U.S. Troops In Iraq: Commentary by Walter Cronkite and David Krieger

U.S. Troops In Iraq:
Commentary by
Walter Cronkite and David Krieger
Friday, November 30, 2007

TracyPress.com brings us this BS today and it starts off like this... The American people no longer support the war in Iraq. The war is being carried on by a stubborn president who, like Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War, does not want to lose...
Read this Bull S$!% in full at link below...
U.S. Troops Must Leave Iraq

Mr. Cronkite and Mr. Krieger... Sit the hell down and shut up! Let winners do what they do best... which is to win. (This is what you didn’t let them do during the Vietnam War, Mr. Cronkite...) AMERICANS are WINNERS if left along long enough to finish the job!

Why is it that every time the road ahead gets rough... you Dems cut tail... and run like hell!!!”?
AubreyJ.........

Photo for the Day - November 30, 2007

Apache Swarm
Soldiers flying Apache helicopters come in for a landing at Camp Taji, Iraq, after completing a reconnaissance mission over Baghdad, November 19, 2007. The pilots are from 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Cavalry Brigade, 1st "Attack" Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.
Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Daniel McClinton

Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified

No. 1364-07 November 30, 2007
Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified.

They are:
Maj. Robert F. Woods, of Salt Lake City, Utah
Capt. Johnnie C. Cornelius, of Maricopa County, Ariz
Both were U.S. Air Force. Cornelius was buried with full military honors on Novmber 10th in Moore, Texas, and Woods' burial is being set by his family.

On June 26, 1968, Woods and Cornelius were flying a visual reconnaissance mission over Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, when their O-2A Skymaster aircraft crashed in a remote mountainous area. The crew of another aircraft in the flight saw no parachutes and reported hearing no emergency beeper signals. Immediate search efforts were unsuccessful.

Between 1988 and 1993, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and surveyed the crash site. The team interviewed several Vietnamese citizens, two of whom turned over human remains and the pilots' identification tags.

Between 1994 and 1997, joint teams re-surveyed the site two times to find a landing location to support a helicopter and recovery team. During their survey, one team found additional wreckage and life-support material.

Between 2000 and 2004, joint teams excavated the site four times. They recovered additional human remains, personal effects and life support materials.

In 2006, a joint team interviewed two former North Vietnamese soldiers who recalled the crash. The soldiers said that Woods and Cornelius were buried near the crash site. In 2007, another joint team excavated the burial site identified by the Vietnamese soldiers. The team recovered additional human remains.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

New Audio-Tape Message Out Purportedly From Osama bin Laden

Telegraph.co.uk brings us this story and it starts off like this... Osama bin Laden last night urged European countries to leave Afghanistan and reiterated that he had presided over the September 11 attacks...
Read this story in full at link below...
Osama bin Laden issues European diktat

>>> The Times Of India website reports...
Osama bin Laden urges Europe to quit Afghanistan

>>> LauraMansfield.com has this take...
Paraphrasing Bin Laden: "The Afghans didn't do 9/11 so leave them alone; it was my idea"

Photo from CENTCOM

Murtha Shock! 'I Think the Surge is Working'

Bill Amos has details and Allahpundit has some crow for Murtha to eat.

read more | digg story

PRECISION AIR STRIKE TARGETS TALIBAN LEADER IN NURISTAN

From CENTCOM News Release #07-01-03P
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Acting on credible intelligence from several sources, International Security Assistance Forces conducted an air strike using precision munitions killing a number of insurgents in the Nurgaram District of Nuristan Province on Nov. 26.

The intelligence indicated that an insurgent leader and his forces were preparing for attacks on Afghan National Security Forces and ISAF elements operating in the area.

Allegations have been made that construction workers were killed in the air strike. Afghan government officials, ANP and ISAF forces are conducting a joint investigation at this time.

“We take allegations of this kind very seriously and make every effort to minimize the possibility of civilian casualties,” said Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco, ISAF Spokesman.

ISAF commanders in Nuristan Province and the provincial governor spoke about the air strike early Tuesday morning.

Nuristan governor Tamim Nuristani informed the Provincial Reconstruction Team commander that Abdulla Jan, the Western Nuristan Taliban commander, may have been killed in the air strike.

FBI: Cracking Down on Cyber Crime

FBI: Cracking Down on Cyber Crime
Thursday, November 29, 2007

FBI.gov website brings us this report today and it starts off like this... It’s the season for online shopping and spending, and you’ll be glad to know that we’ve stepped up our fight against one of the most serious cyber security threats just in time for the holidays.

