Friday, December 09, 2005

Iraqis Want Coalition Vocabulary Change

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 9, 2005 - Changing perceptions and perspectives here mean changes in vocabulary: "Sunni insurgents" is out, "Saddamists" is in.

American officials here said Iraqi officials have asked by them to stop calling groups opposed to the coalition "Sunni insurgents." The idea is that a great many Sunni Arabs are moderate and want democracy for Iraq, officials explained.

Coalition officials have hit on the term "Iraqi rejectionists" to refer to those people who want to participate in the election process, but still launch attacks on coalition forces.

Coalition officials also said many Iraqis want to change the perception that all Baath Party members are evil people. Saddam Hussein, of course, ruled through the Baath Party. Iraqi officials maintain that millions of their countrymen and women joined the party simply to get or keep a job.

Coalition officials now are using the term "Saddamists" to refer to die-hard Baathists who want a return to the bad old days of Saddam's rule, officials said.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
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Technology Brings Troops Home for the Holidays

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - Deployed servicemembers are once again sending holiday wishes to family and friends from afar.

The greetings, a decades-old holiday mainstay, are one way families can have their servicemembers "home" for Christmas. The troops, with the help of their public affairs officers, tape thousands of holiday greetings each year for local TV stations to air as the holidays approach.

The method for collecting and airing those messages, and other news from overseas military units, was basically the same for years. Digital Video and Imagery System technology has sped up the process, Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Wetzel, said.

"(DVIDS) is mainly to give stateside media ... reliable and accurate access to troops on the battlefield," Wetzel, the DVIDS noncommissioned officer in charge, said. The service is free to media companies that wish to use it.

Before DVIDS (pronounced DIH-vids), teams from the Army and Air Force Hometown News Center, based in San Antonio, went overseas to film the holiday greetings starting as early as September, he said. When the teams finished their rounds of the military installations, usually in October, they would return to Texas to edit and compile the messages geographically before distributing them to TV and radio stations around the country.

Since 2004, DVIDS, a system of satellite transmitters, has enabled Army, Navy and Marines public affairs teams in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility to send taped holiday messages and other news back to the DVIDS hub in Atlanta much more quickly than ever before. That area of responsibility includes Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

Once the footage is received in Atlanta, Wetzel and his team prepare it for distribution to TV and radio stations that have requested it. On average, the whole process takes just a few days, he said.

"We've kind of latched on to this old idea and kind of made it new with our satellite technology," he said. "Our public affairs units are out there taping greetings. They transmit them to us ... and then we turn them around and give them to any media that wants them."

When Wetzel's team has the greetings ready for viewing, the greetings also are posted on the DVIDS Web site. Mainly a media resource, the ".net" site also is accessible by family and friends, who can view the greetings by clicking on the DVIDS site's 2005 Holiday Greeting link.

In 2004, 6,300 video holiday greetings were posted, Wetzel said. This year, about 3,500 messages have been received so far, though he's hoping for more.

"We've been a hit during the holidays," Wetzel said. "We do it all year round, but there's more interest in civilian media to have (servicemembers) on their TVs during the holiday season."

Though the technology lengthens the time available to gather greetings beyond what the Hometown News Center teams ever had, there are still deadlines, Wetzel said.

The messages, which started arriving in October, will be accepted in Atlanta until Dec. 14, he said. That will allow enough time for the DVIDS team to work their magic and the civilian stations to air the greetings in a timely fashion, the sergeant added.

Unfortunately for those who are stationed on a base with no public affairs personnel, this deadline closes the window of opportunity to record a holiday greeting this year. Should the same situation arise in the future, Wetzel said servicemembers should go through their chain of command to facilitate the taping of a holiday greeting.

While DVIDS accepts and posts messages throughout the year, the system is used primarily for live interviews, he said. For instance, a reporter from a Texas newspaper can interview a deployed servicemember from Texas real time, Wetzel said.

Twenty such interviews were conducted on Thanksgiving Day alone, he noted.

Related Site:

DVIDS [http://www.dvidshub.net/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3602.html.

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Task Force Baghdad Readies for Dec. 15 Iraqi Elections

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 9, 2005 - As their second tour in Iraq begins to wind down, soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division continue to feel good about what they are doing, senior American military officials said today.

Officials speaking on background said the 30,000-soldier Task Force Baghdad - built around the 3rd Infantry Division - is working closely with Iraqi allies to ensure the Dec. 15 national elections go smoothly.

The increasing strength and prowess of Iraqi security forces has given U.S. and coalition officials great confidence that election day will be safe and Iraqis can vote for their permanent democratic government, the officials said.

Task Force Baghdad covers a population of roughly 7 million people. The city is densely populated and diverse. Some 62 percent of the population are Shiia Arabs, 25 percent are Sunni Arabs and 9 percent are Christian. Other religions round out the remaining 4 percent.

