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Servicemen MIA From Vietnam War are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the group remains of six U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, are soon to be buried with full military honors.

They are Maj. Bernard L. Bucher, of Eureka, Ill.; Maj. John L. McElroy, of Eminence, Ky.; 1st Lt. Stephen C. Moreland, of Los Angeles; and Staff Sgt. Frank M. Hepler, of Glenside, Pa., all U.S. Air Force. These men will be buried as a group on Dec. 18 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Two other servicemen, who were individually identified in October 2007, are also represented in this group. They are Capt. Warren R. Orr Jr., U.S. Army, of Kewanee, Ill., and Airman 1st Class George W. Long, U.S. Air Force, of Medicine, Kan.

Representatives from the Air Force and the Army mortuary offices met with the next-of-kin of these men to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Air Force and the secretary of the Army.

On May 12, 1968, these men were on board a C-130 Hercules evacuating Vietnamese citizens from the Kham Duc Special Forces Camp near Da Nang, South Vietnam. While taking off, the crew reported taking heavy enemy ground fire. A forward air controller flying in the area reported seeing the plane explode in mid-air soon after leaving the runway.

In 1986 and 1991, U.S. officials received remains and identification tags from sources claiming they belonged to men from this incident. Scientific analysis revealed they were not American remains, but it was believed the Vietnamese sources knew where the crash site was located.

In 1993, a joint/U.S.-Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), traveled to Kham Duc and interviewed four local citizens concerning the incident. They led the team to the crash site and turned over remains and identification tags they had recovered in 1983 while looking for scrap metal. During this visit, the team recovered human remains and aircraft wreckage at the site. In 1994, another joint team excavated the crash site and recovered remains, pieces of life-support equipment, crew-related gear and personal effects.

JPAC scientists used forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence in the identification of the remains.

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U.S. Forces on Track to Be out of Iraqi Cities by Summer, General Says
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service

BALAD, Iraq, Dec. 13, 2008 – U.S. combat forces are on track to be out of Iraqi cities by June 30 in accordance with the recently signed status of forces agreement between the United States and Iraq, the top U.S. general in Iraq said today.

Combat forces are already out of the major cities in more than half of Iraq, said Army Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq. Odierno spoke here to reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Gates flew here this afternoon, after speaking at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, to meet with Odierno and get his assessment of the way ahead in Iraq under the new agreement.

Odierno said the new agreement does not change the U.S. mission here, only its operating environment. Some U.S. forces will remain inside the cities working out of the joint security stations and acting as transition teams or providing support to the Iraqi security forces, Odierno said.

“We’ll still maintain our very close partnership with the Iraqi security forces throughout Iraq, even after the summer,” he said.

Odierno said he is already removing troops from the cities, and will continue as security progress continues and Iraqi security forces can take over. Combat troops have already moved out of the cities in Anbar Province, most of the cities in southern Iraq and out of parts of Baghdad.

“In a large part the security agreement is really stating what we’re doing in many places in Iraq already,” he said.

Implementation committees made up of representatives of both two countries are being set up to work out the details of executing the agreement.

“I believe this agreement allows us to continue to move forward in making Iraq a sovereign nation,” he said.

Odierno also expressed confidence in the Iraqi security force’s growing capabilities and said he is confident that U.S. troops will be able to leave by the 2011 deadline set in the agreement.

“I expect us, frankly, right now, to be out with our military forces by 2011,” he said.

Odierno said he will make a recommendation for any reductions of troops after the elections in January, and continue to reassess and make recommendations through the year. Provincial elections are slated for next month, with district elections following this summer and national elections by the end of the year.

“The bottom line is what we want to prevent is trying to use intimidation and coercion in order to influence the elections,” he said. “I think many Iraqis feel that our presence here provides them stability for their elections. It provides them some confidence.”

Overall, though, troop levels will likely drop here next year, he said, despite what he called an important time of transition.

“As the Iraqis are able to go through this transition, it will move them to a more stable government and we think that’ll be a major milestone,” he said.

“It’s about stability. And what we want to do through 2009 is maintain stability inside of Iraq,” Odierno said.

Despite improving security conditions, Odierno conceded that there are still challenges and al-Qaida, though weakened, is still able to carry out high-profile attacks such as the one this week in Kirkuk. Fifty-five Iraqis died in a suicide bombing at a restaurant.

Still, Odierno said there were only six security incidents across Iraq yesterday.

“All it takes is one suicide bomber … who cares very little for the value of life, and they will do anything they can to garner attention,” he said. “It still shows that it’s still a fragile environment and there are still terrorists that operate inside of Iraq.”

