Air Medal awarded to 3rd MAW warrior

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Air Medal awarded to 3rd MAW warrior <br />
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing <br />
Story Identification #: 200521273753 <br />
Story by 1st Lt. Courtney D. Jones <br />
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AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 12, 2005) -- In the...

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Plans For Vet Care Disappointing
Cox News Service
February 15, 2005

WACO, Texas - If proposed federal Department of Veterans Affairs budgets fail to make you happy, then you may not jump for joy over the 2006 version.

Plans to double prescription copayments and impose enrollment fees for certain veterans are back again as part of the new budget submitted by President Bush. And while the budget calls for $33.4 billion in discretionary funding that is mostly for health care, it also proposes slashing millions for nursing home care needed by an aging veterans population.

These total discretionary funds proposed are an increase of 2.7 percent more than this year's levels, according to the VA. The department also points out that with this plan the VA will have increased veterans medical funding by 47 percent since Bush took office in 2001.

But veterans advocates say the VA health-care budget is habitually underfunded and that what they see as a miserly increase would be paid for out of the veterans' pocket.

"This budget proposal is bad news for the nation's veterans, made even more distressing in light of the war in Iraq and military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere," said James E. Sursely, the national Disabled American Veterans commander, in a news release.




Former military members who have no service-connected illness or injury and whose incomes are above a certain threshold would pay a $250 enrollment fee annually for VA health care. Prescription copayments for a 30-day supply of medicine would increase from $7 to $15 for those veterans.

Affected would be those folks who are sometimes portrayed as "wealthy" veterans. But that is far from the stuff of champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

Area-specific income levels determining federal housing program eligibility are what the VA uses to determine who pays a copayment for drugs. Where I live, this is $26,200 for a single person and $37,450 for a family of four. Such income levels are may be useful in deciding who gets what federal dollars. But people with such incomes are hardly rolling in dough.

"It's not a lot of money to live on. But it is a cutoff for a lot of programs," said Michael Morris, an economics professor at the University of New Orleans.

VA officials say the hike in prescription copayments and the user fees from higher-income veterans would help treat 100,000 more patients under the 2006 budget than in the current fiscal year.

"We expect those two revenue proposals - user fee and increased copay for outpatient prescriptions _ will generate $424 million which we will plow back into the medical-care program to extend the reach of our health-care services to more veterans in the high-priority categories: service-connected veterans and veterans of modest means," said Terry Jemison, a VA spokesman at the department's Washington headquarters, in a reply by e-mail to questions I posed.

Jemison emphasized that these proposals only pertain to the two lowest of the eight priority groups the VA uses in apportioning health care to veterans.

Such proposals to help fund VA health care have been tried before, only to fail in Congress. But it is a new budget and a new day in Washington, so your guess is as good - or probably better - than mine as to what funding for veterans programs will ultimately look like.

Susan Edgerton says that perhaps more alarming than the fee and copayment plans are the proposed cuts in nursing home care for veterans. Edgerton is staff director for the Democratic side of the House Veterans Affairs Health Subcommittee.

Funding for such programs under the Bush budget would be cut by $351 million. Budget figures indicate 28,851 fewer patients would be treated in VA-operated nursing homes, in private facilities that contract with the VA, and in those operated by states that the VA helps fund.

"They are cutting on nursing-home beds already at a peak for the World War II generation and the Korea and Vietnam veterans will soon appear," Edgerton told me recently.

Those cuts could particularly be troublesome for the program in which the VA can provide up to 65 percent of funding to build state nursing homes for veterans.

"I think it means closure at a lot of state homes," Edgerton said.

The new chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee has said that he wants to see the VA return to its "core constituency" of caring for disabled and indigent veterans. But an aide to the chairman, Republican Steve Buyer, of Indiana, did not offer any insight into his thoughts on the budget.

"Over the next few weeks the whole committee will be going over testimony to see if the needs of veterans coming home today and in the past are met," Laura Zuckerman, a committee spokeswoman, told me.

The tentative 2006 VA budget also would provide $750 million for the program realigning VA medical care known as CARES, for Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services.

Under the 2006 budget for CARES, 28 new outpatient clinics are proposed as well as funding for design work for two new medical facilities in Biloxi, Miss., and Fayetteville, Ark. The total investment into the program to date is $2.5 billion, according to the VA, and the new dollars also would help fund five other major construction projects in Las Vegas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Gainesville, Fla., and Anchorage, Alaska.

Health care for veterans seems to be wracked with uncertainty each year. But Rep. Lane Evans, the ranking Democrat on the House veterans committee, is among some congressional and veterans leaders who say such uncertainty can be eliminated.

The Illinois congressman recently introduced a bill that would establish mandatory dollars for veterans health care rather than depending on the crapshoot of discretionary funds from Congress. The large veterans service organizations support mandatory funding. Whether enough support can be mustered in Congress is the big question.

Overall, the administration is seeking $70.8 billion for the VA. This includes $37.4 billion in mandatory funding that is mostly for compensation, pension and various benefit programs. The VA also is asking for about $290 million in the 2006 budget for its cemetery system, which includes burial benefits. This amount is about $17 million, or 6.4 percent, more than in the funding level for this year.

Ellie

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Bush Requests $81.9B For Both Wars
Associated Press
February 15, 2005

WASHINGTON - Democrats are using President Bush's request for $77 billion for conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to criticize his war policies and soaring federal deficits, but congressional approval of something very much like the request seems inevitable.

Bush sent an $81.9 billion proposal to Capitol Hill on Monday that includes nearly $1 billion for tsunami aid to battered Indian Ocean countries, new broadcasts aimed at Europe's Muslims and offices for the newly created director of national intelligence.

Most of the $77 billion directly related to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is for the Defense Department - with the rest for aid to U.S. allies, the Palestinians and other areas.

Bush said the additional money for the remainder of the 2005 budget year would help Iraq and Afghanistan pursue "the path of democracy and freedom." He said the funds would help protect U.S. troops, track down terrorists and enhance Middle East peace prospects.

Democrats said the proposal did little to correct the problems surrounding the U.S. effort in Iraq, where national elections were held last month amid a relentless insurgency that has slowed reconstruction efforts.

"This supplemental request provides support for our men and women in uniform, but it provides little basis for optimism for a stable and secure Iraq," said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., one of the president's most persistent war critics.





Democrats also said the request, which Bush wants to be financed through borrowing, underscores the budget's problems.

The $2.57 trillion budget Bush sent Congress last week projected a record $427 billion deficit this year and $390 billion in red ink in 2006. While it included Bush's latest request, the budget omitted any new war funds next year, which are considered certain to be needed.

"It's going to get bigger," Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., said of the shortfall.

The new chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif., said he hoped to ship the bill to Bush's desk by early April. But he added, "Congress will exercise our constitutional obligations" - code words for the likelihood that some changes will be made.

Approval would push the total spent in Iraq and Afghanistan and other efforts against terrorism beyond $300 billion, including the costs of fighting and reconstruction. It stood at about $228 billion before Bush's latest request, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which writes reports for Congress.

Congress gave Bush a $25 billion down payment last summer for this year's costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which lasted more than a decade when it ended in 1975, cost $623 billion when that era's expenditures are converted to the value of today's dollars, according to the research service.

The request spotlighted how the growing costs of war and reconstruction have exceeded initial administration characterizations. White House officials derided former Bush economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey's early estimate of a $100 billion to $200 billion price tag.

Some $12 billion was requested to replace or repair worn-out and damaged equipment, including $3.3 billion for extra armor for trucks and other protective gear - highlighting a sensitivity to earlier complaints by troops.

There was money for more generous death benefits for the families of slain American soldiers, to improve troops' health coverage and bonuses for staying in the reserves. Many U.S. troops have been forced to serve prolonged periods in Iraq.

In addition, there was $5.7 billion to train Iraqi forces and $1.3 billion to train Afghan security agencies. Another $5 billion was for the Army to redesign many of its own combat brigades to make them more flexible and less reliant on other units.

Bush requested $658 million to build a new U.S. embassy in Iraq that could house a staff of 1,000, plus $717 million to staff it. He wants $4.8 million to enhance U.S.-backed broadcasting to Arabs, including new television broadcasts aimed at Muslims living in Europe, and $250 million to build offices for the director of national intelligence and for other intelligence costs.

Afghanistan would get almost $2 billion more for its own reconstruction, including money to build roads and schools, combat illegal drugs and prepare for parliamentary elections.

There was money for other U.S. allies, including $150 million for Pakistan, $300 million for Jordan and $60 million for the Ukraine. The Palestinians - engaged in a new peace effort with Israel - would get $200 million for economic development and to help them create democratic institutions.

One possible flashpoint with Congress was two $200 million funds the State Department would control to provide economic and security aid to unspecified U.S. allies.

A total of $950 million would be provided for the tsunami-damaged Indian Ocean countries, including $350 million to replenish U.S. accounts tapped earlier for initial tsunami aid.

Also requested was $242 million for aid for Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Oil Cleanup Halted In Aleutian Islands
Associated Press
February 15, 2005

JUNEAU, Alaska - Salvage and cleanup operations of a freighter that wrecked in the Aleutian Islands have been shut down until spring, the Coast Guard said Monday.

Salvage crews since January removed from the remains of the Selendang Ayu 127,784 gallons of intermediate fuel oil and 11,523 gallons of diesel, or about 30 percent of the fuel the freighter was carrying, Coast Guard Adm. James Olson said.

