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News Archives For July 2008
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Soldier Bonds With Iraqis
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 The noncommissioned officer in charge of force protection here stood amid a crew of smiling Iraqi faces huddled around a large table covered with polka-dotted gift bags and boxes full of toys. 
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Forces in Iraq Capture Terrorists
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 Coalition forces in Iraq detained 12 suspected terrorists yesterday and today, including a suspect linked to the planning of al-Qaida suicide bombings, during operations in Baghdad and in the central and northern parts of the country.
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Iraqi City Holds First Arts Festival
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The citizens of Seddah, Iraq, held the city’s first arts festival since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Soldiers attended the festival, which was titled "Seddah's Happiness," in the Seddah City Park.
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Top Sailor Urges Progress in Diversity
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Though 60 years have passed since an executive order ended segregation in the U.S. military, today’s servicemembers still have work to do to make the most of diversity in the ranks, the Navy’s top enlisted sailor said.
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Army Olympians Prepare for Beijing
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 Nine U.S. Army soldiers will take aim at Olympic gold in Beijing. The soldiers, including track and field athletes, world-class boxers, marksmen and more, are the latest in a storied line of 644 Army athletes.
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‘Noble Resolve’ Experiment Tests
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Defense Department agencies as well as state and local emergency-preparedness organizations in Virginia, Oregon, Colorado and Indiana are honing their communication and coordination capabilities.
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Vets Wrap Up Wheelchair Games
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 Nearly 500 disabled veterans closed the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games here last night celebrating new friendships made, new pride in what they’ve accomplished, and confidence in their abilities.
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Fundraiser Helps Benefit Troops
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“The Gigantic Garage Sale” at the South Florida Fairgrounds in Palm Beach County July 26 proved to be not only fun for shoppers, but also was lucrative for “Forgotten Soldier Outreach,” a care package organization.
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Soldier Anticipate Steelers ‘Medicine’
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 Even medical professionals need their medicine to remain healthy. For Army Capt. James Hart, the remedy is Pittsburgh Steelers football. “That’s my ‘keep-me-sane’ medicine,” said Hart.
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Project Captures Veterans’ Stories
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 As competitors were hurrying from one competition to the next at the 28th National Disabled Veterans Wheelchair Games, some paused between venues to commit to history their accounts of their military service.
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Guard Members Give Back to Vets
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 As disabled veterans tested their limits during the National Disabled Veterans Wheelchair Games, nearly 400 military volunteers provided the behind-the-scenes support that officials said made the games a success.
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Iraqi Minister Thanks Troops
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 Iraq’s interior minister thanked U.S. servicemembers and their families for their sacrifices on behalf of his country during a visit with wounded U.S. troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today.
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Batman & Soldier's Technology
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 “The Dark Knight” has emerged once again in theatres with his futuristic technologies to help capture the infamous Joker. Batman’s needs for increased capabilities are parallel with that of today’s Soldiers.
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Dunwoody First Female Four-Star
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 The U.S. Senate confirmed Wednesday the appointment of Lt. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody to the grade of four-star general. Dunwoody was also confirmed for assignment as commanding general.
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Army Service is Family Tradition
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Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, he set the end to segregation and the integration of the armed forces into motion. For the Brunson family of Fayetteville, N.C., Truman’s order paved the way for Army service to become a family tradition.
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Older, Injured Vets Offer Example
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 Recently wounded combat troops are here getting advice and encouragement from those who understand best what they’re up against: other disabled veterans who have learned to live with their disabilities.
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Wheelchair Games Provide Therapy
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 About 500 disabled veterans, including recently wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan, are entering their final day of competition here today at the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
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Freedom Walk Plans Shape Up
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Individuals around the globe are planning special commemorations to mark the seventh anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. So far, nearly 185 "Freedom Walks" are scheduled to take place on and around Sept. 11.
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Reduction of MRAP Accidents
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Emphasizing that the mine-resistant vehicles are the best protection available against roadside bombs, defense safety officials are promoting enhanced training to reduce rollovers and other accidents.