While the task force is defending "strategic points" throughout the city, its main tools are offensive operations designed to kill or capture terrorists and foreign fighters and keep "Saddamists," and "Iraqi rejectionists" off balance, officials said.

The 6th Iraqi Army Division is part of Task Force Baghdad. Roughly 17,000 Iraqi soldiers "own" about 40 percent of the Baghdad city battlespace, officials said. The Iraqi division - the first to exercise command and control of a battlespace - has two brigades. The division's 1st Brigade has calmed Haifa Street - once one of the most dangerous streets in Baghdad. Officials said the number of attacks on the street has dropped and the people of Baghdad seem pleased that their own soldiers are taking responsibility for their security.

Coalition troops continue to work with the Iraqi division. Officials said the American troops are available if the Iraqis run into something they cannot handle. "It's an overwatch situation," officials said.

The Iraqi division units are labeled at Level 2 readiness - meaning they are in the lead and are conducting counterinsurgency operations in their battlespace, officials said. The coalition continues to provide mainly logistics support to the units, officials said.

Joining the Iraqi army units are 15,000 members of special police battalions in the city. These units - most resembling Italy's famous Carabinieri - are heavily armed and trained. They operate under military discipline, but are police forces reporting to the Interior Ministry.

About 20,000 regular police also help to provide security in the city.

Officials said the same "ring system" of defense used in past elections will be employed to secure the more than 1,000 polling places in Baghdad. Iraqi police will man the inner ring and actually be in the polling sites. Further out, another ring of Iraqi police will be standing watch. Coalition forces will be still farther out, ready to provide a quick-reaction force if needed. The Iraqis did not need that help in January or during the constitutional referendum in October, officials said.

The coalition presence in Baghdad is the same as it was during the Jan. 30 National Assembly elections, officials said. The "growth factor" is the Iraqi forces, and coalition officials expect the added forces will help ensure safety in the city.

Operations far outside Baghdad and its environs are having a positive effect on the atmosphere in the city, officials said. Marines and soldiers operating in Anbar province have disrupted the route through the Euphrates River valley that terrorists used to transport money, explosives and suicide bombers. Officials said they cannot know for sure, but the actions in the western part of the country seem to have cut the number of attacks in the city.

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

3rd Infantry Division [http://www.stewart.army.mil/ima/sites/division/default.asp]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3601.html.

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Bush: U.S. Will See Iraq Victory Strategy Through

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - America has a solid strategy for victory in Iraq and will see that strategy through, President Bush said today in Minneapolis.

"We will defeat the terrorists in Iraq. We will not let al Qaeda get a stronghold in Iraq," Bush said. "We'll help this country develop a democracy, which will send a powerful signal to people in Damascus and Tehran."

The U.S. strategy is two-fold, he explained. The United States and coalition are helping the Iraqis establish a democracy. At the same time, they're training Iraqis so they can take the right to the enemy and defend their country.

Steady progress is being realized in both efforts, he said. He pointed to political progress, with the upcoming Dec. 15 national elections, and achievements among Iraqi security forces that are gaining in capability and taking the lead in more operations.

The short-term objective is to stay on the hunt and bring terrorists to justice before they harm the United States again, the president said. "I'd rather be defeating them there than face them here at home," he said.

Over the long term, the objective is to spread democracy and freedom around the world, Bush said, reducing terrorists' ability to spread their ideology of hatred.

Terrorists hate America and all it stands for, the president said.

"They hate us because we stand for what they don't believe in," he said. "We believe in freedom. We believe in the freedom for people to worship any way they want. ... We believe that people can speak their minds freely. We believe that people can write their editorials the way they want to write them. We believe in freedom, and we're not going to change."

The terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, brought the depth of terrorists' hatred into full focus, and forever changed the United States and its citizens, Bush said.

"We must never forget the lessons of that day," he said. "We must deal with threats before they fully materialize."

Iraq has become a central front in what Bush called the terrorists "war against humanity," and so the United States must recognize Iraq as its central front in the war against terrorists, the president said.

"We're there for one reason, and that is to achieve a victory to make America more secure," Bush said.

Related Site:

National Strategy for Victory in Iraq [http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/iraq_strategy_nov2005.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3600.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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America Supports You: 100 Military Families Get Free Computers

American Forces Press Service

MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J., Dec. 9, 2005 - Operation Homelink, in cooperation with Northrop Grumman, presented 100 refurbished computers to military families from several New Jersey bases, including McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix, Fort Monmouth and Lakehurst Naval Air Station. The computers were distributed Dec. 8 at McGuire's Family Support Center.

