Gainey Reflects on 9/11's Impact on the Force

By Donna Miles

WASHINGTON, Sep. 6, 2006 – For the man who now serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, watching the televised image of an airliner hitting the World Trade Center signaled the end of an era as the country was thrust into war. Army Command Sergeant Major William J. Gainey, then regimental sergeant major for the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, La., said he remembers returning home after an early morning run Sept. 11, 2001, and flipping on the TV news as he cooled down.

Gainey was transfixed by shots of smoke pouring from the World Trade Center and remembered an incident in the 1930s when a military aircraft hit the Empire State Building. As he watched, a second jet careened into the second World Trade Center tower, and he realized that what he was watching was no accident, Gainey said. He ran into the next room to awaken his wife, telling her, "Baby, we are now at war."

Gainey, a career soldier who had served in every leadership position from command group gunner to regimental sergeant major, said the events of Sept. 11 shook him to the core. Gone was the sense of security he'd always felt came from being a superpower with the world's best military. "When I watched those buildings crumble, I got kind of scared and realized we might not be as hard as we think we are," he said. "People can slip in on us. And it gave me a total sense of appreciation for what we need to do or what we might have to do."

As Fort Polk went into a defensive position -- closing roads, putting troops in Humvees around housing areas and sending patrols through the post -- Gainey wondered how the United States would respond to the attacks. "And I was very pleased when the president said we are not going to tolerate it," he said.

Nearly five years later, with the United States fully engaged in the war on terror, the tragic events of Sept. 11 have transformed the U.S. armed forces, said Gainey, now senior enlisted advisor to Marine General Peter Pace, the nation's highest-ranking military officer. After traveling the globe, visiting troops at home and overseas and reporting his findings back to Pace, Gainey said the military has never been stronger.

"It made us more ready than ever before," he said. "Our young men and women of all the services are better trained and have more combat experience than anyone in the last two generations." With better training, better equipment and more combat veterans within its ranks than ever before, the U.S. military has never been better, and its members have never been more serious about their mission, Gainey said. "Talk to any young man and woman and ask them how they feel, and they will tell you, 'We are focused, Sergeant Major,'" he said. "They are focused, and they believe in what they are doing."

Al Qaeda Leader Captured in June, U.S. Spokesman Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA

WASHINGTON, Sep. 6, 2006 – A high-level al Qaeda in Iraq leader whose capture was announced Sept. 3 by the Iraqi government was actually captured June 19 and has been yielding valuable intelligence since then, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today. Abu Humam, also known as Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi and Abu Rana, has been in custody of the Iraqi government since his capture near Baquba, and has provided intelligence that has led to the capture of 11 mid-level and nine lower-level al Qaeda in Iraq members, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

"He was the most significant al Qaeda leader captured since the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," Caldwell said. "Abu Humam admitted to being a senior leader within the terrorist organization, particularly in the Saladin region, where he had several terrorist cells reporting directly to him."

The announcement of Humam's capture, which came from Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the Iraqi national security advisor, was made because the Iraqi government had just cleared the release of the information, Caldwell said. The announcement was not made sooner because Humam was still providing actionable intelligence and the Iraqi government didn't want the terrorists he was associated with to change their tactics, he said. In most cases, when terrorists are captured, their capture is not announced until their intelligence value has been exhausted, he explained.

Over the past two weeks, Iraqi security forces with coalition support have conducted many other successful operations that continue to dismantle and disorganize the al Qaeda in Iraq network, Caldwell said. Iraqi forces have conducted more than 80 missions targeting the al Qaeda in Iraq network, resulting in the deaths of 49 terrorists and the detention of 225 other suspected terrorists, he said. Those detained were connected with terrorist activities including emplacing improvised explosive devices, kidnapping, murders, armed attacks, and facilitating movement of foreign fighters, weapons, explosive materials and funding, he said.

Marine Casualties

Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of several Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Cliff K. Golla, 21, of Charlotte, N.C., died Sept. 1 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson, 19, of Hartford, Conn., died Sept. 3 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Media with questions about these Marines can call the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at (910) 451-9033.

Lance Cpl. Shane P. Harris, 23, of Las Vegas, N.M., died Sep. 3 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Media with questions about this Marine can call the Twentynine Palms public affairs office at (760) 830-5476.

Lance Cpl. Eric P. Valdepenas, 21, of Seekonk, Mass., died Sept. 4 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Ayer, Mass.

Media with questions about this Marine can call the 1st Bn., 25th Marines public affairs office at (978) 796-2839.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Eugene H.E. Alex, 32, of Bay City, Mich., died on Sept. 2 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered on Aug 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, when he encountered enemy forces using small arms fire. Alex was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Media with questions about this soldier can contact the Fort Wainwright public affairs office at (907) 353-6701.

Apaches Blast Terrorists' Vehicles in Western Baghdad

By Sgt. 1st Class Reginald Rogers, USA

BAGHDAD, Sep. 4, 2006 – Two Longbow Apache helicopters provided air-to-ground support to American soldiers by blasting enemy vehicles during action in western Baghdad yesterday, U.S. officials reported. The flight of choppers from Multinational Division Baghdad's Combat Aviation Brigade teamed up to assist U.S. ground forces from the division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

The combined effort resulted in one terrorist killed, four captured and two terrorist's vehicles destroyed, officials said. The Apache crews were conducting a combat air patrol mission when they received the call to assist. At about 4:45 p.m., the pilots noticed two abandoned vehicles near where the attack was reported.

"The vehicles were staged for the (terrorists), who tried to engage the infantry guys," explained Army Maj. Byron Needum, one of the Apache pilots assigned to the CAB's 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment. "When we got there, the infantry had already got the best of them and detained three. "They were still looking for more (terrorists)," Needum continued. "That's when we found the vehicles, and vehicles didn't fit the situation."

Apache teams rarely have to engage the enemy once they arrive on the scene, Needum said. "Normally when we get there, people don't want to 'play' anymore," he explained. "Even if we don't engage the enemy, our presence alone helps the ground guys out."

Helicopter crews have a picture-window view of enemy activity on the ground, Needum said. That advantage, he said, is often used to support U.S. ground forces. "We have a different vantage point, and we can see farther than you can on the ground," said Needum, who is also the company commander for his battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Company. "I don't think they would have seen those (enemy) vehicles without us."

According to Chief Warrant Officer Scott Quaife, who piloted the second of the two Apaches, his team spotted the two vehicles upon arrival to the location, but could not engage without receiving confirmation that they belonged to the terrorists. "We spotted the two Bradleys, and they had already opened fire on the canal with their 25 mm guns," Quaife explained. "They said there were two possible (terrorists) running in the canal, but we didn't find anybody."

Then, Needum's helicopter crew noticed the two vehicles, Quaife recalled, "so we investigated the vehicles. We called the (ground unit) and told them we thought the vehicles were the enemy's." Quaife said the ground unit sent personnel to investigate, and once confirmation was given, the helicopters attacked the enemy vehicles.

"The ground unit's leadership approved the Apaches to destroy the vehicles to keep its soldiers safe," Quaife said. The ground unit reported that the two vehicles contained loaded AK-47s, he said, and possible improvised explosive device-making materials. The Apache team fired on the vehicles with at least 150 rounds from its 30 mm machine guns and shot four rockets, Quaife said. The barrage, he said, destroyed both vehicles.

"The lead vehicle blew up and caught on fire after being engaged by Needum's helicopter," Quaife said, noting his chopper crew "shot two rockets to help destroy the other vehicle." Officials said a post-engagement assessment showed that the ground unit had killed a terrorist, wounded another and detained three. The soldiers also found a weapons cache containing four rocket-propelled-grenades, two RPG launchers, an AK-47 rifle, three machine guns with 100 rounds, a pair of flares and numerous rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition.

(Army Sgt. 1st Class Rogers is assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs Office.)

Iraqi Army Battalion Assumes Tal Afar Security Role

TAL AFAR, Iraq, Sep. 4, 2006 – The 1st, Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, became the third and final battalion to take the lead in assuming security operations for the city of Tal Afar during a ceremony held at Fort Tal Afar on Sept. 2, U.S. officials reported.