That threat involves what are called ‘botnets’—armies of personal computers taken over by cyber criminals and used on the sly to commit all kinds of mischief, from identity theft to denial of service attacks to massive spam campaigns. Bah, humbug...
Read report in full HERE

Seized Uranium, Believed From Former Soviet Union, Was Enriched Enough to Make Dirty Bomb - Three Arrested

Thursday, November 29, 2007
Two Hungarians and a Ukrainian arrested in an attempted sale of uranium were peddling material believed to be from the former Soviet Union, and it was enriched enough to be used in a radiological "dirty bomb," police said Thursday... The three, who were arrested Wednesday in eastern Slovakia and Hungary, were trying to sell about a pound of uranium in powder form...
* Read this story in full at FOXNews.com
.
>>> Guardian.co.uk has this report and it goes in part like this... According to police, the two Hungarians and a Ukrainian had just under half a kilogram (about a pound) of uranium in powder form that investigators believe came from an unspecified ex-Soviet republic... "It was possible to use it in various ways for terrorist attacks," a senior police official, Michal Kopcik, said...
* Three arrested in Slovakia had enough uranium for dirty bomb
.
>>> TimesOnLine.co.uk reports this in part... A total of 481.4 grams of uranium was found and investigators believe it contained 98.6 per cent uranium-235. Uranium is considered weapons-grade if it contains at least 85 per cent uranium-235... "According to preliminary information, the material could have been used to make a so-called dirty bomb," Michal Kopcik, a senior Slovakian police official told a news conference today...
* Gang arrested trying to sell enriched uranium

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1362-07 November 29, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class John J. Tobiason, 42, of Bloomington, Minn., died November 28th in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered from an incident that is currently under investigation. He was assigned to the 847th Adjutant General Battalion, 89th Regional Readiness Command, Wichita, Kan.
For more information media may contact the 88th Regional Readiness Command public affairs office, Ft. Snelling, Minn., at (612) 713-3011.

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

No. 1361-07 November 29, 2007
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Allen C. Roberts, 21, of Arcola, Ill., died November 28th from a vehicle accident near Al Asad, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Attack Squadron 214, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.
Media with questions about this Marine can contact the Yuma public affairs office at (928) 269-3422.

Senator Trent Lott's Brother-In-Law Richard "Dickie" Scruggs Indicted On Bribery Charges

.

Sen. Trent Lott's brother-in-law, Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a high profile trial lawyer best known for suing big tobacco and insurance companies, has been indicted on bribery charges... Several media outlets are reporting the news about Scruggs, who has been accused of trying to bribe a Mississippi Judge...
Read this story in full at Politico.com

Senator Trent Lott's official photo, 2007

Army Directs Cutbacks in Anticipation of Budget Shortfall

Army Directs Cutbacks
in Anticipation of
Budget Shortfall
November 28, 2007

Army installation commanders worldwide have been directed to plan for spending scale-backs due to an anticipated budget crunch sparked by governmental wrangling over funding for the war on terrorism, according to an Army news release issued today.

In a memorandum dated Nov. 26, Gen. Richard A. Cody, vice chief of staff of the Army, directed all Army commanders and agency directors to begin planning to curtail operations and related expenses that do not directly support warfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism, the release stated.

Cody's instructions tell Army commanders and civilian leaders to review all operations and to forward recommendations to cut costs back to him by Dec. 4.

"We are only in the prudent planning phase," Cody said in a statement issued today. The Defense Department has instructed all military services to review operational costs at installations as well as to prepare for possible furloughs of government civilian employees.

"It is an imperative of the senior Army leadership that our Army, especially while at war, understands the budget process, the decisions being made and any potential impacts on the total Army family."

Congress has approved supplemental funding for war operations, but such legislation comes attached with timetables for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any such legislation that crosses his desk.

Having received no war-supplemental money since the fiscal year began on Oct. 1, the Army has had to use its budgeted operations and maintenance dollars normally employed to organize, train, equip and field forces, as well as to sustain soldiers and their families, to fund war-related operations and activities, according to the Army news release.

During a visit to Killeen, Texas, Nov. 26, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said federal legislators' failure to quickly pass an emergency funding supplemental bill would derail military gains made against insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army and Marine Corps members constitute the biggest ground presence in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Without these funds, Army operations and maintenance funds will be exhausted by mid-February, and similar Marine Corps funds about a month later," Gates told listeners gathered at the municipality's Chamber of Commerce.

"We cannot wait until mid-February to figure out how to deal with consequences of these accounts running dry," Gates said.

Cody has instructed Army installation chiefs and other leaders to be prepared to minimize operational and maintenance-funded activities that are "not required to protect the life, health and safety of occupants of Army installations, or required to maintain assets vital to the national defense."

The Army expects to exhaust all operational and maintenance funds by Feb. 23, even after considering a request from DoD to transfer more than $4 billion from Navy and Air Force personnel accounts and the Army's working capital fund, according to today's Army release.

Per current labor agreements and to provide some predictability to the civilian work force, supervisors would have to start notifying Army civilians of any impending February furloughs by mid-December, according to the Army news release.

During a Nov. 20 Pentagon news conference, DoD spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that Gates lamented that Congress hadn't quickly passed the emergency supplemental bill containing nearly $200 billion to fund war operations. In consequence, Morrell said, Gates directed the Army and Marine Corps to begin planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February and all Marine installations by mid-March.

