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CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Feb. 3, 2006) -- Being able to communicate with the local populous is an important part of every mission the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment conduct in their area of operations. In order to do this, the unit works with local Iraqi interpreters. Sergeant Dustin L. Barrow, an Ironton, Ohio, native, is the enlisted interpreter liaison for the battalion. He ensures the translators are satisfied with what they have, while also ensuring they are doing their jobs to support the operations the companies carry out. “This is the first time I have dealt with interpreters...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2006 – The concept of embedding coalition advisers in Iraqi army units has proven so successful that it will soon be implemented in the Iraqi police units as well, President Bush said following a meeting at the Pentagon today. Flanked by Vice President Dick Cheney and speaking to reporters following a meeting with his national defense team and three top commanders in Iraq, the president praised progress being made in boosting Iraq's security forces in both numbers and capability. He cited the key role these forces played in maintaining security during the Dec. 15 elections. That effort...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 13, 2005 – Iraqi security units are taking the lead in preparing for the Dec. 15 national elections. This is the third election this year, and each time the amount of support coalition forces provide has been less, military officials said. The plan builds on experiences gained in the Jan. 30 National Assembly election and the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum. Iraqi police will provide close-in protection at the polling stations. Iraqi public order battalions and Iraqi army soldiers will provide the next level of protection. This second ring of police and soldiers will search for suicide bombers and...

MIANASHIN, Afghanistan, Oct. 21, 2005 – The airdrop of supplies in the morning had fallen far from the mark, leaving water bottles and boxes of food strewn for hundreds of yards across the mountain. The paratroopers had spent the afternoon carrying box after box down from the ridgeline, but several large loads still needed to be transported. With daylight rapidly disappearing, the company seemed to have run out of options. Luckily, that is when "donkey man" showed up. Army Spc. Daniel Boyle spotted the old man leading a team of donkeys up a hill in the distance. With a flash...

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- It is 110 degrees and temperatures are steadily on the rise. Luckily, the office is air conditioned -- until the power goes out. An Airman puts in a work order, but it is not the only office that is suffering from this side effect of the heat. However, within 15 minutes, an ice-cold breeze of relief surrounds the office just as a civil engineer pokes his head in to say the malfunction has been fixed. Providing relief from the heat is just one of the many things Army and Air Force civil engineers here...

FORT HUACHUCA - It's a small unit with a big job. That's what an Army colonel said about the Intelligence Electronic Warfare Test Directorate. As the war on terrorism continues, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers are being provided new systems, some of which have not been through he normal vetting process prior to being sent to the field. That is when the directorate's soldiers and civilians are called upon to team with others from the Operational Test Command to deploy and evaluate how well equipment is doing in actual field environments. "We do operational testing of all intelligence-related systems...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2005 – Some military units that deployed to support Hurricane Katrina operations are preparing to return to their home stations, military officials announced today. The carrier USS Harry S. Truman, dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island, selected 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Army Aviation assets, the Army Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platoon, the Air Force's 4th Expeditionary Medical Support Field Hospital -- being replaced by the Army's 14th Combat Support Hospital -- and the Air Force's 920th Rescue Wing are going home. Officials said some redeploying forces have completed their missions, while local or state capabilities are in...

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...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MICHAEL, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2005 — It has been nearly two months since the soldiers from 48th Brigade Combat Team have put “boots-on-the-ground” at Forward Operating Base Michael. The soldiers from Troop E, 108th Cavalry, 48th BCT, 3rd Infantry Division knew immediately what to do in order to become successful in accomplishing their mission: make the region safe for the Iraqi citizens south of Baghdad. To do this, they have worked on building a relationship based on trust with Iraq Army’s 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Division, said Capt. John H. Alderman, commander of the Griffin, Ga.-based...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2005 – More than 110 Iraqi battalions are involved in the fight against terrorists, officials in Baghdad said this week. The contributions of the units vary, but all are participating in operations. The Iraqi ministries of Defense and Interior have developed readiness assessment criteria for units. Much like the readiness assessments for the U.S. Army, the criteria measure capabilities in six different areas: personnel, command and control, training and mission-essential tasks, sustainment, equipment, and leadership. Different readiness levels indicate different capabilities. Level 1 is the highest rating, where units are fully independent in all aspects. This includes...

U.S. soldiers prepare the Iraqi Army to take the lead in Kirkuk, while also ensuring the Iraqi soldiers' children receive needed school supplies. FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARRIOR, Iraq, Aug. 4, 2005 — U.S. soldiers from the 116th Brigade Combat Team are taking an active role in preparing the Iraqi Army for their ever increasing role in providing security in Iraq. "We had our first brigade-level command post exercise in June and are preparing for our next one. It was outstanding. It exceeded our expectations. With minimal coalition force assistance, they can take the fight to the enemy." U.S. Army 1st...

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- The first Future Total Force wing, the 116th Air Control Wing, is nearing its third birthday since merging active-duty Air Force, Army and Air National Guard units to form a “blended wing.” In October 2002, America’s first total force wing took flight as the 116th ACW and made history by combining active-duty Airmen and Soldiers from the 93rd ACW, along with Georgia Air National Guardsmen from the 116th Bomb Wing. The two wings formed one cohesive unit, flying the E-8C -- the world’s only Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System. The merger combined...

Many of you publish heart breaking letters and e-mails from our sons and daughters defending our freedoms on many fronts. Before you do so, please just take a moment to stop and think about what is in what you are about to expose to the world. Please don't identify operational units, future missions, unit movements, or times of movements. When you do you place the lives of our sons and daughters and the lives of others at risk. Remember, we are open to the world. We have our share of lurkers and trolls and loose lips sink ships. Our kids...

FBI Warns Of Possible Terror Link To Storage Units Ohio Storage Facilities Have Been Alerted POSTED: 7:39 am EDT August 13, 2004 UPDATED: 9:35 am EDT August 13, 2004 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The FBI is taking an interest in public storage facilities across Ohio, NBC 4's Elizabeth Scarborough reported. Self-storage units have already been searched in Toledo, and alerts have gone out in several cities, including Columbus, Scarborough reported. Managers of self-storage units in the Columbus area say that in the past two weeks, they've received warnings from several different agencies, including the FBI, to be on the lookout for...

1. Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter? = Eskimo Pi 2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup? = Won ton 3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash? = 1 microscope 4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement? = 1 bananosecond 5. Weight an evangelist carries with God? = 1 billigram 6. Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour? = Knot furlong 7. 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone? = 1 Rod Serling 8. Half of a large intestine? = 1 semicolon 9. 1,000,000 aches? = 1 megahurtz 10. Basic unit...