Most servicemembers have e-mail access on ships and even in desert outposts. Lower-ranking military families, however, are often not able to afford computers, and must rely on other methods of staying in touch, such as postal mail or expensive phone calls to stay in touch. Operation Homelink, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, links American servicemembers deployed overseas with their families back home through e-mail communication using computers donated from corporations.

Deploying servicemembers were thankful for Homelink's efforts.

"This is a Godsend," said Jennifer Lahn, whose husband Michael is a private in the Army National Guard's 117th Cavalry Regiment out of Vineland, N.J. "Thanks for making the miles disappear."

"This computer will provide my parents piece of mind because they will be able to email me to know that I've doing okay and I'll know that everything is fine at home," said Spc. Katherine Quiring, with the Army National Guard's 250th Adjutant General Detachment out of Fort Dix, N.J. "Given the different time zones, it will make communicating during deployments much easier.

"Northrop Grumman understands the importance for military families to have the ability to communicate with their deployed servicemen and women," said Kent Schneider, president of Northrop Grumman Information Technology sector's Defense Enterprise Solutions business unit.

He said his company understands the importance of service families staying in touch with their deployed servicemembers. "We support the mission of Operation Homelink and can't think of a better way to 'recycle' computer resources," Schneider said.

"Operation Homelink is looking for a few good corporations to support our military families by simply sending us their old computers. No additional monetary donation is required," said Dan Shannon, president and founder of Operation Homelink. "We are especially appreciative of the support that Northrop Grumman has provided, donating over 350 computers to date."

Homelink officials said they need at least 25 used computers right now - laptops with Pentium II-equivalent power and desktops units with Pentium III power - so that families can connect properly with their servicemembers.

To date, Operation Homelink has successfully linked more than 1,200 families.

(Based on a news release from Operation Homelink.)

Related Sites:

America Supports You [http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/]

Operation Homelink [http://www.operationhomelink.org]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3597.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Old Iraqi Air Base Morphs Into Triple Training Facility

By Elaine Eliah
Special to American Forces Press Service

KUT, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2005 - With its 9,800-foot runway, one of Saddam Hussein's premier air bases was in Kut, Iraq, near the Tigris River midway between Baghdad and Kuwait. Today, the coalition defense team has commandeered the base's strategic position.

The U.S. Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence contracted with ECC International a year ago to build an Iraqi police cadet academy at Kut. With Iraq's training needs critical to the U.S. mission's eventual completion, the site has morphed into a triple training facility. Recruits for the Department of Border Enforcement have now begun training at Kut, as have officers and noncommissioned officers with the Iraqi army.

It has been a year of international teamwork for U.S. and Ukraine coalition troops, as well as for the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team, known as CMATT, and its paramilitary counterpart for police training, CPATT.

Even before the academies began training activities, the Ukrainian military, responsible for the Kut base and the entire Wassit province since August 2003, had its own program in which 1,500 Iraqi border enforcement troops and 2,355 soldiers from three infantry battalions received training. These Iraqi troops will assume responsibility for the Ukrainian area of operation, which includes 22 forts along 142 kilometers of the Iran/Iraq border, 60 kilometers to the east.

Since the police academy opened -- it's the first completed section of the Kut regional safety facilities -- CPATT has helped prepare the more than 1,200 cadets who are assuming responsibility for safety in Iraq's cities and towns. U.S. police officers rarely see combat situations that their Iraqi colleagues face daily on the job, and instruction has included military-style training.

Meanwhile, CMATT is training Iraqi army NCOs. U.S. Army National Guardsman Lt. Col. Alfred Abbondanza and his staff of drill sergeants have reached beyond combat and leadership basics to instill the NCO creed of ethical service and responsibility.

The fast-paced training year called for comparable fast-track construction. Housing and classroom demands more than doubled from the original contract planning for 765 police cadets and 50 instructors. Buildings were occasionally handed over the day before classes started.

When one tight deadline culminated in a ribbon-cutting dedication, "I was totally surprised," admitted stakeholder Abbondanza. "I'm not used to it. When they turned on the electricity to the rooms, everything worked, fans turned, lights came on."

At least momentarily, one man was able to relax. ECCI project manager Victor Johnson had rushed to plaster and paint the first floor of one building in time for a new class, only to have a second-floor work crew punch holes through the walls. That, he learned, is the customary Iraqi building technique to anchor their not-quite-freestanding scaffolding.

Trying on the patience, to be sure, but it allowed Johnson to take part in his own base training program. "One thing I like about the job is that I become a teacher -- roll up your sleeves and show them," he said. When he noticed door painters making a mess of adjacent, freshly painted walls, he found an old license plate and taught them how its edge could help paint straight lines.

"The hardest thing was to become an ambassador to each of these subcontractors and all their laborers," Johnson said. "A work force of 600 can drop down to 200 in a single day because of threats (against them)."