"At that point, the bases will be all but shut down, able to provide only the most basic safety and security measures for those who reside there," Morrell said.

In addition, the Defense Department will begin notifying about 200,000 civilian employees and contractors "we can no longer afford their services and that, absent additional funding, they will be furloughed or temporarily laid off within a matter of weeks," Morrell told reporters.

The Army's planning actions "are absolutely necessary given the uncertain global war on terror funding," Cody stated in today's Army news release. "We will do everything we can to minimize the turbulence for our soldiers, civilians and their families."

Related Articles:
* Gates Asks Congress Not to Derail Iraq Progress
* Lack of Supplemental Funding May Lead to Civilian Furloughs
* Furloughs, Closings Possible Without Supplemental Funding, Gates Warns
From news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service - Written by Gerry J. Gilmore

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf Steps Down as Army Chief

Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has stepped down as chief of the army in a ceremony transferring power to his hand-picked successor, General Ashfaq Kayani. On Thursday, Mr. Musharraf is scheduled to take the oath as a civilian president.
Read the story at VOANews.com
Has news videos and more

************

Update: Thursday, November 29, 2007
FoxNews.com brings us this report this morning and it starts off like this... Pervez Musharraf embarked on a new, five-year term as a civilian president Thursday, a day after ceding the powerful post of army chief — the basis of his rule for the past eight years... In his inaugural address, Musharraf welcomed the return from exile of his old foes, former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, saying it was "good" for political reconciliation...
Read in full at link below...
Pervez Musharraf Sworn in for New 5-Year Term as Pakistan's Civilian President

Musharraf Biography Portrait by PresidentOfPakistan.gov Website

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

No. 1357-07 November 28, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died November 27th in Amerli, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

Killed were:
Pvt. Isaac T. Cortes, 26, of Bronx, N.Y.
Spc. Benjamin J. Garrison, 25, of Houston, Texas.

For further information contact the Fort Drum public affairs office, (315) 772-8286, or go to http://www.drum.army.mil/sites/installation/pao/.

Photo of the Day - November 28, 2007

An Iraqi child drives a donkey kart past a U.S. Army Stryker combat vehicle from Foxtrot Company, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division during a patrol in Baqubah, Iraq, November 24, 2007.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Robertson

Troop Redeployment Gets Under Way in Iraq

Troop Redeployment
Gets Under Way in Iraq
From Monday, November 26, 2007

The first reduction in American forces in Iraq is under way, as the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division heads back to Fort Hood, Texas.

The brigade will not be replaced. Roughly 162,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq in 20 brigade teams or their Marine equivalents. If all goes well, this will drop to 15 brigade combat teams over the next eight months, Navy Rear Adm. Gregory J. Smith, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq in Baghdad, said Nov. 24.

Iraqi security forces are attaining the expertise and operational capabilities needed to police their own country, Smith said. Iraqi forces are taking over more of the battle space in Baghdad and around the country.

"Current conditions allow for a withdrawal of the first unit ... starting on Nov. 27," Smith said. "If conditions continue to permit, a total of five brigade combat teams will be redeployed over the next eight months."

The redeployment of the brigade shows the coalition's confidence in Iraqi security forces and reflects the overall improved security in the country, Smith said. The brigade – based in Diyala province – will not leave a vacuum in the province.

"We do not intend to give back our hard-fought ground," Smith said. "Repositioning of coalition and Iraqi security forces will ensure that overall force levels and combat capability levels in Diyala will be tailored to meet emerging threats."

Soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division are replacing the 3rd Brigade forces, said Army Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The Stryker Brigade has been conducting combat operations in other areas of Iraq for the past six months and is absorbing Diyala into its battle space.

"Over the past 14 months, my soldiers and the Iraqi security forces, the provincial government and other officials have worked hard to bring stability and services to Diyala," Sutherland said. "And it's truly gratifying to see the efforts of my soldiers come to fruition."

The province, while still troubled, has come a long way, he said. The security problem dominated; government, economy and basic services hinged on improved security, he explained.

"Public perception of inequity, corruption, and fear became the driving force behind support to terrorists, specifically al Qaeda," the colonel said.

In May, prior to Operation Arrowhead Ripper and the surge of troops in Diyala, there were 1,051 significant acts of violence, Sutherland said. This included murders, kidnappings and suicide attacks. "Today, the operational environment is drastically improving," he said. "By the end of October, there were 464 significant acts of violence reported. This is a drop of over 50 percent of significant acts in a province the size of Maryland, with over 1.6 million citizens." And the trend continues. Through Nov. 20, there were just over 200 acts of violence this month.

"These improvements would not have been possible without the support and cooperation from the local citizens who were tired of the hatred and disgust offered by extremist organizations," he said. "The surge enabled the coalition and Iraqi security forces to dominate the terrain and secure the population. It also helped the government to function properly and begin focusing on reconstruction and essential services."

But in the end, it was the people of the province who enabled the surge to succeed. Roughly 3,000 concerned local citizens have stood up against al Qaeda, Sutherland said. "They assist the Iraqi police by guarding their own roads and local infrastructure and manning checkpoints throughout the province," he explained.

