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HEREFORD, Texas (April 21, 2006) -- Two columns of camouflaged bodies trudged up a rocky trail through dry creek beds. A thin dusty haze rose from the ground. The Afternoon sun beat down on the weary hikers, but they pushed themselves and motivate each other as they file towards the finish line of their six-mile hike. No, these aren’t the newest students at Marine Combat Training fresh off their brief boot camp leave periods. The 80-member unit known as “1st Herd Battalion,” is made up of students from Hereford High School’s Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps unit. The...

Chinese archaeologists probe origin of domestic horses through DNA www.chinaview.cn 2006-04-01 15:55:19 BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese archaeologists are studying the DNA samples extracted from the bones of horses unearthed from ancient sites to probe the origin of domestic horses in China. It's still a mystery to archaeologists when and where horses were first tamed in China, said Cai Dawei, a researcher with the center of archaeological research for China's border area under the Jilin University in Northwest China. The DNA research will offer valuable clues on the study of migration, spread and domestication of horses, Cai said. A...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The Family Literacy Foundation’s United Through Reading (UTR) program treated military members to a reception where Vice Adm. James M. Zortman, commander of Naval Air Forces, was a guest speaker at the San Diego Aerospace Museum Jan. 27. The Family Literacy Program is a non-profit organization that has provided literacy services to more than 200,000 individuals through its first and largest program, UTR. All deployed military branches can use the UTR program to read aloud to a child, grandchild, or even a younger brother or sister they are mentoring. “The UTR Program binds the deployed parents...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Jan. 9, 2006) -- Continuing with the tradition of Marines taking care of business no matter the climate, the Moonlighters of Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 332 are working through Iraq's cold nights. The Moonlighters said although everything might be difficult in the dark, nothing will stop them from having their F/A-18D Hornets ready to fly out of their base at Al Asad, Iraq, to ensure Marines on the ground receive their support. “No matter what the conditions, the Marines don’t complain,” said Maj. Lance Muniz, the maintenance officer with VMFA(AW)-332 and a Centreville, Md., native. “They’re...

HIT, Iraq (Jan. 6, 2006) -- Pushing out from their combat outposts, Marines from Battalion Landing Team, 1st Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, recently began conducting foot and motorized patrols in the city of Hit, Iraq. During these patrols, Marines executed counter mortar and improvised explosive device sweeps on desert roads and in local neighborhoods to keep coalition forces and Iraqi citizens safe from insurgent attacks. The patrols are part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)’s ongoing counterinsurgency efforts in the Al Anbar province. “We are conducting these patrols to make our presence known to both the locals...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2006 – Troops conducting urban operations soon will have the capabilities of superheroes, being able to sense through 12 inches of concrete to determine if someone is inside a building. The new "Radar Scope" will give warfighters searching a building the ability to tell within seconds if someone is in the next room, Edward Baranoski from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Special Projects Office, told the American Forces Press Service. By simply holding the portable, handheld device up to a wall, users will be able to detect movements as small as breathing, he said. The Radar...

12/14/2005 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan (AFPN) -- “Daddy, where are you? When will you be home?” 7-year-old Gabrielle Hamed asked repeatedly. “Daddy, I miss you,” chimed in sister Annalyn, 8, daughter of Master Sgt. Roger Hamed, who is deployed to Iraq. Friends and families had a rare opportunity Dec. 13 to see and talk via video teleconferencing with several Misawa Airmen deployed to Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Balad and the 35th Communication Squadrons here coordinated the call so families could have about 15 minutes each. “It was really nice to talk to him...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Dec. 14, 2005) -- The leaders and senior members of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 774 recently held a squadron formation to promote and award members of the squadron and thank them for their hard work and dedication. The Wild Goose, a reserve CH-46E Sea Knight squadron based at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va., are currently on their second consecutive deployment to Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. John G. McGonagle, meritoriously promoted three Marines and one of the unit’s Navy corpsman, and awarded nine members of Wild Goose with their...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 – America has a solid strategy for victory in Iraq and will see that strategy through, President Bush said today in Minneapolis. "We will defeat the terrorists in Iraq. We will not let al Qaeda get a stronghold in Iraq," Bush said. "We'll help this country develop a democracy, which will send a powerful signal to people in Damascus and Tehran." The U.S. strategy is two-fold, he explained. The United States and coalition are helping the Iraqis establish a democracy. At the same time, they're training Iraqis so they can take the right to the enemy...

