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The Associated Press and Reuters have decided that only bad news from Iraq is to be reported. Death and dying will bring down a President. Truth must be hidden to win the war against right wing policies. Fairpress brings you the good news. There are sources out there and some of them will be brought forward and shared. Fairpress GOOD NEWS is provided to over a thousand newspapers and talk radio hosts.
Here's some GOOD NEWS you may have missed in your daily wire reports......... February 1, 2004
Acts of courage, big and small, occur daily in
Iraq.
A few recent victories by our military,
civilian and allied champions of freedom:
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Fairpress: Camp Doha, Kuwait, January 28,
2004 -- 2-17th Cavalry Gets Ready For Movement Back To Fort Campbell
The 2-17th Cavalry Regiment, an aerial reconnaissance asset of the 101st Aviation Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is now at Camp Doha, Kuwait, preparing for redeployment. The unit has been in theater since February 2003. Fifteen of the 2-17th Cavalry’s 24 Kiowa helicopters were carried into theater for the deployment. They have flown more than 12,000 flight hours during Operation Iraqi Freedom, an average of more than 800 flight hours per aircraft just this past year. The marathon for the 2-17th Cavalry’s pilots and crews is nearly finished...
More:
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Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, January 29, 2004 -- 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division Hands Off Community to 1st Armored Division Artillery The 1st Armored Division Artillery accepted authority of the Al Rashid district in southern Baghdad from 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Falcon Jan. 23.
...Col. Jon Brockman, DIVARTY commander, accepted the job
of helping rebuild Baghdad's southern district of more than 1.5 million people
from Col. Kurt Fuller, commander of the 2-82.
Fuller and his paratroopers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in February 2003, and are currently in the process of redeploying back to North Carolina. "Because we are able to conduct this transfer of authority today it is a testament to the improvement in the security situation now, compared to last July when I took command," Fuller said. "I am very proud of my paratroopers' efforts in the security area. I am equally proud of their efforts in rebuilding this area, restoring infrastructure, rehabilitating neglected schools, restoring civil functions and generating a local government structure where one never before existed." Some of the 2-82's achievements since July include: - Recruited, trained, equipped and employed 2,900 Facilities Protection Services (FPS) guards - Created a full battalion of nearly 1,000 Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) guardsmen - Removed more than 2,000 war wrecks - Refurbished the Thurwa Veteran's Clinic... - Hired more than 2,000 local citizens to help clear the streets of debris and trash, to provide security, and to repair the infrastructure - Administered the repair of 13 of 16 technical schools at a cost of $400,000. "This list is impressive and I am very proud of all the accomplishments we have made," Fuller said.
"Perhaps the most impressive part is the simple optimism and cooperation
that has solidified across the Al Rashid district as we have worked
together...
Fuller said his sincere wish is that all Iraqis are able to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity to build a better life - and make it what they want it to be. "I know I am leaving this district in good hands," he said. More:
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Fairpress: Ar Ramadi, Iraq, January 28,
2004 -- ICDC Capabilities, Responsibilities Grow Through Al Anbar
The capabilities of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps are growing steadily as they continue to independently operate in the Al Anbar province to provide peace and stability for the region. During the last 24 hours, ICDC soldiers conducted 13 independent patrols and 15 joint patrols with soldiers from Task Force "All American." Elements of the ICDC now have permanent barracks. All ICDC soldiers have standardized uniforms and are issued weapons to provide the security needed for the reconstruction of Iraq In Al Qa'im, the ICDC battalion now has a permanent headquarters and barracks where platoons live and operate. ....The efforts and dedication of the security forces have been shown in the countless independent and joint patrols conducted in the region, as well as during police investigations and cordon and search operations. Iraqi security forces are the key to the successful transition from Coalition to Iraqi control. Task Force "All American" will continue to train the security forces to ensure a rapid and seamless transition.
More:
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Fairpress: Ar Ramadi, Iraq, January 27, 2004
--Task Force “All-American ” Continues Operations In Al Anbar
The 82nd Airborne Division and its subordinate units
continued missions to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the
Al Anbar...
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s area of operations,
elements of 1st Squadron conducted a cordon and search of three targets
involved in attacks on Coalition forces. Soldiers captured two.....Task
Force 1-16 conducted a cordon and search north of Ar Ramadi to kill or
capture paramilitary forces believed to be planning attacks on Coalition
forces. As a result, soldiers captured two primary targets and confiscated
four AK-47s, one Russian machine gun, four 14.5 mm anti-aircraft guns...
As a result of these operations, anti-Coalition
personnel have been removed from the Iraqi community and will no longer be
able to harm the Iraqi citizens of the Al Anbar province.
More:
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Fairpress: Baghdad,
Iraq, January 27, 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt and Dan Senor Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director of Operation, CJTF-7: Coalition forces conducted a cordon and search north of Ar Ramadi to kill or capture Hassan Mohammed Oswald (ph) and Mohammed Hamad Oswald (ph). Hassan Oswald is believed to be planning attacks on coalition forces in the Ar Ramadi area, while Mohammed Oswald is suspected of being the key leader of a paramilitary force in the region. He was a colonel in the Iraqi police and a former national branch committee leader in the Ba'ath Party. Both primary targets are considered suspects in the assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Salah, and the operation was conducted without incident and resulted in the capture of both targets. ...In the central-south zone of operations coalition and Iraqi security forces conducted 117 patrols, 30 checkpoints, and escorted 29 convoys. ...In the southeastern zone of operation, in al-Amarah over 11,000 persons gathered for the scheduled job fair. The day passed without incident, and 6,000 people registered for jobs. More: http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/briefing-transcripts/brieft040127a.htm ---------------------------
Fairpress: Tikrit, Iraq, January 29,
2004 -- 4th Infantry Division Continues Operations
Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade raided a
building in Kirkuk at approximately 1:15 a.m. Jan. 28 in pursuit of an
individual suspected of storing mortar tubes, mortar systems and RPGs
for anti-Coalition forces. The soldiers captured nine individuals and
confiscated four AK-47 assault rifles.
...Three criminals fired at an Iraqi Civil Defense
Corps patrol with automatic weapons during the evening of Jan. 27 near
the town of Habis. The ICDC soldiers were investigating a disturbance
when they were attacked. The ICDC patrol returned fire killing one of
the attackers and wounding another....No ICDC soldiers were injured in
the incident.
.....Attack helicopters from the 1st Brigade Combat
Team discovered seven, apparently operational, ZPU 57-2 anti-aircraft
artillery weapons south of Ash Sharqat during the morning of Jan. 27.
An AH-64 "Apache" pilot fired on the weapons destroying all
of them.
More:
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Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq,
January 28, 2004 -- Brig. Gen. Vincent Boles Ladies and gentlemen, I am
pleased to introduce Brigadier General Vincent E. Boles, commanding
general of the 3rd Corps Support Command, also known as the 3rd
COSCOM, currently stationed in LSA Anaconda, Balad, Iraq. (There) are three COSCOMs in
the Army. I command the 3rd... And we presently have 15,000
soldiers, a little more than 10 percent of the task force... This is who we are....We're
15,000 soldiers. We come from the active Army, and then we also have
about 43 percent of our force... come from our Army National Guard
and Army Reserve. We have delivered an awful lot
of fuel -- 186 million gallons -- and 330 million gallons of water.
Four-and-a-half million cases of bottled water is what we have taken
out to our soldiers, and 100,000 maintenance work orders. So we fix
our equipment to keep it at a pretty high readiness level for what
we're going to do.... And then finally, we order a lot of repair
parts to keep that equipment running: 4.3 million requisitions to
request things, to get repair parts. Seven thousand of those moves
that we do every year are called heavy equipment moves. We move
rather large tanks. We don't want to drive them on the roadways, we
don't want to drive the bulldozers on the roadways, so we will put
them up on heavy equipment transporters and move them around in
order to save the road networks. We have been very flattered and
happy to be part of the stand up of the Iraqi railroad again, and we
have had over 350 rail movements just in the past four to six months
as we have stood up and gotten that moving, and it has been a great
asset to us also. And then we have put 8,800 flights in our Iraqi
airfields.... First and foremost, in the
most recent past we've seen the rain have an impact on what we do.
In Germany we have a phenomena on the roads we call black ice...Here
in Iraq we've had a phenomena called brown ice. We find when the
rain hits, it will get the mud...and it will start making it very
slick for our soldiers. And when you're driving very heavy trucks,
that's something we have to guard against for our own safety and the
safety of the Iraqi population. Our time and distance is also a factor because it's a pretty large operation, if Iraq's the size of California. It's about 910 kilometers just from the Kuwait border, where we start, up into this vicinity here in Baghdad. And that's a 15-1/2 hour drive with the convoys that we have. And, put another way, if Iraq is the size of California, that would equate from driving from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Francisco...And our soldiers do that every day.... Finally, we have a very adaptive enemy...whether through small-arms fire, mortars or improvised explosive devices...if you have 2,000 trucks on the road every day, you'll run into some of these and our soldiers face these challenges every day... ...I've had six soldiers,
unfortunately.. killed in action, since we have been here. And I
have 181 soldiers that have been inducted into the Order of the
Purple Heart, who have been wounded in action. We're learning as well... -- we've been very blessed with satellite-based communications for in-transit visibility. We also have a system called a movement tracking system which allows a Soldier anywhere they go in their truck to tap on a keyboard and send a message anywhere with their position and where they're at .. ...We've put our Soldiers in Interceptor body armor, 100 percent of them now. And we've also adapted our vehicles and gun trucks and our Soldiers have made gun truck out of their own devices and put additional protection on, and additional ballistic armor... And our Soldiers do this every day, every mission. Well, why would we do this? We
don't just do it for ourselves. We're looking at building a better
future together. We've spent $2.8 million to help 12,000 students in
121 schools up in our districts in the area that we work within. And
I got to tell you, that's a labor of love when you look in the eyes
of our soldiers' faces. And people say how do we need to connect
with the Iraqi population? I would say just simply put Soldiers with
children and the right things seem to happen. It's just magical. It
seems to bring out the best in both of us. http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/briefing-transcripts/brieft040128a.htm ------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, Act II ~ and more daily acts of courage for the returning Marines who risked their lives to remove a tyrant and free a nation, who helped the Iraqi people topple the statues of Saddam Hussein on April 9, 2003: Baghdad Liberation Day:
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Fairpress: CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa, Japan, January 31, 2004
-- 3/4 Gears Up For Operation Iraqi Freedom II
More than 800 Marines and Sailors from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, currently serving with 3rd Marine Division under the Unit Deployment Program, will deploy to Iraq within the coming weeks to support the security and stability operations there. Commonly referred to as Operation Iraqi Freedom II by the majority of the Marine Corps, both 3/4 and 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, another UDP unit serving under 4th Marines, will leave Okinawa to join the rest of 1st Marine Division in taking over responsibility of operations there from the Army....