The rest - more than 321,000 gallons of fuel oil and an unknown amount of diesel - is presumed lost in the Bering Sea.

The Dec. 8 wreck of the 738-foot, Malaysia-flagged bulk freighter is the worst fuel spill in Alaska since the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, which dumped millions of gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound.

The Selendang Ayu drifted powerless for nearly two days before grounding off Unalaska Island, where it split in half and spilled fuel into sensitive wildlife habitats. Six crew members were lost at sea when a Coast Guard rescue helicopter crashed.




The spill closed the Makushin Bay tanner crab fishery, and more than 1,606 dead birds have been recovered.

Kurt Fredriksson, acting commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said shoreline oil removal was also being halted until the weather improves in the spring.

Both Fredriksson and Olson told Alaska lawmakers they considered the response to the grounding a success, considering the remote location and harsh winter sea conditions.

But Rick Steiner, a professor with the University of Alaska's marine advisory program, told a committee hearing that a risk assessment needs to be conducted on shipping traffic through the Aleutian Islands, and that a rescue vessel and tracking systems should be put in place.

Ellie

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Law Would Help To Get Out Of Contracts <br />
Associated Press <br />
February 15, 2005 <br />
<br />
CLEVELAND - When Lisa Spencer's Marine husband was called for duty in Iraq, it was hard enough to find the strength...

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Fallujah Battle Highlights Marine, Joint Capabilities
Submitted by: American Forces Press Service
Story Identification #: 200521462558
Story by Mr. Jim Garamone



WASHINGTON (Feb. 11, 2005) -- Nothing highlights the importance of flexibility and joint capabilities better than the recent battle of Fallujah, the commandant of the Marine Corps told the Senate Armed Services Committee Feb. 10.

Gen. Michael Hagee said the battle in November and December 2004 highlighted the flexibility, adaptability and joint capabilities of the U.S. military.

"The Marine force, tightly integrated with Army brigades, Seabees, joint air assets, and coalition forces including five Iraqi battalions, mounted a high-intensity joint assault in a demanding urban environment, destroying the insurgent safe haven in Fallujah," Hagee said. "This close-quarters fight against an adaptable and dangerous enemy was executed rapidly and successfully."

What's more, the general said, once the fight was over, the Marines and soldiers "immediately returned to counterinsurgency and civil affairs operations."

While the battle highlighted success, there are challenges ahead, Hagee told the senators. "The tempo of operations and demands on the force are extremely high across the entire Marine Corps, both regular and reserve, in supporting the global war on terror," he said.

Since Operation Enduring Freedom, the Corps has gone from a peacetime deployment rotation of six months deployed and 18 months home to a 1-to-1 rotation: seven months deployed, seven months at home station.

"This means that Marine units in the operating forces are either deployed or are training to relieve deployed units," he said. "No forces have been fenced, and since 9/11 we have activated in excess of 95 percent of our selected Marine Corps Reserve units, the majority who have served in either Iraq and Afghanistan."

In 2004, the Corps met recruiting and retention goals both in quantity and quality. "Although we remain on track to meet our annual goal this year, the additional effort required by our recruiters and our career retention specialists is quite significant," he said.

Congress authorized an increase of 3,000 Marines for the Corps in the fiscal 2005 budget. Hagee said in addition to that increase, the Corps is looking for ways to better organize the force and reduce operations tempo.

"We are working with the other services and the combatant commanders to project future force requirements," he said. "Based on these projections, our internal structural changes and the secretary's 3 percent authorization, I do not believe we need an end-strength increase beyond 178,000 at this time.

"If the current force-level projections hold, we hope to be able to reduce our op tempo to 2-to-1 by the first part of next year." All of this is at the mercy of events on the ground, and the Marine Corps and the combatant commanders will continue to monitor requirements around the world.

Hagee told the committee that 30 percent of the Marine Corps' ground equipment and 25 percent of its aviation equipment is deployed to U.S. Central Command - "one of the harshest operating environments on the planet."

He said the fiscal 2005 supplemental budget request will address the significant increases in wear and tear and combat losses.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

The End of the Beginning
A roundup of the past two weeks' good news from Iraq.

BY ARTHUR CHRENKOFF
Monday, February 14, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST

Mark Steyn, the joker in the conservative pundit deck, but also in many ways the shrewdest and the most insightful of the lot, wrote in the aftermath of the Iraqi poll:


Like a four-year-old child, the media were so distracted by bright colours and loud noises that they missed the real story. Set fire to a second-hand Nissan and they send a camera crew round to take pretty pictures of the big plume of smoke rising up in the sky.
But the seeds of a democratic culture are harder to spot.

Which is why many of those who for almost two years provided us with a steady diet of disaster and negativity out of Iraq were unprepared and quite clearly taken aback by the spectacle of a majority of Iraqis defying the terrorists to participate in what was by large a free and successful democratic election.
Steyn is right; the seeds of a democratic culture are harder to spot, particularly for media obsess with reporting events (explosions, gunfights) as opposed to processes (reconstruction--physical, political, spiritual--of a country and society). The verdict on Iraq remains open. Only time will tell if Saddam's former domain will become a normal and successful state, perhaps the first Middle Eastern domino to fall for democratization and reform, or whether if and religious entropy will prevail to send Iraq down a spiral of theocracy, or perhaps civil war and territorial disintegration.

Yet if Iraq does pull through, the signs of slow and gradual progress will always have been there to see. I have been chronicling them in this series for nine months now, and when majority of Iraqis defied threats and cast their ballots of Jan. 30, I was not surprised. The successful election was not a bolt out of the blue but a culmination of a year and a half of hard work by millions of Iraqis and citizens of the coalition countries. To paraphrase Churchill, the election, is not the end or even the beginning of the end, but hopefully the end of the beginning. Let us hope that the journey will continue in the right direction. In the meantime, here are some snapshots from the past two weeks along the way.

• Society. Two weeks after the election, the results are in. The mostly Shiite United Iraqi Alliance received about 48% of the vote and 140 of 275 seats in the National Assembly, followed by the Kurdistan Alliance with 26% and 75 seats, and interim prime minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqi List with 14% and 40 seats. The Iraqi Electoral Commission estimates turnout at 58% of eligible voters, which is better than the typical U.S. election.

Electing a president and two vice presidents will require a two-thirds majority, so the parties will have to compromise, a prospect citizens should find cheering:

On the streets of Baghdad, many residents seem unconcerned with which man ends up running the country. Forty-year-old Shiite tailor Sami Shaker Hamza says he could not care less.

He said, "Actually, I do not care who will be prime minister, whether he is a Sunni or Shiite, or from some other sect. I do not care if our prime minister is a Christian. But I hope that prime minister will be fair with the Iraqi people. We are all brothers," he said.

The main concern of residents interviewed was an improvement in security. Thirty-nine-year-old pharmacist Sana Ibrahim Hassan says, who wins is not as important as unity and security. "I hope success. I hope freedom. I hope safety for everybody in Iraq," she said. "And I hope that all Iraqis help one each other, and stand as one hand against enemies."

Provisional results are available from the vote in local council elections conducted concurrently with the nationwide vote; they show that in 12 of 18 provinces the turnout was 65%. With some Sunni provinces still to be counted, "the highest turnout in the northern Kurdish region of Dohuk, where 89 per cent of those registered voted. The lowest turnout was in Diyala province, which has a mixed Sunni and Shiite population and is just northeast of Baghdad, were only 34 per cent of those registered cast ballots."


Outside Iraq, "some 265,148 Iraqis living abroad, representing 93.6 percent of registered voters in 14 countries, cast their ballots in the [national] election."

The election was not perfect. Violence and bloodshed intimidated many would-be voters into staying home, especially in Sunni Arab areas. A far lesser number of people were denied the vote through various technical problems. Sunnis, for example, might have become the victims of their own boycott threats, with some politicians now complaining that in certain areas interest in the elections exceeded expectations so that polling stations ran out of ballots. The same problems, however, is also seem to have affected areas of Baghdad, Najaf and Basra, not to mention some Christian areas of the north.

All that said, this was a remarkable first exercise in democracy, even receiving an enthusiastic endorsement from the U.N. personnel involved:

Using the term "incredible" several times, the chief United Nations electoral official who led the team giving technical aid and advice for Iraq's national poll on Sunday said today she was "extremely pleased" over what she called 'the biggest logistic exercise' since the invasion of the country in terms of just moving materials around.
"I have participated in many elections in my life," Carina Perelli, chief of the UN Electoral Assistance Division, told a news briefing in New York. "This was probably one of the most moving elections I have ever seen because it was basically people making a very dignified, peaceful demonstration that the will of the people has to be heard."

There is great hope that the poll will be the turning point in the struggle for the future of Iraq. From this perspective, this could be the most encouraging story to come out of the election:

Through 22 months of occupation and war in Iraq, the word "America" was usually the first to pass through the lips of an Iraqi with a gripe. Why can't the Americans produce enough electricity? Why can't the Americans guarantee security? Why can't the Americans find my stolen car?
Last week, as the euphoria of nationwide elections washed over Iraq, a remarkable thing happened: Iraqis, by and large, stopped talking about the Americans.

With the ballots still being counted, the Iraqi candidates retired to the backrooms to cut political deals, leaving the Americans, for the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003, standing outside.

