Army Sgt. 1st Class James Morton records himself reading a book to his daughter, Emily, at Camp Victory, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Frank Vaughn
Reading Program Connects Deployed Soldiers With Their Children
By Army Sgt. Frank Vaughn
Special to American Forces Press ServiceCAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Jan. 29, 2009 – A program in Iraq is helping deployed soldiers bond with their children back home through books.
United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization, gives deployed soldiers an opportunity to record themselves reading stories on a DVD that is shipped home for their children to watch.
The program, available worldwide for deployed units, is coordinated here by Army Capt. (Chaplain) Mike Jones, chaplain for the 10th Mountain Division Special Troop Battalion, and his assistant, Army Spc. Annamarie Greenfield.
To participate, soldiers first choose a book from the collection, along with a miniature stuffed animal to help them tell their story. Soldiers may send the book and the furry friend home with the DVD as a keepsake.
“That’s one of the neat things about this program,” Greenfield said. “The book and the animal make a good heirloom for kids, grandkids and so on.”
More than 80 soldiers have participated in the program since its inception here in June.
“We have handed out around 140 DVDs so far,” Greenfield said. “Some soldiers come back to do it again and again.”
Army Sgt. 1st Class James Morton, noncommissioned officer in charge of the battalion’s security section, is one of the program’s repeat customers. He said he enjoys reading books via DVD to his 4-year-old daughter, Emily.
“I first discovered this program when I was deployed to Qatar in 2005,” Morton said. “Since coming to Camp Victory, I’ve done it at least seven or eight times.”
While the United Through Reading program helps soldiers like Morton stay connected with their children and loved ones, the benefit to their families is apparent as well.
“One of the major reasons I do this over and over again is because of the stress relief it gives my wife,” Morton said. “She pops in a DVD of me when my little girl is sad.”
Morton said his daughter is glued to the television when he’s on the screen. “She likes having daddy around,” he said. “She’s definitely a daddy’s girl.”
While the program benefits deployed soldiers with children, it is not limited to parents.
“People can read stories to nieces, nephews, cousins or whomever they choose to do this for,” Greenfield said. “We can even set them up to read to school children they don’t even know if they so desire.”
(Army Sgt. Frank Vaughn serves in Multinational Division Center.) (Defenselink here)
30 January 2009
B*N*S*N1
B*N*S*N2
COLONEL'S MARK - An Iraqi Army colonel raises his right hand outside of the Zafraniyah polling site to show his purple index finger, a sign he voted during the “special” voting day of the provincial elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2009. The vote took place before the general provincial election, scheduled for Jan. 31, to accommodate Iraqi Security Forces, detainees, hospital patients and other special needs cases. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Douglas York (source)
Read the next post for more on this story.
B*N*S*N3
From the Conservative Underground comes this:
And this really IS B*N*S*N and you won't have seen this in the msm. But, you can read the rest of this one here.
Read More......
This Is A Day Of Victory! Elections Begin
Posted by Rosemary on January 28, 2009 at 8:30pm
Today is a wonderful day that will be ignored by those in the media who do not care about our men and women in the Armed Forces and the people we have liberated, but the news is available if you only seek outside of the United States! There are a few places within the states that are carrying this story, but they pay the AP for the copy right. Amazingly, they all say the same thing! That's real journalism? LOL.
I admit, after reading these articles, I do not believe I could write a better article than Taipei Times has written. So without further adeiu, here is their article with a little interruption for an image and a quote from ABC News.
Early voting begins in Iraq elections.
AGENCIES, BAGHDAD
Thursday, Jan 29, 2009, Page 4
Iraqi policemen hold up their ink-stained fingers after casting their vote in the country's provincial elections in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. The polls opened Wednesday for members of the Iraqi security forces, detainees and hospital patients. General voting is scheduled on Saturday. (Hadi Mizban/AP Photo), courtesy of ABC News.
Soldiers, police, prisoners and displaced people began early voting yesterday ahead of Saturday’s provincial election in Iraq, which will determine the political landscape across the country as US forces withdraw.
Iraqis held in detention were also expected to take part in the early voting.
US and Iraqi authorities hoped the election would open the political process to more groups and further erode support for extremist networks....
And this really IS B*N*S*N and you won't have seen this in the msm. But, you can read the rest of this one here.
28 January 2009
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Cynthia
27 years old from Hollywood, South Carolina
1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
January 28, 2008
James, 27, was killed on January 28, 2008, in Mosul, Iraq, along with four other soldiers when the unit encountered an IED, followed by an ambush from a nearby Mosque. It has been a year since James was killed. I miss him each day.