On hand for the ceremony were Tal Afar Mayor Najim Abdullah al-Jubori; Maj. Gen. Khorsheed, commander of the 3rd Iraqi Army Division; Brig. Gen. Qais Hamza, commander of the division's 2nd Brigade; U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Tien, commander of Task Force 2-37; and various dignitaries from the surrounding area.

With this ceremony, all of the Iraqi Army battalions in Tal Afar have taken the lead in security operations.

Offense Vital Part of National Strategy to Combat Terrorism

By Steven Donald Smith

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2006 – President Bush today released his updated National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, which outlines the U.S. government's strategy to protect and defend American interests at home and abroad from terrorism. "The best way to protect America is to stay on the offense," Bush told an audience today at the Military Officers Association of America here. "Since 9/11 our coalition has captured or killed al Qaeda managers and operatives and scores of other terrorists across the world. The enemy is living under constant pressure, and we intend to keep it that way."

The strategy update emphasizes that the U.S. not only must fight terrorists on the battlefield, but also must promote freedom and human dignity to counter terrorists' vision of oppression and totalitarian rule. To win the war on terror, the United States will continue to lead a vast international effort to defeat violent extremists who threaten the U.S. and its allies, as well as create a global environment inhospitable to violent extremists and their supporters, the update states.

"When terrorists spend their days working to avoid death or capture, it's harder for them to plan and execute new attacks," Bush said. "By taking the battle to terrorists and their supporters on our own soil and across the world we've stopped another of al Qaeda plots." The updated strategy stresses the importance democracy will play in defeating terrorism in the long term. Effective democracies honor and uphold basic human rights, including freedom of religion, conscience, speech, assembly, association and press, the document states.

Democracy also gives people an ownership stake in society, offers the rule of law, the peaceful resolution of disputes, a marketplace of ideas to expose and discredit falsehoods, and offers a respect for human dignity and rejects the targeting of innocents, the strategy notes. To create the space and time for the long-term solution to terrorism to take root, the update outlines four priorities over the short term:

-- Prevent attacks by terrorist networks by working with partners across the globe;

-- Deny weapons of mass destruction to rogue states and terrorist allies who seek to use them;

-- Deny terrorists the support and sanctuary of rogue states; and

-- Deny terrorists control of any area they would use as a base and launching pad for terror.

The strategy update notes that the United States is transforming its domestic and international institutions and partnerships to carry forward the fight against terror. The U.S. also is collaborating with its partners to update and tailor international obligations and standards of accountability to meet the evolving threat of terrorism. "(The United States is) building the capacity of foreign partners in all areas of counterterrorism activities," the update states. "Through the provision of training, equipment, and other assistance, the United States will enhance the ability of partners across the globe to attack and defeat terrorists."

Other long-term solutions laid out in the update include better interagency collaboration and fostering intellectual and human capital by creating an expert community of counterterrorism professionals.

The Bush administration already has done a great deal to meet this end, including the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, the position of director of national intelligence, and the National Counterterrorism Center, the update states.

The strategic update also points out the U.S. military is expanding its special operations forces, increasing the capabilities of the regular military force to conduct irregular warfare, and initiating the largest rearrangement of its force posture since World War II.

"In the 20th century, free nations confronted and defeated Nazi Germany. During the Cold War we confronted Soviet communism. And today Europe is whole, free and at peace," Bush said. "And now freedom is once again contending with the forces of darkness and tyranny."

Bush: Terrorists View Iraq as Lynchpin in Global Battle

By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, Sep. 5, 2006 – An early U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq would play into terrorists' plans of establishing a new world order of radical Islam, President Bush told members of a military officers' group here today. "These evil men know that a fundamental threat to their aspirations is a democratic Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself," Bush said in his speech to the Military Officers Association of America.

If given a choice, Iraqis would refuse to participate in the type of totalitarian society the terrorists hope to establish in Iraq and elsewhere, Bush said. "And that is why we must not and we will not give the enemy victory in Iraq by deserting the Iraqi people," the president said. Bush spoke to the group in the second of a series of speeches in coming weeks in which he'll update the U.S. public on the cause and course of the war. On Aug. 31, Bush told American Legion members in Salt Lake City that the anti-terror war represents "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century."

As the struggle for Iraq continues, regenerated terrorists are attempting to push the U.S. and its allies out of Afghanistan. Al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden has made it clear that he considers Iraq the key focus of the war, Bush said. After pushing America out of Iraq, the Islamic terrorists hope to expand their empire across the Middle East and even into Spain, Bush said. "For al Qaeda, Iraq is not a distraction from their war on America," he said. "It is the central battlefield, where the outcome of this struggle will be decided."

The United States and its allies have scored significant victories against terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, Bush told the military officers. "Since 9/11, our coalition has captured or killed al Qaeda managers and operatives and scores of other terrorists across the world," Bush said, noting terrorists are under constant pressure. "When terrorists spend their days working to avoid death or capture, it's harder for them to plan and execute new attacks."

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have been provided expanded powers and capability to monitor and thwart possible terror threats in the United States, Bush said. "We've given our law enforcement and intelligence professionals the tools they need to stop the terrorists in our midst," the president said, noting that terror cells have been broken up in Illinois, Virginia, Texas, New York and Oregon.

The United States has learned volumes about the terrorists' "cunning and sophisticated" style of warfare during the past five years, Bush said. "We've witnessed their ability to change their methods and their tactics with deadly speed, even as their murderous obsessions remain unchanging," Bush said. "We've seen that it's the terrorists who have declared war on Muslims, slaughtering huge numbers of innocent Muslim men and women around the world."

The war won't end any time soon, Bush predicted. "The road ahead is going to be difficult, and it will require more sacrifice," he said. Bush compared today's anti-terror war with the 20th century's successful struggle that defeated fascism.

"This time, the battle is unfolding in a new region, the broader Middle East," Bush said. "This time, we're not waiting for our enemies to gather in strength." One day, Middle Easterners will "have governments that honor their dignity and unleash their creativity and count their votes," Bush predicted. America is battling terrorism across the globe, Bush said, "because the security of our own citizens depends upon it." He called fighting terror "the great ideological struggle of the 21st century."

"It is the calling of our generation," Bush concluded. "All civilized nations are bound together in this struggle between moderation and extremism. By coming together, we will roll back this grave threat to our way of life. We will help the people of the Middle East claim their freedom, and we will leave a safer and more hopeful world for our children and grandchildren."

Iraqi, U.S. Forces Detain Insurgents, Other Suspects

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq, Sep. 5, 2006 – Iraqi police and soldiers, along with U.S. Marines and soldiers from Regimental Combat Team 7, detained 30 confirmed insurgents and 38 suspected insurgents over the weekend throughout the Anbar province in western Iraq. Iraqi police identified and detained 18 of the 38 captured suspected insurgents in Rawah, Iraq -- a city of about 20,000 along the Euphrates River, about 50 miles east of the Iraqi-Syrian border.

One of the suspects captured by Rawah police officers is wanted for suspected involvement with a vehicle suicide bombing against a U.S. military checkpoint in the region July 29. Several more captured in Rawah are suspected of involvement with a recent attack on a Rawah police officer's family. Police officers in Rawah also discovered two improvised explosive devices there Sept. 3. Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained one known insurgent and 10 suspected insurgents Sept. 3 in Hit, a city of about 60,000 people about 70 miles northwest of Ramadi.

Through a variety of counterinsurgency operations Sept. 2 and 3, Iraqi police, Iraqi soldiers, and U.S. Marines captured 27 known insurgents and four suspected insurgents in the Haditha Triad, a cluster of three cities -- Haditha, Barwanah, and Haqlaniyah -- with a combined population of about 90,000. One captured insurgent was part of a four-man insurgent cell operating in Hadithah; another is suspected of having involvement with various small-arms attacks against a U.S. base in Barwanah.