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Lance Cpl. Joeli O. Noareyes, a military policeman with MP Detachment, Combat Logistics Company 19, 1st Marine Logistics Group maintains a watchful eye over his particular section of Camp Sinjar’s perimeter, Nov. 6. Noareyes, 23, Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, and the other MPs with the detachment are responsible for base security, entry control point security and patrols through neighboring towns. Base security here consists of Military Police posted up in armored vehicles with mounted machineguns. MPs positioned the vehicles at strategic locations around the perimeter, based on fields of fire and weapons’ capabilities. If the machine guns and the occasional patrols don’t dissuade insurgents from causing problems, then the MP Quick Reaction Force provides another tool for thwarting enemy goals. A small, platoon-sized QRF element can react to anything from rapidly approaching vehicles to squad sized attacks and base infiltrations. The QRF can also call upon close-air support and the sizable ground combat element to help shore up any larger-scale problems. The MPs here operate in support of Operation Defeat al-Qaida North II, an operation designed to help coalition forces restore stability to the restive city of Mosul.

Photographer: Cpl. GP Ingersoll
Location: CAMP SINJAR, IQ

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Coalition Forces Disrupt Haqqani Network in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2008 – Coalition forces detained nine suspected militants during an operation yesterday to disrupt the Haqqani terrorist network in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, military officials said.

The operation in the province’s Zadran district targeted a Haqqani militant believed to assist with the movement of members of the Uzbekistan-based Islamic Jihadist Union terrorist group and other foreign fighters into Paktia. Intelligence also suggests the militant is in direct contact with other senior Haqqani leaders who plan and coordinate roadside bomb and other attacks against innocent civilians, members and institutions of the Afghan government and coalition forces.

Coalition forces searched the targeted compound without incident, and detained nine suspected militants while protecting 11 women and 27 children, officials said.

(From a U.S. Forces Afghanistan news release.)

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Troops in Iraq Detain 11 Terrorism Suspects, Find Bomb, Weapons
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2008 – Eleven suspected terrorists, including two wanted men, were removed from al-Qaida in Iraq networks yesterday and today as coalition forces targeted the terrorist organization in central Iraq, military officials reported.

In other recent operations, Iraqi soldiers foiled a bombing attack on an Iraqi judge, and coalition and Iraqi troops discovered enemy weapons stockpiles.

Early today in Hafriyah, southeast of Kirkuk in Iraq’s Diyala province, forces captured an alleged weapons smuggler who also is believed to be associated with bombing attacks in the area. Three suspected associates also were detained.

Two more suspects were netted today in an operation targeting a Diyala-area al-Qaida in Iraq courier in Sadiyah, northeast of Baghdad.

In operations yesterday:

– U.S. soldiers detained a suspected weapons smuggler and criminal recruiter in eastern Baghdad’s New Baghdad district.

– Forces in Baghdad captured an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader who officials believe is responsible for bombing attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces and Iraqi police.

– Near Tuz Khurmatu, southeast of Kirkuk, forces detained three suspects during an operation targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq leader associated with bombing activities in the area.

– Iraqi soldiers in the Kadhamiyah district of northwestern Baghdad reported finding a bomb attached underneath a judge’s vehicle at an Iraqi army checkpoint yesterday. An Iraqi army explosive ordnance disposal team was called in and removed the bomb, which was made from two blocks of C4 explosive.

Also yesterday, Iraqi and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers found weapons caches in the greater Baghdad area:

– Iraq soldiers found an empty 105 mm shell and an empty illumination shell west of Baghdad in the Abu Ghraib area.

– U.S. and Iraqi soldiers found four 60 mm mortars and two 81 mm mortars south of Joint Security Station Taji, north of Baghdad. The munitions were destroyed in a controlled detonation.

– U.S. soldiers followed up on a tip from an Iraqi citizen and seized a white bag with an unknown substance and an armor-piercing bomb array encased in foam east of the Abu Ghraib area. The munitions were destroyed in a controlled detonation.

– U.S. soldiers found a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and 11 RPG rounds north of Abu Ghraib.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says

A Defense Department project, supposedly designed to support U.S. troops, was used instead to channel millions of dollars to personal friends and allies of its chief. The “America Supports You,” or ASY, program was led in a “questionable and unregulated manner,” according to a Department of Defense Inspector General report, obtained by Danger Room. At least $9.2 million was “inappropriately transferred” by the project’s managers. Much of that money served only to further promote ASY, instead of assisting servicemembers.

Read the rest of the story from Wired.com here.

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A Very Sad Tale …

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (GM) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘Rowing Team Quality First Program,’ with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End..