In Baghdad's tea shops and on its street corners, the talk turned to which of those candidates might form the new government, to their schemes and stratagems, and to Iraqi problems and Iraqi solutions. And for the United States, the assessments turned unfamiliarly measured. "We have no electricity here, no water and there's no gasoline in the pumps," said Salim Mohammed Ali, a tire repairman who voted in last Sunday's election. "Who do I blame? The Iraqi government, of course. They can't do anything."

Asked about the U.S. military presence, Ali chose his words carefully. "I think the Americans should stay here until our security forces are able to do the jobs themselves," he said, echoing virtually every senior U.S. officer in Iraq. "We Iraqis have our own government now, and we can invite the Americans to stay."

The Iraqi focus on its own democracy, and the new view of the United States, surfaced in dozens of interviews with Iraqis since last Sunday's election. It is unclear, of course, how widespread the trend is; whole communities, like the Sunni Arabs, remain almost implacably opposed to the presence of U.S. forces. But by many accounts, the election last week altered Iraqis' relationship with the United States more than any single event since the invasion.

This report reaches similar conclusions while focusing on Iraq's Shiites:

During Friday prayer services last fall, the streets outside various mosques in the sprawling slum of Sadr City were the scenes of furious anti-American and anti-Iraqi government preaching. The clerics' bodyguards, soldiers in the Shia insurgent group called the Mahdi Army, were clad in black and carried their pistols holstered on their hips.
Preaching on Friday to more than 3,000 men at the Mohsen mosque, radical cleric Nasser al-Saadi had absolutely nothing to say about the U.S. military presence, including the tank parked a few hundred yards away. His only mention of the Iraqi government was to criticize officials he alleged to be corrupt. There was not a gun in sight.

Another consequence of the recent election seems to be the growing popularity of federalism:

Proponents of the federalist system say Baghdad could control matters of national defense and foreign policy, leaving all other issues up to the governorates. They cite the relative prosperity and stability of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region as proof that federalism can work in Iraq. The Kurds have ruled themselves since their region fell out of former president Saddam Hussein's control after the 1991 Gulf War. Supporters of federalism say provincial leaders will be more responsive to their local constituents and be better stewards of their tax money.
Increasingly the Shiites are warming to the idea.

The task of writing the country's new constitution and thus determining the shape of Iraq is in the hands of the newly elected National Assembly. We won't know for some months what that shape will be like, but so far there are plenty of positive indications that the process will be broad based.

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the top candidate of the United Iraqi Alliance, says: "We don't want anyone to be marginalized. We want everyone to take part in writing the constitution. . . . We will defend the rights of all minorities and all groups no matter how small they are. . . . We want to work with [Sunnis]. . . . Even those who didn't take part in the elections, we are ready to cooperate with them. We will work to make them part of the political process, in writing the constitution and also to take part in the responsibility of running Iraq."

At least some Sunnis are responding positively to such overtures:


In a bid to avoid marginalization, a group of Sunni Arab parties that refused to participate in the election said Saturday they want to take part in the drafting of a permanent constitution a chief task of the new National Assembly.

"The representatives of these political bodies that did not participate in the elections have decided in principle to take part in the writing of the permanent constitution in a suitable way," a statement from the group said.

The groups were mainly small movements and it was not clear whether they represent a major portion of the Sunni Arab community. The initiative was spearheaded by Sunni elder statesman Adnan Pachachi, who ran for a National Assembly seat.

Pachachi told CNN that he had talked with Shiite and Kurdish leaders about a role for the Sunnis in drafting a new constitution "and they all welcomed this idea."

Here's more on the Sunni-Shiite dialogue:
Bakar Humam Hammoudi, a leader of one of the Shiite religious parties that are poised to become the country's most important political force, sips tea in his garden on a springlike day. As he speaks of a new, inclusive Iraqi politics in the sunlight, the brutal realities of the war seem far away.
He's waiting for important guests--a large delegation of Sunni clerics and politicians. "They're coming because of the success of the elections," says Mr. Hammoudi, a senior member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). "I think most of our differences can be solved with talk. We're determined to build a coalition government."

continued...

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Since Iraq's Jan. 30 elections, hardly a day has gone by without high-level contacts between Iraq's majority Shiites and the Sunni Arab minority that made up Iraq's governing elite under Saddam...

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The resulting decrease in price has been accompanied by a rise in wages in some sectors. Before the war, low-ranking civil servants would have been content to earn the equivalent of $20. Now, they complain at anything lower than $300, observers say.

The result, according to carpet importer Ahmed Haji Rasul, has been a radical change in consumer taste. "In the past, people made do with what they could afford," he told IRIN in the Sulaymaniyah bazaar. "Now they want colour-coordinated house interiors, European stuff. We've had to start importing from further afield."

Speaking of the north, Orascom Construction Industries is investing $300 million to build a cement plant in the Bazian area of Kurdistan. OCI is already rehabilitating the largest cement factory in the north, the Tasluja cement plant near Suleimaneyah City. Iraqi is currently experiencing a construction boom, and cement and other building materials are in short supply, so any addition to the local output will be very welcome. More broadly, commercial ties between Iraq and the outside world are growing very fast, with Iraq welcoming foreign investment with a five-year tax holiday, followed by a tax rate of 3.2%.
In communications news:

Iraq is to invite bids for two telephone licences, saying it wants to significantly boost nationwide coverage over the next decade. . . . The firms will install and operate a fixed phone network, providing voice, fax and internet services. . . . The ministry said that it wanted to increase Iraq's "very low telephone service penetration rate from about 4.5% today to about 25% within 10 years." It also hopes to develop a "highly visible and changeable telecommunication sector."

The Iraqi government has made clear that rebuilding the oil industry is a top postelection priority. Every aspect of the industry will be undergoing change, from repair teams that will respond to sabotage much more quickly than in the past, through increasing imports, to building more gas stations to improve distribution.

There is a great deal of anticipation about the future potential of Iraqi oil industry:

Firms from Europe and the United States are working free on certain engineering and training projects to get their feet in the door. The companies are forging these arrangements with Iraq's Oil Ministry to help train Iraqi engineers and study ways to tap more of the country's vast oil reserves, estimated to be either the second- or third-largest in the world. . . .


The companies' ties to Iraq are growing. In the past two months, the Oil Ministry has signed a flurry of agreements to study the potential of the underdeveloped oil fields and train Iraqi engineers in the latest technology and techniques.
Royal Dutch/Shell Group, signed an agreement with the ministry Jan. 14 to study the vast Kirkuk field, estimated to hold 8.7 billion barrels of reserves. Shell also will help draft a master plan for tapping Iraq's natural gas.

Shell will do the work free as a way to strengthen its links with the ministry, said Simon Buerk, a spokesman in the firm's London headquarters. "It's our aspiration to build a relationship with the Iraqis," he said.

BP, formerly known as British Petroleum, signed a contract this month to study the Rumailah oil field near Basra. ExxonMobil Corp. signed a memorandum of cooperation last fall, laying groundwork to provide the ministry with technical assistance and conduct joint studies.

An Iraqi-Turkish consortium won a contract in late December to help develop the Khurmala Dome oil field. ChevronTexaco has been flying Iraqi oil engineers to the United States for training since last year. It describes the program as a goodwill gesture. 'We made it clear there will be no quid pro quo,' said Don Campbell, a spokesman.

At the moment, Iraq is ready to award contracts worth $450 million to boost its oil production capacity. Already, "development of the Suba-Luhais fields in the south and Hamrin field in the north may add as much as 200,000 barrels a day to the country's oil output capacity of 2.8 million barrels a day."
• Reconstruction. The European Union is offering more assistance:

The European Commission has proposed an additional package of €200 million [$256 million] to assist with the reconstruction of Iraq. . . .

This new contribution is a further indication of the Commission's determination to support the political and economic transition in Iraq. The proposal comprises three key elements and a reserve fund: €130 million [$166 million] to boost essential services and jobs; €15 million [$19 million] for technical assistance to help build Iraq's capacity in the important areas of energy and trade; and €10 million [$12.7 million] to support the political process, perhaps including help in drafting the new Constitution. €45 million [$57.5 million] will be held in reserve to allow a flexible response to changing circumstances on the ground and to respond to the needs identified by the new Iraqi government formed after the elections on 30 January.

The election seems to have triggered an eruption of international good will. The German government has now expressed willingness to help in rebuilding Iraq, particularly in the areas of government administration and the new constitution.

On the ground, reconstruction continues in Baghdad's Medical City hospital (at a cost of $15 million), in the al-Majar al-Keeber district of Meisan province (street construction, energy projects, building new schools at a cost of $0.68 million), at Baghdad International Airport (where renovation of the air traffic control center and tower is expected to be completed soon; link in PDF), in the municipality of Al-Majid (where Japanese authorities are donating $200,000 to improve local roads), and in Samawah (where Tokyo is donating $670,000 to provide modern equipment for Samawah General Hospital).

In electricity news, USAID continues to progress with various rehabilitation projects (link in PDF):

USAID's project to increase generation at a thermal major power plant in Babil Governorate is moving forward and is now 56 percent complete. . . . To date, USAID's rehabilitation efforts at the power plant have increased net capacity by 355 MW [megawatts]. When rehabilitation efforts are complete in May 2005, it is expected that the total increase in capacity will be approximately 500 MW. . . . Work is [also] continuing on the refurbishment of two units at a large thermal power station in south Baghdad. . . . Upon completion, an additional 320 MW is projected to be available for Baghdad's electrical grid.

