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thedrifter
10-08-04, 11:52 AM
Reserve Marines crucial to mission in Iraq <br />
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group <br />
Story Identification #: 2004107121610 <br />
Story by Staff Sgt. Jim Goodwin <br />
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CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Oct. 7,...

thedrifter
10-08-04, 11:53 AM
Marines to return from Fallujah after delays

By: North County Times

CAMP PENDLETON ---- Several hundred local Marines are scheduled to return to Camp Pendleton this week after more than six months of fighting insurgents in and around the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Members of Headquarters and Service Company, as well as members of Golf Company of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine regiment, are scheduled to arrive at the Camp Horno section of the base this week and this weekend.

The troops were delayed from their scheduled arrival earlier this week because of problems with aircraft in Kuwait, base officials said Thursday.


Family members who traveled from across the country have been staying at local hotels and with other troops' relatives while they wait for their Marines to return.

The battalion ---- the "2/1" as it is known around Camp Pendleton ---- spearheaded the Marines' spring offensive in Fallujah shortly after arriving there late last February and early March.

Ever since they were ordered to pull back from the city limits to conduct patrols in the outlying farmland and villages in May, the Marines of 2/1 have been patrolling what many say is the most dangerous region of the country, trying to keep a lid on the boiling insurgency centered in Fallujah.

Numerous Marines have been cited for valor for their actions during the fighting. At least 20 of the battalion's Marines were killed in action.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/10/08/military/14_22_5110_7_04.txt


Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 11:53 AM
Support for Bush overwhelming at Marine Corps base
By Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff | October 8, 2004

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq -- It is a measure of President Bush's unassailable popularity among the US Marines on this base that the only one who admitted that he supported John F. Kerry would say so only on condition of anonymity.

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The 19-year-old private said he recently bought a copy of the film ''Fahrenheit 9/11," which questions Bush's rationale for going to war. ''If half the things in that movie are true, we're here for the wrong reasons."

With that exception, Marines freely boast that the Corps is Bush country.

''I think 'W' is the man," said First Lieutenant Andrew Thomas, 25, who still has not signed up to get his absentee ballot at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, an hour's drive south of Baghdad.

But Thomas said he had told one of his fellow Marines to remove a Bush-Cheney 2004 bumper sticker pasted on a Humvee on the base. ''We all want him to win, but that's wrong," Thomas said. ''The sticker's got to go."

The ease with which on-duty enlisted Marines discussed politics, and the near-uniformity of their views, exemplified the extent to which the military vote has become Republican since the draft was eliminated in 1973.

Studies that track political attitudes in the military indicate that the officer corps has historically been far more Republican than the general population at large, and that gap has grown in the last two decades.

According to a 1999 study by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, a consortium sponsored by three North Carolina research universities, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in the officer corps by a ratio of 8 to 1. By comparison, the general civilian population has a roughly equal proportion of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, according to the group.

Richard H. Kohn, formerly the chief historian of the Air Force and a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was one of the authors of that study and said the gap appeared to be growing.

Military officers since the Vietnam War have perceived the Republican Party as more in tune with their values and interests, Kohn said, and many exhibited a ''visceral, personal dislike for Bill Clinton."

In the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, headquartered at Base Kalsu, the enlisted ranks appear to be following the same trend.

''It's the military; people are going to vote for Bush," said Lance Corporal Rick McClusey, 19, who said he seeks out political debate with fellow Marines.

An avowed Republican, McClusey said he avidly reads the books he receives in the mail every month from the Conservative Book Club. The last one he read was ''The Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" by Mark W. Smith.

He was the first in the unit to sign up for an absentee ballot, with Captain Leigh Dubie, a 20-year Marine veteran who serves as the voting officer at the base. Marines and soldiers on the base give Dubie absentee ballot forms, and she helps anyone who needs to register to vote or get their ballot on time.

About 200 people on a base of about 2,000 have voted so far, she said, but that number only includes military personnel who did not organize their own absentee ballots.

''This is the first year that people are jumping at the gun to vote," Dubie said.

Before the 24th Marines deployed to Iraq in July, Dubie tried to get people to fill out ballot paperwork so they would not have to worry about it under the stress of combat.

''I told them if you want a voice in how the military is going to be in the future, this is your chance," she said.

Asked whether she expected Kerry to have any support, Dubie laughed.

''We crack jokes about that," she said. ''People say, 'We want to make sure we even have a military in four years, so we better vote for Bush.' "

McClusey -- the first in the unit to request his absentee ballot from Dubie -- said the nearly-uniform support he had encountered for Bush over Kerry did not translate into unanimous support for the invasion of Iraq.