James was on his third deployment to Iraq. There are so many things about James that I admired. He was 'loud' and funny and articulate and sweet - even calling himself 'Sweet Soldier' - and brave and tough. He was a devout Christian and more comfortable with telling people he was than anyone I ever knew - he had a enviable, easy comfort with this faith. It would be so easy to write and write about James, but let me share some portions of his letters - his long and articulate letters.
"...I am very much looking forward to this war being over. However, I fully support everything that is going on over here ever since I saw first hand what the real situation was. Our media doesn't portray the truth of this operation or the necessity to the people here. They need freedom and desperately cry out for someone to help them. ... I know one thing, God wants me here."
"The war here is stating to come to an end. It will be a slow transition period where the responsibility of the battle space is handed over to the growing Iraqi Army. It all depends on the Iraqis if we are able to leave them with it safely."
"...it is a tale of my wonderful journey where I made memories I will never forget and stood up for something that I believe in...that sweet taste of freedom when the day is done and the knowledge that I have done something to ensure the positive future of my loved ones. And, you should know that it comforts me the most that what I do protects wonderful people like you."
To read more about Sgt James Craig, go here.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
26 January 2009
Mardi Gras is coming to Saratoga - AGAIN!
SAVE THE DATE!!
The Third Annual
Saratoga Springs Mardi Gras Festival!
SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2009
Set in Saratoga, Mardi Gras is a fundraiser for The Giving Circle. This group does amazing work year round, and they rely on help from the community to help others within the human community. Their most recent projects involve helping in the post Katrina rebuilding. In March, they will be heading down to the area to help yet another family:
Their site says:
Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the rights of the other: irrespective of whether another person is a close friend or an enemy, as long as that person wishes for peace and happiness and wishes to overcome suffering, then on that basis we develop genuine concern for his or her problem. - The Dali Lama
Their Mission statement reads:
The Giving Circle, Inc. celebrates community and the concept of one person, one community reaching out to another in a cycle of giving. Through our interconnectedness, interdependence, and the expanded power and possibility created by our love, support, compassion, and cooperation, we will make a difference in the quality of people's lives.
Saratoga is the site of a revolutionary battle, and home to a National Cemetary. This 116th National Cemetary is also home to the bell from the USS Saratoga. From its Saratoga base, the Giving Circle reaches out across America, wherever communities are in need. But they cannot do it alone. There are many ways you can get involved. The group is looking for volunteers to join them in March to go rebuild.
If you can go on this trip, or want to discuss it further, contact Mark, one of the founders, at :
mark@thegivingcircle.org or by cell at 518-727-8960.
mark@thegivingcircle.org or by cell at 518-727-8960.
If travelling on this project is not an option, there is always Mardi Gras! There are many ways for people to be involved in this year-round work, and they are listed on The Giving Circle's website:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Gandhi
• Donate Now Online through the secure portal NetworkForGood. Or Mail in Your Donation with THIS DONATION CARD (PDF | MS Word) to: The Giving Circle, Inc. P.O. Box 3162 Saratoga Springs, NY 1286
• In the Area - If you are in the NY State Capital District and would like to help out with a project, or have goods, services or skills that may be helpful, please contact us.
• Volunteer - Skilled and unskilled labor is greatly needed to help with rebuilding . Please consider a volunteer work trip. Please contact us if you would like to join a Giving Circle work trip.(here)
America was built on the concept of neighbor helping neighbor, across the land. Please check out The Giving Circle's website here, and see how YOU can help. Thank you!
See you at Mardi Gras!
See you at Mardi Gras!
25 January 2009
Every Day Heroes
Zabul team combats malnutrition, unsafe water
Capt. Timothy Harrelson (center) and Army Maj. Trevor Nehls discuss care for a young Afghan boy who has a broken leg in Qalat, Afghanistan. Captain Harrelson and Major Nehls are members of the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Master Sgt. Keith Brown) (source)Meet Captain Tim Harrelson:
Feeding Afghan children a formula for peace
Airmen help Afghan children beat hunger
Photo Courtesy of Tim HarrelsonCapt. Tim Harrelson treats a 2-year-old boy for worms last June in Surri, a small village just outside Qalat city, Afghanistan.
Photo by Keith Brown/Courtesy of the U.S. Air ForceCapt. Tim Harrelson treats a 10-month-old boy for malnutrition last year in Surri, a small village just outside Qalat city, Afghanistan.
Photo by Keith Brown/Courtesy of the U.S. Air ForceCapt. James Arnold gives a food supplement to the mother of a malnourished Afghan child in August at the Qalat Hospital in Qalat, Afghanistan. Arnold and Capt. Tim Harrelson developed a nutritional paste that spared Afghan children from starving.Heading into a 10-month deployment to Afghanistan a year ago, Capt. Tim Harrelson wanted to do something about malnutrition and infant mortality, but figured he would spend most of his time treating trauma and running sick call inside the wire.