In Basra governorate (link in PDF), "work to rehabilitate heat exchangers and water treatment systems is now complete at two of four thermal power plants."

The United Nations is becoming more active in the reconstruction effort, most recently delivering $800,000 worth of spare parts for the Hartha power station in Basra, in order to increase the station's capacity by 40 megawatts.

In the water sector, there is good news for the residents of Baghdad, where the infrastructure is under immense strain from growing population and environmental pollution:

The Baghdad Municipality has signed a contract for the purchase of 10 drinking water stations to meet needs of the city's nearly five million people, according to the mayor. Alaa al-Tamimi estimated Baghdad's needs for drinking water at 3.2 million liters a day. He said the stations were expected to arrive next month and that "they should treat enough water to satisfy needs."

In various water-related USAID projects (link in PDF): "Last month, engineers completed work on the rehabilitation of a wastewater treatment plant in Diwaniyah, a major city in Al Qadisiyah Governorate. . . . Installation of chlorinator piping continues at the Najaf Water Treatment Plant." When finished, the plant will provide most of the drinking water for this city of over half a million.

Restoration work has also started on the water treatment plant in Karbala: "Repairing this plant is particularly important because, in addition to providing clean water to Karbala residents the plants supplies potable water to an estimated three million religious pilgrims to the Al-Hussein Shrine in Karbala each year."

Meanwhile, back in Baghdad (link in PDF):

Work is continuing on the rehabilitation of Baghdad's Rustimiyah wastewater treatment plant. The plant is one of three major wastewater treatment plants serving nearly 80 percent of the capital city's residents. The three plants' treatment capacity steadily eroded under years of neglect prior to liberation and was further impacted by looting after the 2003 conflict. Prior to the rehabilitation of one branch of the Kerkh treatment plant in June 2004, none of Baghdad's sewage was being treated.

Behind many such efforts is a personal story, like that of 60-year-old Richard Phillips, a retired fireman from Des Moines, Iowa, who is heading to Iraq to work as fire chief for the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office and train the next generation of Iraqi firefighters. Or Mike Moseley of Russellville, Tenn., a 35-year veteran of the Tennessee Valley Authority who is sharing his expertise with the Iraqis to help them rebuild the energy sector.

In health, there is good news from southern Iraq:


Improvements in the state health system in southern Iraq, which have meant greater efficiency and a wider availability of medicine, are giving hope to local residents. According to medical staff in the area, the working environment has been improved and conditions are now better than during Saddam Hussein's regime.
They claim that there is still a lack of medicine but shortages are less severe than before. "We have lack of some emergency materials but I can say that it's something normal or as in other countries," Dr Khalid Shakarchi, pharmacist at a public hospital, told IRIN in the southern city of Basra.

The Secretary of Health in Basra, Dr Ra'ad Salman, who took up his post two months after the March 2003 war, told IRIN that he believed cities in southern Iraq would soon have the best health system in the country as a result of positive cooperation between British forces and the Iraqi interim government.

Says Kathem Hussein, a local patient at Al-Faiha'a General Hospital who had undergone an operation for an appendicitis: "The health situation is better now. We were dying like flies with no medical care and no one to ask about us. But now the situation is much better, thanks to the new [interim] government."

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Speaking of public health, the Iraqi Nutritional Research Institute (NRI) has introduced new testing equipment in order to improve the quality of food in Iraq, both imported and home-grown:

The NRI is part of the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) and staff up until now have been working with outdated equipment which didn't always provide accurate results. Sometimes tests had to be repeated to ensure accuracy. As a result doctors claim many people fell ill from eating tainted food.

In education (link in PDF):

With funding from USAID, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is implementing a comprehensive package of activities designed to help Iraq meet Millennium Development Goals in public health, sanitation and education. In the education sector, UNICEF's activities are focused on ensuring that Iraqi children stay in school, providing safe and effective learning environments, and supporting education reform.

As part of its efforts to support the MOE in education reforms, UNICEF updated findings from a national school survey last year; an analytical report on this survey (Volume II) was recently completed and submitted to the MOE for final approval. Out of 18,000 on order, 12,945 sports and recreational kits for primary and intermediate schools were delivered to the MOE as part of a joint UNICEF/MOE initiative.

Specifically, Unicef "is currently carrying out comprehensive rehabilitation of 84 schools and water and sanitation facilities in 20 schools while the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has delivered the first set of textbooks and reference books, obtained under the Qatar Fund for Higher Education, for different university libraries."

USAID's Higher Education and Development Program continues to support partnerships between American and Iraqi universities. Among recent highlights of the involvement by the University of Hawaii (link in PDF): Ph.D. places for Iraqi students, intensive English courses for Iraqi academics, and support for agriculture faculties.

In agriculture (link in PDF), "USAID's Agricultural Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq (ARDI), in close coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) have established winter crop technology demonstration programs in ten governorates throughout Iraq." Among other recent ADRI initiatives (link in PDF): planting 56 wheat demonstration sites throughout northern Iraq, establishing date palm nurseries, rehabilitating agricultural machinery, renovating veterinary clinics, and conducting vaccination programs.

• Humanitarian aid. USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has been active in cooperation with Iraqi authorities to provide humanitarian assistance to people of Fallujah (link in PDF):


To support the returnees in reintegrating into the community, each returning family will receive a heater, fuel rations, and an immediate payment of 150,000 Iraqi dinars ([US]100), provided by the Iraqi government. The Ministry of Oil reports that kerosene and liquid propane gas distributions are going well, but there is some concern that demand might exceed supply if the number of returnees jumps significantly.
Distributions to IDP sites around Fallujah by implementing partners began December 20 and are continuing as planned. Approximately 36,290 families (more than 250,000 people) have been reached. Since November, USAID/OFDA and partners have assisted more than 204,000 Fallujah IDPs. An additional 6,000 plastic containers for kerosene, 10,000 tarpaulins, 450,000 plastic bags (for breakdown of bulk supplies into family size rations), and 20,000 blankets have been delivered to the IIG through one of USAID/OFDA's partners for distribution to IDPs. The [Iraqi Interim Government] also plans compensation for each house destroyed or damaged during the fighting. Meanwhile, security measures, including a nightly curfew and ID checks, will continue to safeguard incoming citizens.

More assistance has been also made available to those affected by last year's fighting in Najaf, Tal Afar and Samarra. And assistance, by way of distribution of Livelihood Asset Packages and kerosene to those in need, continues throughout the governorates of At Tamin and Diyala (link in PDF).
Help for Iraqi schools is also coming from a neighbor:

Abu Dhabi National Hotels, its customers and business partners are helping thousands of youngsters in Iraq receive vital schooling. An ADNH initiative in partnership with UNICEF has raised AED67,000 [$18,000], which will pay for nearly 6,000 Iraqi children to go back to school for at least one year. . . .

UNICEF is working closely with the Ministry of Education in Iraq to improve conditions. The UNICEF Iraqi Children Fund aims to raise $30 million to help as many as five million school students in Iraq; money raised will go towards the rehabilitation and construction of 12,500 schools.

The Catholic charity Caritas is also active throughout Iraq. "Caritas-Iraq estimates that in the postwar period it has helped 1 million Iraqis, especially through its programs of prevention and struggle against infant malnutrition, health care, and the reconstruction of water purification systems," according to the charity:

The 2005-2006 Work Plan, designed by Caritas-Iraq, will cost about $2.8 million. It includes a pediatric program to combat infant malnutrition. Started in 2002, the program aids 12,000 children and 8,000 mothers every month. The rehabilitation of health services in the most remote rural areas is another objective mentioned in the plan.

In particular, a program has been launched to care for the physically and mentally handicapped. Caritas-Iraq estimates that there are in the country more than 1 million physically or mentally disabled people whom it has been helping since 2003.

Another objective for 2005-2006 is a plan for water purification and sewage. Caritas-Iraq is implementing a program of inverse osmosis to purify water, through the installation of six water treatment plants in the south of the country. The objective over the next few months is to undertake small water purifying projects and construct latrines in small rural communities, health centers, and schools.

The Catholic institution plans to launch a program this year to enlarge its network of volunteers throughout the country, especially among the young.

In addition to nongovernmental organizations, much of the humanitarian effort continue to be generated on the grass-roots level. In Stamford, Conn., locals have pooled their resources to help the troops help the Iraqi children:

With military-like precision, Petty Officer Grace Roman was on a humanitarian mission Thursday night. She opened, folded and taped the bottoms and sides of boxes at Westy Storage Centers here so U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps members could fill with them school supplies for Iraqi children.
"Children are the ones who get hit the worst by war, and this is our way of showing we care," said Roman, a senior at Trinity Catholic High School.

Roman was among a dozen Sea Cadets on deck at Westy on Thursday night, where a long table in the lobby overflowed with pencils, spiral notebooks, markers, Jolly ranchers, M&Ms, shampoo, crayons and bears--lots of bears. The Southwestern Connecticut Council of the Navy League donated the items to be shipped out to the Army's 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad.

