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News Archives For September 2008
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Employment for Military Spouses
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 The order authorizes noncompetitive hiring of spouses and should make the hiring process easier and faster for those in this category, said Patricia Bradshaw, deputy undersecretary of defense for civilian personnel policy.
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Effects of Embedded Metal
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A Defense Department registry is helping officials gather data to be sure the long-accepted practice of leaving embedded metal fragments in wounded warriors’ bodies as long as vital organs aren’t threatened is valid.
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Soldiers Home Away From Home
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 Although most would rather be at home, soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team here are enjoying the comforts and amenities of life at their temporary home away from home.
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Army Veterinarian Plays Key Role
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 Most people think of veterinarians as animal doctors, but the work of a deployed Army veterinarian here shows the specialty involves much more. “My main job here at division is agriculture subject-matter expert,” Army Maj. Freddie Zink explained.
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Balance at Heart of National Defense
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Noting that balance is at the center of the national defense strategy, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he wants department personnel to look to the future, but not lose sight of what needs to be done now to win today’s wars.
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NASA’s 50-Year Legacy
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 As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, the Defense Department also can take a bow for the key role it has played in lending technology and expertise to NASA’s space exploration and research mission.
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Training Center Graduates Final Class
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 “The Village of Hope was part of a civil service corps program that took Sons of Iraq members from checkpoints and taught them useable trades that they can make a living with,” said Air Force Capt. Michael Askegren.
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Construction Starts on Rehab Center
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Construction began last week in Gardner, Mass., on an $8 million live-in rehabilitation center for wounded warriors. The Northeast Veteran Training and Rehabilitation Center will be built on the main campus of Mount Wachusett Community College.
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Continued Pressure on Insurgents
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Coalition and Iraqi forces detained 12 suspected al-Qaida terrorists in five coordinated operations in Mosul and nearby Al Qasr. Forces zeroed in on al-Qaida car bomb networks yesterday, targeting...
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Father and Daughter Train Together
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 First Sgt. Bob Hempstead and his daughter, Pfc. Crystal Hempstead, members of the Indiana National Guard’s 1313th Engineer Company based on Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Ind., are scheduled to deploy to Iraq in early 2009.
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Homemade Bomb Kills Iraqi Children
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Three children were killed and two were injured when a homemade bomb detonated in the neighborhood, police reported. U.S. soldiers arrived on the scene to conduct a post-blast analysis.
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Sept. 28 Gold Star Mother’s Day
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President Bush has proclaimed Sept. 28 as Gold Star Mother’s Day this year. The day honors the mothers of men and women who were killed in the line of duty while serving the nation in the armed forces.
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New Medevac Black Hawk Helicopter
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 Officials unveiled a new medical evacuation version of the Black Hawk helicopter at the National Guard Association of the United States conference here on Sept. 21. The HH-60M Black Hawk is capable of carrying up to six litter patients...
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Iraqi Detainees Return to Society
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Coalition forces have returned nearly 13,000 Iraqi detainees to their families this year in the hopes that they will benefit a society they once helped fill with violence. The Joint Task Force is working to reinstate 30 and 45 detainees per day.
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Troops Fire on U.S. Choppers
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Pakistani soldiers manning a border checkpoint fired on U.S. helicopters flying in Afghan airspace today. The aircraft were on a mission as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
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MLB Players Find Silver Lining
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The 132 strikeouts Major League pitchers threw during baseball games played on Patriot Day were bittersweet. For those who participate in the Strikeouts for Troops program, the words, “you’re out” equal cold, hard cash to support wounded warriors.
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U.S. Troops Build Afghan Air Corps
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A team of 170 U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have been tasked with recruiting, training and equipping the Afghan National Army Air Corps. “Our goal is to develop this Air Corps to be fully independent and fully operational..."
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Kirkuk Police Force Grow by 3,000
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More than 3,000 Iraqis joined the ranks of the Kirkuk province’s police force during a graduation ceremony at the Kirkuk Police Academy. The Kirkuk provincial police chief hailed the moment as “an historic event for the people of the Kirkuk province.”
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Iraqi, U.S. Partnership
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The partnership between the coalition and the Iraqi government has been enormously productive and is continuing to pay dividends, Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad, said.