U.S. Marines captured six more suspected insurgents Sept. 2 in Sadah, a town just east of the Iraqi-Syrian border, and discovered an ordnance cache near the border Sept. 2. The cache consisted of 120 mm rockets, 155 mm rockets, and 122 mm rockets.

Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Ryan E. Miller, 21, of Gahanna, Ohio, died Sept. 3 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Cpl. Jared M. Shoemaker, 29, of Tulsa, Okla., died Sept. 4 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Broken Arrow, Okla.

Media with questions about Miller can call the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at (910) 451-9033. Media with questions about Shoemaker can call the 1st Bn., 25th Marines public affairs office at (978) 796-2839.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a aoldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Matthew J. Vosbein, 30, of Metairie, La., died on Aug. 29, in Sadr Al Yusifiyah, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol during combat operations. Vosbein was assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Media with questions about this soldier can contact Fort Campbell Public Affairs Office at (270)-798-3025.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Michael L. Deason, 28, of Farmington, Mo., died on Aug 31, in Ad War, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Deason was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Media with questions about this soldier can contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at (270) 798-3025.

Iraq Announces Capture of Top-Tier al Qaeda Leader

WASHINGTON, Sep. 4, 2006 – The capture of a top-tier terrorist has left al Qaeda in Iraq in a "serious leadership crisis," an Iraqi government official said here yesterday. Iraqi forces, with coalition support, captured Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, who is thought to be responsible for the Feb. 22 bombing of a Samarra shrine sacred to Shiia Muslims, said Mowaffak al-Rubaie, national security adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in a nationally televised address.

The mosque bombing helped fan the flames of sectarian violence in Iraq. Saeedi - also known as Abu Humam and Abu Rana - was reportedly captured as he hid in a residential building southwest of Baquba. "(Saeedi) is the direct supervisor of the criminal Haitham al-Badri, who planned and executed the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra," Rubaie said.
The Iraqi national security adviser said Saeedi carried out the policy of the al Qaeda in Iraq organization to ignite sectarian riots. According to Rubaie, Saeedi also is accused of supervising the creation of death squads and ordering assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on Iraqi police and army checkpoints.

Baghdad IED Kills 2 U.S. Soldiers; 2 Marines Die in Anbar

WASHINGTON, Sep. 3, 2006 – Two American soldiers and one Marine died in Iraq today in two separate incidents, and another Marine was killed Sept. 1, U.S. officials reported. The two Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers were killed in the eastern part of the city, officials said, when the vehicle they were riding in encountered an improvised explosive device.

The Marine, assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7, was killed today in action against the enemy in Anbar province, officials said. Another U.S. Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died during anti-terrorist operations in Anbar province on Sept. 1.

The names of the deceased servicemembers are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

DoD officials have identified the following previous casualties:

-- Army Sgt. Moises Jazmin, 25, of Providence; Army Spc. Qixing Lee, 20, of Minneapolis; Army Spc. Shaun A. Novak, 21, of Two Rivers, Wis.; and Army Spc. Tristan C. Smith, 23, of Bryn Athyn, Pa., died Aug. 27 in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicle during combat operations. All were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

-- Marine Cpl. Christopher T. Warndorf, 21, of Burlington, Ky., died Aug. 29 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

-- Marine Lance Cpl. Colin J. Wolfe, 18, of Manassas, Va., died Aug. 30 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

-- Army Sgt. Joshua R. Hanson, 27, of West St. Paul, Minn., died Aug. 30 in Khaldea, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Hanson was assigned to the National Guard 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry, Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Afghanistan Suicide Bombings Take Mostly Civilian Toll

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sep. 3, 2006 – Civilians make up more than 84 percent of the people killed by suicide bombers throughout Afghanistan this year, military officials here reported today. As of Aug. 12, officials at Combined Forces Command Afghanistan said, 105 out of the 124 people killed by suicide bombers were civilians. During that period, five coalition servicemembers were killed, while 14 Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police were killed. The other 105 suicide-bombing fatalities were innocent civilians, officials said.

"This is what the Taliban extremists offer the people of Afghanistan - death and destruction," said Army Colonel Thomas Collins, coalition forces spokesman. "These suicide bombers place no value on human life and continue to threaten the safety of the Afghan people. They hide behind the mask of being devout, but nowhere in the Koran does it say the killing of innocent civilians is justified."

Collins said that Taliban extremists purposely inflict death and destruction on their own people and show no remorse for their actions. "Their blatant disregard for human life cannot be justified under any circumstance," he said.

Iraqi Army Takes Over Responsibility for Abu Ghraib Prison

BAGHDAD, Sep. 3, 2006 – Soldiers from 1st Iraqi Army Division assumed control of the Abu Ghraib prison here from U.S. Army Task Force 134 in a ceremony here Sept. 1.
Iraqi soldiers will provide security for the facility - now vacant -- until the Ministry of Justice dispatches its own security detail. "Returning the empty prison to the control of the Ministry of Justice clearly says that enforcement of the rule of law is a cornerstone of the constitutional government of Iraq," said Col. Monam Hashim Fahed, the Iraqi battalion commander.

Marines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5, will remain with the Iraqi brigade for a short time and serve as a training cadre to assist the Iraqi unit through the initial stages of their mission, officials said. Additionally, an RCT-5 military transition team that has mentored the brigade for the last year will continue to advise the Iraqi commanders and supply any requested guidance.

"It highlights the continued responsibility of the Iraqis," said Army Lt. Col. Scott Marley, the military transition team leader.

Iraqi Troops Nab Militia Chief; Weapons Caches Found

WASHINGTON, Sep. 3, 2006 – An Iraqi Army unit caught a mid-level leader of an illegal militia group during an early-morning Aug. 31 raid in southeastern Baghdad, according to Multinational Corps Iraq officials. The Iraqi soldiers, accompanied by coalition advisers, were specifically looking for the militia's chieftain, officials said, noting that he is believed to be responsible for inciting sectarian violence, fear and instability through acts of intimidation and murder. He also was wanted for authorizing the acquisition and use of heavy weapons and improvised explosive devices employed in attacks on Iraqi citizens and coalition troops. No civilians or Iraqi or coalition forces were killed or injured during the raid, officials said.

In other news, Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found an apparent enemy bomb-making facility and seized other weapon caches Aug. 30 during operations in Adhamiyah, Iraq. The site yielded a large supply of bomb-making material and engineering books.

In another action, American soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, found a mortar base plate, a mortar bipod, 12 60mm mortar rounds, three full AK-47 rifle magazines, a pistol belt and various terrorist equipment during a search of a school in Adhamiyah. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the captured material.

Later, the 17th Infantry Regiment soldiers discovered a smaller weapons cache hidden in an ice cream/bakery shop in Adhamiyah. The soldiers seized a set of body armor, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, four RPGs, three bandoliers, various bomb-making materials, a belt of rifle ammunition and loose rounds. An EOD team buried the cache to make it unavailable to the enemy.

As of Aug. 31, Iraqi and U.S. troops in support of Operation Together Forward had cleared more than 36,000 buildings, 32 mosques and 26 Baghdad neighborhoods. They've detained 42 terrorist suspects, seized more than 900 weapons, registered more than 184 weapons and found 18 weapons caches. Operation Together Forward is the concentrated effort of Iraqi and coalition forces to bring the security situation under control in the Iraqi capital.

The combined forces also have replaced 444 doors, 18 windows and 656 locks damaged during clearing operations, and have removed more than 17,000 tons of debris and trash from Baghdad streets, officials said.

Bush Arrives in Utah to Reaffirm Resolve in Terror War

By Donna Miles

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – Nearly five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, America still has enemies determined to harm it because of what it stands for, President Bush will tell the American Legion's annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, today. Bush arrived in Salt Lake City last night, telling Utah National Guardsmen who met him he's looking forward to telling the veterans how much he and the nation appreciate their service. "And I'm going to thank our veterans for setting such a great example for incredibly fine men and women who wear the uniform of the United States military today," he said.