And people of Oshkosh, Wis., responded to a plea from a neighbor, Mike Hart, who worked with the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Iraq and collected 3,000 pounds of supplies for internally displaced Iraqis.
• Coalition troops. One of the most effective ways of supporting grass-roots efforts in Iraq is the Commander's Emergency Response Program. Each command sector of operations throughout Iraq can provide funds for locally run projects:


The projects must not exceed $500,000 and must demonstrate an important public need. To date, 44 projects have been completed with 58 more in progress or in the process of being submitted. More than $17 million has been spent or allocated by CERP for these important, community enhancements. In fact, the program has been so successful that Iraqi Interim Government officials have agreed to fund and administer 17 projects previously slated for funding by CERP. These projects, totaling $5.9 million, include drainage improvements, irrigation, school renovations, and the construction of a fine arts institute.
Three recent examples of the program in action:

In Taji, four villages are being touched by a program to provide 12 school buses and more than 9,000 school uniforms. As the Ministry of Education is enforcing uniform standards for all female students in primary and intermediate grade levels, now many less fortunate Iraqi girls will be able to attend school. According to U.S. Army Col. Richard Hatch, MNSTC-I SJA, "This is one the best uses of CERP money I have seen yet." Twenty schools will benefit from the $429,000 program. The buses and uniforms will be procured through local vendors. Planners expect delivery by the end of February.
In An Numaniyah, the Haji Jalal Women's & Pediatric Hospital will receive funding for clinic supplies including: ultrasound equipment, a centrifuge, refrigerators, an incubator, oroscopes, ophthalmoscopes, stethoscopes, sphygmomanometers, nebulizers, various monitors and other useful medical equipment. The $176,000 project is underway.

In Al Kasik, nine important projects are in the works including renovating the village school, constructing a road from the village to Temarat, constructing an elementary school, building four clinics, repairing the village well, stringing a power line and building a water factory, a soccer field, and a park for children.

West of Baghdad, the 256th Brigade's 1,088th Engineer Battalion is improving electrical, water, sewage and medical services for hundreds of thousands of Iraqis:

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The 1088th is responsible for more than $11 million in humanitarian aid projects throughout the area. The projects directly benefit Iraqis where they live. "Our biggest project is a nine-kilometer [5.5-mile] pipeline that will bring clean drinking water to Suba al Bor," [Army Capt. Jessy] Yeates said.
The former regime built the village to house about 25,000 veterans of the Iran-Iraq War. It now has a population of three times that amount. "Because of the demand, they have no water pressure in places where pipes run," Yeates said. "There are other homes with no distribution system or water."

The project brings water from a canal. The pipeline starts at 18 inches in diameter and changes down to 12 inches. "For whatever reason, they don't use water towers here," Yeates said. "So narrowing the pipe and putting in a pumping station will increase the water pressure to the population."

Local Iraqis did the work on the line. Iraqi engineers at Baghdad University did the quality control and served as consultants for the project. All that needs to happen is for generators to fire up, and clean water will start flowing in Suba al Bor...

In other areas, infrastructure is poor or non-existent. In Abu Jadhial, the unit is investing in installing new substations and transmission lines. They are also hooking up houses to lines correctly. In some cases, inhabitants had tapped in to the power lines using concertina wire. "All of that is going to be dependent on getting the national electrical grid on line," Yeates said.

Most of the money being spent is in water projects. He estimates that by the end of February all people in the region, with very few exceptions, should have clean drinking water. Another project is putting a four-kilometer long [2.5-mile] pipeline in to the village of Hor al Bash.

The unit is also working on refurbishing schools. There are 17 schools in Suba al Bor. Sixteen of those need major work, and the unit is contracting for the work.

The unit built an addition on the local medical clinic in Suba al Bor, too. "When we first got there, you couldn't find a doctor or a patient," Yeates said. "We invested $200,000 in equipment, funded the addition, got a hold of two ambulances and a pick-up truck for them. The place is jumping. There is already talk of building a pediatric portion for the clinic."

Near Ramadi, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is involved in nearly 400 reconstruction projects worth more than $5 million. Says Lt. Col. Randy Turner: "Projects include new and rehabilitated schools, border forts, schools, police stations, fire stations, water supply and sewage, train stations, bridges, hospitals, health clinics, electrical transmission lines and substations, etc."
The troops are also active on the reconstruction effort throughout the southern Iraq:


In the southern half of Iraq, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on projects ranging from increasing the capacity of the electrical grid to building bridges and replacing 38 mud-walled schools with new buildings...
[Col. Roger] Gerber is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' regional command that covers nine southern providences and is made up of about 100 Corps of Engineers employees who volunteered for duty. His staff also includes 98 Iraqi engineers.

The troops are involved in rebuilding Iraq's energy sector:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with the Program and Contracting Office, is rebuilding various gas-oil separation plants, in the South Rumulia and West Quarna oil fields of southern Iraq.
The program's goal is to provide three million metric tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas to meet the needs of the Iraqi people. To achieve this objective, the Corps and the project team will restore the functions of 12 GOSPs scattered throughout southern Iraq.

As the report notes, "presently, the project is in the detailed engineering and procurement phase. Many of the components germane to these facilities are specialized pieces of equipment and require significant periods of time to fabricate and deliver to the jobsite. During the second half of 2005, installation and construction will start. The project team is working hard to have these facilities performing at their design capacity by Dec. 31, 2005."
Coalition forces also help rebuild the security infrastructure:


An estimated $25 million is being spent to construct 100 new border forts along the northern borders of Iraq, as well as rehabilitate and enhance numerous points of entry. In several northern provinces, 34 forts are currently under construction and 66 others are planned to start in the coming months. . . .
The 133 Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) is overseeing the renovations of 27 existing forts and the construction of 15 new ones, while the Corps is providing construction management and quality control for the 100 new forts and the points of entry. Work is ongoing in four northern provinces.

In the district of Rustamiyah on the outskirts of Baghdad, soldiers of First Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery have been engaged in a range of activities from rebuilding infrastructure to renovating schools and distributing food. Local farmers have also received assistance. Says Capt. David Haynes, Alpha Battery's commander:

We have about 4,000 acres of farm land in our area... We have mapped out several hundred of the farms which mostly consist of small 10 to 20 acre lots. Being that it is primarily farm land out there, we decided to focus on the agricultural piece so, prior to the harvest last year; the battalion delivered 375 tons of seed and fertilizer out to the farms in this area. . . .

We also helped the community found the United Farmers of Iraq Co-operative. . . . The Co-op will give them better prices on their seed and help them distribute their crops after harvest. The division has purchased some farm equipment to be delivered once this facility is completed Feb. 15th. . . .

The price of the Co-op was $150,000, which included construction of the building, furniture and computers for the offices. We built it, but it will be run by the farmers in this area and was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture. This way, we are helping the people legitimize their own government by working with them as well.

One change in the local community particularly stands out in Hayes's mind: "Each family in Iraq gets a monthly stipend of rations. One of the farmers we went to give a humanitarian assistance bag to, said he no longer needed it. Since we had given him the seed as well as the irrigation, his crops had done so well that he had not needed to get his rations for that month. He also did not want to take the humanitarian aid bag if someone else needed it more. That has been one of our biggest success stories."
Meanwhile in the south:

Marines who appear to have tamed the once-volatile Shiite holy city of Najaf finished handing out the last of some 16,000 payments Monday to local families for damages, injury and deaths that occurred during brutal fighting in August. The Camp Pendleton-based 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit . . . has paid nearly $10 million in condolence payments since the Marines clashed with Shiite militia in August, officials said. For several months, the unit has paid cash to compensate Iraqis for deaths, injuries or property damage that resulted from weeks of brutal fighting that ravaged this city of 600,000 last summer. The payments, which have been used in past wars, are known as solatia.

Soldiers have also bought some much-needed cheer to children from a small Iraqi town:

What could make 220 Iraqi girls smile? Try a new playground. Sure, it's certain to brighten any youngster's day, but these girls truly appreciate the equipment because their original play set had been stripped for its sheet metal. For Soldiers from the 121st Signal Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, constructing the playground was pure pleasure. Bringing the project to fruition was an example of team effort. The play set was broken down and labeled to be reassembled at the all girls' school in Ad Dwar.

Elsewhere, troops are trying to improve recreation options for Iraqi youngsters:


The Duke of Wellington once said that "the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton"--a reference to the belief that competitive sports contribute to the formation of a nation's character. In this country the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and USAID's Office of Transitional Initiatives (OTI) are teaming up to ensure that the battle for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people is won on the playing fields of Diyala.
They are cosponsoring a series of reconstruction projects that will transform dilapidated sports clubs, soccer fields and gymnasiums into new, modern facilities whose use will certainly enhance the quality of life in the province and may contribute to the new democratic character of this country.

And the efforts to deliver Beanie Babies to Iraqi children continue. "Eight thousand is what we've delivered, and I've delivered them everywhere," says Air Force Lt. Col. Howard Seid. "We've brought them all over Iraq. I just received another 15 boxes in the last few days." More here.
• SECURITY: In many ways, the greatest security success of the past few weeks was ensuring that the terrorists did not derail the election. The precautions on the day were quite stringent, and therefore not sustainable in long term, but the terrorist offensive was also undoubtedly blunted by the security crackdown which saw the arrest of 202 suspected insurgents, including some foreign fighters. Four insurgents were also killed in shootouts on the election day.

Most incidents that took place were confined to Baghdad and parts of the Sunni triangle. In Najaf, no violence was reported at any of the 240 polling stations within the city. Neither were any incidents reported in nearby city of Kufa.

Stories like this one are emerging, too: "Inhabitants of an Iraqi village killed five insurgents who attacked them for taking part in the country's historic election. . . . The insurgents launched the raid after earlier warning the inhabitants of Al-Mudhiryah, south of Baghdad, against taking part in Sunday's vote, said a police captain who requested anonymity." The village is mixed Sunni-Shiite one.