''Even if the decision to come here was questionable, at least he had the guts to come over here," he said.

Adding that ''I know I sound like a medieval conservative," McClusey said he had only met one Democrat during his nearly 16 months in the Marines.

Standing near him in the operations center, Jamie Tyson, a 35-year-old Marine, interrupted. ''I voted for Clinton twice," he said. Tyson, who described himself as an independent, also said he had voted for both Bushes and plans to vote for the president's reelection this year. ''I picked the winner every time," he said.

Of Bush, he added, ''People may question his strategy, but no one questions his commitment to the military as a whole."

Thanassis Cambanis can be reached at tcambanis@globe.com.

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/10/08/support_for_bush_overwhelming_at_marine_corps_base/

Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 11:54 AM
Marines take high altitude detour to deliver the goods in Iraq <br />
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group <br />
Story Identification #: 200410774838 <br />
Story by Sgt. Enrique S. Diaz <br />
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CAMP AL...

thedrifter
10-08-04, 11:55 AM
Preventative Medicine Unit conducts inspections at Al Asad
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 20041071249
Story by Cpl. Paul Leicht



AL ASAD, Iraq (Sept. 30, 2004) -- Maintaining health standards and comfortable living conditions for Marines and Sailors deployed to Iraq is a mission one unit with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing takes very seriously.

The Sailors with the Preventative Medicine Unit here with Marine Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd MAW, are working hard to ensure that their fellow servicemembers are living as cleanly and healthy as possible.

"Periodically, we conduct health and comfort inspections not only throughout the base here at Al Asad, but throughout the 3rd MAW (area of operations)," said Lt. j.g. Johnfritz E. Antoine, environmental health officer, MWHS-3. "Not all Marines and Sailors here are living in the same conditions.

"Some do not have as many comforts as others," he added. "It is important, however to inspect all living quarters to make sure that people have everything they need to stay clean and healthy to prevent to spread of germs and disease."

While conducting an inspection of the living area for Marines at Al Asad, Antoine said in areas without conventional plumbing or toilets, portable bathrooms are common. They are also potential breeding grounds for germs if waste is not properly disposed of.

"It's also critically important for people out here to wash their hands frequently, to brush their teeth with bottled water to stop the spread of coliform bacteria that can lead to cold or flu-like symptoms, as well as showering at least once a day, if they can," said Antoine. "Some units here (located outside of the) base do not have comfort trailers and have to use shower tents or outdoor sinks with non-potable water, so keeping good personal hygiene for them is vital to staying healthy."

PMU works with Marines and Sailors from the units they are inspecting to learn about current conditions, such as sanitation of portable restrooms, sinks and eating facilities, and any improvements that have been made during prior visits.

According to Antoine, action can then be taken by PMU to eliminate existing hazardous conditions.

"If I inspected a unit and I found a port-a-john sanitation problem, based on Navy regulations I would recommend that enough port-a-johns be ordered to meet the prescribed personnel ratio, which is currently 25 Marines per each toilet unit," he remarked. "Or if I discovered that a food establishment on base was causing (health) problems, I have the power to investigate and have it temporarily shut down until they comply with my recommendations to fix it."

Antoine, a Haiti native raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., said his inspections are similar to those he performed when he used to work for New York City's office of environmental health.

"Just like back in the United States, here in Iraq we look out to make sure people are throwing trash away properly; that it is not building up and that chow halls are sanitary places for people to eat," said Antoine. "But in Iraq our concern about the spread of germs and disease is heightened because of the foreign environment and the frequently Spartan living conditions that come with service in the field."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004107121137/$file/040927-M-0484L-001PMUinspLR.jpg

Lt. j.g. Johnfritz E. Antoine, environmental health officer, Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts a health and comfort inspection with HM2 Gordon Beasley, corpsman, 4th Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Wing Support Squadron 37, 3rd MAW, at Al Asad, Iraq, Sept. 27. Antoine conducts field inspections periodically each month to make sure Marines and Sailors are living in sanitary conditions, even in the field. Photo by: Cpl. Paul Leicht

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/0FB4B680701171E385256F2600584567?opendocument

Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 01:44 PM
Outside Baghdad, a close encounter with a roadside bomb <br />
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Marines setting out at night to engage Iraqi insurgents get waylaid by a hidden explosive and call in back up to defuse it. <br />
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By Scott...

thedrifter
10-08-04, 02:31 PM
New Employment Initiative for Wounded Vets Unveiled
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2004 -- Injured servicemembers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan will get individualized job training, counseling and re-employment services, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced Oct. 4.