The president expressed special recognition and appreciation to the Guard members and others who serve in the U.S. military. "I can't tell you how proud I am to be the commander in chief of such a fantastic group of men and women," he said. "And I'll make this pledge to you," he said. "Our government will make sure your loved ones have all the support, all the help, all the training necessary to do their job of defending freedom, defending America and spreading liberty that will yield the peace we all want."

Bush acknowledged the road ahead won't be easy. "These are challenging times," the president said, noting that he wishes he could report that all is well in the world. "But there's still an enemy that wants to harm the United States because of what it stands for," he said. "We learned that lesson earlier this month, when because of the good work of our friends in Great Britain, and some of our own help, we stopped a terrorist plot against the United States."

Bush called confronting these terrorists "the challenge of our time" and his single most important duty as president. "And the most important duty of our government is to protect the American people from further attack," he said. The president vowed to stay on the offense to defeat terrorism abroad so Americans don't have to face it at home again. Iraq remains the central front in the terror war, and if the United States and coalition leave Baghdad before the job is finished, "we will have to face the terrorists in our own cities," Bush said. He vowed to stay the course in Iraq and to help its new democracy succeed.

"Victory in Iraq will be a major ideological triumph in the struggle of the 21st century," he said. Bush said he firmly believes the United States will succeed in spreading liberty. "And as we do, we can say that this generation did our duty and laid the foundation of peace for generations to come," he said.

The president's speech to the American Legion today is expected kick off a series of addresses on the global war on terror that will continue through his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 19. The speeches are expected to be a comprehensive look at the state of the war on terror, the intents and capabilities of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups and steps the United States has taken to make the nation safer, officials said.

"They're not political speeches," Bush said during remarks yesterday in Little Rock, Ark. "They're speeches about the future of this country, and...to make it clear that if we retreat before the job is done, this nation would become even more in jeopardy." Bush said he's hopeful people won't politicize the issues he addresses. "We have a duty in this country to defeat terrorists," he said. "That's why we'll stay on the offense and bring them to justice before they hurt us. And that's why we'll work to spread liberty in order the spread the peace."

'Why We Serve' Program to Connect Servicemembers, American Public

By Donna Miles

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – Thirteen servicemembers recently returned from deployments in the Middle East will fan out across the country beginning today to share their experiences and motivation for serving in uniform as they launch the Defense Department's new "Why We Serve" program. The program has one simple goal: to help connect returning military members with the general public and give them an opportunity to tell their personal stories, explained Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

The servicemembers, representing the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, will travel the country through mid-October, sharing their experiences and motivations for serving with groups ranging from Chambers of Commerce to Rotary clubs to grassroots organizations to schools to media outlets. They're hitting the streets, many starting in their own hometowns, with no DoD-generated "talking points" or packaged speeches -- just their own thoughts to express in their own words, Barber said.

"The goal is that they will go out on the road to different venues nationwide to tell their story," she said. "Why did they choose to serve the military? What did they do in Iraq or Afghanistan? And why are they are serving our country?" Barber said she hopes the effort helps connect troops returning from overseas deployments with the American public and promotes understanding about what motivates them to serve. "It's an educational campaign," she said. "We are educating the citizens of this country about why people choose a different path and why they choose to serve this country."

Although the American public stands solidly behind its servicemembers - as evidenced by the success of DoD's "America Supports You" program - the new Why We Serve effort is designed to create a more personal connection, Barber explained. "You just can't beat face-to-face communication," she said, and that's exactly what the Why I Serve program will promote. The public will get a chance to shake hands with the troops, talk with them and ask questions about their experiences and see their photos. "And that bond can only be developed in one-on-one, real communication," Barber said.

The program has no political agenda, she emphasized. It's not designed to sway public opinion about the war on terror, but rather is simply to give people insight into their men and women in uniform. Why We Serve isn't a recruiting campaign, either, Barber said, although she acknowledged that it could have that effect. "Will some people hear what these men and women have to say and be motivated and inspired to consider the military? Of course. How could you not?" Barber said. "But that is not the purpose of the program. It's an educational campaign."

Ultimately, Barber said, she hopes the exchange benefits the audiences as well as the participants themselves. "For audiences, I would like them to walk out of that room and say, 'How fortunate we are to live in a country where men and women volunteer to defend freedom at any cost,'" she said. "And I would like our military members to walk away from the experience feeling renewed in their commitment to defend this country because of the interaction they have had with the citizens of this country. "Why We Serve is really about telling the story of our military," she said. "And we think that is going to be very powerful."

Although the program initially will run through mid-October, Barber said DoD could expand it in the future.

Simi Valley Freedom Walk to Thank Troops

By Samantha L. Quigley

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – Simi Valley, Calif. -- home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library -- is planning a Freedom Walk to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to show the community's support for the nation's servicemembers. "Simi Valley is a very patriotic city," said Debbie Gregory, one of the event's planners. "We respect our troops, and we want to show our support, and what a wonderful way to be able to do it."

Gregory is president of Military Connection, an Internet-based resource of information for servicemembers and their families, and a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program. Military Connection and the Reagan Library are co-hosting the nearly two-mile walk that will take place Sept. 11 at 5 p.m., Gregory said.

As of this morning, 112 similar Freedom Walks are scheduled in 49 states and the District of Columbia to remember those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 and to honor America's military veterans, past and present. The local events around the country parallel the Washington, D.C., Freedom Walk, scheduled Sept. 10 and sponsored by the DoD's America Supports You program. America Supports You spotlights ways the American people and the nation's corporate sector support U.S. servicemembers.

With help of local businesses and civic organizations, the Simi Valley event hosts are distributing 30,000 fliers to announce the event. Some of those fliers will go home with area schoolchildren in a packet of weekly announcements, Gregory said. "Because the Reagan (Library) is involved, and they have the reach they do, we have the ability to put them in all the packets," Gregory said. "There's no better way to reach people in a community than through their children and the packet that comes home the first week of school."

The walk will begin with an opening ceremony in the courtyard of the Reagan Library. A color guard from the Ventura County Marine Corps League and VIP speakers are scheduled to participate, Gregory said. "We're hoping to receive confirmation from the Simi High School Band," she added. The first 500 people to arrive will receive small American flags. T-shirts purchased with cash donations from local newspapers will go to the first 750 walkers.

Water and refreshments will be available, thanks to area grocers, and the Ventura County Red Cross will be on hand to distribute the water. Shuttles, provided by an area business, also will be available to return walkers from the park below the library where the walk concludes, to their cars in the library's parking lot.

"The driveway is about a mile straight up," Gregory said. At first, organizing a Freedom Walk on a tight schedule seemed nearly impossible to Gregory. Then she realized the importance of the day.

"It's important to all those people who lost their lives, all the people fighting the war on terror," she said. "The very least we can do is put ourselves out and say, 'Hey, thank you. You're important.' "We owe the biggest sincere thanks to the people out there that are fighting this war on terror, that are keeping America safe," she added.

Information for people interested in organizing Freedom Walk observances in their communities is available at the America Supports You Freedom Walk Web site.

Railroad Chugs Ahead in Support Of GI Employees, Veterans

By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – A U.S. railroad freight firm has earned the right to blow its locomotives' whistles in celebration of Defense Department recognition for superb support of its employees in the National Guard and Reserve. BNSF Railway, with headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of 15 U.S. businesses selected to receive the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for 2006.

"BNSF is very pleased to have been nominated and selected to receive this award," said Connie McLendon, BNSF's military staffing manager. "This is an important distinction that very few companies receive, recognizing outstanding support for our National Guard, Reserve and veteran employees."

Today, more than 175 of BNSF's 40,000 employees are serving on active military duty, McLendon noted, with more than 485 having been called up for service since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. McLendon said her company provides "enhanced and extended benefits for those employees called to active duty in the war on terrorism." That includes company-provided differential pay to supplement an employee's military salary, as well as extended health-care benefits.