Maj. Kevin Norton, operations officer: "The rules of
engagement have changed a lot for this trip compared to our last
time in Iraq....This time we will be stationary for the most part
as we focus on winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people
and convincing them to believe in the coalition's
objectives."
....With 50 percent of its forces returning as veterans of OIF, all Marines in 3/4 are looking forward to the upcoming deployment to the Middle East, according to Lance Cpl. Jason A. Baromonte, rifleman with Company K. "I consider it a blessing to get to go back for a second time," Baromonte said. "I think it's a good thing to give the Marines a chance to rebuild the parts of Iraq we demolished during combat last year."
More:
New Beginnings:
-------------------------- Fairpress: Hatra, Iraq, January 19, 2004 --101st
Participates In Clinic, School Openings The Hatra Brass Recovery Company (HBRC) at ammo supply
point Jaguar also held a ribbon cutting ceremony. The workers at Jaguar have
been scrapping and selling brass and other metals since the summer. The money
gathered from the HBRC is being used for reconstruction projects in the town. http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/january2004/040119e.htm
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Progress:
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From the Fourth Infantry Division:
Fairpress: Tikrit, Iraq, January 22, 2004 -- Maj. Gen Raymond
Odierno Iraq Operations In Tikrit Area Of Iraq
GEN. ODIERNO: The former regime elements we have been
combating have been brought to their knees. Capturing Saddam was a major
operational and psychological defeat for the enemy. But a more important
result of his capture is the increase in accurate information brought forward
by Iraqis allowing us to conduct numerous precise raids to kill or capture
financiers, IED-makers, and mid-level leaders of the former regime. These
groups are still a threat, but a fractured, sporadic threat with the
leadership destabilized, finances interdicted and no hope of the Ba'athists'
return to power. More: http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/briefing-transcripts/brieft040122b.htm -----------------------------------------
Training their eventual replacements: ----------------------------------------------
Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, January 21, 2004 --
Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing with Rebuilding Iraq Armed Forces
GEN. EATON: Over
the past several months, Coalition Military Assistance Training Team, known as
CMATT, has been engaged in training the Iraqi army. We are developing
forces which are under political control, accountable to the nation, and
defensive in capability and intent.
I have come to you today about three things. First is the process by which we are recruiting, training and employing the Iraqi army. Second is the benefit an Iraqi force will provide to the Iraqi people. And third and most importantly, we are building the values we expect of a professional military in a democratic society.
The process starts at three main recruiting hubs in Basra, Baghdad, and Mosul.
Nearly 1,000 recruits are recruited in order to produce an active battalion of 757 soldiers.
The first battalion graduated on 4 October and is currently based at Kirkuk, and employed by the 4th Infantry Division Mechanized.
The second battalion has been employed by the 1st Armored Division, and they're garrisoned at Taji since their graduation on 6 January..
And we look forward to the graduation this week of the 3rd Battalion and their subsequent deployment to the Mosul area.
...Based on the premise that a thousand leaders can create an army faster than creating an army a thousand soldiers at a time, we have adopted the same cohort model for recruitment and training that the United States used to gear up for World War II.
The remaining 23 battalions will follow this course of action, where officers and non-commissioned officers will conduct separate courses. They then come together to form the battalion cadre, and will train their own soldiers who will be recruited and brought together en masse to the locations where the garrisons are set. I would like to emphasize here that this will be an Iraqi army trained by Iraqis.
We currently have more than 1,200 soldiers on duty, and more than 2,500 in training.
In addition to the 27 infantry battalions in the army, we are building the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force and the Iraqi Army Air Corps.
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Creating an Iraqi army not only benefits the security of Iraq, but also the economy. In addition to the soldiers, we employ hundreds of Iraqi civilians to build garrisons and provide services. Most contracts pertaining to the Iraqi army are given to Iraqi contractors. This action brings much-needed jobs and future opportunity to our people.
------
Lastly, I want to briefly discuss our emphasis on the values and the ethos we are striving to forge in the armed forces. This is not the old army.....
------ As Iraq is reborn, we believe that her armed forces can lead the way in unifying Iraq.
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2004/tr20040121-1181.html
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CJTF7: Iraq, the big picture, and much progress: ----------------------------------
Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, January 22, 2004 --
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt and Dan Senor
CJTF7 and Coalition Provisional Authority Update
GEN. KIMMITT: Over the past week, there has been an
average of 18 daily engagements against coalition military forces, just over
two attacks daily against Iraqi security forces, and just over one attack
daily against Iraqi civilians. The coalition remains offensively oriented to
kill or capture anti-coalition elements, terrorists and conspirators against
the Iraqi people, and to establish a safe and secure environment.
In the past 24 hours, the coalition has conducted 1,492
patrols, 29 offensive operations, 15 raids, and captured 105 anti-coalition
suspects.
((RC's addition) That is one day's work for our
Soldiers...105 suspects captured, 1492 patrols...29 operations...15
raids...ONE day. While the world hears about the latest courageous
Soldier killed, how often do they hear about the missions our Soldiers
successfully complete each day?)
---------------
MR. SENOR: I would just add that as far back as August and
September, we were seeing attacks-- against Iraqi political leaders who were
working with the coalition. A member of the Iraqi Governing Council was
assassinated. The deputy mayor of Baghdad was assassinated. Police chiefs have
been assassinated. Judges have been killed.
.... the message is clear. There are elements within this country that want to turn the clock back on Iraq. They want to turn it back to the era of mass graves and chemical attacks and torture chambers and rape rooms. And they will target Iraqis and Iraqi leaders who want to change that course and move Iraq forward. And we believe, now that we are in the stage where we're handing over more and more authority to the Iraqi people every single day -- it is possible that the enemies of the new Iraq, the enemies of freedom, will target those Iraqis who are assuming this authority, and we have to work to protect them. And it is also important to know that the Iraqi security forces are building up in very rapid numbers. There are over 150,000 Iraqis today securing their own country. There are more Iraqis today in positions of security forces than there are Americans in this country securing Iraq. And so they, in and of themselves, are working very hard to protect the path that Iraq is clearly on right now and is not turning back.
-----------
GEN. KIMMITT: ...It is horrible to go down to a site, as we
saw at Assassin's Gate a few days ago, and see what people are capable of
doing. But the fact still remains that once that attack was over, once we gave
medical care to those who we could -- progress continued. People showed
up for work the next day. The Iraqi Security Forces showed up. The police
showed up in their police stations. The ICDC soldiers went out and patrolled
the next day. The Governing Council met. We continued to work the projects.
American soldiers, coalition soldiers got back out there and continued the
progress.
-- the success is measured by the progress we made and we
continue to make.
And as Hamid al-Kafa'i said from here that day, the terrorists will not succeed. They will not succeed because the coalition is prepared to support this country. The terrorists will not succeed because the people of Iraq are not going to look back... More:
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In spite of attacks over the last few days, the Iraqis
are volunteering to defend their country in increasing numbers, and
providing our troops with valuable intel on enemies and weapons:
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Fairpress: Ramadi, Iraq, January 24, 2004
-- Iraqi Security Forces Continue To Exceed Recruitment Goals
The newly formed Iraqi security forces continued recruitment training and missions over the last day to bring peace and prosperity to the residents of the Al Anbar province. Over 600 candidates arrived to fill the 106 available slots in the 3rd Iraqi Border Police Battalion in Al Qa'im, demonstrating the desire of the Iraqi people to secure their own future. Civil affairs teams with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment assisted with the recruitment. Today 232 police officers graduated from the Police Academy at Forward Operating Base Junction City in Ar Ramadi. Task Force "All American" continues to make progress in training and equipping the new Iraqi security forces. The 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division completed training 195 Iraqi Civil Defense Corps recruits. Their graduation completes the training of all units in the 501st ICDC Battalion. At the Navea Training Center northwest of Hit, 220 ICDC recruits that graduated as soldiers continue their training. Border police training at Al Asad continues and they will graduate 155 on Feb. 3. These troops are the future of security forces in Iraq. They will be responsible for providing security, peace, and safety to the people of the Al Anbar province. The efforts and dedication of the previous graduates have been shown in the countless joint and independent patrols conducted in the region, as well as the police investigations and cordon and search operations.
More:
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New American arrivals: assisting in force security for
the largest troop movement since WWII:
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Fairpress: Pope AFB,
N.C., January 20, 2004 -- 82nd Airborne troops to provide force
rotation security
Deploying in harm’s way for
the second time in two years, the first contingent of the 82nd Airborne
Division’s 1st Brigade departed for Iraq from Pope Air Force Base, N.C.,
Jan. 15. Acting Secretary of the Army
Les Brownlee visited the Iraq-bound 82nd Soldiers for two hours just prior
to their departure...“Over the next two months, 250,000 Soldiers will be
on the move in and out of Iraq -- the biggest Army movement since World War
II"... “To minimize the danger, we need somebody who already has
combat experience. Sorry you got picked on again. When you are really good,
you get picked on.” More: http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5602 -------------------------------------------- They'll have new help: Fairpress: Habbaniyah, Iraq, January 20, 2004 -- Army Deploys 'Shadow' Unmanned Air Vehicle in Iraq Having better intelligence than your enemy is vital to the success of a military operation, and the current situation in Iraq is no exception. Every day, terrorists, insurgents, and members of the ousted Baath Party attempt ambushes and place improvised explosive devices intended to kill innocent civilians and coalition soldiers. To combat this, the Army has recently developed and deployed a new information gatherer – the Shadow, a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle. Soldiers from the 312th and 313th Military Intelligence Battalions operate and maintain the Shadow TUAV for the 82nd Airborne Division, which is calling the Anbar province home these days. The vehicle's mission is to gather intelligence from high altitudes, which allows it to remain mostly imperceptible to enemy detection. ---------- The significance of the Shadow's mission isn't lost on the soldiers who make it happen. "While we are flying our birds and doing surveillance, we are saving troopers' lives," said Pfc. Emmanuel Rendon, a Shadow operator.. More: http://www.dod.mil/news/Jan2004/n01202004_200401207.html ----------------------------------- More help is on the way: Fairpress: At Sea (NNS), January 23, 2004 -- USS George Washington Rejoins War on Terrorism Jan. 20, more than 5,000 Sailors said goodbye to
their families and friends as USS George Washington (CVN 73), the
embarked Carrier Air Wing 7, Commander Carrier Group 8 and Destroyer
Squadron 28 departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment to the
Mediterranean Sea and possibly the Persian Gulf. --------- Rear Adm. Denby Starling, commander, George
Washington Strike Group, knows how much Sailors need the support of
their families....“Certainly, they’re motivated by patriotism and a
desire to do their jobs well, but it’s the support Sailors receive
from their families that truly keeps them going. I thank them all for
that support.".... “They should all take comfort in knowing
that they are deploying in the finest, best-trained Navy in the world. I
would rather be heading off on our side of the game than having to face
us.” http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=11374 ---------------------------------------
Preparing to join their allies:
Fairpress: Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma,
Ariz., January 23, 2004 -- Desert Talon prepares Marines for Iraq
Marines from aviation units throughout the United States checked in here Jan. 17 for exercise Desert Talon 1-04. Desert Talon will prepare the air combat element of the Marine Air Ground Task Force going to Iraq, said Maj. James T. Jenkins, special projects officer, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1. More than 1,100 Marine students, 1,000 support personnel and 50 aircraft have come together to conduct an exercise that will teach these Marines to work cohesively as a unit. This is the first exercise of its kind to take place at Yuma...