By the time he returned to Misawa Air Base in Japan around Christmas, the physician assistant had helped develop a nutritional paste that saved many Afghan children from starving to death. The knowledge was left for local doctors and other provincial reconstruction teams.
"You get involved with a mission that can sometimes seem overwhelming in scope," said Harrelson, 38, of Indian Land, S.C., who was recently awarded a Bronze Star for his deployment efforts.
"It was greatly satisfying. In that situation, you hope you can leave a positive legacy. It doesn’t matter if your name is attached to it or not. What matters is it works and someone else can use it — and you get to where people can be happy and they can be healthy.
"I think that’s what helps establish peace in the region."...
Go read the rest of this story at Stars and Stripes here. This story actually made it to quite a few msm outlets. Just 'google' his name and meet other dedicated servicemen and women, making a difference every single day.
Thank YOU, Captain Harrelson.
Read More......24 January 2009
Calling All Angels
Soldiers' Angels hero adoption waiting list is over 900 today. All these heroes waiting to be adopted are currently serving overseas, away from their families and could use some additional support from you. Won't you please consider adopting a hero today? All is takes is the commitment from you to write a letter a week and send one small care package a month during the length of the deployment. To adopt a hero, click here now.
If adoption does not suit you and you would like to get involved with Soldiers' Angels, there are many opportunities for everyone to get involved. Just click here to find out more.
And just because this is one of my MOST favourite:
23 January 2009
B*N*S*N1
HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, performing a series of tight turns (Archive picture)[Picture: POA(Phot) Mick Storey]
Navy frigate to get new electronic 'brain'
An Equipment and Logistics news article
14 Jan 09
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose is to get a new electronic 'brain' which will help her crew defend the ship against air, surface and underwater threats.
The Type 23 frigate has come into Babcock's dockyard for the £15m upkeep which will see a major capability upgrade for the ship with the first fitting of the Royal Navy's newest command system, DNA(2), which is based on the system being fitted to the Royal Navy's powerful new Type 45 destroyers.
The command system is the ship's 'brain', central to the ship's fighting capability, providing the officers and crew with vital information from sensors and communications, allowing them to direct weapon engagements above, on and below the sea's surface....(read the rest on MoD here)
And a two-fer - just because I can!:
First batch of 'souped-up' combat vehicles delivered
An Equipment and Logistics news article
9 Jan 09
The first delivery of over 100 enhanced light tanks used for scouting out the enemy have arrived at the Army's training units, complete with a state-of-the-art engine cooling system taken from the motorsport industry.
One of the new enhanced combat vehicles
[Picture: MOD]
Under an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) contract worth £19million, a number of important upgrades have been carried out to boost the performance and reliability of the British Army's Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) [CVR(T)] vehicles in the demanding conditions of Afghanistan.
Significant changes include:
• Up-powered engine, gearbox and final drives to improve performance in the demanding operational and environmental conditions faced in Afghanistan;
• A new high-efficiency radiator and charge air cooler from the motorsport world - a major improvement on earlier systems.
Lieutenant Colonel Martin Fenn, Environmental Mitigation UOR Team Leader, said:...
To read the rest of this story, go to the MoD here.
B*N*S*N2
Sadr City Water Treatment Facility Flows
Thursday, 22 January 2009By Maj. Mike Humphreys
4th Infantry DivisionBAGHDAD — Tribal leaders, Sadr City council members, Iraqi workers and engineers, and members of the Baghdad Water Authority gathered at the Sadr City Rusafa Water Treatment Facility in the Hay Ur neighborhood of Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district to witness the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Baghdad’s mayor officially open this modern facility, Jan. 21.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker thanked the crowd of approximately 200 guests for the opportunity to open the facility he said would help shape the future of Baghdad and Iraq.
“This is truly a strategic project,” Crocker said. “It provides 96,000 cubic meters of water to Baghdad per day, and the United States of America is proud and pleased to have financed this project and to see it through to completion with our close friends and our partners in the mayoralty and the government.”
The Rusafa Water Treatment Facility, completed in October at a cost of $65 million, took three years to complete. It provides 4,000 cubic meters of fresh water per hour to northeastern Baghdad, to include 27 sectors of Sadr City.
“This project is the most important, and probably the biggest, project for Sadr City,” said Navet Al Essawi, Baghdad mayor. “This project and others like it will clear the path of terrorism.”
The facility has been providing potable water to Sadr City and surrounding areas for more than three months. The ceremony served to not only demonstrate a return of essential services to the region but as a symbol of closure for the people in an area that had been marred by violence for so long, said Maj. Brian Horine, the civil military operations officer for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, who assisted the Baghdad government with the ceremony.