During a signing ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, Chao joined Army Maj. Gen. Kenneth Farmer Jr., commanding general at the Army hospital, and Navy Rear Adm. Adam M. Robinson, commanding officer of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to kick off the first phase of REALifelines (Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines), a joint commitment by the Department of Labor, the military medical community and local agencies.

The Labor Department is investing $500,000 into the first phase of the program, which will create a team of on-site counselors at both medical facilities to help wounded veterans in their transition back into the private sector.

REALifeline counselors will help servicemembers identify barriers to employment and set up individual recovery and re-employment plans, Chao said.

"They are going to help each person discover his or her personal interest and unique talent," she said. "And they will help each veteran find the right career path to his or her special need."

She emphasized that "personalized care" will be a priority of the program. "If you have been wounded or injured serving this nation, real people are going to meet you face to face with the personalized help that you may need to recover and to succeed in a career that you love," Chao said.

The program will also provide a national tracking system to ensure follow-up services and link servicemembers with local professionals able to support their recovery and re-employment through a range of services.

In addition, she said, a national call center will soon be available to answer questions and offer employment guidance to wounded veterans.

As part of the program, wounded veterans and their spouses also will be able to take advantage of services offered at more than 3,500 one-stop career centers the Department of Labor has set up nationwide.

"This administration is committed to ensuring that our nation's wounded veterans are treated with the respect and honor that they deserve," Chao told an audience of current and former soldiers -- some of them patients at the hospital -- others veterans in wheelchairs, and Purple Heart recipients.

The new benefits will come in handy for those like Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Shakur Abdul Ali, of Philadelphia. The 22-year veteran injured his back while on duty in Iraq and may need surgery.

"This is a very important step for soldiers," Ali said. "The soldier needs to know there is something out there to reward them, to let them know they are not just being kicked to the curb," he said. "This is something that will uplift their spirits and let them know that that their service wasn't in vain."

Army Reserve Spc. Elijah Stephens, of Flowery Branch, Ga., shares that view. Stephens has a heart condition and was sent home from Iraq after serving seven months there.

"It's really good to see soldiers taken care of because people come back and their lives are changed forever," he noted. "It gives them something to look forward to. … This isn't the end of my life as I know it."

The secretary apologized for being several minutes late for the signing ceremony, after overspending her time at the hospital's physical-therapy ward, where she met with wounded servicemembers and their families.

She said the time spent was "rewarding" and called the soldiers "some of the most inspiring and outstanding young men and women that I have ever met."

"And I'm so proud of them," she added.

Chao, who visited troops in Iraq earlier this year, said the country owes a "tremendous debt of gratitude not only to wounded veterans, but to all the brave men and women who have defended our nation in the global war on terrorism with such honor and with such valor."

The Oct. 4 signing was not the first time the Department of Labor has reached out to support servicemembers.

On Sept. 27, the secretary signed a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department that will ensure the employment rights of returning servicemembers are protected under guidelines of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2004/n10052004_2004100503.html

Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 02:32 PM
Deployed Soldiers Become U.S. Citizens
By Sgt. Stephanie L. Carl
Special to American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Oct. 6, 2004 –– For 17 members of the coalition serving in Afghanistan, living the "American Dream" became reality here Oct. 1 when they took the oath of citizenship.


The National Defense Act signed by President Bush last year legalized the naturalization of U.S. servicemembers on foreign soil, allowing these 17 soldiers to become the first to take the oath overseas. Similar ceremonies were slated for Iraq and Germany a few days after the Afghanistan event.

"The people around you are welcoming you as citizens with open arms," said U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad during the ceremony. "You are able to pursue the dreams and high ideals that are part of the American creed."

Ranging in rank from private first class to staff sergeant, the 17 represented 13 different countries, each willing to fight for the country he or she now calls "home."

"I can't be any more proud of bringing the pride and honor of being a citizen to people who are defending America," said Eduardo Aguirre Jr., director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "It's important to defend our freedom. It's not cheap; it costs blood. Each of these soldiers is willing to pay that price."

Spc. Christian Rendonvelasquez was one of the nation's newest citizens. A native of Colombia, Rendonvelasquez has lived in the United States for 16 years and is the last member of his immediate family to become a naturalized citizen. He is also the first person in his entire family to serve in the U.S. military.