Additionally, BNSF organizes welcome-home celebrations and provides care packages for employees who are called up for active military service, McLendon said. The company also dedicates resources to assist employees' transitions when they depart for duty and after they return. The railway also has an aggressive veterans' hiring program, McLendon said, noting her firm hired more than 750 former servicemembers in 2005. And BNSF has hired more than 700 veterans so far this year, she said, amounting to about 20 percent of all hires.

In a recent statement, Matthew K. Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and chief executive officer, summed up his company's philosophy of supporting employees who are past or present members of the U.S. military. "We recognize and appreciate the sacrifice and service not only of the citizen-soldiers who are members of Team BNSF," Rose said, "but of all of America's heroes who have answered the call to serve and defend our country since Sept. 11, 2001."

John Lanigan, BNSF's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, will accept the DoD award at a Sept. 21 ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a DoD agency, manages the award process.

ESGR assists Guard and Reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.

In February, BNSF underlined its commitment to those who serve in the National Guard or Reserve, McLendon said, by signing ESGR's "5-Star Statement of Support." Very few employers of National Guardsmen and reservists have achieved such status, which recognizes patriotism and high standards of employee support, she said.

Formerly known as Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, BNSF Railway is one of America's largest railroads. Its more than 6,000 locomotives and 220,000 freight cars ship automobiles, timber, minerals, food, chemicals and metals over 32,000 miles of track, serving 28 western states and two Canadian provinces, company officials said.

Iraqi Command Assumes Control of 8th Iraqi Army Division

BAGHDAD, Sep. 1, 2006 – The Iraqi Ground Forces Command assumed command and control here today of one of its Iraqi army divisions from the Multinational Corps Iraq, marking what officials here said is the first step toward Iraqi sovereignty over the country's armed forces. The 8th Iraqi Army Division, commanded by Maj. Gen Othman Ali Salih Farhood, which had been a subordinate unit of Multinational Division Baghdad, will now report directly to the IGFC as an adjacent unit to MND-B. When the division took the lead for operations in its sector on Jan. 27, it was the first to reach that milestone.

In a gradual sequence over the following months, the IGFC will assume control of the remaining nine Iraqi Army divisions, officials said. The IGFC was established May 15, 2005, as the corps-level command for providing command, control and guidance to the 10 Iraqi Army divisions. Over the past year, MNC-I worked closely with the IGFC in a partnership to develop procedures, training and infrastructure that enables the IGFC to effectively command and control maneuver units to provide for Iraq's security, officials said.

Later this week, the IFGC will join the Iraqi air force and the navy in a formal ceremony marking the transition of operational control of Iraqi armed forces from the coalition to the Iraqi government. Four months ago, the IGFC officially opened its Joint Operations Center, a modern command center in which all elements of the headquarters staff are represented, to monitor and process data from throughout Iraq in real time.

Today's assumption of control by the IGFC demonstrates the increased capability of the Iraqi Army to assume control of security tasks and is another significant step toward Iraqi security self-reliance, Multinational Corps Iraq officials said today in a written statement.

Extremists Damage Afghan School; Multiple Bombs Discovered

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Extremists severely damaged a co-ed school in Afghanistan's Paktika province today with a makeshift bomb, U.S. military officials reported. The munition caused major damage to the roof and most of the inside of the Malekshay School, whose grand-opening ceremony was scheduled for next week. No one was in the school at the time of the explosion.

Afghan National Police secured the area and are investigating the incident. A coalition explosive ordnance disposal team was sent to investigate the site. "This is one more extremist attack on the education system in Afghanistan," said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman. "They recognize that knowledge is power and would prefer the general public remain ignorant so they can't challenge their oppressive ways. We will continue to support and strengthen educational opportunities for all Afghans so that they may be empowered to improve their own lives and the future of their country."

In other news from Afghanistan, a chain of four makeshift bombs was discovered and destroyed by coalition forces in Paktika province yesterday. The first bomb was discovered on the side of a road, and a U.S. explosive ordnance disposal team examined the device and detonated it in place, revealing three more bombs, which had been placed 10 to 15 feet apart in the middle of the road. Those bombs were also destroyed in place.

"Coalition forces have once again neutralized the threat of roadside bombs in Afghanistan," Fitzpatrick said. "An increasing number of improvised explosive devices are being discovered by coalition forces or turned in to Afghan security forces before they can be used to harm others."

No injuries to civilians or coalition forces were reported.

"Taliban extremists went to great lengths attempting to entrap Afghan and coalition forces with multiple improvised explosive devices but it didn't work,' Fitzpatrick said. "Both military forces and the Afghan people are safe today thanks to the outstanding, training, valor and professionalism of Afghan and coalition forces."

East Baghdad Commander 'Cautiously Optimistic'

By Jim Garamone

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – The commander of coalition forces in East Baghdad is "cautiously optimistic" for the future in his area of operations. Army Colonel Thomas Vail, commander of the 506th Regimental Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters via a teleconference from Baghdad that Operation Together Forward is having an effect in his area. The 506th is the 4th Brigade of the Multinational Division Baghdad, and covers an area of 1,500 square kilometers with 5 million people.

Operation Together Forward is trhe main effort in the region. The Iraqi-planned and -run operation is cutting in to the sectarian violence in Adhamiyah - the neighborhood where efforts are concentrated, he said. The effort is based on the strategy of "clear, protect and build," Vail said. "Once Iraqi security forces have cleared the area, together we hold the area and protect the people," said he explained.

The coalition forces in the area - including the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team - have increased joint patrols with the Iraqi army and national and local police. This provides security for a hard-hit area and helps re-establish normalcy in the neighborhoods. "This helps increase the trust and confidence of the Iraqi people in the Iraqi government," Vail said. "These operations set the conditions for us to work with local governments and continue to secure Adamiyah and provide essential services."

Providing the essential services - power, water, sewage, trash removal - is the build section of the strategy. Vail said the Iraqis have let contracts to haul trash, deliver power generators and remove abandoned vehicles in Adamiyah. Civil affairs personnel have also helped restart local businesses and provided jobs to more than 650 men in the neighborhood. "People can have a safe place to raise their children, return to work and get back to a normal life," he said.

The colonel praised the efforts of the Iraqi security forces in the area. "In the end, an Iraqi solution is best," he said. "The people of Baghdad must reject acts violence and assist with information on the (anti-Iraqi forces) and support their government. The government of Iraq is committed against terrorists and a better way of life for all Iraqis."

He said he is seeing a change in attitude among the people of the area. The Iraqi security forces and coalition are receiving lots of tips on insurgents from the population. The effect has been to drop the number of murders in the area from 11 a day to four. "There is a level of animosity toward the insurgents and (the population is) taking actions to assist the Iraqi forces and coalition forces in the operations," he said.

Vail's area goes from the predominantly Sunni Salman Pak area to primarily Shiia in the north. "I've got an optimistic view that civil war would not occur, but I can't predict the future," he said. "My optimism comes from the amount of forces and the amount of capability available in Baghdad right now as we intervene and we protect the people."

More than 34 battalions of coalition and Iraqi security forces serve in East Baghdad now. Multinational Division Baghdad commanders can allocate those forces to ensure security. "Now there are Iraqi police, there are national police battalions, and there are Iraqi army battalions available," he said. "But I think the most important thing is that as the people realize that they're being protected and as they see that the services are coming back, and the relationship between the Iraqi security forces and the people improve, I think that will have detrimental effect on each type of insurgency or a particular group that's trying to take advantage of the population."

Vail said his soldiers have worked well with their Iraqi counterparts. They quickly gained a rapport with the units they work with habitually, they understand the population, they know the geography and they know what to look for and what the threat is. "So with all that, I think we're able to better advise and train with the Iraqi army and national police daily," the colonel said.

Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Joshua R. Hanson, 27, of West St. Paul, Minn., died on Aug. 30, in Khaldea, Iraq, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Hanson was assigned to the National Guard 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry, Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Media with questions about this soldier can contact the Minnesota National Guard public affairs office at (651) 268-8961.