No one is expecting that the insurgency will suddenly disappear, but there is hope for continued improvement. This report from Baghdad notes "a cautious sense of security" returning to the city where one quarter of Iraq's population lives:

Already a brief lull that followed Sunday's election was shattered by insurgent attacks that killed nearly 30 people around the country. But most of those attacks were far from the capital, and after years of war, sanctions, military occupation and insurgency, Iraqis have grown used to a level of violence that many people would find intolerable.

For the time being, Baghdad is quieter than it has been, and the people of this once vibrant capital have been trying to enjoy it. The capital's streets were clogged with traffic for most of the day Thursday. Noisy wedding processions of cars festooned with plastic flowers held back traffic in many parts of the city. Outdoor markets in some neighborhoods were bustling, children played in parks and crowds of well wishers gathered outside tour operators' offices waiting for relatives and friends returning from the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

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There is also this report: <br />
<br />
With a hero who gave his life for the elections, a revived national anthem blaring from car stereos and a greater willingness to help police, the public mood appears to...

[thedrifter]

Equipment is also flowing in, including heavier items like helicopters:

Iraqi air force officials welcomed the arrival of two UH-1H Huey helicopters Feb. 1 to Taji Air Base. The completely refurbished helicopters will provide airlift support and important troop-moving capabilities for the growing Iraqi air force command. A gift from Jordan, this is the first in a series of scheduled deliveries to occur during the next 12 months. A total of 16 UH-1H aircraft are slated to arrive in Iraq by February 2006. The Iraqi flag is displayed on the fuselage of both aircraft.

In the aftermath of the election, Iraqi soldiers are taking an increasingly visible profile in security roles. Soldiers from the 24th Battalion, Sixth Brigade of the Iraqi Intervention Force are starting to take over the American positions in Mosul. Iraqi civilians are also more eager to cooperate with the security forces. A roadside bomb was recently defused in northeastern Mosul after a tip from a local resident; in Fallujah two tips in one day from the public led to a raid on an insurgent safe house (leading to arrest of four suspects and confiscation of weapons) as well as seizing an arms cache.

In the "dogs that didn't bark" category of attacks that didn't get reported because they got prevented, read this report about the hard and dangerous work do the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Battalion, originally from Fort Dix, N.J.: "Unit officers said the 49 teams under their control neutralized 2,217 roadside bombs and 49 car bombs. Remote-controlled robots aided in the operations. They seized and destroyed a total of 2.2 million pounds of enemy ammunition."

Other recent security successes include the capture of another two of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's lieutenants, including his chief of operations in Baghdad; the recovery of a significant arms cache in Baiji; the capture of seven insurgents responsible for a mortar attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; the capture of one of Saddam's generals, Khamis Masin Farhan Ugaydi, suspected of financing and coordinating insurgent activity; the arrest in the border province of Muthana of eight Saudi nationals suspected of terrorist activities; the rescue by the U.S. army of four Egyptian hostages; the detention of 22 suspected insurgents around Mosul; the arrest of a suspect implicated in beheading hostages; and the detention of 18 members of the Iranian-backed, Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist group.



As Mark Steyn wrote just after the election, "Iraq was a home of the brave this weekend and will be a land of the free." If that does indeed happen, it will be because the Iraqis, the Americans and many others have succeeded in building solid foundations for growth over the last year and a half, while the media were distracted with other, less important things.

Mr. Chrenkoff is an Australian blogger.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Looking for a way to support your armed services? Here's how.
Submitted by: II Marine Expeditionary Force
Story Identification #: 20052910105
Story by Staff Sgt. A.C. Mink



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Feb. 8, 2005) -- There has been a massive outpouring of support for America's men and women in uniform and their families.

There are literally hundreds of U.S. organizations springing up, designed to "help our troops" and "support the families of deployed service members."

However, for those needing support and those wanting to offer support, trying to figure out where to go and what to do can be daunting.

The electronic age allows access to on-line resources. However, trying to determine who is reputable and who gets the support where it is most needed can be like trying to buy sports shoes online when you don't know the proper fit, what style you want, or what sport you'll be using them for... and until recently there was no such thing as a beginner's guide to supporting your troops.

WWW.AMERICASUPPORTSYOU.MIL is a kind of online how-to with everything from Internet greeting cards to listings of service organizations.

"American Supports You," is a nationwide program launched by DoD. It recognizes citizens' support for our military men and women and communicates that support to our fighting forces at home and abroad.

The Web site is designed to highlight what the American public is doing to support our troops. It offers a host of organizational links from military and civilian service organizations, and encourages others to join in.

"We get people calling every day asking how to support. They see the word 'public' in public affairs and think we have all those answers," said Sgt. G. S. Thomas, MCB Lejeune media relations.

Defendamerica.mil also offers a page that lists Web sites for organizations sponsoring programs for deployed members of the armed forces.

"We have had a lot of trouble getting the word out to people that want to offer up their services," said John Gonsalves, of Homes for Our Troops, an organization that assists injured veterans and their immediate families by building new or adapting existing homes for handicapped accessibility for "these American heroes."

"Our site is out there, but if no one knows to go to it, how can we help?" asked Gonsalves. "Listing our site with DoD might help."

Neither DoD site endorses any specific program - the sites are listed as a service for members of the armed forces and their families.

Some individuals may want to go the less technical route and send gifts and letters directly to service members.

However, due to security concerns and transportation constraints, DoD cannot accept items to be mailed to "Any Servicemember" - a program that no longer exists.

Some people have tried to circumvent the system by sending large numbers of packages to an individual service member's address. However, no matter how well-intentioned, this clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays in the delivery of mail that deployed forces may be expecting.

Military air is not an option for sending packages. The Defense Department I issued a message in December stating, "Please inform donors that their sentiment is appreciated; however, for the safety of our troops and compliance with Office of the Secretary of Defense Policy, we cannot accept or transport gifts on organic or commercial aircraft."

The message went on to explain that unsolicited mail, care packages and donations from organizations and individuals overload the transportation and distribution systems and compete for limited airlift space used to transport supplies, warfighting material and mail from family and loved ones.

However, organizations wishing to make donations can send proposals to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, (Military Community & Family Policy), OASD (FMP), ATTN: Contributions Committee, 4000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, D.C., 20380.

In addition, Marine Corps Community Services offers a troop support Web site that offers alternatives such as how to donate a phone card to a service member and how to send an online greeting via Operation Dear Abby. That site is located at http://www.usmc-mccs.org/News/deploy/supporttroops.asp.

The site also includes a link to the United States Postal Service Web site with clearly outlined guidelines for items being mailed to Iraq - http://www.usmc-mccs.org/News/deploy/OPERATION%20IRAQI%20FREEDOM%20MAILING%20TIPS.pdf.

"Support of the American people builds and sustains the morale of those fighting to defend freedom against the tyranny of terrorism, and communicates America's recognition and appreciation of their courage and commitment to our country," said Lynette Ebberts, OSD media outreach director.

Editor's Note: For further information about requirements and regulations for mailing items to Iraq, check out "To send or not to send: mail regulations of OIF" on USMC.mil.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

U.S. military transitions relief efforts
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Story Identification #: 200529224153
Story by - CSF-536 Public Affairs



ROYAL THAI NAVAL AIR BASE, UTAPAO, Thailand (Feb. 4, 2005) -- The U.S. military support effort for tsunami relief is nearly complete.

The commander of Combined Support Force 536, on scene military headquarters responsible for US forces involved in relief operations, has announced that the remaining US military units in the effected region will begin redeployment.

- The USS Abraham Lincoln will depart the Northern Coast of Sumatra, Indonesia today.

- On February 10, the country headquarters known as Combined Support Group Indonesia will be disestablished based on the departure of its subordinate military units.

- With the disestablishment of Combined Support Group Indonesia, the overall Combined Support Force-536 headquarters will be disestablished on February 12.

Three days after the December 26 tsunami, U.S. military forces, under the command of Combined Support Force 536, deployed to Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia to provide humanitarian assistance in support of host nation disaster recovery activities.

This assistance was spearheaded by Combined Support Groups in each country and was designed to minimize loss of life and mitigate human suffering while the resources of other U.S. Government agencies, NGOs, and international and regional organizations were brought to bear in the affected areas.

While the redeployment of military forces has begun, US Government efforts continue.

- USNS Mercy, with an extensive array of medical and humanitarian capabilities, arrives today off Northern Sumatra, Indonesia to provide relief assistance to the GOI.

The deployment of U.S. military forces to Southeast Asia was part of a much larger U.S. commitment to providing long-term humanitarian assistance and disaster support. This assistance and support will continue to be directed by USAID, the U.S. Government's lead agency for support to the region.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines trained to use their rifles


Regarding the Feb. 8 letter "Hire PR team to fight thug image":

I read with amusement, which quickly turned to incredulity, the remarks by the letter writer about comments made by Marine Lt. Gen. James Mattis. No one, including the general, will argue that Mattis' words about liking to kill people were ill-chosen and should not have been spoken publicly.

However, exactly what is it that the letter writer thinks Marines do? "Toys for Tots" is a nice program at Christmas, and the dress blue uniform is certainly striking. If one wants a great education, join the Air Force; very few members are air commandos. Like boats? Try the Navy; very few sailors are actually SEALs. Like being lost in an Army of one? Very few members are infantry, Rangers or Green Berets.