BISBEE — The U.S. flag was in the spotlight during Bisbee’s Veterans Day ceremony. “That is the only flag I will ever salute,” said Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 836 Commander Frank Martinez Jr., who coordinated the ceremony. More than 50 residents turned out for the celebration that was held at Bisbee’s historic Evergreen Cemetery. Martinez said Veterans Day is a time to honor and respect fallen comrades, those missing in action, and those still serving in the armed forces. He said these soldiers are the backbone of how democracy was instilled. Veterans have stood side by side as a...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2005 – The United States, Great Britain and the United Nations remain steadfast in seeing democracy established in Iraq despite continued insurgent violence, Britain's senior defense official said here today. "The litmus test of leadership is not when things are easy or fashionable, but when times are difficult and we have to come through them towards the objective in the end," British Secretary of State for Defense John Reid told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing. Resolution 1546, adopted by the U.N. Security Council on June 8, 2004, demonstrates that the mission to establish a democratic Iraqi...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- "Recruit Wombles times two!" yelled the drill instructor as two heads popped up simultaneously. Acknowledging the call, they both rose to their feet and ran to the front of the barracks. Cody L. and Kyle D. Wombles grew up in the small town of Pleasant Hill, Ill. Living in a town with less than 1,000 people, the two Company F recruits welcomed the idea of being identical twins in a new, ethnically diverse environment with new experiences. Said Cody: "The only way our drill instructors can tell us apart...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Oct. 25, 2005) -- The Marines of Iraqi Army Platoon, Echo Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, clashed with insurgents in the month leading up to the unit’s relief in place. Nearing the end of their seven-month deployment and after spending more than a month in Ferris Town and Al Amariyah in support of Operation Southern Fire, Sgt. Joe Gonsalez, platoon sergeant, IA Platoon, was conducting a familiarization foot patrol in Al Amariyah with the incoming team from 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. On Oct. 2, as the patrol came to a halt in front of Al Amariyah’s...

AR RAMADI, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2005) -- Two platoons from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, along with two Army units and a company from the Iraqi Security Force, took part in Operation Bowie, Oct.2 through the 4 in order to disrupt insurgent positions in southern Ar Ramadi. The operation, which was the first major operation conducted by the battalion since arriving in Iraq a few weeks ago, was the first to be held in the known insurgent stronghold of the Humara District since the Marines of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines patrolled the area in July. “We conducted a cordon and...

FORT HUACHUCA -- A family on the post was recently affected by a scam via the mail -- a lottery check scam. "All they need is a couple (of victims) to do it, then they're good to go," said Tanja Linton, a spokeswoman for the fort. "There is at least one family that was affected by this, which is of course one family too many." Most people these days don't faltl for these kinds of fraudulent solicitations, she said, but the criminals target victims who may be more naive about modern fraud, Linton said. Such schemes, she said, "get very...

WASHINGTON -- The legalities of disaster recovery can seem murkier than floodwater, but for some Air Force families, making claims for belongings destroyed by Hurricane Katrina will be easier, thanks to Air Force paralegals. Two teams of Airmen from various Air Education and Training Command bases arrived at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., recently to help survivors navigate the legal claims system to recover or get reimbursement for their personal property on base. "The purpose of the teams is to go into the affected areas, evaluate the extent of the damages, document that information and assist the military member filing...

A burglar plunged through the false ceiling of a SuperAmerica store in downtown Minneapolis early Wednesday morning, showering the floor with insulation and ceiling tiles and startling a store employee who was cleaning up, police said. The man then tried to climb out through the ceiling but became entangled in wires. "When the police come in, he's dangling from the ceiling," said Lt. Michael Kjos. "He might not have been thinking real clearly at the time." Willie Nelson, 24, of north Minneapolis, later told investigators that he was hungry, according to police.

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel suddenly has two Arab heroes. In a country where Jewish-Arab alienation runs deep, a pair of critical goals in World Cup soccer have created an instant connection across the divide. For years, Abas Suan and Walid Badir endured racist taunts from the bleachers. Now they're the toast of the predominantly Jewish state.

When it comes to the law of unintended consequences, the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance "reform" is rapidly becoming a legal phenomenon. The latest example comes courtesy of the Federal Election Commission, where officials are being asked to extend the law to the very people it is supposed to empower: individual citizens. snip The problem facing the FEC is that McCain-Feingold broadly restricts coordination with, and contributions to, political candidates. So what is the agency to do with all those people who use their Web sites to praise a candidate? Computers and Web access cost money, which could be construed as a financial...

Anti-Semitism may seem to be a static, unchanging phenomenon but in fact the obsessive hatred of Jews has a history that goes back millennia and continues to evolve.Developments since World War II and the Holocaust have been especially fast-paced and portentous. Here are four of the most significant shifts: From right to left: For centuries, anti-Semitism was the hallmark of the right and merely episodic on the left. To take the ultimate examples of these trends, Stalin's Judeophobia was peripheral to his monstrous project, but Hitler's was central to his. Even a decade ago, this pattern still basically held true....