New Report Measures Iraq Stability, Security

By Jim Garamone

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Violence in Iraqi is up, but there has been progress on the political and economic fronts, according to the Defense Department's quarterly report to Congress, released today. The report measures stability and security in Iraq, looking at political, economic and security progress in the nation. Officials called it a "sober report that lays it all on the table."

The Feb. 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra is Abu Mussab Zarqawi's "legacy" to the Iraqi people, said Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Rodman and Rear Adm. Bill Sullivan, the Joint Staff's vice director for strategic plans and policy, spoke to reporters about the report, and conditions in Iraq.

Zarqawi - the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq - wanted a civil war between Sunni and Shiia Arabs in the nation. The bombing of the Golden Mosque certainly spurred sectarian violence to the point that DoD officials now regard it as a greater threat than Al Qaeda in Iraq. "Since the Samarra bombing in February, we've seen an increase in sectarian violence. We all know that and this report discusses it," Rodman said.

On the political side, the last quarter saw the national government getting on its feet, the assistant secretary said. In June, the parliament approved the three national security ministers, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki introduced a national reconciliation plan to the Council of Representatives and the council began tackling legislation particularly in the economic area. "The point is that you have a national government that is functioning," Rodman said. "It is a national government that includes the leaders of all the major communities."

The fact that the national government is functioning is "one relevant data point" that shows Iraq is not engaged in a civil war, he said. The Iraqi economy is moving along. Estimates put gross domestic product growth in the country at about 4 percent for the year. "The economy is not performing as we hoped it would, but there is modest growth," Rodman said.

Crude oil exports are up, as well as electricity generation. Rodman said that roughly 80 percent of the citizens of Baghdad have access to private generators. The major change noted in the report, compared to the last one, is on the security side. "Our commanders on the ground call the security situation in Iraq today the most complex it's ever been since the beginning of the war," Sullivan said.

Violence is up, with most of the incidents being Iraqi-on-Iraqi attacks in and around Baghdad. Most of the attacks are in only four of the 18 provinces, the report notes. Fourteen provinces remain fairly peaceful and in one - Muthanna in the south -no coalition forces are operating. Sullivan said training and equipping of Iraqi forces continues on track. Iraqi security forces are at about 278,000 trained and equipped in the Iraqi Army, National Police and local police. This is an increase of about 14,000 since the May report, he said.

What's more, Iraqi forces are assuming the lead in their areas. This allows coalition forces to take a more supporting role. "There are currently five Iraqi divisions, 25 brigades and 85 battalions that are in the lead in their areas," Sullivan said. "This is a 32 percent increase since the last report."

Coalition trainers in Iraq are now focusing their attention on combat support, combat service support capabilities - medical, logistics, maintenance and so on. "That will allow the Iraqis to be more independent in their operations," Sullivan said. "There is also a focus on improving the capabilities of the Ministry of Defense and the Interior Ministry which is required over the long for the Iraqis to assume full responsibility."

The report speaks about the danger Iraqi militias play. "We share government's concern about the militias," Rodman said. "They undermine the central authority of the government and in some cases they are providing services to local populaces and something needs to be done about them."

The assistant secretary said the report gives a balanced picture of the overall security situation. Al Qaeda in Iraq is still a threat. Insurgents are still a threat. Tribal disagreements and criminal gangs are still a threat, he said. "But politically, the preoccupation we have now is the sectarian violence," Rodman said. "The issue we're all focusing on is the sectarian violence because it poses a more serious danger to the structure of stability which depends so much on government institutions."

Fort Riley School to Host 9/11 Freedom Walk

By Donna Miles

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Fort Riley, Kan., an Army base that's been a big player in the war on terror, will commemorate the terrorist attacks that gave rise to it during a Freedom Walk Sept. 11, the fifth anniversary of those attacks. More than 500 students at the post's Ware Elementary School, 99 percent of them military children, and 85 staff members will participate in Freedom Walk, according to Pat Olmstead, the event organizer and family support monitor at the school. The participants will assemble for the 2 p.m. walk wearing red, white and blue clothing and carrying large American flags.

Family members, post employees and local residents are invited to join or stand along the route. Leading the procession will be Fort Riley military police cars, followed by a Junior ROTC color guard and drum line from nearby Junction City High School, Olmstead said. The Fort Riley fire department will follow with their fire engine.

Olmstead said she's hopeful the event will become an annual event at Fort Riley, and part of a national tradition of Freedom Walks. The tradition will offer participants an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost on Sept. 11, to renew their commitment to freedom and U.S. values and to honor veterans past and present, she said. At Fort Riley, Olmstead said she expects the Freedom Walk to emphasize a celebration of freedoms that many of the young children's parents are helping protect. Many have watched their parents go off on deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan one, two, even three times, and understand more than most children their ages that freedom isn't free, she said.

Some day the children, many too young to remember the events of Sept. 11, will come to understand what happened to the United States that day and why their parents have been so important in fighting terror, she said. "Some day they are going to realize the price that was paid for their freedom." Local communities across the United States are holding Freedom Walks similar to Fort Riley's to remember the victims of 9/11 and to honor the nation's veterans, past and present. These local events around the country parallel the Washington, D.C., Freedom Walk, scheduled Sept. 10 and sponsored by the Defense Department's America Supports You program.

America Supports You showcases ways the American people and nation's corporate sector support U.S. servicemembers. For more information about organizing a Freedom Walk observance or participating in those already planned, visit the America Supports You Freedom Walk Web site.

CENTCOM Air Commander: Supporting Ground Troops Top Priority

By Donna Miles

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – When describing the vast scope of the air mission in support of ground troops waging the war on terror, the commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces paints some graphic images. In addition to its daily average of 74 close-air support missions in support of combat missions in the region, Air Forces in the region do the heavy lifting - literally - for U.S. Central Command, Air Force Lt. Gen. Gary North told Pentagon reporters today.

Flying 165 mobility sorties on a typical day, they transport an average of more than 2,900 passengers and 400 tons of cargo, North explained during a video teleconference from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

But North likes to express those numbers as a concept that's easier for people to wrap their arms around. So far this year, "our theater airlift forces have moved the equivalent of the city of Baltimore," he said. If the airlifted cargo was loaded onto 18-wheeled vehicles that were then parked end-to-end, bumper-to-bumper, they'd stretch all the way from Washington to New York City.

The Air Force's air refueling mission - which typically equates to about 39 air-to-air refueling sorties a day - conjures up another colorful image. The 78 million gallons of fuel airmen have delivered so far this year to U.S. and coalition fighters, bombers and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft would gas up all 33 Indianapolis 500 race cars as they circled the globe 185 times.

These missions, like all others conducted by the 25,000 airmen at 32 sites throughout the CENTCOM operating area, directly support U.S. and coalition forces on the ground, North said. And as he's quick to point out, they've played a big part in the successes those ground forces have experienced in the region.

Air assets - manned and unmanned - provide a close watch over ground troops, alerting them to insurgents who may be placing roadside bombs or detecting hot spots that indicate weapons caches, he said. They track enemy forces' movements, identifying where insurgents live, work, conduct their planning, assemble improvised explosive devices and stash their weaponry.

"The information is delivered where and when it needs to be to support ... the tempo of the operation for the seamless integration of air, land, space capabilities and assets," North said. One of the command's highest-visibility recent successes - the successful June 7 air strike against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq - followed what officials called a painstaking process that occurred over several weeks.

"(The air strike) was a result of tremendous work by coalition forces, intelligence agencies, partners in our global war on terrorism, that all came together feeding different parts and pieces that allowed us to build that puzzle," Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters following the strike. Close-air support is also key to progress in Operation Together Forward, the effort to secure Baghdad and was a critical factor in operations Mountain Lion and Mountain Thrust that flushed out Taliban extremists holed up in Afghanistan, North said.

Meanwhile, North cited other critical support air assets are providing ground troops. Last month alone, they flew 183 aeromedical evacuation sorties, moving some 1,000 troops from the battlefield, North said. Of these, nearly one-fourth were flown on to theater-level, then regional, then U.S. hospitals for additional medical care, usually within 48 hours, he said.