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Marine Witnessed Childbirth
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 Marine Lance Cpl. Jovan Rodriguez anxiously awaited the birth of his child and looked forward to being by his wife’s bedside. But, as often happens to deployed servicemembers, operational commitments made it impossible for him to return home for the birth.
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New Iraqi Provincial Election Law
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A senior Pentagon spokesman hailed today’s passage of a new Iraqi provincial election law, which opens the way to holding local elections within the next few months. The law’s passage “is another hugely encouraging sign of progress in Iraq...”
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Bush Applauds Iraqi Leadership
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President Bush yesterday applauded the leadership of Iraq as he met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and other leaders of the Iraqi coalition at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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U.S. Posture in Middle East
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A Military Transition Team from 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multi-National Division - Baghdad, continues its ongoing sponsorship of an Iraqi youth...
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Soldier Leads by Being Part of Team
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 During a World War II battle in Holtzwihr, France, a wounded U.S. soldier climbed into a burning tank, took a spot behind a .50-caliber machine gun and fired until the enemy was vanquished.
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President Honors Volunteerism
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 Air Force Maj. Dan Rooney received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Bush when the president arrived at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Since March 2002, Bush has been personally thanking volunteers for their service.
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Violence in Iraq Continues to Drop
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Violence in Iraq – even in the midst of the holy month of Ramadan, which has seen increases in violence in the past – continues its downward trend, the commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq said today.
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Golf Classic Honors Soldier’s Memory
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Thirty-five Minnesota soldiers who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan in the past year were among nearly 300 golfers who participated in the 2nd Annual Bryan McDonough American Heroes Golf Classic last month at Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater, Minn.
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Soldiers Learn Cultural Awareness
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A cultural awareness class, which includes the Iraqi language, is helping soldiers communicate in the streets of Baghdad. The soldiers also learn customs and traditions so they’ll have better situational awareness while on mission.
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Ceremony Honors Fallen
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 Hundreds of relatives celebrated the lives of departed loved ones lost in the war on terrorism during a national remembrance ceremony on the grounds of the Washington Monument yesterday.
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Smooth Military Transition
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The Defense Department is doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition as the next presidential administration takes control of the military in January, officials assured civilian business, academic and local government leaders.
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Ceremony for POW/MIA Day
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 The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command held a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to commemorate POW/MIA Day. Navy Rear Adm. Donna Crisp, JPAC commander, began the event by pointing out the observance’s significance.
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Emotional Pentagon Memorial Visit
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 Civilian leaders in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference wrapped up the first day of their Pentagon visit here today with an emotional walk through the new Pentagon Memorial dedicated less than two weeks earlier to honor victims of the 9-11 Pentagon attack.
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DoD Fights Binge Drinking
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Now in its third year, a campaign by the Military Health Systems and the Tricare military health plan continues the Defense Department’s effort to reduce excessive and binge drinking among 18- to 24-year-olds serving in the armed forces.
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Soldier Counts his Blessings
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It’s been almost nine years since Army doctors found a grapefruit-sized tumor growing in Sgt. 1st Class James Jordan’s chest. He was 33 then and stationed in South Korea. Today, Jordan has survived two bouts with cancer...
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JPAC Teams Serve on Front Lines
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 Tech. Sgt. Valda Wilson is an Air Force photographer. But last month in a harvested wheat field in the village of Strass near Germany’s Hurtgen Forest, she spent most of her days with her hands full of dirt.
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POW/MIA Keeps Promise to Troops
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 Until six years ago, Hembree’s body rested in a grave under a headstone that read “Unknown.” He was a 17-year-old sailor from Kennewick, Wash., serving on the USS Curtiss in Pearl Harbor when he was killed in the Japanese attack there in 1941.
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Military Vows to Find the Missing
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“The combatant commanders that are out in the field are working to find any servicemembers who are missing in the current conflicts” in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Air Force Capt. Mary R. Olsen.
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Troops Celebrate Air Force Birthday
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 The Air Force was established on Sept. 18, 1947, when President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act. Today, the force has more than 300,000 personnel and more than 5,000 aircraft.
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Children Cope with Deployments
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 An organization is working to help military infants and toddlers cope with the stresses of a parent’s deployment unique to their age group. The mission of “Zero to Three” is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.