-------
The staff of MAWTS-1 created a 13-day exercise that includes classroom training, practical application and a final exercise. “...There are lots of little things units do differently,” Jenkins said. “This exercise helps everyone know what to expect. You have to get the team together and practice before the big game.” ----- Outside a real combat situation “this is as real as it gets.” More: http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/D5FC5A8A2482A7E985256E230083A132?opendocument
January 18, 2004
Last week the Defense Department made it easier for anyone with a computer to
stay on top of the daily accomplishments of our troops across Iraq.
Combined Joint Task Force 7 moved their website, and changed the appearance:
Now, along with the detailed daily security and humanitarian updates of our
major divisions, a primary news source on Iraq, CJTF7, is providing the
world with more insight into the brave men and women working to stabilize
Iraq, and bring freedom to a longsuffering nation.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fairpress -- Baghdad, Iraq, January 14, 2004 -- 2nd ACR Graduates 1st ICDC Class At Camp Muleskinner 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) The new ICDC recruits eat, sleep, and train on the
academy grounds, staying fully immersed in the military environment. The
workday begins at 4 a.m. for the students and usually does not wind down
until about 10 p.m. For the cadre, hours are more strenuous, starting at
3:30 a.m. and ending at 1 a.m. daily. With the graduation ceremony at an end, the new ICDC
soldiers celebrated. One platoon lifted one of their trainers, Sgt. Danny
Hill, unto their shoulders, shouting “Thank you, thank you Sgt. Hill!” More: http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/january2004/040114h.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------
Fairpress -- Mosul, Iraq, January 13, 2004 -- Soldiers Play With
Fire
431st Civil Affairs Battalion,101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mosul, Iraq -- Soldiers from the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul built a fire in the “burn house” at the Mosul Public Safety Academy Dec. 12. The fire was part of a demonstration to show the training Iraqi firefighters have received at the academy.
So far, 392 firefighters have been trained in first aid and firefighting.
In addition to the training, soldiers from the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion provided new equipment for the firefighters, including the three new fire engines used in the demonstration. Coalition Forces continue working in northern Iraq to improve the quality of life in the region. More:
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Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, January 12, 2004 -- Aid Station
Treats Task Force 1st Airborne Division Soldiers
501st Forward Support Battalion "Providers"
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BAGHDAD, Iraq – From traumas to sick call, the 501st Forward Support Battalion’s (FSB) aid station provides care for soldiers from the 1st Armored Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. The aid station, located at the battalion’s Provider Forward Operating Base in Baghdad...is capable of handling patients with more serious illnesses or injuries.. In addition to equipment for typical sick call and emergency care, the aid station has an X-ray machine, a lab and dental facilities.... The aid station treats about 10 to 20 patients daily. Most patients are soldiers seeking treatment during sick call for orthopedic problems or, most recently, flu symptoms. One good sign...the number of trauma cases in the aid station has greatly decreased. In the past six weeks, only two soldiers have required evacuation to more advanced medical facilities. Pvt. Lisa Umberger, a medic with C Company, 501st FSB, says she has the best job she could ask for. More:
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Fairpress.org: Mosul, Iraq,
January 12, 2003 -- First telephone fiber optic cable laid in Northern
Iraq
501st Signal
Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). MOSUL, IRAQ – A
ceremony was held in the city of Mosul today in honor of the first fiber
optic communications network to be laid in Northern Iraq. With the new 40
kilometers of fiber optic cable connecting Mosul to Dohuk, a city to the
north, communications between people will be greatly improved. The next mission for the Iraqi engineers and Coalition forces will be the laying of cable from Mosul to the city of Erbil, to the east... More: http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/january2004/040112a.htm -------------------------------------------------------- Fairpress: Mosul, Iraq, January 15, 2004 -- Iraqi Talent Show Head In Mosul 101st Airborne Division (Air
Assault) “We’re going to show that everybody has a right to make something of themselves in the new Iraq,” Freeburg said. More: http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/january2004/040115i.htm ------------------------------------------------- Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, January 17, 2004 -- Iraqi Disabled Vets Say Farewell To Their U.S. Soldier Friends 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion - Greensboro,
N.C Baghdad, Iraq - Soldiers from
the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from
Greensboro, N.C., and the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, an Army Reserve
unit from Riverdale, Md., both part of Task Force 1st Armored
Division, said their goodbyes to the Iraqi disabled veterans at the Al
Shamookh Village for Disabled Veterans after the units’ final
mission there Jan 4. ---------- The civil affairs teams’ involvement with the
disabled veterans has gained them notoriety within the Al Shamookh
community....Children ask for soldiers by name whenever the soldiers
arrive in the neighborhood. http://www.cjtf7.army.mil/media-information/january2004/040117e.htm -------------------------------------------------- The international wire services have decided that mostly bad news from Iraq is to be reported. Death and dying will bring down a President. Truth must be hidden to win the war against right wing policies. Fairpress brings you the good news for delivery to an American public starving for the truth. There are sources out there and some of them will be brought forward and shared.
For
more Good News, and there is a lot more, please visit our list
at WWW.fairpress.org/goodnews.htm
November 17, 2003
Once again, the enemies of freedom attacked our
courageous troops in time for the weekend Sunday news shows.
The press, once again, responded by repeating the
list of recent, sporadic, and deadly attacks on our heroes by
far less capable enemies.
Our troops, past and present, suffered for our
freedom. We can pay every fallen hero in Iraq and
Afghanistan the respect they deserve by honoring their selfless
choice to serve, and by telling others about their good works.
Our lost and wounded heroes - and their loved ones - deserve
far better than a lazy rehashing of recent casualties by our
free press.
Fortunately, CENTCOM continues to make it easy for members
of the press - and anyone with access to the internet - to
learn about both the daily sacrifices paid by our
troops, and their daily successes.
Outstanding work was done by the 101st Airborne ~ along
with other brave "airborn" troops ~ in the line of duty
last week - locating enemies, and deadly weapons from the air
~ saving many innocent lives.
Remember the 17 troops killed, 5 wounded and one
missing because of the two UH – 60 Black hawk helicopters assigned
to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) crashing in West Mosul on
November 15th.
Remember also.....
For the 101st:
*******
Fairpress: Iraq, November 11, 2003 -- 4TH ID
SECURES LARGE CACHES OF ROCKETS AND MUNITIONS
The 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor soldiers received a report
from an AH-64 helicopter that identified a location south of Baji as a
possible weapons cache site. They went to the site and discovered storage
structures that contained approximately 800 BM 21 rockets.
------
An additional weapons cache of 1,500 rounds of 155mm
artillery shells was located north of Balad. This discovery was the result
of an observation made by crewmen in a 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry Regiment
helicopter.
More:
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Fairpress: Baghdad, Iraq, November 13, 2003 --1st
ARMORED DIVISION STRIKES BACK IN OPERATION IRON HAMMER
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Task Force 1st Armored Division kicked off “Operation Iron Hammer” Nov. 12 with two separate actions on enemy forces. ...A van suspected of launching mortar attacks against Coalition sites was given chase by ground forces. The van made stops at several sites. Aerial support followed the van out of the village and an AH-64 Apache helicopter conducted an attack on the vehicle. The attack resulted in 2 KIA, 3 WIA, and 5 individuals captured. At a search of the first site where the vehicle stopped, 1st Armored Division soldiers recovered one 82mm mortar launch tube...
More:
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Fairpress: Mosul, Iraq, November 13, 2003 -- 20
DETAINED IN A SERIES OF 101ST RAIDS
MOSUL, IRAQ – Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) captured twenty personnel suspected of violence against U.S. forces in a series of overnight raids Nov. 11. Working with local Iraqi police forces and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps members, the 101st conducted five cordon and knocks in Mosul, and one near Tal Afar. Among those captured were four suspected in the Nov. 1 deaths of two 101st soldiers working with the Mosul mayor.
More:
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Fairpress: Iraq, November 13, 2003 -- IRAQIS LEAD
101st SOLDIERS TO IEDs, WEAPONS TURNED IN
MOSUL, IRAQ– Iraqi children led soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to two improvised explosive devices in Mosul Nov. 11, and soldiers discovered a third device before it exploded. In the first incident, two children led members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team to two IEDs near the Qayyarah Civil Military Operations Center at about 7 p.m. Nov. 11. In the second incident, a patrol from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team found an unexploded IED in Mosul near one of the five major bridges at about 8:15 p.m. In an unrelated incident, a civilian turned in 68 rocket-propelled grenades, 96 anti-tank RPG warheads, 16 anti-personnel RPG warheads, and 107 RPG propellant charges to the Division Headquarters in Mosul.
More:
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Fairpress: Tikrit, Iraq, November 14, 2003
-- ENEMY KILLED AIMING ROCKETS TOWARD COALITION BASE
TIKRIT, Iraq – An AH-64 “Apache” helicopter observed and fired on attackers as they were aiming rockets at a forward operating base in the evening of Nov. 13. Seven attackers were killed and one was wounded as a result of the confrontation. In response to the attack a patrol from 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry went to the location where the attackers were and verified that the attackers suffered casualties. Additionally, the patrol found three destroyed vehicles that included a flat bed truck carrying 50 missiles. After searching the area, the patrol discovered two bunkers near the attack site filled with just over 900 BM-21 missiles, 6ft. in length and 6in. in diameter. ----- This action is part of Task Force Ironhorse’s “Operation Ivy Cyclone.” The operation is ongoing, focusing on aggressive offensive operations including patrols, ambushes, cordon and searches and raids. The operation is a concentrated, uncompromising effort to locate and detain or eliminate any person and/or undertaking that seeks to harm coalition forces or innocent Iraqis as they work together to bring stability and security to a free Iraq.