"After 9/11 I thought it was my duty as an alien resident to help in the fight," said Rendonvelasquez, a member of 2nd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. "Now, I think it's the best feeling in the world to know I am serving my country."

Non-citizens are able to serve in the U.S. military, but they are restricted to an eight-year period. There are other limitations as well, such as the level of clearance they can receive and the ranks they can obtain. These restrictions spurred one soldier, Spc. Ronald J. Carrion, of Combined Joint Task Force 76, to work hard to become a citizen.

"I've been in the Army for four years," said Carrion. "I enjoy serving, and I want to become a warrant officer. I knew to do that, I needed to become a citizen."

Carrion moved to the United States from Ecuador 12 years ago. "My father was looking for a better future for us," he said. "He's still working on attaining some of his goals, but I know we've lived a much better life."

Now that he's become a U.S. citizen, Carrion is able to continue pursuing his goals within the military. He said one thing has changed, however: "Now, I am serving 'my' country."

(Army Sgt. Stephanie L. Carl is assigned to the 17th Public Affairs Detachment.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2004/n10062004_2004100602.html


Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 02:34 PM
Oprah Showers Fort Campbell Moms-to-Be With Baby Gifts
By Jakki Williams and Kelly Pate
Special to American Forces Press Service

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., Oct. 8, 2004 -- Daytime talk-show host Oprah Winfrey gave a baby shower for 640 expectant mothers here Sept. 20, filming a show scheduled for broadcast Oct. 11.

For overseas military audiences, the segment will air Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. Central European Time on AFN-Prime-Atlantic and at 11 a.m. Tokyo/Seoul Time on AFN-Prime-Pacific.

Oprah told a local Nashville television station that the shower was her way of saying thanks to servicemembers. "It's a way of honoring the sacrifice without doing a lot of big speeches and 'oh la la la la,' she said. "It's a way of saying we see you, we hear you, we know what you do to make our lives safer and we thank you for it."

Women soldiers and wives of active-duty troops were on their feet for much of the taping as they filled the temporary set put up at the 101st Airborne Division headquarters.

With fathers standing in the aisles, the expectant mothers received a wide range of gifts -- from strollers with matching car seats to baby booties. Hollywood stars Cindy Crawford and Heather Locklear described their favorite baby supplies and then gave one to every mother. Crawford moved from the set to Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, where she was on standby while a new mother gave birth.

Country singer Kenny Chesney sang his hit "There Goes My Life" and Martina McBride sang "In My Daughter's Eyes" to the excited crowd. Oprah herself serenaded the mothers-to-be during one of the commercial breaks at the taping.

The still-surprised mothers-to-be began lining up at a warehouse on post to receive their gifts the day after filming.

"We got here at about 5:45 a.m.," said Jill Blunt, one of the expectant mothers. "They started handing out the stuff at about 8:15. We are getting a lot of nice items. You think you are ordinary, then you realize you are a part of an extraordinary group of 640 other women giving birth in the same timeframe as you."

The line of mothers and fathers followed the length of the building and snaked around to the back. Trucks had been unloading the gifts at the warehouse for three weeks in preparation for the event.

"We deal with the soldiers every day," said Paul Dorner, Installation Supply and Services Division manager. "Storing the gifts was our way of doing a little bit for the families at Fort Campbell."

Many of the mothers were first-time moms, but some, like Jeanette Flerlage, are experienced in what a baby requires. "This is the most exciting thing that happened," said Flerlage. "This is a blessing since this is our third child. We have a lot of stuff that is hand-me- downs and it's nice to give the baby new things."

Even standing in line to receive their gifts, some of the mothers could not believe the Oprah show had come to the post -- much less given them full repertoires for their babies.

"[The show] was great. I was crying; it was awesome," said Leshawnia Culp, who is pregnant with her first child. "It is a real blessing. Financially, it takes a lot of burden off us. I was amazed to get a chance to see her."

(Jakki Williams and Kelly Pate work at Fort Campbell, Ky.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2004/n10082004_2004100802.html

Ellie

thedrifter
10-08-04, 06:03 PM
Kidnappers Behead British Hostage in Iraq


By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Kidnappers beheaded British hostage Kenneth Bigley after twice releasing videos in which he wept and pleaded with Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) for his life. One of Bigley's brothers blamed Blair, saying Friday the prime minister has "blood on his hands."


The 62-year-old civil engineer was at least the 28th hostage slain in Iraq (news - web sites). He was kidnapped three weeks ago, along with two American co-workers. They were beheaded earlier, and grisly footage of their killings was posted on the Internet.