These concerned local citizens also provide coalition and the Iraqi security forces with information about weapons caches, locations of car bombs and house-borne and deep-buried improvised explosive devices, and are turning in known al Qaeda fighters. "These concerned local citizens understand that the future of Iraq can be better if they get involved in ridding the province of al Qaeda and participate in the development of their own democracy," he said.

"As I've said on numerous occasions, we cannot kill our way out of this," Sutherland said. "In Diyala, when the government loses its will, the people lose hope and they turn to other sources to provide that hope. Today, there is hope in Diyala."

From a news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service – Written by Jim Garamone

Airman Missing In Action From The Vietnam War Is Identified

No. 1354-07 November 27, 2007
Airman Missing In Action From The Vietnam War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is:
Capt. Stephen A. Rusch, U.S. Air Force, of Lambertville, N.J. He will be buried on November 30th at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

On March 7, 1972, Rusch was the weapons systems officer in an F-4E Phantom II aircraft attacking enemy targets in Salavan Province, Laos. The plane was the number two aircraft in a flight of two. When Rusch's aircraft was cleared to begin its second run over enemy targets, the flight leader of the number one aircraft lost sight of Rusch's plane and observed enemy ground fire followed by a large explosion. An immediate search was begun, but all attempts to establish radio contact and later search efforts were unsuccessful.

In 1995, a joint U.S./Lao People's Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident and interviewed several Laotian citizens. The team surveyed the crash site identified by one of the citizens and found aircraft wreckage.

In 2001, a U.S. citizen, acting as an intermediary for a Laotian citizen, turned over to U.S. officials a bone fragment and a photocopy of Rusch's military identification tag. The bone fragment proved not to be from Capt. Rusch.

In 2002-2003, joint teams conducted two excavations of the crash site. The teams recovered human remains and non-biological evidence including U.S. coins and life support equipment.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.

Photo for the Day - November 27, 2007

* Shepherd *
An Iraqi boy watches as a herd of sheep and goats pass by a patrol of U.S. Army Soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in Adl, Iraq, Nov. 21, 2007.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Sharhonda R. McCoy

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1350-07 November 26, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Jonathon L. Martin, 33, of Bellevue, Ohio, died November 22nd in Regensburg, Germany, of wounds suffered on November 9th in Jisr Naft, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
For more information media may contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at (270) 793-9966.

Disgraced General Ricardo Sanchez Answered President Bush's Weekly Radio Address For Dems

Read Amy Proctor’s report at link below...
Disgraced GEN Sanchez Gives Democratic Radio Response

Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected Vehicles Delivered to 30th Infantry Regiment

About photo: Soldiers from Co. B, 1-30th Inf. Regt., 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. drive a brand new Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle through an off-road confidence course at Camp Liberty. The 1-30th is the first Task Force Marne unit to receive MRAPs.
Read the story at MNF-Iraq.com
Photo by Sgt. Michael Connors

Iranian-linked “Special Groups” bomb Baghdad Market

A US military commander on Saturday accused Iranian-linked "special groups" of bombing a Baghdad pet market in which 13 people were killed and said the bombers had tried to pin the blame on Al-Qaeda...
Read the story at AFP.Google.com

Photo for the Day - November 24, 2007

101st Drops Iron Hammer on Insurgents
Saturday, November 24, 2007
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Soldiers, along with Soldiers from the 4th Iraqi Army Division prepare to extract from an objective along the Hamrin Mountain Range during Operation Bulldog Hammer.
Read the story at MNF-Iraq.com
Photo by Spc. Rick Rzepka, 101st Airborne Division

Media Reports Reflect A More Cautiously Optimistic Tone About Iraq Mission

Friday, November 23, 2007
On Thanksgiving Day, reports on ABC and NBC (CBS didn't air last night) described an improving security situation in Iraq, reflecting the cautiously optimistic tone of recent reporting on the US mission in that country. NBC Nightly News said Thanksgiving in Baghdad was “almost a celebration,” adding, “Today we see traffic jams where Al Qaeda once saw targets.” ABC World News led with a story that noted that “last year, on this day, Baghdad was in lockdown, after one of this city's deadliest suicide bombings.”
Read this story in full at USNews.com

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1347-07 November 23, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr., 26, of Jackson, Miss., died at Camp Striker in Baghdad on November 21st of injuries suffered from non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. The incident is under investigation.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Fort Stewart public affairs office at (912) 767-2479.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1346-07 November 23, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Alfred G. Paredez Jr., 32, of Las Vegas, Nev., died November 20th in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
For further information on this soldier, contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

To everyone out there from across the seas

to here at home...

My wife Amy and I wish you all

a quiet and safe Thanksgiving.
Don’t BURN THE ROLLS!!!

God bless you all...
AubreyJ.........