For troops operating in remote areas difficult or impossible to reach by road, air assets provide essential airdrops of food, water, ammunition and humanitarian assistance, as needed, North said. For example, air assets have delivered 226 airdrops since January in support of U.S. and coalition forces involved with operations Mountain Lion and Mountain Thrust in Afghanistan, he said.

As it conducts these missions, U.S. Central Command Air Forces is introducing new systems and technologies that will improve the support it's able to provide warfighters, he said. These include:

- The Small-Diameter Bomb, a satellite-guided warhead that will provide precise targeting while minimizing collateral damage;
- Improved systems that ensure there's no gap in radio coverage for ground troops operating outside the range of their forward operating bases; and
- The Joint Precision Airdrop Delivery System that provides an accurate way to airdrop supplies from altitudes beyond the reach of enemy threats.

Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Colin J. Wolfe, 18, of Manassas, Va., died Aug. 30 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Media with questions about this Marine can call the 2nd Marine Division public affairs office at (910) 451-9033.

Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Taji, Iraq, on Aug 27, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their M2A3 Bradley Vehicle during combat operations. All soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Sgt. Moises Jazmin, 25, of Providence, R.I.

Spc. Qixing Lee, 20, of Minneapolis, Minn.

Spc. Shaun A. Novak, 21, of Two Rivers, Wis.

Spc. Tristan C. Smith, 23, of Bryn Athyn, Pa.

For further information related to this release, media can contact the 4th Infantry Division public affairs office at (254) 287-0105.

America Supports You: Teens Nominated for Charitable Award

By Samantha L. Quigley

WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Americans can help the nation's servicemembers by helping Brittany and Robbie Bergquist and their organization, Cell Phones for Soldiers, win one of three $50,000 Volvo for Life Awards. Cell Phones for Soldiers recycles used cell phones, personal data assistants, iPods and ink printer cartridges, and uses the profits to buy prepaid calling cards for deployed servicemembers. The Bergquists have raised more than $1 million and have distributed more than 100,000 prepaid cards to date.

"Winning the Volvo for Life Award would mean that more of our troops can be helped by our organization," Brittany said in a telephone interview from her family's home in Norwell, Mass. "It would be an incredible honor to receive this award and would give Cell Phones for Soldiers the recognition that it needs to let people all across the country know about what we are doing to help our military and their families keep in touch."

Cell Phones for Soldiers is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that spotlights ways the American people and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers. The annual Volvo for Life Awards program recognizes and rewards everyday, real-life heroes across America, according to the car company's Web site.

The teens are among 250 finalists, five per state, competing for one of three top prizes. The state finalists were chosen from among the semi-finalists of Volvo's past four contests. The Bergquists were chosen as semi-finalists last year after their mother entered them in 2005. The siblings were encouraged to reapply this year because Volvo, the administrator of the awards, has added a twist to the contest. In a switch from the previous four years, Volvo is asking Americans to weigh in on which of the 250 state finalists should go on to compete for the top prizes.

"A vote for Brittany and Robbie is a vote for the troops!" Brittany Bergquist said. A panel of celebrity judges will choose the top three winners after Americans narrow down the field of 250. If the Bergquists finish in the top three, it would mean a $50,000 charitable contribution to Cell Phones for Soldiers. That would equal about 10,000 prepaid phone cards with 60 minutes of "talk time" for deployed servicemembers, Brittany said.

If chosen as the grand award recipient, the siblings also would win a lease on a new Volvo every three years for the rest of their lives. Brittany said that one car wouldn't be a problem, at least for a while. "I'll get my license before Robbie, so I guess I'll have to drive the Volvo," she said. "When he gets his license, maybe I'll consider sharing!"

The Bergquists have numerous awards to their credit for their work keeping deployed servicemembers connected to loved ones. In October, they will receive a National Caring Award from the Caring Institute. But the siblings, who started out to help one deployed soldier who racked up a tremendous cell phone bill, don't do it for the accolades. Their reasoning today is the same as it was in 2004 when they started their nonprofit organization: to help servicemembers.

"It would be an award that wouldn't be just for Robbie and me," Brittany said, of the Volvo for Life Award. "It would be an award for the troops and the thousands of Americans who support them because ... there wouldn't be a Cell Phones for Soldiers without the assistance of Americans who are helping us recycle (cell phones) all across the country."

The Bergquists' cousin, Army 1st Lt. Quentin Charmichael of the 182nd Cavalry Regiment, recently deployed to Kosovo on an 18-month peacekeeping mission, Brittany said, and her family attended the deployment ceremony. "We gave him and his unit phone cards to call home," she said. "I'm going to miss him so much. I can really understand how important it is to hear a loved one's voice and know that they're OK."

To help Brittany and Robbie get the chance to keep an additional 10,000 deployed servicemembers in touch with their families, visit the Volvo for Life Awards Web site. Follow the "Vote for your hero now" link to the map, choose Massachusetts, and follow the voting instructions. Their story also appears on the site.

Voting is under way and will continue through Feb. 4. The top three finalists will attend the 5th Annual Awards Gala in New York on April 4, where the winner of a Volvo for life will be announced.

Coalition Forces in Iraq Free Kidnap Victim

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – Bastogne soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, freed a kidnap victim and captured three of the terrorists who had taken him hostage just outside Kirkuk, Iraq, yesterday, military officials reported. An aerial reconnaissance team flying missions near Kirkuk spotted four men wearing black robes and wielding AK-47 rifles. The men stopped their sedan several times along one of the area's main roads and set up illegal checkpoints at each stop.

As coalition ground forces moved into the area, the group made their last stop, holding 10 passengers in a van at gunpoint before pulling one of the men out of the vehicle. The four then forced the man into the trunk of their car and sped away. As Bastogne soldiers on the ground were moving in on the vehicle, the sedan stopped, allowing one of the terrorists to get out of the vehicle. The remaining group continued to a nearby building where they jumped out of their car and ran into the building, taking their victim with them.

A team of Bastogne soldiers deployed by helicopter to the area and quickly moved into the building, capturing the three assailants and freeing the hostage. A careful search of the building revealed three AK-47 rifles and several magazines, as well as a barrel filled with ammunition. The freed hostage is the third Iraqi citizen rescued from the hands of kidnappers by Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers this month, officials said.

Atlanta Plans Freedom Walk to Remember 9/11, Honor Veterans

By Steven Donald Smith

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – Atlanta will join communities across America to host a Freedom Walk Sept. 11, the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. The Freedom walk is being sponsored by Checkers restaurants, and presented by Operation Homefront.

"We wanted to reflect on the events that happened on 9/11 at the Pentagon and the twin towers in New York City, and in Pennsylvania," said Vicki Sarracino, president of the Georgia chapter of Operation Homefront. "And we also wanted to renew our commitment to freedom and the values of our country, and to honor the veterans past and present." Both Checkers and Operation Homefront are members of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights ways the American people and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.

Operation Homefront volunteers, as well as community members, are expected to participate in the 1.2-mile Freedom Walk, which will begin at 9 a.m. at Turner Field. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. in the nearby Lexis parking lot. As of this morning, 112 similar Freedom Walks are planned in 49 states and the District of Columbia to remember those who lost their lives Sept. 11 and to honor America's military veterans, past and present. The local events around the country parallel the Washington, D.C., Freedom Walk scheduled Sept. 10 and sponsored by DoD's America Supports You program.

Sarracino stressed the importance of supporting America's men and women in uniform. "They are essential for our freedom," she said. "Our troops have done so much for us in the past and the present. We just feel that people need to be made aware of all that they do, and their sacrifices."

The first America Supports You Freedom Walk, held on Sept. 11, 2005, in the nation's capital, brought together more than 15,000 walkers - including family members of 9/11 victims, members of Congress, administration officials, federal workers, corporate employees, civic organizations and citizens from around the country.

Information for people interested in organizing Freedom Walk observances in their communities is available at the America Supports You Freedom Walk Web site.