More:
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Fairpress: Mosul, Iraq, November 15, 2003 --
101ST RAIDS NET ALLEGED TERRORISTS OPERATING IN NORTHERN IRAQ
MOSUL, IRAQ (Nov. 14, 2003) – The 101st Airborne Division detained 14 suspected terrorists during “cordon and knock” Nov 13. ----- Just after sundown Thursday the division’s 2nd Brigade Combat team apprehended an entire eight-member cell in southwest Mosul, the leader of which is suspected of plotting to assassinate at least one key coalition leader there. Three more individuals on the division’s most wanted list for having conducting attacks on U.S. forces were detained later that evening also in Mosul. The 3rd Brigade Combat team detained an additional three suspects in three separate pre-dawn raids this morning northwest of Mosul. During the last week in the northern province of Nineveh, the 101st has detained more than 50 individuals suspected of committing terrorist acts or having involvement in terrorist organizations and planning.
More:
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Fairpress: Iran-Iraq border, November 12, 2003 -- Customs
agents help guards on Iraqi border
Special agents from U.S. Customs were in Northern Iraq last week providing
assistance to border guards and a specialized company attached to the
101st Airborne Division.
At a remote location along the Iran-Iraq border, the agents were greeted by Soldiers from Company F, 51st Infantry Regiment. The customs agents immediately assessed that the task of patrolling the mountainous border area was not going to be an easy one. ...isolated lonely, and cold, the 61 Foxtrot Soldiers, who had been manning 660 kilometers of Iraqi border...understood his point -- the number of Soldiers patrolling the border is not as important as the skill of the Soldiers. The Foxtrot Company specializes in long-range surveillance, one of only a handful of units in the Army with that capability. ...Weapon smugglers and terrorists have moved freely across the border through the remote snow-capped mountains..
------
The 101st Abn. Div. Soldiers have trained more than 2,100 Iraqi border
guards who man the borders of Iran, Syria and Turkey.
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Fairpress: BALAD SOUTHEAST
AIRFIELD, Iraq, November 14, 2003 -- First
C-5 arrives at Balad
The first C-5 Galaxy
arrived here Nov. 12, from Dover Air Force Base, Del., increasing the
Air Force presence at the Army's Logistical Support Area. A 14-person
crew and about 21 truckloads of war material were on board the aircraft.
"This event is a significant milestone in support of the global war on terrorism and continuing joint operations in this region," said Col. Frank Padilla, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s Detachment 1. “The more cargo (the Air Force) can bring in using aircraft can exponentially reduce the amount of vehicle convoys required from Baghdad International Airport, to transport much needed cargo into and out of here," Padilla said. The routes used to convoy cargo on the roads to Balad are dangerous. Fewer Army trucks on the road translates to potentially more American lives saved. No other aircraft in the Air Force inventory has the 270,000-pound cargo-carrying capacity of the C-5; it can carry twice as much as the next largest jet in the Air Force inventory. The C-5 can carry fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice, and then provide field support required to help sustain the force, officials said.
More:
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Fairpress: Baltimore-Washington International Airport, November 14, 2003 -- Veterans Welcome R&R-Bound Troops----- ''Bill and Carolyn Self move from person to person. Carolyn hands out Veterans of Foreign Wars red "Buddy Poppy" flowers, while Bill says the flight has been delayed and will not arrive until around 11:30 a.m. – six hours later than originally anticipated. ----- Members of the VFW have been on hand to welcome troops since the (R&R) program began Sept. 26... ...''soldiers are often surprised and grateful that someone is there to greet them especially at the early hour. Typically flights arrive around 5:30 a.m.'' ----- As the soldiers enter the terminal, the VFW members shake their hands and give them a phone card. Most of the soldiers are getting connecting flights, so Carolyn encourages each to use the phone card to call "their mama" or let someone know that they made it this far safely. When asked why they get up before the sun and maintain such a schedule, the couple who have been married 52 years, have the same answer - to ensure there is someone there when the soldiers come home... More:
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Fairpress brings you the good news for delivery to an American public starving for the truth. There are sources out there and some of them will be brought forward and shared.
For more
Good News, and there is a lot more, please visit our list at WWW.fairpress.org/goodnews.htm
November 11, 2003
In honor
of our military this Veteran's Day week:
Fairpress.org: Washington, Nov. 5, 2003 -- VA Launches 'Kids Page' Web Site ''The Department of Veterans Affairs announced the launch of "VA Kids" - a new Web page designed to help young people understand what it means to be a veteran.'' "The ideals of military service and patriotism can be unfamiliar to some children and young adults," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. The site, contains areas for students in kindergarten through Grade 5, for Grades 6 through 12, and for teachers. VA Kids also has information about VA, Veterans Day, scholarships, student volunteer opportunities, rehabilitative and special events for disabled veterans and links to veteran-related sites. ---- "The title 'veteran' is bestowed by a grateful nation on citizens willing to sacrifice everything to preserve our freedom," Principi said. "It is our responsibility to honor these heroes by ensuring that each American generation understands what this prestigious title means." More: http://www.dod.mil/news/Nov2003/n11052003_200311051.html -------------- Fairpress: Washington, Nov. 7, 2003 -- VA Secretary Details Plans for Better Care, Service to Veterans ''Secretary Anthony Principi made bold claims today on plans to transform the second largest federal department in the nation, promising veterans and America that the "Veterans Affairs will not be found wanting." Speaking before the National Press Club here, Principi said when President Bush named him to the helm of the VA three years ago, "He directed me to take whatever steps were necessary to improve VA's health care and our benefits- delivery systems." ------- "When a wounded or injured veteran from Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom contacts VA for care," he said, "our question cannot be, 'Are you still on active duty? Do you have your discharge papers?' I simply do not want to hear those kinds of questions. The only question that should be asked of any man or woman on active duty is, 'How can we help you now? We'll sort out the paperwork later." Principi and his wife were both Vietnam vets. Two of his sons served in Iraq... More: http://www.dod.mil/news/Nov2003/n11072003_200311075.html ------- Fairpress.org: Washington-November 6, 2003 -- Briefing on the Force Rotation Plan
Presenter: Air Force Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz
"Much effort has gone into the planning for the rotation. As can be expected, when our nation is at war -- and indeed, that is the condition we face -- we are asking much of our military and much of our own people." -----
"As referenced by the secretary and the chairman earlier, we have roughly 275,000 personnel performing all types of security in Iraq today. While the U.S. and non-Iraqi coalition forces have remained relatively steady, the Iraqi coalition numbers have increased substantially over the last couple months, and no doubt will increase in equal measure in the months ahead."
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031106-0864.html
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Fairpress.org: Washington, Nov. 5, 2003 -- Chu Outlines Challenges in Management of Reserve Forces Recruiting and retention has "held up nicely despite stress on the force as a whole," Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu told members of the House Armed Services Committee here today. And a survey of military personnel, active and reserve, which is done every four months, shows a "higher level of satisfaction with military life than three to four years ago," he added. "Their intentions to stay (in the military) remain strong." "The nation can be proud of the service of its citizens in military uniform today," said Chu. "The force has done extraordinary things in the last two years." More: http://www.dod.mil/news/Nov2003/n11052003_200311053.html -----------
Fairpress: CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. November 4,
2003 -- Marine Corps set to celebrate 228th birthday
''November 10, 1775: a date all U.S. Marines are
familiar with. This year marks the Corps' 228th anniversary, and whether
they're manning far-flung posts or accomplishing stateside duties, all Marines
will find ways to celebrate.
More:
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Fairpress: MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP
PENDLETON, Calif. November 5, 2003 -- Bush confers highest unit award to I
MEF
Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom will
have a new, rare ribbon to sport for Marine Corps birthday balls.
Secretary of the Navy Gordon England awarded the Presidential Unit Citation to I Marine Expeditionary Force for President George W. Bush Monday. It's the first time the PUC was awarded to a Camp Pendleton-based unit since the 1st Marine Division was given the award in 1968. "This is very significant," said Sgt. Maj. William T. Kinney, I MEF sergeant major. "It's the highest unit award and is given to us by the president." The PUC was awarded to I MEF Marines "for extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance in action against enemy forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ..." according to the citation. The award citation noted that I MEF Marines "conducted the longest sequence of coordinated combined arms overland attacks in the history of the Marine Corps." ''England lauded the MEF for its wartime actions in the award citation, including the destruction of nine Iraqi divisions, crossing four rivers and advancing nearly 800 kilometers under sustained and heavy combat in 33 days.''
More:
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Fairpress.org: Washington - November 6, 2003 --
DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers
Rumsfeld: ''The troops deployed in
Operation Iraqi Freedom have a great deal to be proud of. They have
rescued a nation and liberated a people. And today, they are fighting
terrorists and regime remnants and doing a great deal to help the Iraqi
people get on a path to stability and self-government.''
-----
"These attacks against the coalition are
examples of the very real danger we face from the former regime loyalists,
extremists, and other criminal groups in Iraq who continue to use such
attacks against the coalition and Iraqis in an effort to create instability.
And it also emphasizes the importance of our resolve to follow through with
our mission. And our troops are doing just that.''
''To that end, coalition forces conducted four offensive operations in the past 24 hours, to include more than 20 raids and 1,800 patrols around Iraq. In the course of these raids, they uncovered multiple weapons caches in Iraq, to include a couple of SAM launchers, the man- portable SAM launchers; nearly 300 120mm mortar rounds, 70 60mm mortar rounds, and some 60 RPG rounds.''
''In one of these raids, the 1st Armored Division was assisted by a local sheik who led the soldiers to a couple of different sites. In another raid, a young Iraqi man turned in 16 SA-7 anti-aircraft missile components. And Iraqis are not the only ones assisting our forces in uncovering weapons. They are assuming more and more responsibility for their own security, as the secretary said, in police and facility protection roles as well. The third Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, for example, is currently training a new class of 165 recruits. And tomorrow we'll graduate our first class of 46 Iraqi police servicemen at a Police Academy in Al-Ramadi.''
''The total number of Iraqi security forces, as the secretary says, now exceeds 118,000..''.
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031106-secdef0862.html
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Fairpress.org: November 6, 2003 -- Regional Media
Interviews with Gen. Pace
Presenter: Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, vice
chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
(Interview with Lisa Foronda, KHOU-TV, Houston.)
''We need to make sure that the guardsmen and the reservists' mission is a good one, and one that they can feel good about executing. All the folks that I've talked to in Iraq and Afghanistan -- to a man and a woman – have, in fact, felt very good about the mission they're on.''
''Number two, we need to make sure that we only call upon the Guard and Reserves when we need guardsmen and reserves and we don't have the capacity currently in the active force to do that.''
'Number three, we need to make sure that we take care of their families and that we respect the absolute right for them to know when they're going to be called up, how long they're going to be on active duty, and when we're going to let them go back to their civilian jobs.''