‘AWAKENING’ IN IRAQ SIGNALS CITIZENS’ RISE AGAINST AL-QEADA

‘AWAKENING’ IN IRAQ
SIGNALS CITIZENS’ RISE
AGAINST AL-QEADA
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Determined to rise up against al-Qaeda terrorists, Concerned Local Citizens, working together with Coalition Forces, have recently started neighborhood watch programs in the area of Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

The citizens are calling the movement, “Sahwa,” an Arabic term that means “awakening.”

The neighborhood watch programs were first established Nov.14, just two weeks after local citizens approached Soldiers of the 1-19th Mountain Division’s 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment with the idea.

More than 1,000 citizens showed up, ready to be recruited to take up arms in defense against the terrorists in the region.

The program provides the CLCs with weapons and a regular paycheck and has the goal of not only providing employment, but improving security throughout the region.

“This is the biggest thing going on (for the local Iraqis) … because one, it’s putting money in their pockets and stimulating the local economy, and two, these people really want to provide their own security,” said Maj. John Allen, 1-87 Inf. operations officer.

These newly-drafted members of the local Multaka Night Watch, as they are also known, will take to the streets as sentinels against terrorist activity while receiving salaries based on the effectiveness of their performance.

For example, for every IED attack that occurs in their neighborhood, a certain amount of money will be withheld from that pay-period as a penalty. While consistent periods of tranquility will be rewarded with bonuses.

“What this program is doing is creating significant problems for the insurgents because it drives a wedge between them and the populace,” said 2nd Lt. Alan Finnie, 1-87 Inf. “By taking away the one incentive advantage the insurgents had over the government, namely money, the people now have every reason to reject terrorist intimidation and embrace the responsibility of eliminating AQI influence in their communities.”

As a result, Coalition and Iraqi Forces benefit from the increased freedom of maneuver provided by the CLC groups allowing them to more effectively seek out and eliminate the terrorist threat, continued Finnie, also noting that many recruits appeared quite enthusiastic.

“It was good to see regular people showing up in street clothes taking pride in their own area so they can stand on their own feet, and provide their own security instead of relying on us to do it for them,” said Cpl. Evan Siegrist, 1-87 Inf. Personal Security Detachment squad leader.

Such a show of force by Iraqi citizens willing to confront terrorists sends a message to insurgents that their destructive influence among the population will no longer be tolerated.

“Al Qaeda in Iraq is threatened by the Sahwa,” said Allen as he described immediate intelligence reports of disrupted terrorist movements due to CLC activity.

The success of this initial recruitment effort marks the beginning of a two week-long initiative to enlist volunteers for the program throughout the 1-87 Inf. Battalion’s area of operation.

From press release #07-01-03P - HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND - 7115 South Boundary Boulevard - MacDill AFB, Fla.

Soldier Missing In Action From Korean War Is Identified

No. 1340-07 November 21, 2007
Soldier Missing In Action From Korean War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified.

He is:
Sgt. Agostino Di Rienzo, U.S. Army, of East Boston, Mass.

Representatives from the Army met with Di Rienzo's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

Di Rienzo was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division then occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea, in an area known as the "Camel's Head." On November 1, 1950, parts of two Chinese Communist Forces divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division's lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. In the process, the 3rd Battalion was surrounded and effectively ceased to exist as a fighting unit. Di Rienzo was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan.

In 2002, a joint U.S.-Democratic People's Republic of North Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a burial site south of Unsan near the nose of the "Camel's Head" formed by the joining of the Nammyon and Kuryong rivers. The team recovered human remains.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.

Pentagon Ramps Up Fight With Congress

Politco.com brings us this story today and it goes in part like this...
...In the memo, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates instructs the secretaries and of the Army and Navy to “start appropriate planning to reduce operations at all Army bases by mid-February of next year and all USMC bases by mid-March of next year.”... The plan would leave “bases … all but shut down, only able to provide the most basic safety and security measures for those who reside there,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said at a briefing Tuesday afternoon...
Read this story in full HERE

* Townhall.com has this take...
Two anti-war Democrats who hold congressional purse strings offered President Bush a deal on war funding today: give us a withdrawal date and we’ll give you the money... House Appropriations chairman Rep. David Obey (D.-Wisc.) and Rep. John Murtha (D.-Pa.), chairman of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations said they would agree to pass a funding bill if President Bush would commit the military to a no-torture policy and agree to a withdrawal all troops from Iraq by December 2008...
The Obey-Murtha Funding Compromise

Photo for the Day - November 20, 2007

President George W. Bush offers an official pardon to May, the 2007 Thanksgiving Turkey, during festivities Tuesday, November 20, 2007, in the Rose Garden of the White House. In pardoning May, and the alternate, Flower, the President said, "May they live the rest of their lives in blissful gobbling. And may all Americans enjoy a holiday full of love and peace. God bless you all."
White House photo by Chris Greenberg

Fox News Channel Host Bill O'Reilly Visits Troops In Afghanistan

The difference between Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly coming to a war zone and all other media is the focus. Normally, media arrive to do stories about the situation on the ground, but when a bona fide celebrity like O'Reilly comes, he is the story... As soon as I flew into Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan I saw a flyer on a window announcing O'Reilly was coming the following day. The base was abuzz. I checked into the Public Affairs Office, where all media are accredited, and found a very busy, small detachment of soldiers preparing for the DV – distinguished visitor – arrival...
Read this story in full at WorldNetDaily.com

* FOXNEWS.com has this...
Monday, November 26:'The Factor' travels to Afghanistan and Bill meets with and interviews the troops at Bagram Air Base. Don't miss... [their] special report.
The No Spin Zone Goes to Afghanistan

You go, Bill!!!