Marines, regardless of what their job function in the corps might be, are primarily riflemen (that would include the female Marines). Care to conjecture a bit about what they do with those rifles?

A lieutenant general has three stars. That makes him both a career Marine and unique. Congress didn't award Mattis any of those stars for being a "sadistic moron." I rather doubt they would find him to be "crude and stupid." However, the letter writer may take some satisfaction in knowing that Mattis may not get a fourth star.

"Thugs" who further stained our tarnished image? It's a hard world out there. While those in the world who despise us will look down upon us, I'm sure they will continue to accept our money and military aid.

Remember the Jack Nicholson character in "A Few Good Men"? Like it or not, Americans really do want people like that out there.

Michael J. Gray

Venice


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Iraq hero joins hallowed group
President Bush will present America's top award for bravery to the family of the sergeant who died defending his soldiers.
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer


Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, who spent his boyhood in Tampa, became a man in the Army and died outside Baghdad defending his outnumbered soldiers from an Iraqi attack, will receive America's highest award for bravery.

President Bush will present the Medal of Honor to Smith's wife, Birgit, and their children Jessica, 18, and David, 10, at a ceremony at the White House, possibly in March.

The official announcement will come soon, but the Pentagon called Mrs. Smith with the news Tuesday afternoon.

"We had faith he was going to get it," Mrs. Smith said from her home in Holiday, "but the phone call was shocking. It was overwhelming. My heart was racing, and I got sweaty hands. I yelled, "Oh, yes!' ... I'm still all shaky.

"People know what's he's done ... people know that to get a Medal of Honor you have to be a special person or do something really great."

What Paul Smith did on April 4, 2003, was climb aboard an armored vehicle and, manning a heavy machine gun, take it upon himself to cover the withdrawal of his men from a suddenly vulnerable position. Smith was fatally wounded by Iraqi fire, the only American to die in the engagement.

"I'm in bittersweet tears," said Smith's mother, Janice Pvirre. "The medal isn't going to bring him back. ... It makes me sad that all these other soldiers have died. They are all heroes."

With the medal, Smith joins a most hallowed society.

Since the Civil War, just 3,439 men (and one woman) have received the Medal of Honor. It recognizes only the most extreme examples of bravery - those "above and beyond the call of duty."

That oft-heard phrase has a specific meaning: The medal cannot be given to those who act under orders, no matter how heroic their actions. Indeed, according to Library of Congress defense expert David F. Burrelli, it must be "the type of deed which, if he had not done it, would not subject him to any justified criticism."

From World War II on, most of the men who received the medal died in the action that led to their nomination. There are but 129 living recipients.

Smith is the first soldier from the Iraq war to receive the medal, which had not previously been awarded since 1993. In that year, two Army Special Forces sergeants were killed in Somalia in an action described in the bestselling book Black Hawk Down.

The officer who called Birgit Smith on Tuesday nominated her husband for the medal.

Lt. Col. Thomas Smith (no relation) sent in his recommendation in May 2003, beginning a process that involved reviews at 12 levels of the military chain of command before reaching the White House. On Tuesday, Lt. Col. Smith expressed satisfaction that the wait was over, and great admiration for his former subordinate.

In the Army, he said, you hear about men who won the Medal of Honor. "You think they are myths when you read about them. It's almost movielike. You just don't think you'd ever meet someone like that."

Paul Smith, he said, was not a "soft soldier" who suddenly got tough under fire. "This was a guy whose whole life experience seemed building toward putting him in the position where he could do something like this. He was demanding on his soldiers all the time and was a stickler for all the things we try to enforce. It's just an amazing story."

Lt. Col. Smith commanded the 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, during the American attack on Iraq, which began March 20, 2003. On the morning of April 4, the engineers found themselves manning a roadblock not far from Baghdad International Airport.

A call went out for a place to put some Iraqi prisoners.

Sgt. Smith volunteered to create a holding pen inside a walled courtyard. Soon, Iraqi soldiers, numbering perhaps 100, opened fire on Smith's position. Smith was accompanied by 16 men.

Smith called for a Bradley, a tank-like vehicle with a rapid fire cannon. It arrived and opened up on the Iraqis. The enemy could not advance so long as the Bradley was in position. But then, in a move that baffled and angered Smith's men, the Bradley left.

Smith's men, some of whom were wounded, were suddenly vulnerable.

Smith could have justifiably ordered his men to withdraw. Lt. Col. Smith believes Sgt. Smith rejected that option, thinking that abandoning the courtyard would jeopardize about 100 GIs outside - including medics at an aid station.

Sgt. Smith manned a 50-caliber machine gun atop an abandoned armored personnel carrier and fought off the Iraqis, going through several boxes of ammunition fed to him by 21-year-old Pvt. Michael Seaman. As the battle wound down, Smith was hit in the head. He died before he could be evacuated from the scene. He was 33.

The Times published a lengthy account of the battle, and Smith's life in January 2004. It can be seen at www.sptimes.com/paulsmith

Sgt. Matthew Keller was one of the men who fought with Smith in the courtyard. "He put himself in front of his soldiers that day and we survived because of his actions," Keller said Tuesday from Fort Stewart in Georgia. "He was thinking my men are in trouble and I'm going to do what is necessary to help them. He didn't care about his own safety."

Some of the men who fought alongside Smith were sent back to Iraq last month. Keller, 26, is scheduled to return Feb. 15, but was scrambling Tuesday to delay his deployment to attend the medal ceremony in Washington.

"I want to be there to support the family and show thanks for what Sgt. Smith did," Keller said.

Mrs. Smith moved to Holiday after her husband's death, to be near his parents. Her daughter, Jessica, recently moved out on her own and is thinking about going to college. Son David is a fifth-grader at Sunray Elementary School in Holiday.

"From the beginning (David) didn't show much feelings, keeping to himself," Mrs. Smith said. "He thinks if he brings it up it will make me sad. He's trying to be the strong one. The day Paul left for Iraq he told David, "You're the man in the house now.'

"Paul is not forgotten," she said. "He's part of history now. It makes me feel proud, so honored that I was allowed to be part of Paul's life. Even today he's probably laughing at all of us, saying "You're making way too big a deal out of me.'

"He did what he had to do to protect his men, not to get a medal."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Army creates badge for non-infantry soldiers who participate in combat
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By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, February 15, 2005

ARLINGTON, Va. - After 60 years of debate, Army officials have finally decided to create a badge for non-infantry soldiers that recognizes their direct participation in ground combat.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker presented the new Close Combat Badge, or CCB, to a cadre of senior officers Friday, during a regularly scheduled meeting of four-star Army generals, according to Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army personnel spokesman.

The new badge will be the equivalent of the Army's Combat Infantry Badge, which was created in 1943.

The CIB, in the form of a rifle surrounded by a wreath, is reserved for infantry and Special Forces soldiers only.

The Close Combat Badge will be awarded to soldiers with military occupational specialties in armor, the cavalry, combat engineering, and field artillery. Officers must have a branch or specialty recognized in Army regulations as "having a high probability to routinely engage in direct combat."

The CCB will be presented only to soldiers who are engaged in active ground combat, moving to contact and destroy the enemy with direct fire.

All soldiers are allowed to wear their unit patch on their right shoulder as a "combat patch" after spending 30 days in an authorized combat theater.

While prestigious, however, the wear of this unit patch as a combat designator does not necessarily indicate that the wearer was involved in direct ground fighting.

That is the purpose of the Combat Infantry Badge and a Combat Medical Badge, which is reserved for Army, Navy and Air Force medics. These were the only two Army symbols that indicate that the wearer has come under direct enemy fire.

Combat badges are different from military medals. Medals and the ribbons that represent them are worn only on a soldier's mess dress and Class "A" and "B" uniforms, never on battle dress uniforms.

But the badges, which are rectangular pieces of metal when worn on the dress or Class "A" and "B" uniforms, are also worn as a fabric patch above the right-hand breast pocket of the BDUs - acting as a "visual recognition of close combat" whenever a soldier is in uniform, Hilferty said.

The creation of the new Close Combat Badge closes a debate that soldiers have been "talking about since the 1940s," when the CIB was established, Hilferty said in a Monday telephone interview.

Soldiers and their leaders have argued over the years that the infantry and Special Forces are not the only two branches of the Army that get into firefights.

The Army has periodically reviewed the criteria for the Combat Infantry Badge, but it wasn't until the conventional wars in Iraq and Afghanistan turned into insurgencies that the non-infantry soldiers' point of view gained increased momentum.

So, at the request of commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, last year Schoomaker approved the creation of a task force to look at creating a new combat badge to widen the pool of soldiers recognized for their actions under fire, Hilferty said.

More details about the new Close Combat Badge, including its design and the procedure for soldiers to request the award, will be unveiled later this week, Hilferty said.

Army officials said they are hoping that Lt. Gen. Franklin L. "Buster" Hagenbeck, the Army's chief of personnel, will personally announce those details.

A March administrative message will follow that formally outlines the exact rules and regulations, officials said.

The new badge should be available this fall through unit supply and also for purchase in military clothing sales stores.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Our wounded are inspiring; you're the inspiration
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By Kathryn Jean Lopez
National Review Online
Feb. 15, 2005

Meet some of the brave young volunteers whose lives changed irrevocably at war.