"You need to put your heads together and find a way to get it done," superintendent Pete Stocker reminded ECCI's Iraqi engineers. "I've got stakeholders who want to take possession of this building."

Abbondanza not only took possession, but also charged right into his next battle: his new group of NCO cadets. Learning to take a house or clear a street will prepare the future Iraqi squad leaders to lead soldiers through urban terrain fighting missions. They will also spend eight days at the firing range and four days in first-aid training.

"Saddam Hussein's officers would never give any authority," explained Abbondanza. "Those who were too incompetent got shot; those who were too good became a threat and ended up in jail. We want the NCOs to be able to make the decisions." Though he admits that many Iraqi NCOs have difficulty adjusting to the rigors of discipline and physical fitness training, some already are qualified members of the training team that will take over after coalition forces leave.

The CMATT team offers two training programs for medics: a five-week medical course that teaches advanced lifesaving techniques, and a four-day combat lifesaving course. "If we can apply a tourniquet and start an IV," said Abbondanza, "we can keep him alive."

The Ukrainians, meanwhile, have completed basic training and have moved on to training Iraqi officers who will serve as headquarters staff.

"They're learning how to plan better and to conduct operations independently," explained Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Sergei Goroshnikov, commander of the 81st Tactical Group. "We plan to certify the headquarters staff to assume responsibility for Wassit province by the end of 2005." With the border fort responsibilities already handed over to the Iraqi border team, he said, "it looks like we'll be home for Christmas."

The AFCEE building project is getting its finishing touches, and ECCI will hand over all facilities and leave Kut by the holidays. They will leave behind training triplets that have already graduated nearly 4,000 Iraqi police, border patrol and army cadets.

(Elaine Eliah is a communications specialist with ECC International Baghdad.)

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3599.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Army Unit Sees Less Terror Activity in Southwestern Iraq

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - After nearly a year since their posting in southwestern Iraq, a U.S. Army commander today said he and his 4,200 soldiers have witnessed decreased terrorist activity in their area of operations.

Brig. Gen. Augustus L. Collins commands the 155th Brigade Combat Team. Since February, his unit has been responsible for security and stability operations in Babil, Karbala and Najaf provinces, with a detachment in eastern Anbar province.

"Actually, the attacks that we have now compared to attacks we had when we first got here and took over our battlespace in February are at least down by 50 percent," Collins told Pentagon reporters during a satellite teleconference.

The 155th is a mix of National Guard soldiers from Mississippi, Iowa, Vermont, Utah, Arkansas and Puerto Rico, as well as a squadron of active troops from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Irwin, Calif. The unit falls under the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force during its Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.

The 155th's soldiers have conducted more than 500 operations so far during their tour in Iraq, Collins said, ranging from the brigade level down to company- and platoon-level participation.

Those operations are partly responsible for the decreased enemy activity in his sector, Collins said, noting his soldiers have netted nearly 1,500 enemy captives and seized 2,800 weapons. Almost 200 attacks occurred monthly in his area almost a year ago, Collins said, compared to about 100 per month now.

Collins said Iraqi citizens and local government efforts also deserve much credit for the reduced terrorist activity.

"When we first got here, the people didn't really talk to us that much," Collins said, "but now they've opened up to us. And they see that the way to peace is through this democratic idea that we're trying to share with them."

Collins said his staff works closely with Iraqi provincial officials to identify their humanitarian and rebuilding needs. And local Iraqi citizens are now working with U.S. and Iraqi security forces to root out terrorists, he said.

"They're helping us find the insurgents and then turn them over to us, to where we can arrest them and get them off the street," the general said.

Collins' soldiers have confiscated enemy weapons caches containing 18,000 munitions, which, he said, has helped to reduce the effectiveness of terrorist attacks in the area.

"We've taken a lot of the things that the enemy was using against us to try to kill or hurt our soldiers," Collins explained, "so now they don't have as robust an inventory of things to use as they once did."

Collins said Iraqi soldiers and police are taking a larger role in security operations in his area of operations. In fact, the Iraq police and army now have responsibility for security in the city of Najaf, he said.

"Tbey have done a great job," Collins said, "as far as being able to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of Najaf." Many buildings have been renovated in Najaf, and the markets are open, he said.

"Everything is going in the right direction as far as Najaf is concerned," the general said, noting that religious pilgrims have begun returning to Najaf to visit its famous shrine.

Collins said his troops helped to renovate part of the Najaf Teaching Hospital that now treats 400 patients daily. And after renovations, the city's soccer stadium reopened in October for a game between the Baghdad and Najaf clubs, he said, that attracted 20,000 spectators.

Iraqi army soldiers and police have received weapons, uniforms, vehicles and increased training during the past year, Collins said. Thanks to better equipment and training, he noted, the police have become a much more professional force.