AubreyJ.........

MND-B Troops Capture Explosively Formed Penetrators, Rocket Cache

MND-B Troops Capture
Explosively Formed Penetrators...
Rocket Cache
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Baghdad troops captured two individuals believed to be part of a terrorist cell and a cache of explosively formed penetrators, rockets and other munitions in southern Baghdad Nov. 17.

Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment “Black Lions,” 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted the successful operation after several individuals were observed fleeing from a suspected point of origin of a rocket attack in the Aamel neighborhood of West Rashid. They were tracked to a house and immediately detained. A subsequent search of the building revealed the sizeable cache.

Confiscated by troops assigned to Attack Company were six complete EFPs, three 107mm Iranian-made rockets, more than 30 mortar rounds of various calibers, 12 57mm projectiles and other explosives and bomb-making materials.

The suspects are being held for further questioning.

Soldiers assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment “Tuskers,” working closely with Iraqi Security Volunteers in the Saydiyah neighborhood of West Rashid, seized four separate caches of weapons and explosives after receiving tips from area resident Nov. 18.

The troops seized a complete 82mm mortar system, more than 40 pounds of homemade explosives and several AK-47 assault rifles and pistols.

From press release #20071120-02 - Multi-National Corps-Iraq, Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory, Iraq

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

No. 1336-07 November 20, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died November 18th when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Killed were:
Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami, Fla., who died in Baqubah, Iraq.
Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich., who died in Balad, Iraq.
Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, Rochester, Wash., who died in Baqubah, Iraq.

For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the Public Affairs Officer on call).

Iran's Secret Syrian Plan

Israel has been providing intelligence and satellite images to the U.S. about a secret Syrian nuclear program for several months, according to media reports. Discussions between Israel and the United States took place last summer regarding a possible strike. But when Israel found the matter so pressing that when they realized the U.S. was not ready to act, on September 6 they attacked a Syrian nuclear site. Hence the question: what is Syria really up to or more to the point what is Iran up to?
Be sure to click this story out in full at metimes.com

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1334-07 November 19, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks, 26, of Dallas, Texas, died November 14th in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
For more information media may contact the U.S. Army Europe public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-5816/8694.

DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty

No. 1332-07 November 19, 2007
DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Alejandro Ayala, 26, of Riverside, Calif., died November 18th of injuries sustained as a result of a vehicle accident in Kuwait. He was assigned to the 90th Logistics Readiness Squadron, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
For further information related to this release, please contact the F.E. Warren Air Force Base public affairs office at (307) 773-3362.

Federal Appeals Court Deals Near-Fatal Blow To An Islamic Charity's Lawsuit Over Alleged Illegal Wiretapping

A federal appeals court dealt a near-fatal blow Friday to an Islamic charity's lawsuit over alleged illegal wiretapping by federal investigators, ruling the case can't go forward because a key piece of evidence is protected as a state secret... The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that a top-secret call log obtained by lawyers for the Oregon-based U.S. arm of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation can't be used as evidence...
Read story in full at MercuryNews.com

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1329-07 November 18, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski, 22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., died November 16th, in Balad, Iraq, [of] wounds suffered from a combat-related incident. The incident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Fort Benning public affairs office at (706) 545-3512, or after hours at (706) 545-2218.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1328-07 November 17, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, of Gloucester, Va., died in Baghdad on November 16th, as a result of a non-combat related training accident. He was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. The incident is under investigation.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the Fort Stewart public affairs office at (912) 767-2479.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1327-07 November 17, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind., died November 14th, in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
For more information, media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the Public Affairs Officer on call).

Growth Of Carbon Emissions Must End in 7 Years, U.N. Warns

Sunday, November 18, 2007
The world will have to end its growth of carbon emissions within seven years and become mostly free of carbon-emitting technologies in about four decades to avoid killing as many as a quarter of the planet's species from global warming, according to top United Nations' scientists...
Read this BS in full at the WashingtonPost.com website

>>> Time.com has this take on the story...

The language of science, like that of the United Nations, is by nature cautious and measured. That makes the dire tone of the just-released final report from the fourth assessment of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a network of thousands of international scientists, all the more striking. Global warming is "unequivocal." Climate change will bring "abrupt and irreversible changes." The report, a synthesis for politicians culled from three other IPCC panels convened throughout the year, read like what it is: a final warning to humanity...
Read the rest at link below...
A Last Warning on Global Warming

>>> TheAge.com.au has this report...

