Photo for the Day- November 17, 2005

A U.S. Marine sits atop a table as he watches the street outside a window in Karabilah, Iraq, during Operation Steel Curtain on Nov. 11, 2005. The intent of Steel Curtain is to restore Iraqi sovereign control along the Iraq-Syria border and destroy the al Qaeda network operating throughout the Qaim region. (Courtesy of DoD)
DoD photo by......
Cpl. Neill A. Sevelius, U.S. Marine Corps

DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

No. 1198-05 Nov 17, 2005
DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

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

Killed were:
Lance Cpl. Roger W. Deeds, 24, of Biloxi, Miss.
Lance Cpl. John A. Lucente, 19, of Grass Valley, Calif.
Cpl. Jeffry A. Rogers, 21, of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Cpl. Joshua J. Ware, 20, of Apache, Okla.

All four Marines died Nov. 16 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces during Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq. Deeds, Rogers and Ware all died as a result of enemy small arms fire, while Lucente died from wounds sustained from an enemy hand grenade. All four Marines were assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, their unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).
Media with questions about these Marines can call the Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 720-5044.

Remembering our Fallen

A lot of our bravest gave their all these last few days... Take a moment to read their names, (in the posts below/above this one,) and in your own way thank them for all they have done and were willing to do for you-- me and this great country of ours…
God bless each and every one of them and their
families, friends and loved ones…
AubreyJ………

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 1199-05 Nov 17, 2005
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pvt. Dylan R. Paytas, 20, of Freedom, Pa. , died in Baqubah, Iraq, on Nov. 16, from injuries sustained from multiple gunshot wounds. Paytas was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
The incident is under investigation.
For further information related to this release, contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 692-2000.

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

No. 1197-05 Nov 17, 2005
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine, who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
2nd Lt. Donald R. McGlothlin, 26, of Lebanon, Va. , died Nov. 16 from small arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces during Operation Steel Curtain in Ubaydi, Iraq. He was assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. His unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).
Media with questions about this Marine can call the Camp Pendleton Public Affairs Office at (760) 720-5044.

911- How Soon we Forget...

VP Dick Cheney comes out swinging

“There was broad-based, bipartisan agreement that Saddam Hussein was a threat... that he had violated U.N. Security Council Resolutions... and that, in a post 9-11 world, we couldn't afford to take the word of a dictator who had a history of WMD programs, who had excluded weapons inspectors, who had defied the demands of the international community, who had been designated an official state sponsor of terror, and who had committed mass murder. Those are facts. What we're hearing now is some politicians contradicting their own statements and making a play for political advantage in the middle of a war. The saddest part is that our people in uniform have been subjected to these cynical and pernicious falsehoods day in and day out. American soldiers and Marines are out there every day in dangerous conditions and desert temperatures - conducting raids, training Iraqi forces, countering attacks, seizing weapons, and capturing killers - and back home a few opportunists are suggesting they were sent into battle for a lie. The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone - but we're not going to sit by and let them rewrite history.”
Vice President Dick Cheney
November 16, 2005
Read all of the Vice President’s remarks at...
The Frontiers of Freedom Institute 2005 Ronald Reagan Gala

One more al-Qaida leader Bites the Dust in Iraq (11/16/05)

Al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Sadah bagged
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Multi-National Forces used multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens to locate a known al Qaeda in Iraq safe house harboring terrorists and foreign fighters Nov. 7.

Upon arrival at the terrorist safe house, Multi-National Forces detained numerous terrorists and foreign fighters; among them was Sadiq Ayadah Husayn Matar (aka Abu Ahmed), the al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Sadah.

Abu Ahmed admitted to being the al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Sadah. He was responsible for all terrorist operations in Sadah. He also coordinated and conducted terrorist operations in the surrounding areas within the al Qaim region. He was in charge of directing, planning and executing bombing, mortar attacks, and ambushes against Iraqi security and Coalition Forces.

Abu Ahmed, as one of the five senior al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist leaders in the al Qaim region, which includes Husaybah, Karabilah, Sadah, Ubaydi, and al Qaim, was connected to numerous al Qaeda in Iraq senior terrorist leaders. He admitted associations, as well as conducting coordinated terrorist operations, with other senior terrorists and foreign fighters in the region. These senior terrorists were responsible for all terrorist and foreign fighter activities in the region to include the smuggling of foreign fighters into the al Qaim region from Syria.
(Taken from MNF-I News Release A051116a)