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Opportunities for Minority Soldiers
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 Off post, black soldiers found “white” and “colored” drinking fountains, they were forced to ride in the back of the bus, and restaurants wouldn’t serve them. Even on Fort Bragg, white and black soldiers had separate living quarters.
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Military Helps Texans After Hurricane
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 Residents of the Rio Grande Valley are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Dolly after the second Atlantic hurricane of the 2008 season tore through south Texas on July 23 with damaging wind and torrential rain.
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Soldier Works to Inspire Others
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 The rank insignia of a noncommissioned officer gives the wearer a title as well as the power to accomplish certain tasks and objectives, but the rank alone doesn’t always make a leader.
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Exercise Helps Partner Nations
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Exercise Immediate Response 2008, taking place outside the city of Tblisi, Georgia, has united forces from several nations to participate in small arms, combat lifesaver, and situational training exercises.
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Troops Keep Pressure on Terrorists
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Coalition forces captured two suspected "Special Groups" leaders in Baghdad today. Special groups criminals are members of violent organizations, possibly trained and supported by Iran.
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Diversity a National Security Issue
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While the presidential order in 1948 desegregating the military was monumental in its time, diversity in the force now takes on a national security context and serves as a combat multiplier on the battlefield.
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Integration Transformed Military
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 July 26 marks the 60th anniversary of President Harry S. Truman’s executive order that integrated the U.S. armed forces. Conrad Crane said the order recognized a basic tenet of warfare.
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Truman Gambled Re-election
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Truman, after all, was the product of a segregated society in Missouri. He served as an artillery captain in the segregated World War I Army. He had a reputation as a machine politician who didn’t rock the boat.
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Diverse Military Brings Credibility
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Today’s military is stronger and has more credibility among the American people in large part due to a presidential decision 60 years ago to integrate the force, the defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness said.
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Military ‘Model of Diversity’
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On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order that led to racial equality among servicemembers. Six decades later, the Defense Department now boasts a diverse work force of roughly 3 million employees.
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Caring for Military Children
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today called it a “sacred responsibility” to care for the generation of American military children affected by the deployment, and in some cases the death, of a servicemember parent.
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Soldiers Seize Suspected Bomber
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U.S. soldiers in Baghdad today detained a suspect linked to roadside-bomb attacks against coalition forces during an operation. The detainee was taken to a coalition base for questioning.
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Compassion, Skills Saving Lives
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 Every morning, the soldiers of 1st Platoon, C Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, make their way across a scorching flight line to the platoon’s three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
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Vets’ Housing Challenges
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Veterans transitioning from war to peace may need a place to call home, whether it’s for the long or short term, the executive director of a North Carolina-based program that offers them that and a good bit more said.
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Black Hawk Crew Chief Prepares
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 As the sun begins to set beyond the Baghdad horizon, the sound of laughter and conversation emanates from the corrugated steel sleeping trailers of Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers.
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Army Gains Valuable Insight
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An integration network called L2I, now in its second year of operation, is giving officials at the Center for Army Lessons Learned valuable insight from their forward-deployed theater observers.
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New Web site for 'Gifts' to Soldiers
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 Citizens often ask Soldiers, their Family members, and Army Civilians how they can support their Army. They want to know how they can help men and women in uniform. This Web site will provide the public an online resource.
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Marine Warfare School Adapts
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 Looking back through centuries of battles fought from the American Revolutionary War to the current Global War on Terrorism, planning, tactics and execution have continuously evolved into what they are today.
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Olympics for Marksman Soldiers
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Six soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit are living out their wildest dreams. They have made the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and will represent the United States at the Olympics Games in Beijing in August.
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Private Trucking Companies
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 In another sign of progress in Iraq, they have organized four private trucking companies. The Iraqi Transportation Network is one of the first efforts in more than 30 years to build a private logistics company in the country.
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Neurologist Brings Important Skills
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 Medics and doctors play a key role in maintaining the health and safety of U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq. A doctor from Montgomery Village, Md., brings especially important skills to the combat theater.