The findings of the latest global report on climate change demonstrate Australia must act now to prevent devastating effects of global warming, Labor says... The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) overnight handed down a summary of its three previous reports on global warming, issuing its most stark warning yet on its impact and urging politicians to immediately tackle the threat...
Read the rest at link below...
We must act now on warming: Garrett

>>> Here’s the UN’s News Service take on all of this...
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has challenged the world's policymakers to start devising a comprehensive deal for tackling climate change at next month's summit in Bali, Indonesia, after a United Nations report released today found that global warming is unequivocal and could cause irreversible damage to the planet... Launching the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which brings together hundreds of scientific experts, Mr. Ban said that slowing and even reversing the effects of climate change “is the defining challenge of our age.”...
Read their article in full at link below...
Ban Ki-moon urges climate change breakthrough in Bali after dire report released

Image credit: UN.org

U.S., Iraqi Forces Attack Militants Believed Linked To Soldier Kidnappings Six Months Ago

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Hundreds of American and Iraqi troops backed by helicopters descended Friday on a remote desert area southwest of Baghdad to root out al-Qaida in Iraq and search for two U.S. soldiers missing after a deadly insurgent ambush six months ago... Acting on intelligence, the soldiers dug with shovels through heaps of sand and went house-to-house after a dramatic pre-dawn air assault into two Sunni villages near the boundary with Anbar province...
Read this story in full at link below...
US air assault targets militants believed linked to soldier kidnappings - BostonHerald.com

Former Extremist Leads Joint Forces to Huge Weapons Cache

Saturday, November 17, 2007
A former member of an extremist group led Coalition Forces, Iraqi Army and Concerned Local Citizens to a cache site near southeast of Baghdad in the morning hours, Nov. 13.

The citizen, who reconciled with Iraqi and Coalition troops, knew where the cache was because he helped bury it sometime ago. He said he is now helping Coalition Forces because he is tired of al-Qaeda trying to force him to work with them. He said al-Qaeda imprisoned him and tortured his friends for not joining forces with them.

The Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and IA found refrigerators that contained numerous rockets, mortars and ammunition.

Finding and destroying a weapons cache of this size will help slow enemy attacks in the area, said Capt. David Underwood, Battery B, 1-9th FA commander. He added that the find boosted the troops’ morale.

Underwood called the night’s mission a success. “Anytime you can find something like this it’s big,” he said. “It was a huge night for us.”

From press release #20071117-02 by Multi-National Corps-Iraq - Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory

Iraq: Counter Attack

Iraq: Counter Attack

About Video: (Mature) Enemy combatants launched a mortar attack against Balad Air Base recently and quickly received counter fire.

Video/info post on YouTube by MNFIRAQ

Killer Cold Virus Spreading in U.S.

Friday, November 16, 2007
WebMD.com brings us this report today and it starts off like this... A virulent new form of an old cold virus is spreading in the U.S., causing severe pneumonia and death even in healthy adults... The virus is adenovirus type 14 or Ad14. Since May 2006, when it killed a 12-day-old girl in New York City, there have been 10 deaths among 141 confirmed cases. Except for the infant girl, the cases came in outbreaks in Oregon, Washington, and Texas... Different adenovirus strains have caused outbreaks in the past. But this seems to be a particularly "challenging" virus, says CDC epidemic intelligence officer John Su, MD, PhD...
Read this report in full HERE

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1326-07 November 15, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles, 26, of Hot Springs, Ark., died November 13h in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. The incident is under investigation.
For more information related to this release, the media may contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1324-07 November 16, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Ashley Sietsema, 20, of Melrose Park, Ill., died November 12th in Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. She was assigned to the 708th Medical Company, 108th Medical Battalion, 108th Sustainment Brigade, Illinois National Guard, North Riverside, Ill. The incident is under investigation.
For more information media may contact the Illinois National Guard public affairs office at (217) 761-3569.

Democrats who lead Congress vow not to be bullied by Bush on Iraq

Thursday, November 15, 2007
REUTERS.com brings us this story today and it starts off like this... Democrats who lead Congress likened President George W. Bush on Thursday to a bully on Iraq war policy and vowed to spend no more on combat without a deadline for bringing U.S. troops home... "He damn sure is not entitled to having this money given to him just with a blank check," Sen. Harry Reid, the Democrats' Senate leader, told reporters. "Americans need someone fighting for them taking on this bully we have in the White House."...
Read the full story at link below...
Democrats vow not to be bullied by Bush on Iraq

***********************
My Take:
The Dems need to stop worrying about President Bush and start worrying about being BULLIED by the far left such as the Code Pink NUTS!

America is becoming all so wise as to who’s RUNNING the Democratic Party of late. Most Americans can now see that many of these sorry ass Dems in power today are scared to death of these far left wackos too...

My advice to the leaders of the Dem Party...
DO NOT PLAY CHICKEN politics WITH THE LIVES OF OUR FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES!!!