Bush: Anti-Terror War Represents Epic Struggle of Ideas

By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 – The war against terrorism is an epic struggle of ideas as much as an armed conflict, President Bush told members of the American Legion in Salt Lake City today. The anti-terror war represents "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century," Bush told the veterans group at its 88th annual meeting.

Bush spoke to the group in the first of a series of speeches in coming weeks in which he'll update the U.S. public on the cause and course of the war. The president told the Legionnaires they'd fought and defeated al Qaeda- and Taliban-like enemies in the past. "They're successors to fascists, to Nazis, to communists and other totalitarians of the 20th century," Bush said. And history hasn't been kind to dictatorial regimes, he noted.

Today, "a new generation of Americans in uniform is showing great courage in defending our freedom in the first war of the 21st century," Bush said. The terrorists continue to present a threat to the United States and its citizens, Bush said, noting the five-year-old war is far from over. Some Americans might feel the danger has receded since terrorists attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, he acknowledged.

"That feeling is natural and comforting - and wrong," Bush said. The terrorists would like nothing more than to launch another deadly attack on the United States, he said. The terrorists also want "to turn back the advance of freedom and impose a dark version of tyranny and terror across the world," Bush told the group.

That's why he said it's imperative that United States stays the course in Iraq. "Victory in Iraq will be difficult, and it will require more sacrifice. The fighting there can be as fierce as it was at Omaha Beach or Guadalcanal," Bush acknowledged. And defeating terrorists in Iraq is as important to the United States as it was to win those World War II battles, he said.

The United States didn't ask for the war, Bush said, noting that Islamic radicals forced it upon America. Since the end of the Cold War, radical extremists combed stagnated portions of the Middle East to enlist jobless and disenchanted young people to their cause. Those young people's governments were often despotic in nature, Bush said, and had failed to provide sufficient economic opportunity for their citizens.

As extremist groups grew in the Middle East, they fanned resentment against the wealthier Western nations - particularly the United States, Bush said. Resultant extremist-conducted violence against the U.S. was amply demonstrated during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, the 1983 terror bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and the 1996 attack on Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, Bush said.

Later, terrorists tried to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993. Al Qaeda blew up two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. And, then, terrorists attacked the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. "Then, came the nightmare of Sept. 11, 2001, when 19 hijackers killed nearly 3,000 men, women and children," Bush recalled. It suddenly became clear that the Middle East was no longer as calm as some once thought, he said.

"The lack of freedom in the Middle East made the region an incubator for terrorist movements," Bush said. Today, he said, the United States is pursuing a three-pronged strategy to defeat the terrorists. "First, we are using every element of national power to confront al Qaeda, those who take inspiration from them, and other terrorists who use similar tactics," Bush said.

Second, he said the United States will hold to account any nation that hosts or harbors terrorists. Thirdly, the country "has launched a bold, new agenda to defeat the ideology of the enemy by supporting the forces of freedom in the Middle East, and beyond," Bush said.

The "freedom agenda" for the Middle East is based on the premise that "promoting democracy is the surest way to build security," Bush said. Nations that commit to providing freedom for their people do not support terrorists, he said. "So, America has committed its influence in the world to advancing freedom, and democracy is a great alternative to repression and radicalism," Bush said. By supporting Middle Eastern leaders who favor democracy, he said, the United States will make its citizens more secure from terror.

Bush said great military victories have been achieved against terrorist enemies and Middle-Eastern despots in the past five years. He pointed to the fall of the radical Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, and the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in April 2003. But, this summer's conflict between Israeli army troops and Lebanon-based Hezbollah guerillas demonstrates the world now faces a grave threat from Iran, Bush said.

"The Iranian regime arms, funds, and advises Hezbollah," Bush said, "which has killed more Americans than any terrorist network except al Qaeda." And the Iranians are meddling in Iraq "by sponsoring terrorists and insurgents, empowering unlawful militias, and supplying components for improvised explosive devices," the president said.

Bush also scolded the Iranian government for its poor treatment of its citizens and its continued refusal to obey United Nations directives to stop its nuclear-enrichment activities. The president expected the Iranians to respond today to a United Nations proposal to settle the controversy over the contested uranium-enrichment issue. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for nuclear power plants or to make atomic bombs.

"If Iran's leaders accept this offer and abandon their nuclear weapons ambitions, they can set their country on a better course," Bush said. The Iranian government can't be allowed to continue to defy the international community over the enriched uranium issue, Bush said, noting he'd work closely with U.S. allies to find a diplomatic solution to the problem. However, "there must be consequences for Iran's defiance, and we must not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Military Coordinates Effort to Help Wounded Troops Return to Work

By Steven Donald Smith

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 31, 2006 – Officials from the Defense Department and military services got together here yesterday for the first "From Deployment to Employment" conference to discuss ways to better serve America's severely injured servicemembers.
The daylong conference was essentially a forum to exchange ideas about how to improve the quality of military health care and help coordinate various programs and services aimed at helping severely wounded troops return to the work force.

"This forum will focus on services available to facilitate and encourage reemployment of our returning wounded servicemembers," Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said. DoD's Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program hosted the conference. CAP provides "needs assessment and training" to wounded servicemembers during their transition back to employment, whether it is in the military, government or the private sector.

"CAP uses science and technology to improve the health and the lifestyles of our servicemembers," Winkenwerder said. He said DoD has been working with other federal agencies, such as the Labor and Veterans Affairs departments. "We have to cut through all that usual red tape and get to helping the person, helping the family," he said.

Winkenwerder said the military health-care system is embarked on a major transformation effort. "What gave us the greatest impetus to begin transformation, at least in my judgment, was 9/11," he said. "We understood soon after, if not that day, that we were in an entirely new world and that we had to approach everything differently."

Military medicine, like the military as a whole, needed to become more nimble and agile in order to keep up with the challenges of the war on terror, he said. "To adequately support this mission within a transformed military we must create and sustain a high performance health-care system that promotes the highest quality care while being both efficient and effective," he said. Yesterday's forum included a panel discussion of wounded troops who spoke about their recovery experience.

Among them was Army Captain Scott Smiley, who lost sight in both eyes in April 2005 when a suicide car bomber struck his unit in Mosul, Iraq. Smiley called the medical care he received at Walter Reed Army Medical Center top notch, but he said he had a few issues with some of the procedures. For instance, while he was in the early stages of his recovery, a doctor asked Smiley's wife to sign his retirement papers. Smiley said he had just begun his recovery process and it was too soon for him to be forced to make a decision about his future in the military.

"I believe a soldier who is physically incapable of doing any job in the Army should be retired," he said. "But that soldier needs to be given the time to recover from his medical disabilities first." In December 2004, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld instituted a policy that allows injured troops to stay on active duty and do work within their capabilities. This applies to active-duty and reserve troops wounded on active duty.

"It's tough when you've been to war and been wounded on behalf of your country and you sometimes feel that the system is just not coordinated," Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director of the Tricare Management Activity, said while moderating the panel discussion. "At the end of the day, we're all trying to do good, but how do we consolidate that good? We need to come away from here with recommendations about how we can close the gap without allowing anyone to fall through the cracks.

"We've got to come up with an integrated system so that we all communicate the same message and sing off the same sheet of music," Granger continued. "I see it basically like running a race where you're passing off the baton. You can't allow it to drop. That's the bottom line." The conference also included several workshops, including one called "Military Support Program: Who Can I Call?" that brought together the directors of the military services injury support programs. The programs include the Army's Wounded Warrior Program, the Navy's Safe Harbor program, the Marine For Life Injured Support program and the Air Force's Palace HART program.

Also on hand for this workshop was the director of DoD's Military Severely Injured Center, Navy Cmdr. Dave Julian, who stressed that MSIC was launched in February 2005 as a way to enhance the services' programs, not replace them. "The Military Severely Injured Center was designed to be the augmenting force, a backstop if you will, to help provide resources to the services as necessary," Julian said.

The Military Severely Injured Center can be reached 24 hours a day by telephone at 888-774-1361.