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Soldier Marries Via Telephone
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 Pfc. Donald Pope's Friday began in much the same way it has in his previous nine months in Iraq. He completed his shift in the tactical operations center, went to sleep and woke up to begin another shift that evening.
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Coalition Forces Disarm IED
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Coalition forces in Iraq disrupted the foreign-terrorist facilitation network, found enemy weapons stockpiles and disarmed an improvised explosive device in operations over the last two days, military officials reported.
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Suicide Prevention Month
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 “When someone is thinking about hurting themselves, they often show signs of odd behavior,” said Brown, the post deputy chaplain, “[such as] not talking as much, withdrawing from former pleasures, giving away possessions.”
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Scam Targets Military Families
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The letter that appeared in a soldier’s mailbox promised an offer almost too good to be true: a home improvement loan approved by Congress and backed up by a government agency.
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Eliminating Civilian Casualties
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The goal of fighting a counterinsurgency is to make the people feel secure and allow them to connect with their government, Army Gen. David D. McKiernan said during an interview.
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Long Absentee Voting Tradition
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 A pen-and-ink drawing in the Oct. 29, 1864, issue of Harper’s Weekly portrayed a long line of Pennsylvania soldiers outside their A-framed tents, each awaiting his turn to vote in the 1864 presidential election.
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Effects of High Altitude on Soldiers
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 For years, research physiologists from the U.S. Army Medical Research have spent their summers above the tree line to study ways of improving servicemembers’ capabilities in high-altitude environments at the Maher Memorial Altitude Laboratory.
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Soldiers Take Weapons Off Streets
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Iraqi and coalition soldiers seized several weapons caches throughout Iraq yesterday and today. Iraqi soldiers patrolling in Baghdad’s Kadamiyah district yesterday found three hand grenades and an Iranian 81 mm high explosive mortar round.
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Iraqi Economic Opportunity
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 Coalition forces here are working to help Iraqi entrepreneurs learn the skills needed to earn the money to remain successful after coalition forces leave. The Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone initiative is helping 14 Iraqi-owned businesses.
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Turkish Relationship ‘Very Strong’
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Wrapping up his first visit to Turkey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here yesterday, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said he and Turkish leaders reaffirmed “a very strong military-to-military relationship.”
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Gates Awards to U.S. Leaders
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today recognized Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker, a military-and-civilian team the secretary said has transformed Iraq.
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New Forces for Afghanistan Mission
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The Defense Department announced today the deployment of two additional units to Afghanistan, following up on President Bush’s announcement last week that he will beef up the U.S. presence there while reducing it in Iraq.
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DoD, YMCA Strengthen Partnership
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In two Defense Department-led initiatives today, a military-family support program launched its nationwide expansion, and the Armed Services YMCA introduced a new offering to families whose loved one is deployed.
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Operation Nets 63 al-Qaida Suspects
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Sixty-three suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members were detained during an operation led by Iraqi security forces. The operation was conducted in response to the kidnapping of an Iraqi journalist and the murders of four other Iraqi journalists.
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Major Rescues Own Family
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While more than 7,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen were activated to assist in hurricane recovery operations, an officer with the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team had the great satisfaction of taking part in the rescue of one of his own family members.
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Pastor Serves as Soldier, Cook
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 Many soldiers join the Army as a way of saying thanks, while others feel it is their patriotic duty to serve the country that has offered them a life full of endless opportunities. Regardless of the reason, thousands of soldiers are taking the oath to defend the United States.
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Soldiers Lead Humanitarian Mission
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 Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division’s Company C, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Brigade, conducted a humanitarian assistance drop in the neighborhood of Shulla with Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers Sept. 10.
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Iraqi Defense Ministry Bids Farewell
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 The Iraqi Defense Ministry held a ceremony today to say goodbye to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who turns over command of Multinational Force Iraq tomorrow to Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno..
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Iraq Command Changes Hands
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Tomorrow’s Multinational Force Iraq change of command also signifies a shift in the coalition mission in the country, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said while en route to Iraq to participate in the ceremony.
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Iraq Command Changes Hands
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Tomorrow’s Multinational Force Iraq change of command also signifies a shift in the coalition mission in the country, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said while en route to Iraq to participate in the ceremony.