''So, I think as long as we adhere to those principles, that we will continue to sustain good enlistments.''
---
''As you know, since 11 September 2001, we have been a nation at war and we are winning this war in Afghanistan. We are winning this war in Iraq. We are winning this war against the global networks and we will continue to do so, but it requires commitments of not only the individuals in uniform who are doing this, but our entire government and, indeed, our citizenry. Our Congress has voted overwhelmingly that our citizens say that this is a fight that is a commitment to the nation.'' -----
''I would say.. to the moms and dads and brother and sisters and husbands and wives of the forces over there, thank you for what you have done here at home to support your loved one overseas. They should be extremely proud of what their sons and daughters are doing right now. These troops are trained magnificently well. They are part of a fighting force that is second to none anywhere in the world.''
---- (Interview with Russ Spencer, WAGA-TV, Atlanta.)
"There's no doubt at all that there have been spikes in violence, and on any battlefield there are going to be days and weeks that are less productive than you would like them to. However, when you look at the broad expanse of, number one, security, which is a combination of not only the actions that are being taken by the military. Yesterday alone, 1800 patrols, over 40 detainees, thousands of pounds of ammunition and caches of weapons that could be used against our troops, were found in one day alone. So, the security situation that military operations are going well.'' -----
(Interview with Don Porter, KING-TV, Seattle.)
''In May, there were zero Iraqis with us. Today, there are over 118,000 that are in the police forces and the border guards and the like, and it's projected by May that there will be close to about 170,000 additional total Iraqis that will be working for their own security....
... it is clear that the tide is inexorably turning in favor of the Iraqi people. The price that is being paid by some of our soldiers is enormous, but the gain for our own country and for the Iraqi people is significant."
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031106-0865.html
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Fairpress: Washington,
November 11, 2003
Veteran's
Day Message
From the Honorable Gordon R. England Secretary of the Navy November 11, 2003 In 1918, at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, the guns of World War I fell silent. After years of bloody struggle, "the war to end all wars" had at last come to a close. This is the genesis of Veteran's Day. Throughout the 20th century, more wars, suffering and sacrifice followed this devastating conflict. In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation calling on the Nation to "solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." Today the words of Eisenhower retain their deep, profound meaning. Your service abroad and at home calls for many sacrifices, but we have fought hard to not only preserve our freedom and way of life, but to bring freedom to the oppressed. We continue to engage throughout the world, and by working to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan we are helping to bring hope for the future and an enduring peace. You can take pride in the knowledge that future generations will pause on this day to remember your contributions to peace. They will remember how you defeated brutal tyrants in Afghanistan and Iraq, removing the enemy with one hand and restoring hope with the other. They will remember your countless acts of compassion and service around the world from bringing stability to the Liberia to fighting fires in California and helping your neighbors in the wake of hurricane Isabel. They will remember that you stood watch at the front lines in America's defense and defeated every threat. As we remember those who have gone before us, so too will you be remembered by generations yet unborn. I am deeply honored to stand with those who serve the cause of Freedom. Our Nation is grateful to you and your families for your service and sacrifice. May God bless our veterans, and may God continue to bless the United States of America. The Honorable Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy sends. -USN-
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Fairpress brings you the good news for delivery to an American public starving for the truth. There are sources out there and some of them will be brought forward and shared.
For more Good News, and
there is a lot more, please visit our list at WWW.fairpress.org/goodnews
11/02/03
Saddam loyalists and other enemies of freedom had
a busy week. They welcomed Ramadan by 'rattling sabers,' hitting Coalition
troops from a distance, attacking Iraqi civilians and aid workers,
and, with the help of the international press, frightening the longsuffering
Iraqis with old propaganda scare tactics.
Meanwhile, the Coalition, with the help of our
Iraqi allies, worked to improve living conditions across Iraq - and
leaders of the free world reaffirmed their commitment to the Iraqi people.
Our military had success on the security front, with more Iraqis providing tips and joining civil patrols. The Coalition continues to find and destroy more of Saddam's vast arsenal - preventing attacks on our troops and allies.
--------
Fairpress: The
White House, October 28, 2003 -- President
Bush: "We're Not Leaving"
''..our strategy to rout them out -- to encourage better intelligence and get more Iraqis involved, and have our strike teams ready to move -- is the right strategy.'' ''The strategy remains the same. And so we're constantly looking at the enemy and adjusting. And Iraq is dangerous, and it's dangerous because terrorists want us to leave. And we're not leaving.'' More:
Fairpress Tikrit, Iraq, October 27, 2003 --
Commander, 4th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, via
Teleconference
''Since the 10th of September, we've been conducting
Operation Ivy Focus, an ongoing effort consisting of aggressive offensive
raids and continuous counter-mortar and IED ambushes to maintain pressure on
enemy forces. These operations have resulted in the capture of 123
midlevel former regime members which we targeted, 43 IED makers, and six
financiers. Task Force Iron Horse soldiers seized 1.5 million U.S. dollars
suspected of being used to finance attacks on coalition forces, 340 AK-47s,
over a thousand grenades, 680 RPG rounds, 1,340 mortar rounds, and numerous
explosives, to include one pallet that was 4-by-4-by-4 foot in size, almost
1,200 blasting caps, and over 5,000 rounds of various munitions.''
''The second phase of Ivy Focus, which is ongoing, is commanders' engagement with civic, religious and tribal leaders within the local populations. This develops relationships and dialogue to promote trust and cooperation. We have conducted over 800 of these engagements in the last 45 to 60 days, from company commander up to division commander level.'' -----
''We are working to turn public security operations over to Iraqis. Every day we train and equip more local police, who join our soldiers in patrolling their cities. Currently we have almost 8,000 Iraqi police, 1,800 members of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and over 1,200 border police working and training alongside our soldiers to protect and build a better future for their country.''
-----
''Every day we move one step closer to establishing a free Iraq run by Iraqis. There are many courageous Iraqis taking responsibility and leading the new Iraq forward.''
''..we are getting more and more tips every day...probably ten- or twenty fold more than when we first started here --- the number of people we have coming in to provide us human information.
''...even more importantly, it's more accurate human information. In fact, our success rate -- is about 90 percent now accurate..''
-----
''It is going to take some time... it's not like fighting an army where they're in a uniform and we're fighting a high-intensity conflict war, such as World War II. This is about people dressed as civilians. This is about people hiding behind women and children....you have to be careful how you move forward because you don't want to arrest the wrong people...So it takes some time. It takes a little bit more effort. It takes some work.''
''But as I look back to June, as I look back to September -- I'm incredibly impressed with where we've come since then..'' ---
''I'm very proud of our great soldiers over here.''
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031027-0820.html
-----
From the Combined Joint Task Force Seven (CJTF7)
website - facts and news about US and Coalition efforts in Iraq:
Fairpress: I Marine
Expeditionary Force Fact Sheet --
The First Marine Expeditionary Force is consolidating
captured enemy munitions and unexploded ordnance in 14 Ammunition Storage
Points (ASP) throughout the Marines’ area of operation in Southern Iraq.
Marines have secured the sites, and they are turning security over to local
Iraqi personnel.
More:
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It's another "day at the office" for US EOD
experts, heroes in Iraq:
Fairpress: Kirkuk Air
Base, Iraq, October 29, 2003 -- Airmen
dispose of enemy ordnance
''Crawling over more than a ton of explosives the way
a child would go over a jungle gym requires a little something special,
but it is just another day for explosive ordnance disposal airmen here.
The 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s EOD flight airmen have recovered and blown up about 1.5 million pounds of Iraqi ordnance in the past four months, said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Wilson, EOD team member. The unit regularly disposes of about 10,000 pounds twice a week, besides the unscheduled “shots” at remote areas off base.
-----
(The) unit is responsible for about 38,000 square
miles, an area bordered by Tikrit to the south, Mosul to the north, and
the Iranian border to the east.
''...While other EOD teams continue to train and wait their turns to deploy, Kirkuk’s team works daily to validate that training. “All the training we’ve done over the years is paying off flawlessly,” Wilson said. “We’ve had no injuries and not a minute of down time.” More: http://www.af.mil/stories/story_ops.asp?storyID=123005908 ------ More progress made by our troops and allies recently in Iraq:
Fairpress: Tallafar, Iraq, October 28, 2003
-- Democratic elections begin in Iraq
''Members of the newly elected Tallafar city council took the oath of office Oct. 25 at their city hall after one of only three truly democratic elections in the history of Iraq. ..''between Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, the 187th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) teamed with Iraqi citizens to conduct the first democratic elections held in Iraq since coalition forces have been in the country. The cities of Tallafar, Zumar and Al-Eyaldia in northern Iraq now have the first popularly elected city councils in the country, according to 187th commander Col. Michael Linnington. ---- “Under Saddam’s regime, everything was centralized...and segregated. All the ministries thought about was making Saddam happy. Because of this, the small towns and villages were left to fend for themselves. Back in the States, your water stops running and you call your city administration and ask ‘why the heck isn’t my water running?’ Here, you couldn’t do that, because all the power in the country was centralized.” “You carry a very heavy burden,” Linnington said to the Zumar and Al-Eyaldia city council members. “But we believe in faith, and we will keep this faith in our friendship and your prosperity.” More:
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Fairpress: Washington, DC - October 29, 2003 -- Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Grows in Numbers and Role ''Sgt. Amin Aanan, who served more than 10 years in Saddam Hussein's army, calls it a way to help reverse the horrendous damages of the old regime while serving the city and country he loves. Capt. Musab Joseph was attracted by the opportunity to protect his family while launching what most of his friends and neighbors consider a prestigious career. ''Both men told Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz during his visit to Tikrit, Iraq, Oct. 25 that they're proud to be members of the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, serving with 60 other Iraqis in Task Force 1-22 Infantry Tikrit. ----- ''Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers are Iraqi citizens who remain in their communities and are integrated into the coalition military units. ''U.S. Army Capt. Jason Deel explained that Task Force 1-22's mission is to gather intelligence, run combat patrols in the city, establish fixed-site security positions, and conduct raids and cordon search operations alongside 4th Infantry Division soldiers. The support they provide is "very substantial," Wolfowitz said -- particularly in areas like Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. ...Wolfowitz told reporters Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers "can do things we can't. "They can communicate with people with the speed that our people can't do working through translators. They can 'read' the local situation (and) the population in ways we can't," he said. "Iraqis come forward to them with information much more readily than they do with us." ---- Deel said the 4th Infantry Division's program to recruit and train new Task Force 1-22 soldiers "has become a model for Iraq, promoting increased dialog with government, police, sheiks, imams and locals." More: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2003/n10292003_200310293.html -------
Fairpress: Washington, DC - October 31,
2003 -- Port Open, Schools Renovated as Iraq Reconstruction
Continues
''The work of Bechtel International Systems Inc., under contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development in support of the Coalition Provisional Authority's reconstruction effort in Iraq, is well under way. ''The Port of Umm Qasr can receive large grain-bearing ships. More than 1,200 schools were renovated in time for the new school year. The water and wastewater facilities at Baghdad and Basrah international airports have been updated. Three bridges – Khazir, Al Mat and Tikrit – are under re-construction. The installation of an international satellite gateway in Baghdad will make international phone calls possible.'' ----- According to the manager, 109 of 147 subcontracts are with Iraqi companies. "It makes a whole lot of sense to work with Iraqis in Iraq," he added. "It's working real well. They're very competent. They work hard and have a great work ethic." --- ''Restoring the water treatment plant in Safwan was another early project.'' "None of the water/wastewater treatment plants in Baghdad and central north Iraq had worked for years...All the sewage flowed into the Tigris River, so the water to all the cities in the south was very polluted." The strategy is to repair or upgrade 20 water and sanitation facilities.... More: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2003/n10312003_200310311.html -----
Fairpress: Jowezrat,
Iraq, October 29, 2003 -- Brigade gets water flowing in central Iraq
''Lt. Col. Randy Fritz looks across central Iraq and sees water. Cool water. Clear water. Healthy water. Most can’t see it. The water is 100 feet or more below the ground. But to Fritz, a member of the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade from Homewood, Ill., his vision is as clear as the unblemished Iraqi sky.'' “We were sent here to make a difference. We have the capability to make a difference,” he says. “Let’s go do it.” For Fritz and other members of the Army National Guard unit, that means drilling 250 water wells throughout the area between the cities of Baghdad, Fallujah and Tikrit — a region known as the Sunni Triangle. They want to tap into an underground reservoir that can change the lives of the people who live here. “When we give it to them, it will be the first good water they’ve had in their lives,” said Fritz, 55, an industrial hygienist for the National Guard who lives in Palmer Lake, Colo. More: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=17690&archive=true -----
The best news this week for over
6000 US Sailors with the Nimitz CSG after 8 months at sea - home and
loved ones are days away:
Fairpress: San Diego, CA: Last
Carrier Strike Group Returns Home From Combat Operations
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The last Carrier
Strike Group (CSG) from the combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom
is returning home. The Nimitz CSG is scheduled to return to its
homeport of San Diego Nov. 5, following a highly successful
eight-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
----- During the ship’s deployment, Nimitz flew more than 6,500 missions in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition, this was the first deployment of the F/A-18F Super Hornet (two-seat version) and E-2C Hawkeye 2000. Nimitz is also the first aircraft carrier to deploy with two Super Hornet squadrons. This was Nimitz's first deployment since their major overhaul in 1997 and its first since relocating to San Diego in 2001.