Collins said he is very impressed with the two Iraqi army brigades and the three battalions that operate across the three provinces. "They have really increased in their ability since we first got here," Collins said, noting his soldiers routinely conduct operations and training with Iraqi troops.

Iraqi soldiers and police will take the lead security role for the Dec. 15 Iraq election voting in his sector, Collins said. His troops will be positioned to provide security assistance if required, he said.

"Right now, based on the last two elections and, I think, the progress that the Iraqi security forces have made, we really don't anticipate having to do anything on election day," Collins said.

Collins saluted his soldiers and offered his condolences to the families of those who have been killed or wounded.

"For the last 11 months, I've had the opportunity to serve with the absolute best soldiers that the United States has to offer," Collins said. "Every day they surprise me with their level of commitment."

Collins expressed his sentiments toward the soldiers who have given their lives. "Words can't express the grief that we have," he said. "Those soldiers were our friends. We fought alongside of them. We miss them, and they will always be heroes in our eyes."

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) [http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/forward]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3598.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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Citizens Turn Over 'Butcher of Ramadi' to Iraqi, U.S. Troops

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - The terrorist known as "the Butcher of Ramadi" was detained today, turned in by local citizens in the provincial capital of Iraq's Anbar province, U.S. military officials in Iraq reported.

Amir Khalaf Fanus -- listed third on a "high-value individuals" list of terrorists wanted by the 28th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team -- was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping. Ramadi citizens brought him to an Iraqi and U.S. forces military base in Ramadi, where he was taken into custody.

Fanus was well known for his crimes against the local populace. He is the highest-ranking al Qaeda in Iraq member to be turned in to Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens.

His capture is another indication that the local citizens tire of the terrorists' presence within their community, Multinational Force Iraq officials said, adding that Iraqi and U.S. forces have witnessed increasing signs of citizens fighting the terrorists in Ramadi as the Dec. 15 national elections draw near.

Officials said 1,200 more Iraqi soldiers recently have been posted in Ramadi. About 1,100 Iraqi special police commandos and a mechanized Iraqi army company completed their planned movement into the city. This plan has Iraqi security forces assuming more of the security responsibilities from the U.S. forces, officials said. As in other locations, as security improves, Iraqi police also will be introduced gradually.

(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)

Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3596.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Rumsfeld: Terrorists Can Win Only in U.S., Media

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - Enemies of a free Iraq recognize they can't win against the United States and the coalition on the battlefield, and the only way they can hope to win is in Washington, D.C., and through American public opinion, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Dec. 8.

"They can't win over there," Rumsfeld said on PBS' "News Hour With Jim Lehrer." "The only place they can win it is in Washington, D.C., and they know that. They are working on it, and they are working it skillfully."

In addition, the secretary said, "they lie" and use the media to circulate their misinformation. He cited false stories circulated by terrorists, including one about a Koran being flushed down a toilet at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Several people died in riots that followed in Afghanistan, reportedly killing 16 and injuring more than 100 people.

Rumsfeld reiterated a point he made earlier this week: that journalists need to be more even-handed in their reporting and ensure they tell the whole story of what's happening in Iraq.

In the rush to get news out quickly, some reporters cut their fact-checking time short, he said. "To find the truth out takes weeks," he said. "To spread something that's not true takes five minutes. And it's all over the globe."

Rumsfeld urged reporters to tell the complete story about Iraq - the progress as well as the violence that tends to dominate the headlines.

He questioned why people "see hundreds of stories on the negative side and handfuls of stories on the positive side about what is going on."

Troops on the ground know the real story, and share it with their friends and loved ones through e-mails and phone calls, the secretary said. But they continue to wonder why this story isn't finding its way into the media, he said.

"All I know is that there are 150,000 troops over there who keep asking me, what in the world is going on?" Rumsfeld said. "Why is the impression in the United States so notably different than the facts on the ground that they see every day?"

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3595.html.

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U.S. Soldiers Bring Cheer to Kosovo School

By Spc. Alicia Dill, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo, Dec. 9, 2005 - Families of U.S. troops in the Kosovo Force have donated clothing and school supplies to an elementary school in a small mountainside village here.

In the village of Ukzmajl, Kosovo, 600 euros -- about $750 -- is the yearly budget allotted by the municipality for the Skenderbeu School. Aware of the scarcity of funding for the school, Kosovo Force soldiers and their families decided to do something to help. Eight soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division, Harrisburg, Pa., visited the school and met with the children.

"We knew that it was a small school and very poor," said Army Capt. Kevin Romine. "I also have teams that work in the area, and they were familiar with the needs of the school."

With donations from churches, families and the Mountain View Elementary School in Harrisburg, the troops had more to give than a friendly visit. The soldiers brought school supplies, as well as winter clothing and boots to help combat cold winter temperatures in the Balkan region, said Army Staff Sgt. Herb Morrow.