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Soldier Relates Firsthand of 9/11
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As the nation and the world observe the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, a Multinational Division Baghdad paralegal specialist from New York City explained the state of shock the community endured.
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Guardsmen Honor Fallen Firefighters
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 The ceremony began at 5:16 p.m. local time with the sounding of a siren from the Camp Phoenix fire truck to match the time in New York City when the first plane struck the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. Afghanistan time is eight and a half hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.
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Bush Attends Pentagon Memorial
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 Seven years ago at this hour, a doomed airliner plunged from the sky, split the rock and steel of this building, and changed our world forever. The years that followed have seen justice delivered to evil men and battles fought in distant lands.
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Pentagon Memorial Dedication
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 On the seventh anniversary of the day a hijacked airliner slammed into the Pentagon, President Bush today dedicated memorial near the crash site, calling it not only a place of remembrance, but also a reminder of the resilience of the American spirit.
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Troops at Eggers Remember 9/11
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 More than 300 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians gathered today at Camp Eggers here to remember the thousands of victims who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against America.
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Twist That Saved Guardsman on 9/11
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Seven years ago today, Army Col. William Stoppel dropped his 9-month-old son, Will, at day care and went to work. Stoppel was assigned to the Army’s personnel office, where he processed promotion packets.
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Military Recall 9/11
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At 8:45 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy struck the hearts and minds of millions around the world when a hijacked plane flew into One World Trade Center in New York City. Almost every American can tell you where he or she was on that historic day.
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Pentagon Memorial Opens
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The Pentagon Memorial will be open to the public on Sept. 11, 2008, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. EDT. The opening will include a musical tribute featuring the Navy Band and the Sea Chanters Chorus, and the official chorus of the U.S. Navy. Recognized as "The World's Finest."
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Remembering Sept. 11, 2001
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 It's one of those events where we'll always recall exactly what we were doing when the first and second planes hit the World Trade Center. Whether mopping the floor or taking the children to school, we realized the world we knew would not be the same afterwards.
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Heroes saved lives in Pentagon 9/11
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 The casualty toll at the Pentagon may have been much worse Sept. 11, 2001, officials said, without the heroic actions of many Soldiers and civilian employees that day. "There were an unknown number of acts of personal courage and heroism."
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Pentagon Memorial's Importance
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Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said his life as an American and as a servicemember changed forever on Sept. 11, 2001. The surprise attack not only took the lives of more than 3,000 people that day, but also revealed the threat of terrorism.
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Soldier Looks Toward Future
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 On Sept. 1, Colesbacco, who was born in the Seychelles Islands and raised in Italy, became a U.S. citizen. Two days later, she was promoted to specialist. The two events take her closer to her ultimate goal: becoming a pilot.
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Volunteers ‘Citizens, Not Spectators’
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President Bush today thanked the nearly 61 million volunteers who support America in myriad ways, including members of the U.S. armed forces and groups that channel support to them. Emphasizing the importance of “answering the nation’s call.”
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Freedom Walk Honors 9/11 Victims
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Close to 200 people, from college students to police officers, walked nearly a mile yesterday in Orange, Calif., to honor all the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
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Soldier Credits Success to Father
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 Army Maj. Lance Hamilton, who serves here with the 4th Infantry Division, smiles with fondness when remembering moments like this that remind him of the happiness he shared with his father, Stan Hamilton.
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National Freedom Walk Ends
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 Nearly 10,000 people walked the mile between Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon’s South Parking lot here to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, 2001, as part of today’s fourth annual National America Supports You Freedom Walk.
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Bomb-Making Components in Iraq
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Iraqi citizens of Babil province yesterday led U.S. soldiers to the seizure of a huge amount of components suitable for the construction of deadly explosively formed penetrator-type bombs, military officials reported.
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National Freedom Walk
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 Ending at the Pentagon, where a hijacked airplane killed 184 people when it barreled into the building on Sept. 11, 2001, the Freedom Walk in the nation’s capital is one of 330 similar processions around the world that will take place in all 50 states and 12 foreign countries.