More:
Ship's statistics:
-----
Finally, for those who don't know how
often members of the Bush administration bring their message to
the American people, check the White House and Department of
Defense websights for transcripts of the many weekly briefings.
In case anyone still has doubts about
the administration's unwavering stance on Iraq:
Fairpress: Washington, DC - October 30, 2003 -- Deputy
Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz remarks at Georgetown
University
''It took 19 people to kill 3,000 plus on September 11th...Dramatic violence like that can not only grab attention and drive news coverage, but it can effectively obscure the larger picture which is, of course, one of the terrorists' main goals.''
''...As the President pointed out earlier this week, it's dangerous in Iraq because there are people who can't stand the thought of a free and peaceful Iraq. The Ba'athists try to create chaos and fear because they realize that a free Iraq will deny them the privileges they had under Saddam Hussein. The foreign terrorists are trying to create conditions of fear and retreat because they are afraid of a free and peaceful state in the middle of that part of the world where terror has found most of its recruits.''
''It is dangerous in Iraq because there are some who believe that we are soft, that the will of the United States can be shaken by suicide bombers. It's the same mentality, the President correctly said, that attacked us on September 11th, 2001.'' -----
''The attacks and headlines that we've seen in recent days should not overshadow some other things. The hundreds and thousands of Iraqis who were standing up to fight for their future and the many coalition partners -- some 31 nations and 23,000 troops -- that are now fighting for the future of that country.''
''Today, there is plenty of good news in Iraq. Plenty of good news and hope for the future...''
More:
-------
Fairpress: October 30, 2003 --
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers
Regional Media Interviews
New York
''What I'm certain of is that from a military
standpoint we can provide the kind of environment and set the
conditions so that Iraq can prosper as a free and democratic
country. I'm positive about that.''
''If you talk to any of our soldiers over there, which I do, they understand that it's a tough mission. In fact I've said it's a tough mission. I've said you can expect more car bombs after the U.N. bombing, after the Turkish Embassy and so forth. This is how life is going to be for some time. If people are willing to commit suicide, terrorists, then we know it's very very difficult to stop. But over time progress in Iraq has been tremendous. Whether it's on the political front with the Iraqi Governing Council and their acceptance in the world and world forums and regional forums, whether it's in economics. Whether it's in the infrastructure coming back up to speed, all those things...''
''Our soldiers say it best. They say yeah this is really tough work but we're soldiers and that's what we do.'' -----
Chicago
''I think the threat of international terrorism is as great a threat as we've ever faced in this country and it's going to require lots of sacrifice. Your armed forces bears a large part of that sacrifice...''
''It's just so important that we do this right. It's important for our country. This battle on terrorism in Iraq is part of the larger war on terrorism. And it's important we win this. We have no option. Otherwise we have to say we're ready to forfeit our way of life and our values that we hold so dear.''
More:
http://www.dod.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031030-0831.html
-----
Fairpress: Washington, DC - October 30, 2003 -- Secretary
Rumsfeld briefs on Iraq
''The difficult security situation makes the progress being made
all the more remarkable. Not only has the coalition
managed to outpace the progress in postwar Germany, Japan,
Bosnia or Kosovo, they have done it under fire, while fighting a
dangerous, low-intensity conflict, and they have done it not in
a pacified country, but while fighting criminals as well as
regime remnants and terrorists who are aggressively seeking to
stop their progress.''
-----
''The terrorists are attacking the successes that are occurring.
They are killing an increasingly large number of Iraqis -- But
those attacks will not deter the coalition. We will stay
in Iraq as long as necessary to finish the job. The
president has said unambiguously that he will stay the course,
and that is exactly what we will do, to the great benefit of the
Iraqi people, the region and the world.''
-----
''I have seen a torture tape. I wouldn't call it a "torture" tape. I don't think cutting someone's head off is torture, just to be precise... they portray a regime that was about as vicious as any regime could conceivably be. When you have people filming, in front of crowds cheering and clapping, you have people cutting off people's tongues, and cutting off people's heads, and chopping off their fingers and chopping off their hands, throwing them off three- story buildings, you learn something about a group of people and how they live their lives and how they treated their people. And we are so fortunate they are gone and that those 23 million people are liberated.''
More:
------
Fairpress: New York, New York October 31, 2003 -- Remarks by National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice to the National Legal Center for the Public Interest ''For 12 years, Saddam Hussein sat in the middle of the world's most volatile region, defying more than a dozen United Nations Security Council resolutions, threatening his people, his neighbors, and the world.'' ''Saddam Hussein twice launched unprovoked invasions of his neighbors. After losing a war of aggression that he began, Saddam's threatening posture toward other Gulf nations -- and his continued oppression of his people -- required the United States and Great Britain to maintain a massive military presence in the Gulf, and to patrol vast no-fly zones for a dozen years to keep him in check. Saddam is the only tyrant of our time, not only to possess weapons of mass destruction, but to use them in acts of mass murder. He maintained ties to terror. He harbored known terrorists within his border, and he subsidized Palestinian suicide bombers. And he remained, until his final days in power, one of the cruelest tyrants of this or of any time. As his killing fields continue to yield up their dead, as more mass graves are discovered, the world sees fresh evidence of his torture and his oppression of the Iraqi people.'' ----- ''Can we really debate the wisdom of removing Saddam Hussein from power and liberating Iraq? Let us be clear: Saddam Hussein was not going to go away of his own accord...'' ''The choice before the world was stark. Should we have countenanced indefinitely his continued deprivations of the Iraqi people? Should we have stood by indefinitely as more mass graves were dug, more innocent children put into prison? Should we have let Saddam Hussein continue to defy the world and indefinitely, poised in the heart of the Middle East, sit atop a potentially deadly arsenal of terrible weapons, threatening his neighbors?'' ''Those, ladies and gentlemen, were the alternatives. President Bush and a coalition of more than 40 nations chose to act, and the world is both safer and better because they did.'' More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031031-5.html ------- Fairpress: Atlanta, Georgia October 31, 2003 -- Remarks
by the Vice President at a Luncheon for Congressman Phil
Gingrey
''In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on America, people in every part of the country, regardless of party, took comfort and pride in the character and the conduct of our President. From that day to this, he's led a steady, focused and relentless campaign against the enemies who struck America and killed our fellow citizens.'' ''Not long after September 11th, one high-ranking al Qaeda official said, "This is the beginning of the end for America." It's pretty clear that terrorist did not know us. It's pretty clear that the terrorists who attacked us did not understand the strength and resilience of this country. They did not understand the determination of our President.'' ''As we stand here today, many of al Qaeda's leaders have been captured or killed. Those still at large are living in fear. And their fears are well founded because we're on their trail.'' ''In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime brutalized an entire population, harbored al Qaeda, and that regime is no more. In Iraq, a ruthless dictator -- one of the bloodiest dictators of the 20th century -- cultivated weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them. He gave support to and sheltered terrorists, and his regime is no more.'' ''Freedom still has enemies in Iraq...Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror. And we are rolling back the terrorist threat at the very heart of its power...'' ''In these battles, the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States have performed with enormous skill and great courage. As a former Secretary of Defense -- I have never been prouder of the men and women of the United States military.'' ''These fine young men and women deserve our wholehearted support, they deserve to have their bravery in battle recognized, and to have us acknowledge, as well, the tremendous progress they've made in helping the people of Afghanistan and Iraq emerge into a new era of self-rule and freedom. The men and women of our military are rebuilding schools, repairing medical facilities, and training Afghans and Iraqis to provide security for their fellow citizens. Our men and women in uniform are playing a classic role, one that they undertook after World War II, when they brought help and hope for the people of Europe and Japan. Now in the Middle East, they're earning the trust of the people we've liberated.." More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031031-1.html ------- Fairpress:
Washington, DC - November 1, 2003 -- President Bush's Radio
Address
''This week terrorists launched a series of attacks in Iraq. Their targets included police stations in Baghdad and Fallujah, the headquarters of the International Red Cross, and living quarters for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. The majority of their victims were Iraqis working to rebuild and restore order to their country, and citizens of other nations engaged in purely humanitarian missions.'' ''Some of the killers behind these attacks are loyalists of the Saddam regime who seek to regain power and who resent Iraq's new freedoms. Others are foreigners who have traveled to Iraq to spread fear and chaos, and prevent the emergence of a successful democracy in the heart of the Middle East. They may have different long-term goals, but they share a near-term strategy: to intimidate Iraqis from building a free government and to cause America and our allies to flee our responsibilities. They know that a free Iraq will be free of them, and free of the fear in which the ideologies of terror thrive.'' ...''The terrorists and the Baathists loyal to the old regime will fail because America and our allies have a strategy, and our strategy is working. First, we are taking this fight to the enemy...'' ''Second, we are training an ever-increasing number of Iraqis to defend their nation...'' ''Third, we are implementing a specific plan to transfer sovereignty and authority to the Iraqi people...'' --- ''The terrorists and the Baathists hope to weaken our will. Our will cannot be shaken. We're being tested, and America and our allies will not fail. We will honor the sacrifice of the fallen by ensuring that the cause for which they fought and died is completed. And we will make America safer by helping to transform Iraq from an exporter of violence and terror into a center of progress and peace.'' More:
-------------------
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Last week, enemies of freedom in Iraq stepped up attacks
on Coalition forces in a failed attempt to undermine international
and domestic support for the US-led war to liberate Iraq and fight
terrorism.