“This opening is about what the Government of Iraq has done for the people. This facility was started more than two years ago when Sadr City was in the height of bad times,” said Horine. “Today, security and stability has returned, allowing this to happen.”
The mayor thanked Coalition forces for their help and guidance in making the new facility a realization and said the project was the first part of a five step strategic plan for Baghdad.
Horine echoed the Mayor’s words, explaining that the opening of the water treatment facility is just a start to many equally important projects soon to be completed, such as an electric substation not far from the Rusafa Water Treatment Facility, which will distribute reliable power to the people of Sadr City.
The mayor assured the audience that the Baghdad government and the GoI are committed to the people.
“The people of Sadr City and their neighbors have suffered from a water deficiency for 10 years. Now they can rest and be secure that they have someone to look after them,” Navet said.
(here)
B*N*S*N3
Ministry of Defense Opens Military Hospital & Prosthetics Clinic for Wounded Warriors(MNF here) Read More......
Thursday, 22 January 2009 Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq Public AffairsBAGHDAD — The Iraqi Ministry of Defense (MoD) took a giant leap forward in improving health care for its wounded warriors with the grand opening of the Military Hospital and Prosthetics Clinic in Muthana, Jan. 19.
The new hospital contains 50 ward beds, an ER/trauma bay in the core building, five ICU beds, three operating rooms, and laboratory, pharmacy and x-ray services in attached trailers.
The hospital staff numbers 130, consisting of four physicians, one dentist, 85 other health professionals and 40 medical administrative support personnel. The facility is equipped to provide care for medical conditions requiring hospitalization, emergency care, initial wound surgery, and post-operative treatment.
Before 2003, there were 31 hospitals, 3,000 physicians and 10,000 other health professionals in the Iraqi military. Since that time, all military hospitals either converted to civilian Ministry of Health facilities or were closed. Many physicians fled the country during the early stages of the war, but roughly only half have returned.
“While the Iraqi military still suffers from a shortage of physicians, today’s hospital opening is one large step forward for restoring the capability of the Iraqi military medical directorate,” said U.S. Army Col. Stephen Salerno, Director of Health Affairs, Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq. “This step will build confidence in the Iraqi Soldier that the military will take care of its own.”
Health Affairs is the Advisory team to the MoD Surgeon General’s Office for manning, training, equipping and facility development for the Iraqi Joint Forces medical department. Health Affairs staff members invested countless hours over the last 12 months to help prepare the Muthana Military Hospital staff for the task at hand: to open and operate the first military hospital in a new Iraq.
“Without the efforts of a determined MNSTC-I J-7 engineering team, and savvy contracting by the experts at Joint Contracting Command - Iraq, this day would not have been possible,” noted U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jeff Plummer, Health Affairs Deputy Director. “The Coalition has funded and built dozens of outpatient clinics and medical warehouses across Iraq. The Muthana Military Hospital, however, was built with Iraqi funds through the Foreign Military Sales Program. We are proud of the team effort between the MoD and MNSTC-I to complete the project and look forward to future partnerships in health care.”
The prosthetics clinic, officially named the Artificial Limb and Physical Therapy Center, is able to perform virtual casting through laser-image technology, one of the only facilities in the Middle East with this capability and the first of its kind in Iraq.
Senior leaders attending the grand opening included Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd Al-Qadir, Gen. Babakir, chief of staff – Iraqi Joint Forces, Staff Lt. Gen. Hussain, deputy chief of staff – Training, Maj. Gen. Samir, Iraqi surgeon general, and Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander, MNSTC-I and NATO Training Mission - Iraq
B*N*S*N4
Local Mom A local Iraqi woman watches her children play in the streets in Al Amnal District in Basra, Iraq, on Jan. 14. Photo by Karah Cohen.(here)
21 January 2009
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Cindy
29 years old from Garden Grove, California
September 29, 2006
In April 2008, Michael Monsoor (who had already been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in a May 9, 2006 incident, when he and another SEAL pulled a wounded team member to safety amidst gunfire) was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His funeral, attended, in the words of President Bush, by "nearly every SEAL on the West Coast," was held on October 12, 2006 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. During Monsoor's funeral service, as the casket was taken from the hearse to the gravesite, fellow SEALs lined up in two columns to slap and embed the gold Tridents (a pin awarded for successful completion of SEAL Qualification Training) from their uniforms onto the top of Monsoor's coffin.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Mike A. Monsoor's Summary Of Action.
"The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten." - President George W. Bush
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
18 January 2009
Every Day Heroes
Meet 1st Sgt Jean-Paul Courville:
Also for Warriors of the Week - written by CJ - go here:
Read More......