"From the day-to-day grind of being tasked with missions, it was nice to go out and be able to benefit the children so they can see us in a different light," Romine said. "Instead of just seeing KFOR vehicles drive down the road, they realize we are caring and compassionate."

Donating to the school was a positive experience for students in both Kosovo and Pennsylvania. For the students who donated from Mountain View Elementary School, it was a way to connect with their global peers.

"Our goal at the elementary level is to develop a sense of citizenship and caring," said Jill McPherson, student council project adviser at Mountain View Elementary School. "We have done projects at a local level, but this was an opportunity for the students to connect in a global way. With a direct connection to our soldiers in Kosovo, the kids could put names with faces, and even our kindergartners can feel like they are helping other people."

"If nothing more, we are showing the children of Kosovo that we care about their future," said Morrow. "I think it is important as well for our children back home to see us doing these things, because it gives them a feeling that they are helping."

Muhamet Murati, principal at the Skenderbeu School, sees a need for supplies, along with the basic pens, pencils and paper, that would enhance the science subjects and add a more challenging curriculum.

"We wish we had a chemistry lab or somewhere they could do practical labs, rather than just learning out of textbooks," he said. "We need the resources to have more specialized subjects to teach at the school here."

However, he does not take for granted the donations of time and supplies that different organizations have contributed.

"These things are big, and they have to come with time," he said. "We don't like asking for things, because you always give us so much."

The soldiers plan on returning to the village before their upcoming end of mission and are still collecting donations from family and friends in Harrisburg.

(Army Spc. Alicia Dill is assigned to the 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3594.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Western Iraq Rebuilding Moves Forward

By Elaine Eliah
Special to American Forces Press Service

A TOWN IN ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2005 - Reconstruction is now evident here, due to the improved security environment that followed the November 2004 battle for Fallujah.

Though homes are humble, many of them have bricks stacked or heaped alongside, their second stories inching upward. Roads are pitted and pockmarked, but there's little trash blowing along them.

Too many children wander streets instead of attending school, yet they are markedly cleaner than those normally seen on Iraqi back roads, and almost all of them are wearing shoes.

Even as the U.S. military positioned for that inevitable showdown in Fallujah, government agencies were already masterminding reconstruction of not only Fallujah, but for all of Anbar province Iraq's most problematic region.

The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence contracted with ECC International to build an Iraqi army base in one of these "nonpermissive areas," where attacks were not only likely, but also expected to be frequent.

Even today, this town's name is undisclosed because of residents' security concerns.

U.S. and Iraqi troops hadn't yet secured Fallujah when ECCI security managers John Boyce and Al Habelman, both retired Special Forces soldiers, took up position at a small base formerly used by Saddam Hussein's army.

At that point, getting money flowing into Anbar province was just as important as renovating a military facility. With Fallujah's scattered militants regrouping in the province's other towns and local residents struggling to provide for their families, a window of opportunity opened.

"The town was empty, hunkered down," Boyce said. "Nobody knew if we could get anyone at all to come here to work." Ten of the town's Iraqi National Guardsmen reported for duty; the second day it was 12; by the 5th day 72 workers came, and the numbers kept climbing.

At least a foot of filth covered the floors and rubble up to several feet deep surrounded abandoned buildings. Brush fed a continuous bonfire, especially at night when the guards had no other way to keep warm. Forgoing dump trucks and front loaders, dozens of hands began cleaning up and began earning a living.

"After ECCI came to this place, things started to change," said Sheik Abu Ali, who preferred not to use his real name for security reasons and is one of the area's 50 tribal leaders. "Rick Ebel (ECCI director of Iraq operations) and Jim Holman (project manager) came to our council. We promised to help secure the area in exchange for jobs for the people. Every day new people are coming to work, buying things that they couldn't afford before."

Under Saddam, sheiks could not form local councils. They were paid to appease their tribes and make life easier for local police and Baath Party officials. Any sheik who didn't accept the gift was physically convinced of the importance of following commands. Saddam's ousting, followed by the army and police deserting the area, opened another window of opportunity.

When looters targeted some government property near the town, Abu Ali hosted the other sheiks for lunch. His suggestion that unity could protect them from these outsiders was not only accepted wholeheartedly, he was named head of the town's council of sheiks.

"Rick and Jim pushed the subcontractors to hire local workers rather than bringing in workers from outside," said Abu Ali.

This was certainly a challenge, as in this isolated area, outside the mainstream, the town had never witnessed modern construction work and teens who have completed middle school are indeed rare.

"We took 10 at a time from each of our three subcontractors on site," said Jim. After two weeks of training, we would turn a couple of them loose with a professional tradesman from Baghdad."

"Some have learned welding, learned how to hang ceilings, fix power cables and water pipes," said Abu Ali. "Some who had never seen a piece of wood before have become carpenters."