While Americans welcomed the UN Security Council's approval of the new Iraq resolution, and the vote by Congress for $87 billion in supplemental defense funding last week, Americans also mourned the loss of ten brave US troops in Iraq. Last week, more than 130,000 US troops honored their fallen comrades, as they always do, by working to complete their missions, and to deprive the enemy of a future in a newly free Iraq. ----------- Fairpress: Baghdad, Oct. 16, 2003: Navy EOD Joins Forces with Army, Helps Clear Ordnance Out of Baghdad ''14 Navy EOD technicians from Norfolk, Va....have been fully integrated into U.S. Army EOD units spread throughout Baghdad, responding to daily calls from U.S. and coalition military police, Iraqi police, and even Iraqi citizens, to investigate suspicious objects.'' "Probably the biggest threat to coalition personnel in Iraq, and especially in Baghdad, comes from the enemy hiding explosives within mostly commonplace objects, such as cola cans, trash bags, and even MRE [Meals-Ready-to-Eat] packages, making them very dangerous IEDs," said Navy Chief Petty Officer Charles Hashek." ------- "Neither the Navy nor the Army has ever dealt with this number of IEDs in such a short period of time," said Army Lt. Col. Tim Eberhard, commander of all EOD forces in country. "Thirty-seven teams handle between 3800 to 4000 incidents per year in the U.S. Here in Iraq, our teams have responded to more than 4500 IED calls in the past three months alone." ------- ''We are now moving roughly 60 five-ton truckloads of ammunition per day out of Baghdad alone," said Eberhard. "With the help of the four civilian contracting companies we recently hired, we should be able to get up to 100 truckloads per day. That should give you an idea of just how much ammo is still out there." More: http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=10049 --------- Fairpress: Tikrit, Oct. 17, 2003 -- Raids disrupt regime loyalists 4th Infantry Division Soldiers, part of Task Force Ironhorse, are using new techniques, working around Saddam's hometown, to take out those plotting IED and RPG attacks on the Coalition. “We are targeting the cell leadership or members of the cell,” said Capt. Timothy Morrow, a 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry intelligence officer from Lewistown, Pa. “If we get the suspect, we take him out of the puzzle and this causes turmoil in the organization.” ''The infantry battalion is going after the big players, bomb makers,
financial backers of resistance cells and the leadership of these
groups.'' http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5318 Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was "optimistic" about our current security situation in Iraq at Thursday's Pentagon briefing: Fairpress: Washington D.C., Oct. 16, 2003 -- Defense Department
Operational Update "So while there are still dangerous people out there trying to prevent the development of a free Iraq, we have made, in many cases, great strides in reducing the amount of weapons on the streets and the opportunities for preventing future attacks on coalition forces."
-----
"We have many hard challenges ahead, but I am very optimistic that the fruits of our labor will pay huge dividends in the future."
More:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031016-secdef0783.html
---------
Vice President Cheney reminded a Texas audience that, while our nation pays a high price for action, the price of inaction is far greater.
Fairpress: Houston, Texas, October 17, 2003: Remarks by the Vice President at the James AL Baker III Institute for Public Policy ''Those who declined to support the liberation of Iraq would not deny the evil of Saddam Hussein and his regime. They must concede, however, had their advice been followed, that regime would rule Iraq today. ''President Bush declined the course of inaction, and the results are there for all to see. The torture chambers are empty, the prisons for children are closed, the murderers of innocents have been exposed, and their mass graves have been uncovered. The regime is gone, never to return -- and despite difficulties we knew would occur, the Iraqi people prefer liberty and hope to tyranny and fear. Our coalition is helping them to build a secure, hopeful, and self-governing nation that will stand as an example of freedom to all the Middle East. ----- "I believe the current debate over America's national security policy is the most consequential since the early days of the Cold War and the emergence of a bipartisan commitment to face the evils of communism. All of us now look back with respect and gratitude on the great decisions that set America on the path to victory in the Cold War -- and kept us on that path through the tenures of 12 Secretaries of State...and through nine presidencies. I believe that one day scholars and historians will look back on our time and pay tribute to our 43rd President, who has both called upon and exemplified the courage and perseverance of the American people. In this period of extraordinary danger, the President has made clear America's purpose in the world, and our determination to overcome the threats to our liberty and our lives." ''Sometimes history presents clear and stark choices, and we have come to such a moment. Those who bear the responsibility for making those choices for America must understand that while action will always carry costs, measured in effort and in sacrifice, inaction carries heavier costs of its own. As in the years of the Cold War, much is asked of us and rides on our actions. A watching world is depending on the United States of America.'' More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031018-1.html ---------
More: -------------------
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at WWW.fairpress.org/goodnews.htm
During last week's sixth month
anniversary of the liberation of Baghdad, those on the "front
lines" of victory and stabilization shared progress
reports, and the meaning of freedom:
Fairpress:
Washington D.C., Oct. 10, 2003 -- "Ask the White
House"
After 6 months in Iraq as Senior
Advisor to Ambassador Bremer, Dan Senor entertained and
informed interested visitors to the White House website last
week.
On progress and press
coverage:
"Since I spent most of my time in
Iraq, I don’t see all the U.S. coverage, but I can tell you what
is going on on the ground and you can decide if it is being fairly
reported. Here’s what’s going on on the ground:
"Hospitals are open. Schools are open. Children are back at school. Iraqis are taking more and more responsibility for their security. There is a flourishing free press with over 160 Iraqi newspapers that have started up since liberation. There is a thriving small business free market with satellite dish stores, white good sales (refrigerators and appliances) on every street corner in downtown Baghdad." "95 percent of the country is at peace and returning to normal daily life. There is a tiny area of the country where remnants of the former regime and foreign terrorists are organizing against us. That is because they do not have a stake in a new free Iraq." ---------- "The Iraqi Minister of Justice just a few weeks ago announced the establishment of an independent judiciary in Iraq...Iraqi judges for the first time in 35 years will be free from political interference, control and manipulation. This is historic. It is the only independent judiciary of its kind in the region and this is one of the key pillars of a free, democratic society in addition to pillars like freedom of speech and freedom of religion -- both of which are also protected in the new Iraq."
More:
----------
Amb. Bremer held a press conference
in Baghdad on the sixth month anniversary, to report on the tremendous
progress made by the Coalition and the Iraqi people:
Fairpress:
Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 9, 2003 -- L. Paul Bremer Coalition
Provisional Authority Administrator Opening Remarks Press
Conference:
"The Coalition has
completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as
part of our strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq. That
plan has four elements: Create
a Secure Environment. Begin
Restoration of Essential Services. Begin to Transform the Economy.
Begin the Transformation to Democracy."
----
A few of those 13,000 successes
in Iraq:
Amb. Bremer concludes:
" In
six short months we have accomplished a lot."...."We are
also aware that the progress we have made is only a beginning.
A quarter century of negligence, cronyism and war mongering have
devastated this country. Such profound damage cannot be
repaired overnight."
"Bringing Iraq up to minimum self-sufficiency will require the full $20 billion the President has asked of Congress in his supplemental budget request."
"We are fighting terrorism here
and we will continue to fight it until it no longer threatens the
hopes of Iraqis, the hopes of the world."
More:
------------
Finally, after a productive week in Colorado
Springs discussing NATO's future role in the war on
terrorism with foreign defense ministers, and welcoming recently
freed Eastern block nations - soon to be NATO members - SOD
Rumsfeld traveled to California to talk about freedom:
Fairpress: Simi Valley, CA.,
October 10, 2003: Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
and Museum: Secretary of Defense Delivers Ronald Reagan Public
Policy Briefing
"Consider some of the countries that are
contributing troops in Iraq today: Albania, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia,
Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova,
Mongolia, Nicaragua, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine. They
all have forces in Iraq assisting the coalition...
"Why are so many of these nations, many small, most not very wealthy, sending their forces, their young men and women put at risk halfway around the world to help bring freedom to the Iraqi people? I suspect it's because so many of them have just recovered their own freedom, and they're eager, they're proud to help the Iraqi people recover theirs. God bless them all....
"They demonstrate that the seeds of freedom, when planted, can do more than simply take root where they're sown. They can have the power to spread freedom across the globe to other countries." ____
SOD Rumsfeld then shared a letter written by Ronald Reagan in 1981 in response to then Soviet leader Brezhnev on America's fitting role as leader of the free world:
"Brezhnev had sent him a letter accusing the United States of destabilizing the world with its territorial ambitions and imperialistic designs. President Reagan replied, quote, "There's not only no evidence to support such a charge; there's solid evidence that the United States, when it could have dominated the world, at no risk to itself, made no effort whatsoever to do so.
"When World War II ended, the United States had the only undamaged industrial power in the world," he wrote. "Its military was at its peak, and we alone had the ultimate weapon, the nuclear bomb, and the unquestioned ability to deliver it anywhere in the world. If we had sought world domination, who could have opposed us?"
"He went on to say, "But the United States followed a different course, one unique in the history of all mankind. We used our power and wealth to rebuild the war-ravaged economies of the world, including those nations that had been our enemies," unquote.
"Think of what he wrote and the power of the truth he spoke. Because of those efforts after World War II, freedom did take root in Japan, in Germany and Italy and indeed across Europe. And the liberated nations of Europe then joined with the United States to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Together we stood up to the forces of communist tyranny, and by the end of the 20th century, liberty had sped -- spread across the entire continent of Europe and beyond."