For more links on this hero's story, go to Defenselink.mil here
In April 2004, Gunnery Sergeant Jean-Paul Courville not only proved his leadership skills but also his courage and tactical abilities as he led a team during battles in Karmah Iraq.
The New Orleans native was responsible for providing ammunition and water resupply to K Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, First Marine Division in Fallujah/Karmah. However, during several hours of fighting to suppress and destroy enemy fighters with F-15 Eagle 20mm gun runs that were dangerously close, Courville fearlessly led a team of heavy machine gun high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles and two amphibious armored vehicles to support Company K with casualty evacuation and machine gun fires.
With this success in al Karmah, the urban combat was far from over. Courville repeatedly entered the most dangerous areas of the battle to provide support, direct machinegun fire, ammunition, and water resupply. On April 13, during more than eight hours of fierce urban fighting, four fellow Marines were shot and a reinforced squad was thrown from their overturned 7-ton vehicle. During the ensuing battle, Courville personally rescued the squad during the night insertion. He led the team through more than 200 enemy fighters to conduct four separate missions to evacuate Marines wounded during the fighting. His bold action and rapid care under fire enabled all Marines to survive even though helicopter evacuation was not feasible.
Kilo Company (reinforced) was then tasked to attack and clear into the eastern flank of the city of al Fallujah. Manpower was short but Courville was undaunted. He assumed the difficult dual role as Company first sergeant and Company gunnery sergeant and was instrumental in preparing the Company for the task. Approximately 500 meters into the city, Kilo Company encountered an entrenched enemy who was determined to fight to the end. During an extensive battle with this enemy, Courville disregarded his own safety as he ensured his fellow Marines were adequately supplied with ammunition, water and motivation.
Later during the assault, Courville saw a family trapped within a building that was covered with flames and smoke. Somehow the family, weakly waving a white flag from a window, had managed to survive. He quickly assessed the situation as desperate and led his team to the burning building to lead the family to safety one by one. Bringing up the rear, Gunnery Sergeant Courville picked up two of the children and sprinted across the danger area that was regularly raked by enemy machine gun fire.
For these heroic achievements, Gunnery Sergeant Courville received the Bronze Star Medal Combat Distinguishing Device.
Excerpt from Bronze Star citation
Also for Warriors of the Week - written by CJ - go here:
Army Warriors of the Week - CPT Merrill & 1SG Meltz
On Nov. 11, 2008, CPT Joseph Merrill and 1SG James Meltz, Company Command Team, D Co., 27 Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, were awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for their actions south of Kabul on the night of May 25, 2008....
Go read their story here.
Thank you ALL for your service.
16 January 2009
B*N*S*N1
So many stories, so little space. Every week, it is very difficult to choose just four stories which accurately reflect all that the coalition troops are doing. Every day, away from the media spotlight, our guys and girls are getting 'er done!":Rifles help bring seed to Helmand farmers
A Military Operations news article
7 Jan 09
Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) have been helping the Afghan Security Forces ensure that 3,200 tonnes of wheat seed have reached thousands of farmers across Helmand province.
The wheat seed distribution site in Sangin District Centre which was secured by the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police
[Picture: MOD]The distribution of wheat seed to farmers in the province is part of the Food Zone Programme designed by Helmand's Governor, Gulab Mangal, to help 32,000 farmers grow wheat this year instead of poppy.
The soldiers from 1 RIFLES, along with their colleagues in the Afghan Security Forces, have played an important part in delivering the Food Zone Programme by clearing roads of explosives and protecting the convoys bringing the wheat seed to distribution centres across the province.
By mid-December thirty thousand farmers had already collected seed from the Provincial Government and a further two thousand were expected to receive their seed in time for planting.
In his Eid speech on 8 December 2008 in Lashkar Gah, Governor Mangal announced that the start of the programme had been a great success saying:
"I am very pleased to see so many farmers and elders supporting this programme. It shows that when the Government and the people work together we can make Helmand a better, more prosperous province. This year's programme will be the example to other provinces and a model that we will follow in future years."
The £6m Food Zone Programme has been financed and supported by USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team and the UK Government's Department for International Development.... (and there's more here)
B*N*S*N2
Marines seize Taliban weapons in airborne assault
A Military Operations news article
14 Jan 09
Following a night-time helicopter and ground assault conducted by British, Afghan and Canadian troops, a huge haul of lethal weapons and bomb-making equipment has been recovered from a Taliban stronghold near Kandahar.
Members of K Company 42 Commando
Members of K Company 42 Commando during a joint operation with Task Force Kandahar (Canadian), north of Kandahar City
[Picture: MOD]
Operation Shahi Tandar (Royal Storm) took place north of Kandahar City on 7-9 January 2009. It was conducted by Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) supported by British troops from 42 Commando Group Royal Marines and 3rd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group.