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Afghan Health System
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 Like most of Afghanistan's provinces, Konar has historically been unable to meet the medical needs of its 381,000 residents. But the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team is working to meet those needs.
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Electronic Library Kiosk in Iraq
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 Camp Victory in Iraq is nearly 2,000 miles from the nearest Army library in Europe. But troops deployed at the sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport soon will have access to a broad spectrum of library resources.
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Walk for Breast Cancer
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 316 Soldiers and civilians, including several members of the 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, participated in the 3rd Annual Camp Taji Walk for Breast Cancer, held here on Saturday, July 12.
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Troops Get Support
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The American Troop Support Team has been formed to provide tangible support to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, particularly those currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Deliver More, Improved Child Care
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Last week’s ribbon-cutting at the largest military child care center underscores the Defense Department’s commitment to providing more and better child-care for military families, a senior defense official said.
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Officials Seek Enlisted Medical Input
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The Defense Department is looking for input from the enlisted medical community as it sets up a new Web portal that will enable medics and corpsmen to share lessons learned and suggest ways to improve patient care.
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Mercy Nears Halfway Point
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Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy is preparing to leave the third country it has visited in the South Pacific during a four-month humanitarian deployment supporting Pacific Partnership 2008.
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War of 1812 Hero Reburied
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 Maj. Gen. Alexander Macomb, who served as the second commanding general of the Army from 1828 until his death in 1841, was reburied Thursday with his wife, Catherine, at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
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Army parents get more time at home
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 The new policy will lengthen deferments from four to six months for new mothers before being deployed, assigned to a dependent-restricted overseas tour, an accompanied overseas tour where concurrent travel is denied or temporary duty away from their home station.
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Stunt Man Makes Leap to Ministry
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 Army Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Light gives a weekly sermon and is available for counseling whenever a soldier might need it. But he is not your ordinary chaplain. “...money was kind of hard to come by, so I became a stunt guy to pay for college.”
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New Lakota Helicopters
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 Officials at the National Guard’s Eastern Aviation Training Site here yesterday unveiled the new UH-72A Lakota light utility helicopter, for which they will become the military’s sole trainers.
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Docs Hone Field Medicine Skills
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 Medical students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences are getting a healthy dose of the challenges in providing battlefield medicine during two concurrent field exercises under way here.
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Suicide Hotline for Vets
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The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a pilot outreach program to encourage veterans to use the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -- 1-800-273-TALK (8255) -- if they need help.
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Nations ‘Band’ Together
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 The U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division and Afghan National Army bands met this week for a four-day training event here. The two units worked together to learn music and foster relationships.
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Mail Bridges Distance
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 When Patton’s tanks rolled across North African desert sands, letters of encouragement, love and support from family back home connected 1st Armored Division soldiers to loved ones left behind.
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Specialist ‘Lives Dream’
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 Army Sgt. Jason Ruckman had a desire to be part of something that would make a difference. Six years ago, he joined the Army to whet his appetite for adventure, and he has never looked back. Well, it happened; just a little later than he expected.
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Unit Fights Fires, Rescues at Sea
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Air National Guardsmen from 129th Rescue Wing launched a search-and rescue-mission from here the afternoon of July 16 to save a fisherman experiencing a medical emergency aboard a Canadian fishing boat off the coast of California.
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New Housing Facility for Wounded
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 Servicemembers being treated at military medical facilities in the national capital region now can recuperate with their families thanks to one group’s ingenuity and the generosity of corporate donors.
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Mechanics Keep Missions on Track
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 While this might seem like a major overhaul, removing and reinstalling the engines is just part of semi-annual maintenance for these armored workhorses. It's a job that can be done in as few as five hours.
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‘Hearts and Minds’ Reaps Friendship
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 The Coalition Force in Iraq utilize Police Transition Teams (PTT) to assist in training Iraqi policemen. These teams assess the local law enforcement techniques and procedures and assist in joint patrols and combat missions.
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Iraqi Economic Programs
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Two U.S.-military sponsored economic reconstruction programs are helping to put thousands of Iraqi citizens into productive jobs while boosting the country’s business activity, a senior U.S. military officer said today.