"We started with bare hands that knew so little and produced so much," Jim added. "It's turning out to be a beautiful set of buildings."

But amid this reconstruction progress, violence from anti-Iraqi forces continues. "The mortars," said Boyce, pointing to the northwest, "come from here." Rotating 180 degrees, he added, "The rockets (come) from there."

Twelve base buildings that had already been renovated required significant rework after attacks. Workers have been seriously injured.

"People quit because they are afraid and then they don't make any money," said Abu Ali. "It is safer to work for ECCI than to work for the Iraqi army or the police."

"In the beginning, there would be people across the street threatening to kill them, passing out handbills," Boyce said. "We would walk them into town with our AKs (assault rifles). But the workers kept coming."

"When Rick and Jim asked how we could improve the security of the area," he continued, "I suggested they expand their hiring to include people from other nearby villages." Anyone hired onto the project is first reviewed by the local council, which posts three of its sheiks at the gate to facilitate entry screening.

"If I am asked to find 10 workers," Abu Ali finesses diplomatically, "I bring five workers from the other villages and five from our town."

The project is nearing completion and one building at a time, the facilities are being handed over to the Iraqi military. "We were here to create a workforce," Boyce noted. "When you paid them, you could see it in their faces. The payoff for us was to see these people coming alive."

"We had a council meeting recently," Sheik Abu Ali said, "and when the project is finished, the workers want to move where ECCI moves."

Coalition and Iraqi forces continue missions to provide improved security to encourage more voters to take part in Iraq's Dec. 15 general election. Officials hope the results will spur more cooperation in reconstruction programs.

(Elaine Eliah is a communications specialist with ECC International Baghdad, contractor for the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence.)

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3593.html.

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Rumsfeld Expects Immediate Troop Reduction After Iraq Election

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - The United States expects to reduce its troop numbers in Iraq by more than 17,000 following the Dec. 15 national elections, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Dec. 8.

Rumsfeld, speaking on PBS' "News Hour With Jim Lehrer," said he expects to reduce the force, which surged to about 155,000 to ensure adequate security for the elections, to the previous baseline of 137,000 or 138,000.

"I'm sure of that," he said, noting that violence is expected to drop following the upcoming election, as it did following the Oct. 15 referendum on the constitution and the Jan. 30 election earlier this year.

"If the past is a guide, we'll undoubtedly see that to be the case," the secretary said.

Following that initial drawdown, decisions on further reductions will be based strictly on conditions and circumstances on the ground and the Iraqi security forces' capability, Rumsfeld said.

"This is a process that will go on," the secretary said. "And as that happens, we will be able to pare down our forces as the conditions permit."

Rumsfeld said he expects field commanders to recommend more reductions as Iraqi security forces grow in size and experience.

Iraq's security forces continue to take on increasing responsibility, he noted. They've taken control of 17 bases and security responsibility for a province and about half of Baghdad, he said.

"They are going to be very much in charge of the election on Dec. 15 in terms of the security for that," Rumsfeld said.

Terrorists, recognizing how much they stand to lose, "will clearly try to make this election a failure," the secretary predicted, but won't succeed in blocking Iraq's political progress.

"They failed to do it in January. They failed to do it in October with respect to a constitutional referendum," he said. "And they're going to fail to do it next week. But they will try."

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3592.html.

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Operations Net Suspects and Terror Tools in Iraq

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - Iraqi and U.S. forces continued to make progress in the fight against terrorism in the north-central region of Iraq, detaining suspects and netting weapons and ammunition, officials in Iraq reported today.

Raids and patrols throughout the area Dec. 8 resulted in the detention of 22 suspected terrorists and the discovery of four weapons caches, officials said.

In an early morning raid near Duluiyah, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, captured seven suspected terrorists. The men were wanted for staging roadside bomb and mortar attacks against coalition forces in the area.

Iraqi troops from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, working with U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, detained five suspects in Mansuriyah al Jabal, a village near the city of Muqdadiyah.

In addition, Iraqi Ministry of the Interior troops and U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st BCT detained five other suspects following a combined raid near Samarra, officials reported.

A 1st BCT patrol discovered the biggest cache of the day, west of Balad. An explosives ordnance disposal team destroyed more than 100 hand grenades, 45 pounds of gunpowder, 2 pounds of plastic explosives, a preassembled roadside bomb and various other items, officials said. Three suspected terrorists were detained at the site.

Two other caches found in the same area yielded 23 mortar rounds, 300 artillery fuses, four blocks of plastic explosives, a mortar tube and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Explosive ordnance disposal teams destroyed both caches.

Iraqi soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, discovered another cache in the village of Haroniyah near Muqdadiyah. The cache contained nine mortar rounds that had been converted into improvised explosive devices and four RPG launchers. Two men were detained in connection with the weapons, officials said.