Under cover of darkness, the helicopter assault was launched on the isolated Taliban stronghold in the early hours of the morning on 7 January 2009 by members of K Company, 42 Commando Group, supporting a Canadian Recce Squadron from Task Force Kandahar.
While the Royal Marines attacked from the air, before sweeping through the area on foot, securing and checking compounds and farm buildings, the 3rd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group pushed in from the ground, on foot and in armoured vehicles...
Go here to see what else happened!
B*N*S*N3
Members of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province are welcomed by schoolgirls dressed in traditional Afghan clothing during the groundbreaking ceremony for a girl’s school in the province’s Behsood district Jan. 11, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Dustin Hart
School Project Brings Hope to Afghan Province
By Air Force Capt. Dustin Hart
Special to American Forces Press Service
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan , Jan. 15, 2009 – Members of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province demonstrated their commitment to furthering education during a ground-breaking ceremony for the Maliki Surial girls’ school in the province’s Behsood district Jan. 11.
The PRT-funded school, which will cost $116,000 and is expected to be completed in nine months, will feature 10 classrooms for more than 1,400 girls to attend classes throughout the year.
“Currently, the girls attend an open-air school where they sit outdoors and learn,” Army Capt. Elisabeth Leon, Nangarhar PRT lead engineer, said. “When the weather turns bad, they simply can’t go to school.”
Army Lt. Col. Steven Cabosky, Nangarhar PRT commander, urged local people gathered at the ceremony to do their part to make the school realize its potential.
“The key to success in Afghanistan is education of all children,” Cabosky said. “While this school project will help, the hard work still exists. It’s up to all of you to make sure your children are able to go to school and receive an education. That is what will build a strong Afghanistan.”
The ceremony featured members of the provincial government, school administration and PRT speaking about the opportunities created by the new school.....
B*N*S*N4
| |
U.S. Forces Give Humvees to Iraqi ArmyAmerican Forces Press Service |
| CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 15, 2009 – As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the Iraqi army’s combat effectiveness, the U.S. military has turned over thousands of armored Humvees. The program is a joint effort between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force as part of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, with the intent to turn over 8,500 of the vehicles to the Iraqis by July, officials said. "Our aim is to provide the Iraqi security forces, military and police, with a proven, reliable, and capable vehicle that will build their forces' capability and enable [them] to engage in the counter-insurgency fight," he said. The command’s mission is to generate, train, and help to sustain Iraqi security forces so they become capable and self-reliant. |
14 January 2009
Wednesday Hero
This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Deb
Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
While reading the info on Cpt. Freeman, I found that I couldn't have put it better than this.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
11 January 2009
Every Day Heroes
CJ sent me this one:
Silver Star awarded to Pennsylvania Soldier
January 5, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Uncategorized
As always, this is a great story more people should read.
Meet Spc Jason Harrington
HARRISBURG, Pa., (1/5/08) - Training is what got Spc. Jason D. Harrington into Iraq, and training is what got him out alive.
“I was just doing what I had to do,” said Harrington, who was presented the Silver Star in a ceremony held here on Dec. 27. “I think any other Soldier would have done the same thing.”
His actions were credited with saving the lives of fellow Soldiers during an incident in Iraq in September 2005.
Harrington joined the Pennsylvania National Guard to pay for college after graduating from high school in 2000.
After he completed all of his individual training, “I was kid of itching to go over there,” Harrington told his hometown newspaper, the Lancaster, Pa., Intelligencer Journal.
He got his chance in June 2005, when he was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 172nd Armor as a member of a long range surveillance and sniper team.
On Sept. 19, 2005, three of Harrington’s platoon members, including his platoon leader, were killed after being attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED).
According to his award citation, Harrington immediately volunteered to be part of a reaction force to respond to the scene. Along with another platoon, he left his base and moved into a known high-threat area with little friendly presence.
As the two Humvees in his group were moving to the scene, the vehicle that he was in was struck with an IED, tearing off the front of the vehicle.
“I was pretty fortunate to be able to walk away from that,” Harrington told the Lancaster newspaper....
Go here to read the rest of CJ's post on this hero...
Thank YOU, CJ and thank YOU for your service, Spc. Jason D. Harrington.
09 January 2009
B*N*S*N1
Capt. Lori August gives an Iraqi child a hearing exam, Dec. 28, 2008. Photo by 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.
Medics Test Iraqi Children’s Hearing
Thursday, 08 January 2009 By 2nd Lt. Erika Stump
1st Cavalry Division
COB ADDER — Approximately 15 Samawa school children received their first hearing exams here, Dec 28.The Soldiers assigned to the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division identified candidates for the exam during a visit to the al-Amal school for the deaf, which is located in the town of Ar-Rumythan, about an hour north of Samawah in southern Iraq.
