUMMERALL, BAYJI, Iraq, Oct. 24, 2005 — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Halloran and his team arrive at their departure point here about sundown. They watch the Iraqi highway that lies just outside the wire and wait for darkness. They seem almost casual as they talk among themselves, noting traffic and other activity. However, their ease is actually a professional detachment, a cool...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2005 – Members of Joint Task Force Guantanamo are ensuring detainees get special consideration for religious requirements of observing Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, which began Oct. 4 and runs to Nov. 3 this year. Most observant Muslims fast from sunup to sundown during Ramadan, and food-service officials at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are providing pre-dawn and midnight meals to help the detainees observe their customs during this holy period, the joint task force's food-service officer explained. Breakfast, which might normally be served around 7 a.m., is now served at 4 a.m....

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq (Army News Service, Oct. 13, 2005)-- Soldiers assigned to Task Force Baghdad are answering their nation’s call to “stay Army” by ending Fiscal Year 2005 with more than 4,000 re-enlistments. In return for their continued service, they’re also earning a combined total of more than $42 million in tax-free re-enlistment bonuses. “All re-enlistment goals set by the Department of the Army for FY05 have been met with overwhelming success,” said Sgt. Maj. Craig T. Lott, Multi-National Division–Baghdad retention sergeant major, and a member of Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. “The Army gives us a target percentage...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2005 – Soldiers from Task Force Baghdad's 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion conducted a humanitarian aid drop in the Nissan district of Iraq's capital Sept. 28. The supplies dropped included pens, pencils, notebooks, backpacks, shoes, toys, personal-hygiene items, antibiotics, and other medical aids. The recipients of the supplies were all special-needs children. "Some of the children suffered from injuries, and some were born with handicaps and other medical conditions," Army Capt. Todd R. Olsen, 448th CA team leader, said. "(They) seemed very happy and enjoyed receiving gifts from coalition forces." Following the...

CAMP MABRY, Texas (Army News Service, Sept. 27, 2005) – Task Force Search and Rescue of the Texas National Guard helped move 87 residents of an assisted-living facility to safety Sept. 24 after Hurricane Rita passed through the area. Task Force Bowie in Beaumont had received word earlier that day that the residents of Pine Forest Senior Center were in a school in Fred, Texas, without electricity or running water. A four-Soldier Humvee reconnaissance team was dispatched to check out the story. “We were en-route to Beaumont when we received the word,” said Sgt. Maj. Robert Strzelczek, who was part...

BATON ROUGE, La. (Army News Service, Sept. 5, 2005) – Units from across the nation have descended on Louisiana and Mississippi in response to Hurricane Katrina as part of the unprecedented call-up of National Guard and other military forces for a natural disaster. “It’s state helping state and neighbor helping neighbor,” said Florida Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Michael Fleming. Fleming, who is in Louisiana because of his extensive experience from the four hurricanes which struck Florida last year, said the National Guard’s primary focus is to save lives, provide security, and evacuate residents. Approximately 38,000 Guardsmen operating in the...