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Missing Soldiers Go Home
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 On July 10, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner positively identified human remains recovered in Iraq July 9 to be those of two soldiers who had been previously listed as "Missing-Captured."
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Soldier Focuses on Nutrition
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 A contracting officer/technical representative and food service specialist, Goldson began his culinary career nearly 25 years ago, and he has been preparing, supervising and serving meals for soldiers for the past 10 years.
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Holistic Support Helps Wounded Vets
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Wounded veterans looking for help reentering civilian life can turn to an organization in Huntsville, Ala., that takes a holistic approach to that task. “Still Serving Veterans” empowers wounded veterans by helping them reintegrate into the work force.
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Marine Parents to Learn and Bond
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Hundreds of military family members will gather next week for Marine Parents United’s 5th Annual Marine Family Conference, where they’ll have opportunities aimed at helping them better understand military life.
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Language Program Launches Site
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The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center’s new online resource offers deploying servicemembers easier access to hundreds of linguistic materials, free of charge, according to a DLIFLC news release.
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DoD Lab Resolves Russian Mystery
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 A Defense Department DNA identification lab has helped bring to a close a near-century-old mystery, laying to rest a search for the remains of two children executed alongside the rest of the family of Russia’s last czar.
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Refurbished Gym Opens in Iraqi
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 Chants rang loud and clear from the bleachers as if it were a high school pep rally. But this was not a student gymnasium gearing up before a homecoming game against a crosstown rival. This was men, women and children of all ages chanting, “Iraq is free!”
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Doctors Save Afghan Girl’s Life
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 A worried Abdullah Haqim walked with his daughter into the weekly coalition medical clinic in Afghanistan’s Farah province. Six-year-old Gulzana was sick, and local Afghan doctors could not diagnose the painful swelling that had engulfed her left eye.
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Giant Squids Land at Air Force Base
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 The two sea creatures were transported in a C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft from Europe and will be delivered to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
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U.S. Will Allow Assessment Process
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The assessment process is as transparent as the department can make it, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. While pundits have called for greater redeployments from Iraq, the department will wait and see what commanders recommend.
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Behavioral Health Examination
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 The physical consequences of a pandemic influenza in the United States -- potentially millions of people either sick or dead, schools and businesses closed, store shelves empty -- are obviously apparent and top any disaster recovery to-do list.
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Brothers Serve Together in Iraq
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 Deployments usually separate families, but for two brothers from Arkansas, deployment to Iraq actually brought them closer. Snow is on his second deployment with his elder brother, Army Sgt. Maj. Jim Snow, 39th BCT operations sergeant major.
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Operation Homefront to Help Vets
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In the next three years, an untold number of veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will benefit from a new partnership between two organizations who share only geographic proximity and a desire to honor servicemembers.
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Army Captain Receives Silver Star
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 A soldier from 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was awarded a Silver Star Medal. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser presented Army Capt. William G. Cromie with the decoration and praised him for his valor.
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Medals for Valor to 12 Paratroopers
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 Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pinned five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star on the troopers’ chests during a ceremony at their combat outpost here.
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Gates Speaks of Troops’ Courage
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 Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates delivered a tribute to servicemembers’ courage, dedication, adaptability and patriotism to the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Continental Congress, yesterday.
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Off-Duty Summer Fatalities
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 Midway through the “101 Critical Days of Summer,” 50 servicemembers have died in off-duty accidents, half on motorcycles, defense officials reported. Thirty-seven servicemembers have died in motor vehicles since May 23.
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Remains Identified as Soldiers
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The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology has identified human remains found in Iraq as those of two 10th Mountain Division soldiers. Jimenez and Fouty were part of a patrol of seven Americans and an Iraqi army interpreter when they were attacked by insurgents.
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Guard Troops are called for Fire Duty
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 California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered an additional 2,000 National Guard troops to state active duty today to boost the state’s ongoing firefighting efforts and prepare for the threat of additional fires over the next several months.