"I really wanted to bring my new leg out tonight," said a wounded warrior (who'd had two legs blown off by an IED in Iraq) over dinner Saturday. "Man, that's something I never thought I'd say - but I have," said the Marine next to him, who is so proficient on his prosthetic leg he was dancing earlier that day.

Every American should have the privilege of knowing the caliber of Americans who go off to war to protect us. He's a Marine who nonchalantly gets up and walks around the table to cut his one-armed brother's steak for him. He's a Marine who with one arm closes and lifts his brother's wheelchair into a car. He's still strong - still stronger than I am, for sure - and no enemy's going to take that away from him if he has anything to say about it. He's a boy whose youth shocks you, who is minus a leg, who spent months in a coma, and who has three brothers who have signed up for the war effort in some way. He's Casey Owens, who so many of us saw salute the president on Inauguration Day, from his wheelchair, and who's probably the best spokesman for the war out there. On Saturday night, when a few Marines took the night off from Walter Reed for dinner and drinks at a happening Georgetown restaurant and bar, everyone wanted to know him - and thank him - and never forget him.

There are so many stories from this war that will never be told, individuals most Americans will never know about. He who had the top of his skull blown off - but he'll take his headaches because he is grateful to be alive.

These guys consider themselves the lucky ones, you see. They weren't killed.

Of course, we are the lucky ones - to have them.

There are so many stories we'll never know. And we'll never know their pain, or their struggles. Will a girl ever look at me again, except to think, "crip"? We'll never hear about all the wives who accept - whose strong early-20-something husbands are now confined to wheelchairs, or who will never hug their children with their own arms. We'll never know all the parents who can do nothing but watch what they feared would happen, fighting back tears of gratitude that their child is alive, however broken, or the boys who can no longer sleep the night because of the awful nightmares they have - recurring nightmares, one says, of seeing all of his brothers killed - "awful, awful dreams."

Over at Walter Reed Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital are the faces of the good guys in the war on terror. These are the men who gave their blood and arms and legs and more - and are our treasures.

And then there are their angels: the men and women who quietly stop by for regular visits, bring them movies, take them out if they are able to leave their institutional life now and again. Angels make sure these red-blooded American boys find nice gals to hang out with for a few hours in a Georgetown bar - girls whose smiles alone will most likely do more for them, in some important sense, than a hospital ever can. Angels listen to their pain, encourage them. Some know this could one day be their kid, and that some angel will be helping him. There are also the brothers, who, having had time to get used to their new existence, push the newbies. They've been there and know what the new kids on the block need.

War is hell. But on the home front are stories untold about inspiring American heroes. Know they are out there. And know they did what they did for you.

And every time a bloviating politician says we shouldn't have gone into Iraq, pray these wounded warriors didn't hear it. I know I will. Because the last thing they need to be told is that their multi-limb donations were for naught. They weren't. And so many of us are grateful: Thank you and God's speed on your new legs and lease on life.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Las Vegas native remembered by fellow Marines in Iraq
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification #: 20052142300
Story by Lance Cpl. T. J. Kaemmerer



CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Feb. 12, 2005) -- Marines and friends of Lance Cpl. Richard A. Perez, Jr., gathered here Feb. 12, 2005, to remember the life of their fallen comrade, who died a day earlier.

At a memorial service, the Marines of General Support Motor Transport Company, Combat Service Support Group 15 – Perez’ unit - honored the 19-year-old native of Las Vegas, Nev., for the character he displayed and high standards he held himself to during his life.

Perez died conducting operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

"He was one of the most well-liked Marines in the company," said Lance Cpl. John R. Holiday, a radio operator with GSMT Company. "He always got along with everyone."

The ceremony began with a bagpipe rendition of Amazing Grace, as Marines and other U.S. servicemembers bowed their heads in quiet remembrance of their comrade.

Throughout the ceremony, eyes often drifted to Perez’ memorial – an M16 service rifle planted into a block of wood, adorned with Perez’ boots, helmet and dog tags – as Perez’ friends and fellow Marines spoke about him.

Speaking into a microphone in front of a tent-turned-chapel here, Capt. Jesse Kemp, Perez’ commanding officer, reminded the hundreds in attendance of Perez’ achievements while serving in Iraq.

“With the things he’s done in the past few months, he has truly lived a long life,” Kemp said. “His legacy will be remembered by all of us, the people of Iraq and the people back home.”

Perez and Holiday were attached to the same reserve unit, 6th Motor Transportation Battalion, based out of Las Vegas. They both volunteered for service in Iraq.

While supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, Perez participated in 64 re-supply missions, delivering 11,000 tons of equipment and supplies over 250,000 miles of Iraqi roadways.

Perez was the “pride and joy of his family,” who has an entire wall in the house they rent dedicated to his successes, Holiday remembered.

“His whole family was proud of him being a Marine,” he said. “His parents were proud of what he was doing out here.”

Holiday remembered Perez as extremely family-oriented with plans to help his family purchase their first house when he got home from Iraq.

“He moved around a lot when he was a kid,” Holiday said. “His parents had always rented their whole life and he wanted to help them own a place.”

The Marines of GSMT Company admired his dedication to his platoon, but they will also miss his always optimistic and fun-loving manner, explained Warrant Officer Charles G. Wells, Perez’ platoon commander.

"If I wanted to go out, I could always give him a call and it would be on,” said Holiday, remembering their nights at pool halls and arcades. “He was always up for having fun.”

His friends remember a Perez as a young man who loved being a Marine and was always more concerned for the well-being of his friends and family than his own.

“Lance Cpl. Perez was a selfless Marine with a true love for his job, devoted above all to his fellow Marines and his family at home,” said Kemp.

The ceremony closed with a ceremonial final role call and the playing of Taps.

Perez is survived by his parents and three sisters.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

HMM-263 prepare helos for transport home
Submitted by: 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200521275458
Story by Cpl. Joel A. Chaverri



AL ASAD, Iraq (Feb. 12, 2005) -- Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is packing up for home after eight months of service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Part of the process involved stripping down the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters, among other aircraft attached to the unit, for aerial transport back to their hometown unit in Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.

“It’s a long and grueling process to prepare these things,” said Capt. Chris A. Browning, tactics officer, HMM-263. “Not only do we have to disassemble the rotors, but we also have to clean out the entire helicopter.”

Airframe mechanics are responsible for ensuring that each piece is properly taken apart and cared for.

“Breaking them down is part of normal maintenance, so that part wasn’t very hard,” said Sgt. Michael L. Hughes, a 26-year-old native of Water Valley, Miss., and airframe mechanic with HMM-263. “The main thing is to knock pounds off so that they can fit on the plane.”

An Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo plane, one of the largest in the world, can hold three CH-46E’s that have been properly stripped of excess weight and gear according to Browning.

“We take out all of the radio and tactical gear that adds weight,” said Browning, a 29-year-old native of Montgomery, Ala. “It’s a lot easier to transport the birds (helicopters) when they’re lighter.”

The helicopters are extremely beat up and dirty from operating in the harsh conditions of the Iraqi desert. This requires each piece to be thoroughly cleaned as they are disassembled.

“The hardest part has been all of the dirt and grime,” said Gunnery Sgt. Michael A. Hamilton, flight line chief, HMM-263. “There can be none left on the bird. It has to be spotless.”

The process can be compared to the auto-detailing a car dealer does before reselling a pre-owned automobile. Only the helicopter is like an off-road truck that’s been driving through the dirt for 100,000 miles. Hydraulic fluid, common to the Vietnam ear helicopters, attracts dust from the high winds created by rotor wash. All of this build up has to be removes to get the birds back to show-room condition.

“It’s taken us about five days just to clean these seven,” said Hamilton, a 36-year-old native of Woodville, Texas as he pointed to the aircraft. “We’re had to use toothbrushes and rags to get into all of the nooks and crannies.”

The faces on the Marines expressed they were happy to finally be getting home after all of the hard work put into the departure.

“We’ve finished all of the work and it makes me feel pretty good,” said Hughes. “The birds are ready to go home, and so am I.”

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/200521275644/$file/001-LR.jpg

Marines of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, strip down and clean their CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters Feb. 3 in preparation for aerial transport back to their hometown unit in Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. The tedious process of cleaning all seven helicopters took five days to complete. Photo by: Cpl. Paul Leicht

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marine's Iraq Keepsakes are Looted Relics
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A Marine who brought home souvenirs from Iraq has turned them over to authorities after learning they were looted from an archaeological site.

The Marine paid a vendor a few hundred dollars for eight cylindrical stone seals and when he returned home he had them examined by a university archaeologist, said authorities who did not identify the serviceman.

The seals, about 5,000 years old, had been looted from an archaeological site near Babylon and are valued at $2,000 to $5,000 each. Such seals were used as signature stamps on clay tablets.

"There are many of these, but they're all a piece of their history," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Goldman, a member of a federal art theft task force.

U.S. soldiers are allowed to have souvenirs and trinkets, but are not supposed to bring back antiquities, Goldman said.

"As soon as he realized (their worth), he felt bad about it. He reached out," Goldman said of the Marine.

Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Samir Sumaida'ie, plans to loan the seals to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, which has provided training for the federal task force.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Three servicemembers held pending charges in sailor’s death <br />
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <br />
By David Allen, Stars and Stripes <br />
Pacific edition,...

[thedrifter]

America Supports You: Students Raise Money for Patients to Phone Home <br />
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA <br />
American Forces Press Service <br />
<br />
DALE City, Va., Feb. 15, 2005 -- Students at Forest Park...