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Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge
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The event is the fifth stop of the national tour of the Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge. The inaugural challenge kicked off more than a year ago in Boston. Since then, the challenge has taken place in San Antonio, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Dearborn, Mich.
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More Troops Needed in Afghanistan
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Though U.S., coalition and Afghan troops are making steady progress against increasingly active insurgent forces in Afghanistan, it’s time to turn up the heat, a senior U.S. military officer said today.
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Labor Day Weekend Fatalities
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 Five servicemembers died in off-duty accidents during the Labor Day weekend, bringing to 115 the number killed this year during the “101 Critical Days of Summer.” Labor Day marked the official end to the 101 Critical Days of Summer.
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Soldiers Deliver School Supplies
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 Task Force Gladiator, together with the Afghan National Police and a contracted construction and supply company, delivered 75 desks, 10 chalk boards and 150 sets of school supplies to the villages of Afghanistan’s Parwan province.
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Deadlines for Absentee Voting
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 With the Democratic and Republican national conventions behind us, the 2008 presidential campaign enters the home stretch as Americans look toward Election Day. Americans stationed overseas have just a few more weeks to complete voter registration.
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Americans 9/11’s Cost
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The Pentagon Memorial will be a place of remembrance, dedication and learning. Retired Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said he hopes the memorial – to be dedicated Sept. 11 – will become a learning experience for all Americans.
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Army Rising Suicide Rates
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With 2008 suicide rates expected to exceed last year’s all-time-high rate and threatening to top those in the civilian population, the Army is stepping up efforts to get soldiers and their leaders to look out for each other’s well being.
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Soldiers Train to Move Past Fear
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 As the combatives instructor for the 25th Infantry Division’s 225th Brigade Support Battalion Headquarters, Steele trains soldiers to overcome the many physical and psychological barriers associated with close combat.
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Americans Must Fight for Freedom
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The Pentagon Memorial -- scheduled to be dedicated next week on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 -- is a reminder that “each generation inherits freedom, and it’s up to each generation to protect it and pass it along,”
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Postmasters Vow to Support
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 The National Association of Postmasters gave Guardsmen and reservists its full backing last week when the organization’s president signed an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Statement of Support.
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Online Radio Show for Military
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“This is one way that I can serve the military,” Dave Whitten, host of “Voice of the Troops,” a weekly hour-long show on Phoenix station KFNX and carried on the station’s Web site, said in an “ASY Live” BlogTalkRadio interview.
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Survivor Recalls Pentagon Attack
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The emotional trauma caused by memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon have dulled some for survivor Patrick Smith, but the pain will never leave him. “It’s an image that haunted [me] repeatedly for at least the first couple of years,” he said.
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Group Gets Grant to Go Green
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The future is getting “greener,” and so are the houses Homes for Our Troops will build in the future, thanks to a $1 million grant from The Sierra Club Foundation. The grant will allow the organization to build environment-friendly homes.
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Troops Earn U.S. Citizenship in Iraq
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 Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, Multinational Corps Iraq commander, presided over the ceremony and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, presented a certificate of naturalization to each new citizen.
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Military Training Saved His Life
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 During combat operations in 2006, a Special Forces Soldier assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) transmitted over the radio, “I’m down and bleeding out fast.”
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‘Excellent’ Hurricane Gustav Efforts
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President Bush praised federal, state and local government efforts to assist the people of the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Gustav during his visit to the emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., today.
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U.S. to Provide $1 Billion for Georgia
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The United States will provide $1 billion in recovery aid to Georgia, President Bush announced today. ush said the new funds will help meet Georgia’s humanitarian needs and support its economic recovery.
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Chrysler Earns Top Employer
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Defense officials have chosen Chrysler to receive the department's top employer-support award for providing exceptional financial and emotional support to its employees.
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Soldier on Back-to-Back Rotations
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 If Army Cpl. Edward Helzer has a feeling of déjà-vu, it’s probably because he’s been to Iraq more than once. Now on his second deployment, he’s running the exact same routes he did before, still in his vehicle of choice: the Husky.
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Family Remembers at 9/11 Memorial
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 Located just outside the Pentagon, the memorial park features 184 granite-topped, stainless-steel “sculptural elements” that represent the 125 lives lost in the Pentagon and the 59 deaths aboard American Airlines Flight 77.
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