"When President Bush spoke here, he pointed out that in 1941 there were only about a dozen democracies on the face of the Earth, and by the close of the 20th century, there were more than 120. Today many of those recently liberated nations are now at the forefront of the effort to help Iraq and Afghan peoples recover their freedom and maintain them. And if we are steadfast, free societies can take root in those countries and we will have still new allies in the battle for freedom and moderation in the Middle East."
More:
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20031010-secdef0752.html
-------------------
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Fairpress: Washington D.C., Oct. 2, 2003 --
After three months of
careful investigative work in Iraq, David Kay delivered the
Iraqi Survey Group's (ISG) detailed preliminary findings to select Congressional
committees last Thursday.
Many articles have
been written about last week's WMD report.
Members of
the Bush administration recommend that we read the report.
To sum up: the ISG
team found evidence of WMDs.
According to
David Kay:
"Iraq's
WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved thousands of people,
billions of dollars, and was elaborately shielded by security and deception
operations that continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
This initial
report, the unclassified version available thru the CIA website, proves that
Saddam continued his efforts to acquire WMDs, and to pose a threat
to his neighbors by attempting to purchase and build long range
missiles.
Some of ISG's
discoveries:
Saddam had
a "well-advanced, but undeclared, on-going" missile delivery
system program "that, if OIF had not intervened, would have resulted
in the production of missiles with ranges at least up to 1000 km."
Far greater than the 150 km permitted under the UN declaration agreed
to by Saddam as a prerequisite for ending the Gulf War.
Regarding chemical
and biological weapons: Saddam had "clandestine on-going research
and development activities that were embedded in the Iraqi Intelligence
Service." These activities would have allowed, "at the minimum"
Saddam to get a chem/bio facility up and running with a trained crew.
Various foreign
nations, yet unnamed, aided Saddam by providing advanced missile
technology, machinery and design, right up to the beginning of the war.
The ISG team has evidence that N. Korea was willing to sell Saddam
long-range missiles with the potential to travel 1300 km.
As for Iraq's
nuclear program, "Iraqi scientists and senior government officials...told
ISG that Saddam..."remained firmly committed to acquiring nuclear
weapons."
Bioweapons?
An Iraqi scientist had over 90 vials of biological "reference strains"
hidden in his home, undeclared to the UN.
Scientists
admitted they worked 'overtly' on legitimate products while secretly working
on forbidden: "Examples include: B. Thurengiensis (Bt) with
B. anthracis (anthrax), and medicinal plants with ricin."
They also developed
improved techniques for making and "spray drying" 'simulant
Bt' that could be used directly for anthrax.
Chemical weapons?
According to David Kay, "Iraqi practice was not to mark much of their
chemical ordinance and to store it at the same ASPs (Ammuniton Storage
Points) that held conventional rounds."
To find these
weapons, ISG has to hunt through 130 known Iraqi ASPs, "many which
exceed 50 square miles in size and hold an estimated 600,000 tons of artillery
shells, rockets, aviation bombs and other ordinance." They are so
vast, the hard working ISG team has only had time to examine 10 ASPs
out of the 130.
More:
----------
From
the administration regarding the Kay report:
Fairpress:
Pennsylvania, Oct. 3, 2003 --
From: Remarks By The Vice President At A Luncheon For Congressman Jim Gerlach, Malvern, Pennsylvania According to
VP Cheney, The Kay report revealed:
"Documents
and equipment hidden in scientists' home that would have been useful in
resuming uranium enrichment by centrifuge and electromagnetic isotope
separation."
"A line of unmanned aerial vehicles, not fully declared, and an admission that they had tested them out to a range of 500 kilometers. That's 350 kilometers beyond the legal limit that they were allowed." "A prison laboratory complex, possibly used in human testing, of BW agents that Iraqi officials working to prepare for U.N. inspections were explicitly ordered not to declare to the United Nations." VP Cheney reminded the Pa. audience: "Every time they failed to declare something to the United States, they were in material breach of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441, and that was deemed by everybody who voted for that resolution, which was everybody in the Security Council, to be sufficient cause to go to war to make Saddam Hussein comply with this resolution." More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031003-9.html --------- Fairpress: Washington D.C., Oct. 3, 2003 -- You may have heard President Bush with Bernard Kerick last Friday at the White House: President Bush: "In addition to these extensive concealment efforts, Dr. Kay found systematic destruction of evidence of these illegal activities. This interim progress report is not final. Extensive work remains to be done on his biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programs. But these findings already make clear that Saddam Hussein actively deceived the international community, that Saddam Hussein was in clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, and that Saddam Hussein was a danger to the world." Bernard Kerick concludes: "in my opinion, there was one weapon of mass destruction in Iraq, and it was Saddam Hussein. I visited the mass graves. I watched the videos of the Mukhabarat, the intelligence services, interrogate, torture, abuse and execute people day after day....There was one weapon of mass destruction -- he's no longer in power." More: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031003-2.html --------- Fairpress: Washington D.C., Oct. 3, 2003 -- Finally, regarding the many false claims about the Kay report not finding WMDs: SOS Colin Powell responded to a reporter's loaded and inaccurate question after a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs last Friday: Q. Are you still confident that actual weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq? SECRETARY POWELL: "Do you think vials of botulinum should constitute a weapon of mass destruction? Do you think missiles that are being developed outside of the requirements and restrictions of the United Nations that could carry such sorts of weapons out to a thousand kilometers, as we said we were aware, or that unmanned aerial vehicles are dangerous items that clearly suggested that this was a regime that was trying to develop more of these weapons, had these weapons, had used these weapons?" "It isn't a figment of anyone's imagination that just 15 years ago they gassed and killed 5,000 people with sarin and VX at a place called Halabja I visited just a few weeks ago. They never lost that capability. They never lost that intent. And Dr. Kay, I think, has documented clearly the first line after his rhetorical question -- what have we discovered -- we have discovered, he says, dozens and dozens of weapons of mass destruction programs that had been hidden from the UN deliberately. And there are pictures in the unclassified version on the CIA website that shows the kinds of things that they were trying to keep hidden and away from inspectors." "And so there is no doubt about it. The difference here between Iraq and, say, other countries that we have concerns about is that Iraq was in direct violation of resolution after resolution after resolution, which called upon them to come into compliance. And Iraq is a country that has actually used these weapons. It was a danger. It was a danger to the world. How clear and present it was people can judge. We thought it was a danger to the world and had to be dealt with. That's what the United States did in concert with a willing coalition of nations and the Iraqi people are better off as a result, the region is better off, the world is better off, and we are even more convinced with the Kay report that we did the right thing." More: -------------------
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President Bush spoke in front of the United Nations last week. Last week many foreign nations acted, as well, in support of America's proven leadership in the war on terror:
Fairpress: 24 September, 2003, The Intellectual Conservative -- Frank Laybourn, the Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the Liberal Party of Denmark, makes a strong case for supporting America in a post-9-11 world, and for the war to liberate Iraq: From:
Why Denmark Decided to Participate in the War Against Saddam Hussein ''Finally, but just as importantly, the Danish Government believes that it was right to show solidarity with the United States in its fight against a repressive tyrant...We felt that it was our duty to support the United States when the call was -- for once -- coming from the other side of the Atlantic. As our Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated on March 26, "Only the Americans have the military strength to disarm Saddam and liberate Iraq. But we have an obligation to help. We cannot just sail under a flag of convenience and let others fight for freedom and peace..." More.... http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article2691.html -------- Other Coalition
~ multi-national ~ efforts last week:
Fairpress:
23 September, 2003, DoD News Transcript -- "This October
the United States and the Republic of Korea celebrate the 50th Anniversary
of the treaty that has really changed the course of history for the
better."
During a
luncheon with members of the U.S./Korean Business Council, SOD Rumsfeld
thanked the Koreans for their assistance in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and assured the audience, "While the size and shape of the U.S.
footprint in the world and the region may evolve ....There certainly
would be no change at all in our commitment to the defense of South
Korea."
More....
--------
Fairpress: 24
September, 2003, MarineLink News -- AN NAJAF, Iraq -- ''The last
Marine battalion in southern Iraq is finally returning home.'' Thanks
to the Spanish Army's support.
'Marines of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment - transferred authority to Spanish Army Brig. Gen. Alfredo Cardona, commander of the Plus Ultra Spanish Brigade during a brief ceremony Sept. 23." More....
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Fairpress:
25 September, 2003, Stars & Stripes, Pacific edition -- The
Marines finished training the capable Mongolian Armed Forces for
checkpoint duty in Iraq, beginning in February:
More....
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Finally,
SOD Rumsfeld addressed the Eisenhower National Security Conference
regarding our MULTI-LATERAL, Coalition efforts in Iraq:
Fairpress:
25 September, 2003, DoD News Transcript -- (SOD
Rumsfeld's response to a question from a surprised audience member who
didn't know we had so many nations assisting us in Iraq:)
"United
Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Honduras, El Salvador, I believe Mongolia,
there are 32 of them and they’re from all parts of the world. I’m
not surprised you weren’t aware of that. I am absolutely dumbfounded
that the people keep saying you shouldn’t go it alone. The President
of the United States after September 11th put together a Coalition
of 90 nations in the global war on terror possibly one of the biggest
Coalitions in the history of mankind....
More....
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The international
wire services have decided that mostly
bad news from Iraq is to be reported. Death and dying will bring down
a President. Truth must be hidden to win the war against right wing
policies.
Fairpress brings you the good news for delivery to an American public starving for the truth. There are sources out there and some of them will be brought forward and shared.
Fairpress: 24 September, 2003, Wall Street Journal -- New York's Bernard Kerik writes of his 4 months as top cop in Iraq and why supporting this effort is crucial: "Welcome to a free Iraq" is what Jerry Bremer, administrator for the Coalition Provisional Authority, said to me as he reached out to shake my hand when I arrived in Baghdad four months ago. I'm still moved by those words as I say them myself, "Welcome to a free Iraq," just as I was moved yesterday by President Bush -- under pressure at home and abroad -- standing firmly by our nation-building project in his U.N. speech." "History has taught us that there's always a cost for freedom." More....
SOD Rumsfeld put the administration's request for 87 billion dollars for Iraq into historical perspective in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee today: "Even assuming for some overlap, the 9/11 attack alone cost the American people literally hundreds of billions of dollars-and that is not counting the enormous price paid in lives, and the immense suffering of their families and loved ones-men and women from all walks of life, of all races and religions, and from most countries of the world.
http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/2003/sp20030924-secdef0462.html
For a collection of Good News stories about our troops in Iraq check this link
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