"I hope we can continue working with the local populace,” said Staff Sgt. Heidi Barber, a combat medic from Fort Worth, Texas. “Essentially, we are all here for one common goal, and that is to make Iraq better."
Once the candidates were chosen, the Soldiers offered the children and their parents a visit to COB Adder’s audiology facility to test the children’s hearing. Although the facility is for routine American Soldiers’ hearing exams, the team expanded their services to analyze the hearing of the Iraqi children.
Capt. Ramona Toussaint from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Capt. Lori August from Austin, Texas, examined the children’s ears for abnormalities or inconsistencies. Barber and Spc. Alexandra Olivares performed a series of routine hearing tests.
"[This] was a great and rewarding event,” said Olivares, a combat medic from Brooklyn, N.Y. “I had an incredible time working with members of the local community."...
And THAT'S the news you won't see in the msm. YOU can read the rest of this one here.
B*N*S*N2
Two students of the Huda Girls’ School patiently await the official reopening of the school in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, Jan. 5, 2009. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, 25th Infantry Division.
School Prospers Despite Past Violence
Thursday, 08 January 2009
CAMP TAJI — The Huda Girls’ School in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, officially reopened its doors with a ceremony featuring speeches, poems and songs, Jan. 5.The school provides education to approximately 950 girls, who attend at various times throughout the day to accommodate the valuable education opportunity.
“This is really something big for the people. This is a fort of science,” said Muhamad Ibrihim Jassim, administrative supervisor for the Ministry of Education in Tarmiyah about the opening of the school. “This is the largest school in the area.”
The school has long been recognized by the Ministry of Education for its excellence in education, but in 2003, that excellence was threatened.
The building was the scene of significant violence, said Dr. Malcom Phelps, senior education advisor for the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team attached to the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
During major combat operations in 2003, the school slowly ceased to function as a fort of science and transitioned into a fort for terror.
The school, which lies up the road from a Joint Security Station, was the launching point of ambushes, improvised-explosive device attacks and sniper fire against Coalition forces and the then nascent Iraqi Security Forces.
After a cautious stability was reached in the area in 2006, Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division helped to rebuild the badly war-damaged school.
Approximately $300,000 dollars of Iraqi and U.S. funds were spent to rebuild and refurbish the school, which contains 18 classrooms, science labs, an administration suite and an auditorium...
Go read this one here, for the children.
B*N*S*N3
CFB/ASU Wainwright, Alberta – The Wounded Warrior Challenge was held on November 27 to raise money for The Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warriors Fund.Wainwright indoor triathlon helps wounded troops
Master Warrant Officer Todd D ´Andrade competes in the swimming event of the Wounded Warrior Challenge held at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright.
Monday, January 05, 2009
"This was pretty good for our first kick at the cat," said Warrant Officer Gerry Olsen of Land Force Western Area Training Centre (LFWA TC). "There was a good turnout and we managed to raise about $600 for a great cause."
Captain Crystal Kipping-Wyatt, the Base Personnel Selection Officer, runs the third leg of the event for her team.
The fundraiser, a condensed indoor triathlon, is a concept introduced by WO Olsen and the staff of the Personnel Support Programs (PSP).
"We designed the Challenge in a way that the participants can demonstrate their physical capabilities in a condensed period of time," said WO Olsen.
The challenge required giving the maximum effort for 15 minutes in the pool, on a stationary bike and on a 200 m track....
Go read the rest here.
B*N*S*N4
RAF bring Christmas classroom to kids in Basra
A Military Operations news article
5 Jan 09
The village of Al Mithar, near Basra, southern Iraq, took delivery of a new school classroom from the back of a truck on Christmas Eve 2008, thanks to the 51 Squadron RAF Regiment (Regt).
A group of Basra schoolchildren stand outside their new classroom
[Picture: Cpl James Williams RLC]
The portacabin was relocated by the Squadron who are normally based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland but are currently serving as the Resident Field Squadron in Basra, Iraq. It was moved from the Contingency Operating Base (COB) supplies to be used as an extra classroom in the village 'Al-Assil' school.
The cabin was transported in a large convoy which consisted of nine vehicles including the load carrier and passed through the 'Basra Gates' monument en route to the village. The convoy also passed freely through the Al-Waki market, the scene of an RAF Regt/Insurgent battle in 2007.
The school's head teacher, Mrs Khasmah said:
"This is very good. Yes, very good and we are all very happy, thank you!"...
Don't hold your breath waiting to see this in the msm. BUT you can find theis B*N*S*N story here.