In other developments, officials announced Dec. 8 that a Marine assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in action Dec. 7. The Marine's vehicle was attacked with an IED during combat operations against the enemy in Ramadi. Officials are withholding the Marine's name until the family is notified.

Also on Dec. 8, Iraqi soldiers and police, along with U.S. troops, successfully conducted two separate operations near Baqubah that resulted in the capture of 14 suspected terrorists, officials said.

Operation Bulldawg Chariot, a joint mission with soldiers from Iraq's 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Army Division, and U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd BCT netted four suspected terrorists.

A tip from an Iraqi civilian led to the operation to nab suspected terrorists who were harassing, threatening and intimidating local Iraqi civilian construction workers who are building a new prison facility, officials said.

In Khadasia, northwest of Tikrit, Operation Able Rising Force unfolded with 10 suspected terrorists captured, including three who are wanted for IED attacks against local civilians and military. Iraqi soldiers from 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, Iraqi police from the area and soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st BCT, participated.

Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, detained two men after discovering a large cache of weapons and munitions Dec. 8 in the village of Haroniyah, northeast of Muqdadiyah.

The cache consisted of nine 60 mm mortars configured to be used as roadside bombs, four rocket-propelled grenade launchers, an antitank weapon known as a SPG-9 with one round and a television remote control. The suspects were held for further investigation.

Elsewhere the same day, soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, unearthed two caches buried near Balad in Salah Ad Din province. The find included 16 60 mm rounds, 16 artillery fuses and a technical manual for computers. Explosive ordnance disposal experts handled the scene.

And a car bomb exploded in Tikrit shortly after Iraqi police discovered it Dec. 8. Coalition forces, ambulances and fire trucks were called in to assist the police in establishing an initial cordon when the bomb, contained in a green minivan, exploded. No injuries or damages were reported.

Earlier this week, two insurgents attacked a patrol from the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

The terrorists engaged the U.S. patrol with small-arms fire in the Dec. 6 incident before driving away in their white sedan, officials said.

The patrol pursued the vehicle and detained both suspects, officials said. While searching the vehicle, the soldiers found $5,000 in U.S. cash, two pistols, cell phones and ammunition.

Coalition aircraft flew 34 close-air-support missions Dec. 8 for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a U.S. Air Force Predator struck an enemy improvised explosive device location near Rawah.

Ten U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq , Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Task Force Baghdad and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq [http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3591.html.

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Report Indicates Success for 2004 Absentee Voting Efforts

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2005 - Federal Voting Assistance Program efforts for the 2004 national election were successful, the program's director said in a Pentagon Channel interview here Dec. 6.

Effective voting assistance officer training and voter education and information programs contributed to record participation by groups covered under the
Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, Polli Brunelli said. The law protects federal absentee voting rights for uniformed servicemembers and for U.S. citizens not affiliated with the federal government and federal employees living overseas.

A post-election survey that serves as the basis for a congresionally mandated report survey revealed that participation was the same - 79 percent -- among overseas and stateside military voters. The figure for overseas military voters includes the 6 percent who tried to vote but were not successful, she said.

Between the 2000 and 2004 national elections, program officials significantly reduced the number of people who attempted to vote but were unsuccesful, Brunelli said.

Servicemembers surpassed overall civilian voter participation, Brunelli noted. Census figures show 64 percent of the eligible U.S. civilian population voted, she said.

Federal Voting Assistance Program teams conducted 164 workshops in 2004, more than twice the number held in 2000, Brunelli said. The teams trained unit-level voting assistance officers on tasks such as helping voters register in the right jurisdiction and how forms should be filled out.

"This is a collateral duty for our voting assistance officers so we want to make sure that they're trained and equipped to carry our their jobs," Brunelli said.

The survey showed servicemembers were highly satisfied with their voting assistance officers, and that the Internet was another primary source for information, she said. The FVAP Web site includes complete instructions on how to participate in the voting process, as well as links to state voting Web sites.

But educating assistance officers and voters is only half the equation, Brunelli said. "We also had incredible cooperation from the states and counties in sending out balloting matarials to our voters," she added, noting that some voters could cast their ballots by fax or e-mail. "Not every state (accepts electronic submissions)," she said. "It depends on what legislation is passed. State legislation has been very effective in removing barriers to absentee voting." She said 49 states allow some form of electronic transmission. Only about 24 states, however, will accept electronic submission of a voted ballot to a local election office.

Despite the success enjoyed in 2004, Brunelli said the voting assistance program can always do better.

"What we're trying to do is simplify the process," she said. "I think if our voters have a successful voting experience the first time, then they're inclined to be engaged for the next time and it gets easier as you go along."

Related Site:

Federal Voting Assistance Program [http://www.fvap.gov/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051209_3590.html.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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