A videotape sent to Abu Dhabi TV showed Bigley kneeling in front of six masked gunmen, according to a witness who saw the footage. One militant, speaking in Arabic, declared the Briton would be slain because his government refused to release women prisoners detained in Iraq.


The speaker then pulled a knife from his belt and severed Bigley's head as three others pinned him down, said the witness, who spoke on condition he not be identified. The tape ended with the killer holding up the severed head.


Bigley was seized at his Baghdad home Sept. 16 by the most feared terrorist group in Iraq, Tawhid and Jihad, along with Americans Eugene Armstrong, 52, and Jack Hensley, 48. The Americans were beheaded days later.


Abu Dhabi TV did not broadcast the videotape of Bigley, saying it refused "to serve as a mouthpiece for such groups or their actions."


U.S. and British officials in Iraq declined to confirm Bigley's death, saying his body had not been found. However, Bigley's brother, Phil, said the family had received "absolute proof" of his death.


In a statement read on British television, Phil Bigley said the family believed the government had done all it could "to secure the release of Ken."


"The horror of these final days will haunt us forever," he said. "Our only consolation is that Ken is now at peace, away from those who are capable of such atrocities."


But Bigley's other brother, Paul, was critical of the government.


In a written statement to organizers of a Stop the War Coalition rally in Liverpool on Friday evening, he said: "Please, please stop this war and prevent other lives being lost. It is illegal and has to stop. Mr. Blair has blood on his hands."


The Bigley kidnapping and his heart-wrenching appeals to Blair reinvigorated the anti-war movement in Britain just as the Americans were acknowledging that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction no longer existed by the time the war began in March 2003.


British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Friday that messages were exchanged with Bigley's kidnappers through an intermediary in Iraq. But he said the militants refused to drop their demands, "even though they were fully aware there are no women prisoners in our custody in Iraq."


Bigley worked for a United Arab Emirates company that provides services for the U.S. military. It was not known when he was beheaded.


More than 150 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq, some for ransom and others as leverage against the United States and its allies. Many Iraqis have also been seized, in most cases for money.


Attacks on foreigners, including gruesome beheadings, have crippled reconstruction by discouraging investment and frightening off international engineers, technicians and others.


In other violence, a U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded when their patrol was attacked with a homemade bomb near Tuz, 105 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. command said Friday. Another soldier died of wounds suffered in a roadside bombing in the capital Oct. 1, the command said.





More than 1,000 U.S. service members have died since the start of the Iraq war.

U.S. and Iraqi authorities are using a combination of persuasion and force to try to curb a mounting insurgency in time for elections in January. Some U.S. military commanders have expressed doubt that voting will be possible in all parts of the country.

Among those areas where voting is unlikely is Fallujah, an insurgent bastion 40 miles west of Baghdad believed to be a stronghold of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad movement.

Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's interim government, which is determined that all Iraqis should be able to vote, said it was nearing agreement on a plan to bring its forces back into Fallujah after weeks of U.S. airstrikes aimed at militants in the city.

Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan said the broad outlines of a deal had been agreed with city representatives, including tribal leaders and clerics.

The plan calls for a three-day halt to attacks, after which Iraqi troops will be allowed into Fallujah without U.S. forces, Shaalan said in an interview published Friday in the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat. Residents would hand over heavy weapons but could keep personal firearms, he said.

Khalid Hamoud, a tribal leader who sits on Fallujah's governing council, confirmed there was broad agreement on these points. But he said not all council members were ready to sign off on the deal. In particular, they are looking for guarantees that raids will stop and the U.S. military will pull back from positions around the city, he said. Further talks were set for Saturday.

Allawi said re-establishment of the rule of law in Fallujah is nonnegotiable.

"Terrorists must either surrender, or we'll bring them by force to justice," he told Al-Arabiya television.

Even as talks progressed, American warplanes struck a building where the U.S. command said leaders of al-Zarqawi's network were meeting early Friday.

Residents said the house was full of people who had gathered for a wedding. The attack killed 13 people, including the groom, said Dr. Ahmed Saeed at the city hospital. Seventeen others were wounded, including the bride, he said.

"This attack shows that there is no safe place in Fallujah, and the Americans are not differentiating between civilians and armed men," sobbed Mohammed Jawad, a neighbor whose house was damaged in the strike. He said his brother and six nephews were killed.

U.S. forces say the attack was the latest in about a dozen "precision strikes" launched since last month against al-Zarqawi's network.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20041008/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_041008180346

Ellie