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Police Officer Twins Deploy Together
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 As civilians, the twin brothers serve together as police officers in Deland, Fla., and now the 22-year-old citizen-soldiers have volunteered to deploy together to Afghanistan for a year-long military police mission.
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Reintegration of Hostages
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 Years of preparation by U.S. Army South, Brooke Army Medical Center, Northrop Grumman Corp. and family members finally came to fruition on the night of July 2 when three American civilian contractors set foot in San Antonio.
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Increasing Iraqi Capabilities Turning
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Army Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commander of Multinational Division Center, briefed Pentagon reporters from Baghdad via teleconference along with Maj. Gen. Ali Salih Farhgood Oothman, commander of 8th Iraqi Army Division.
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Coalition Forces Detain 30 Terrorists
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Coalition forces in Iraq detained 30 suspected terrorists during anti al-Qaida operations conducted over the past three days across central and northern Iraq, military officials said.
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Baghdad Pool Reopens
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 Summer days in Baghdad often rival the hottest days around the globe, and until recently, many residents of central Baghdad’s Karkh district did not have a place they could visit to escape from the heat.
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Restored 1931 Buick Showcases
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 Patriotism runs high at Chick and Ruth’s Delly, a mainstay along the Maryland capital’s Main Street. Ted Levitt, the deli’s owner, starts each morning leading patrons as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
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Canadian-Born Soldier Serves as Sniper in Iraq
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 Looking through a rifle sight into the eyes of an enemy -- no matter how evil that enemy is or how many innocent people he has killed -- and then pulling the trigger to end that enemy’s existence affects a soldier.
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Navy Mainstay Retires After 50 Years
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Brady joined the service in 1958 and served on active duty through 1969. He worked as a civilian Navy communicator from 1969 to 1992, and has worked as a budget analyst in the service’s counterdrug program since then.
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Communities Sign On for Observance
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Two years ago, Steve Newton, asked the governors of all 50 states and the mayor of the District of Columbia to sign a proclamation to observe May 1 as Silver Star Banner Day, honoring wounded and ill servicemembers from all wars.
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Military Raises Service Dogs
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 It has happened to all of us. You're running late for work, scampering around the house grabbing everything you need for the day, and you can't find your keys. Military family member Lauren Novotny put her recent puppy training skills to the test.
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U.S. Reacts to Iranian Missile Test
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Iran’s test of short- and medium-range missiles is a disturbing development and points to the need for a European missile defense system, Pentagon officials said here today.
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Game Reflects Declining Violence
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 A similar scene wouldn't warrant a double-take in any town in the United States. But this game stood out for who was playing and where. It was Lt. Col. Christopher Vanek and Khalaf Ibrahim Ali across the board from each other.
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Redstone Arsenal Soldier Reenlists
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 When he heard there was going to be a mass reenlistment ceremony at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait on Independence Day, Sgt. Robert Ritchie decided it was the right time and place to raise his right hand one more time.
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Fund Assists Injured Veterans
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An organization that focuses on helping severely injured veterans channels its efforts toward providing the kinds of assistance they don’t otherwise get. The Independence Fund provides “the tools, therapies and guidance that they are otherwise not receiving.”
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Mullen Meets With Enlisted Troops
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The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with more than 200 soldiers and airmen in the lower enlisted ranks here today to thank them for their service and to give them the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.
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Afghan Water Project Helps Economy
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 Some areas of Afghanistan’s Parwan province have been without water for years, while other areas are nearly flooded. A June 23 meeting will discuss plans to improve water distribution.
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Iraqi Maternity Hospital
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 With the delivery of two large truckloads of medical equipment, hundreds of mothers-to-be soon will benefit from the opening of a refurbished maternity hospital in western Baghdad’s Karkh district.
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Afghan Army Plant Supports Mission
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 Mentoring the Afghan National Army’s print plant staff here is a great mission, a Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Afghan National Army communications mentor said, but he may have worked himself out of a job.
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U.S. Hostages Provide Message
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American contractors Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell, who’d been among 15 hostages held for more than five years in Colombia by leftist rebels until their July 2 rescue released a statement on July 4.
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