B*N*S*N photo bonus
Night Shift
Iraqi policemen prepare for the night's mission at their local police station in the Sadiah district of southern Baghdad, Iraq, Dec. 17, 2008. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Todd Frantom. (here) Read More......
07 January 2009
Wednesday Hero
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Equipment) Airman Melissa Pyle mans a jet blast deflector station on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the Gulf Of Oman. Theodore Roosevelt and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams. Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
04 January 2009
Every Day Heroes
Father and son receive Silver Star awards during special long distance ceremonyPhoto by Spc. George Welcome 101st CAB Public Affairs
December 01, 2008
Soldiers at CJTF-101 Headquarters at Bagram look at the video teleconferencing screen as former Staff Sgt. Gary Harris is presented with the Bronze Star and Silver Star, at Fort Campbell, Ky.Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Harris receives a handshake from Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander, 101st Airborne Division, after being presented the Silver Star during an award ceremony at Combined Joint Task Force-101 Headquarters on Nov. 28. Photo by Spc. George Welcome, 101st CAB Public Affairs
Meet CWO Jonathan Harris and his dad former Staff Sgt. Gary Harris.:Father and son receive Silver Star awards during special long distance ceremony
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Nearly 30 years separate the conclusion of the Vietnam war and the start of the War on Terrorism. While time, tactics and technology make today’s military very different from the one which fought in the jungles of Vietnam, a common denominator in the two conflicts has been the bravery and sacrifice of the American service member.
The Silver Star is the nation’s third-highest award for such displays of bravery and sacrifice. Chief Warrant Officer Jonathan Harris became one of the few Soldiers to receive the prestigious award on the evening of Nov. 28, but the fact that his father, former Staff Sgt. Gary Harris, was also presented at the same moment with a Silver Star made the event all the more meaningful.
Through a video teleconference during a ceremony at Combined Joint Task Force-101 headquarters, the Harris family watched from a conference room at Fort Campbell, Ky, as the younger Harris was presented the Silver Star by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, CJTF-101 commanding general. Meanwhile, Soldiers from CJTF-101 watched a video screen at Bagram as the elder Harris was pinned with not only the Silver Star, but also a Bronze Star he earned serving in Vietnam. Neither had been formally presented to him.
“It’s very rare that we present the Silver Star,” Schloesser explained to those in attendance at both Fort Campbell and Afghanistan. “We have a very high standard and we make sure that the few who do earn it have done so through selfless sacrifice. It’s clear that Mr. Harris did that, and it is also clear that the nation owes a debt to [former] Staff Sgt. Gary Harris. It was almost 40 years ago that he earned it, and I hope in some small way that we can pay back that debt by presenting him his award with his son’s today.”...
This really IS a special story, about two very special soldiers. Go read the rest here.
Thank you BOTH for your service! Read More......
01 January 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR BAGHDAD!
(source)
News
U.S. Vacates Baghdad Palace Ahead Of Handover
Military vehicles at an entrance to Baghdad's fortified "Green Zone" in November
December 31, 2008BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- U.S. officials have withdrawn from the Saddam Hussein-era palace they occupied in Baghdad since 2003, a sign of the change of power when their troops were to come under Iraqi authority at midnight.
The U.S. force in Iraq, now more than 140,000 strong, has operated since 2003 under a UN Security Council resolution expiring at midnight on New Year's Eve. From January 1, U.S. troops operate with authority granted by the Iraqi government under a pact agreed by Washington and Baghdad.
The pact -- viewed by both countries as a milestone in restoring Iraqi sovereignty -- requires U.S. troops to leave in three years, revokes their power to hold Iraqis without charge, and subjects contractors and off-duty troops to Iraqi law.
Iraq also reached a deal with Washington's main ally Britain on December 30 giving its 4,100 troops until the end of July to depart. Small contingents from Australia, El Salvador, Romania, Estonia, and the NATO alliance will also leave in 2009.
U.S. and Iraqi officials were planning a ceremony for the morning of January 1 to formally hand over control of the Green Zone, the heavily fortified central sector of the capital that houses Western diplomats and Iraqi government offices.
In recent weeks U.S. diplomats have gradually moved into a newly built compound, the world's largest U.S. embassy, leaving behind a sprawling yellow marble palace of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein, which looms over the Tigris River.
"The palace will be in the possession of the Iraqi government from January 1, 2009," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Ziadeh said of the ornate building, where Americans worked beneath garish frescoes depicting Hussein's arsenal of missiles....(read the rest at Radio Free Europe here.)
The future of Iraq now really does belong to children like those in the top picture. And THAT is great news!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL our troops who made this possible.
H/T Donna :)
*cross-posted from Assoluta Tranquillita*
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