YOUR PARTY WILL BE SOO FIRED for trying to do so...
AubreyJ.........

Swift Kids for Truth: John Edwards

Swift Kids for Truth: John Edwards

From 236.com
Posted on YouTube by twentythreesix
***********
TOOO Funny!!!
AubreyJ.........

Furloughs, Closings Possible Without Supplemental Funding, Gates Warns

Thursday, November 15, 2007
There is no "wiggle room" in the Defense Department budget, and Congress must pass the emergency supplemental spending bill as soon as possible to avoid halting operations and furloughing civilian employees, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
During a Pentagon news conference, Gates reinforced the message he delivered to Congress yesterday, when he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Capitol Hill and briefed members of both houses.

Gates strongly urged Congress to pass a global war on terror funding bill that the president would sign, he said.

The secretary said the president's signing of the 2008 National Defense Appropriations Act into law earlier this week caused some misperceptions. One misperception is that the Defense Department can continue funding troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers -- "that we can shuffle money around the department."

"This is a serious misconception," the secretary said.

The Defense Department has significantly less funding flexibility than it had in the spring, he said. In the fall of 2006, Congress provided a bridge fund of $70 billion until passage of the full war supplemental bill, which did not pass until late May 2007.

This year, the Defense Department was operating under a continuing resolution. "Now that the regular appropriations bill has been enacted, we are left with no bridge fund and only our base budget to support normal war operations," Gates said. "Further, Congress has provided very limited flexibility to deal with this funding shortage."

Restrictions on the budget mean that the department can transfer only $3.7 billion, which amounts to just a little over one week's worth of war expenses, he said.

All this leaves the department with only undesirable options to continue operations with the absence of a bridge fund, the secretary said.

"The path we believe is least undesirable fiscally and militarily would involve the following: The military would cease operations at all Army bases by mid-February next year," he said. "This would result in the furloughing of about 100,000 government employees and a like number of contractor employees at Army bases.

"These layoffs would have a cascading effect on depots and procurement," he continued. "Similar actions would follow for the Marine Corps about a month later."

The department must notify certain union employees 60 days in advance of any layoff or furlough, so the department will need to send the notices to affected employees in mid-December.

"If the Congress does not provide bridge funding this week on a bill the president will sign, and given the uncertainty of future action in December, by the end of this week -- as a prudent manager -- I will be obliged to take a series of anticipatory steps," Gates said.

The secretary said he will submit an urgent reprogramming request for funds to Congress. He also will direct the Army and Marine Corps to develop a plan to furlough employees, terminate contracts and prepare bases for reduced operations. "These plans would begin to be implemented in mid-December," he said.

Even if Congress acts, the president signs a bill, and the department receives $50 billion in bridge funding now, this will fund war operations only through about the end of February, Gates said.

"So we would be back in this situation immediately after the Congress reconvenes in late January," the secretary said. "The high degree of uncertainty on funding for the war is immensely complicating this task and will have tremendous consequences for this department and the men and women in uniform."

Gates said the issue before Congress is not one of principle, but pacing. He said Congress asked the president to draw down the troops in Iraq, set a date for when the drawdowns would begin, set a timetable for the drawdowns and then to transfer the security mission to Iraqis.

"The president has moved in all four of these areas: He has announced there will be drawdowns; the drawdowns have already started," Gates said. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq, has announced a timetable at least for the first five brigade combat teams, and the mission of transition begins in December when the first brigade comes out, he said.

"What I told members of Congress yesterday, for those who allege that the views of the generals were not sufficiently taken into account at the front end of the war, now you have a recommendation from the commander in the field, the commander of Central Command, from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on what makes sense in terms of pacing so we don't put at risk the gains we've already made," Gates said.

"It seems to me that there ought to be some deference to those who are running the war -- the generals -- at the pace at which this drawdown should take place," the secretary said. "However one feels about how we've got to this point, the reality is we have had some significant success due to the efforts of our men and women in uniform and their sacrifices.

"We don't want to sacrifice their success," he continued. "So how do we get the next phase of this conflict right? Because the consequences of getting it wrong are potentially high."

From a news article by DoD’s American Forces Press Service - Written by Jim Garamone

DoD Identifies Army Casualties

No. 1320-07 November 15, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died November 12th in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the vehicle they were in was struck by an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Killed were:
Capt. David A. Boris, 30, of Pennsylvania
Spc. Adrian E. Hike, 26, of Callender, Iowa

For more information media may contact the U.S. Army Europe public affairs office at 011-49-6221-57-5816/8694.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1319-07 November 15, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Derek R. Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va., died November 14th in San Antonio of wounds suffered October 25th in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, Virginia National Guard, West Point, Va.
For more information media may contact the Virginia National Guard public affairs office at (434) 298-6107.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1315-07 November 15, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Casey P. Mason, 22, of Lake, Mich., died November 13th in Mosul, Iraq of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
For more information, media should contact 8th Theater Sustainment Command public affairs office, (808) 438-1000.