Here’s something else to think about:

GM has spent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can’t make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter’s results: TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while GM racked up 9 billion in losses. GM folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN’T TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.

Thanks to RonD for sending this lesson in history.

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Bush Praises Fort Campbell Troops for Key Role in Terror War

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2008 – President George W. Bush kicked off his last Thanksgiving week as commander in chief today by thanking the soldiers of Fort Campbell, Ky., for the key role they’ve played in the war on terror and telling them they’re what he’ll miss most when he leaves office.

Bush visited the home of the 101st Airborne Division, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and 5th Special Forces Group soldiers, many recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. Among them were the “Screaming Eagles” division’s 2nd Brigade, in the midst of returning early from Iraq because of decreased violence there.

“You have performed with courage and distinction on the front lines of the war on terror,” Bush told the soldiers, who erupted into cheers, applause and “hoo-ahs” throughout the address.

“You have returned on success,” he continued. “On behalf of a grateful nation, I’m proud to welcome home the Bastogne Brigade, the Strike Brigade, the Rakkasans Brigade. Job well done!”

The president praised the troops for actions that he said not only have brought new hope and opportunity to Iraq and Afghanistan, but also helped to make the United States more secure.

“[You] have gone on the offense in the war against these killers and thugs,” he said. “You have taken the battle of the terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here in the United States.”

Meanwhile, as part of “the great ideological struggle of our time,” the Fort Campbell soldiers have brought a more hopeful vision of justice and liberty, he said. “With the soldiers at Fort Campbell out front, the forces of freedom and liberty will prevail,” he said.

The president recalled his first Thanksgiving visit to Fort Campbell, just two months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a month after the war in Afghanistan had started. Fort Campbell’s Rakkasans Brigade was the first conventional brigade to join the battle.

Since then, the 101st Airborne Division has continued to play a major role in the terror war, most recently as part of the troop surge in Iraq.

“Our troops conducted this surge with resolve and with valor, and nobody knows the impact better than the Screaming Eagles,” Bush told the soldiers. He noted the huge turnaround they helped to bring to Iraq’s Salahuddin province, which was struggling to recover from the Golden Mosque bombing when the division’s Bastogne Brigade deployed there last year.

“But you partnered with the Iraqis to restore security. Schools and businesses are now open. The Golden Mosque is being rebuilt,” Bush said. “And throughout the province, hope is returning. The terrorists are being driven out. The Iraqi people have the Screaming Eagles to thank.”

Bush noted similar successes taking place across Iraq, with violence and sectarian violence down dramatically and 13 of the country’s 18 provinces now under Iraqi security forces responsibility.

“Slowly but steadily, economic and political progress is taking place,” he said. “And Iraqis are working together for a more hopeful future.”

Bush vowed to continue reducing U.S. forces in Iraq as conditions on the ground continue to improve, a strategy he calls “return on success.”

So far, a Marine expeditionary unit, two Marine battalions and six Army brigades, including the Rakkasans, have returned from Iraq without replacement. “By the end of January, we’ll have brought home more than 4,000 additional troops,” Bush said.

Meanwhile, the president cited progress toward completing a strategic framework agreement and security agreement with the Iraqi government. Ultimately, these agreements will pave a way for future economic, diplomatic and military cooperation between the United States and Iraq.

Bush called ongoing debate about these agreements among Iraqi lawmakers a sign of Iraq’s strong democracy and a testament to the successes U.S. servicemembers have helped to bring about.

“War in Iraq is not over, but we’re drawing closer to the day when our troops can come home,” Bush said. “And when they come home, they will come home in victory.”

After the cheers subsided, the president thanked the soldiers for their historic accomplishments.

Success in Iraq will frustrate Iran’s ambitions to dominate in the region, deny al-Qaida a safe haven for new attacks and give millions of people in the Middle East the promise of liberty and democracy, he said.

But the impact of that success will resonate far beyond Iraq and the region, he added. “Success in Iraq will mean that the American people are more secure at home,” he said.

As he prepares to leave office, Bush said, he’s often asked what he’ll miss most about the job.

“Well, above all, I’m going to miss spending time with men and women who have volunteered to serve the United States of America — the fine men and women who wear the uniform,” he said.

“We are blessed to have defenders of such character and courage,” the president said. “I’m grateful to the families who serve by your side, and I will always be thankful for the honor of having served as the commander in chief.”

For my family - for my friends - for my comrades - for my son’s: De Oppresso Liber

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Royal Navy in firefight with Somali pirates

Pirates caught redhanded by one of Her Majesty’s warships after trying to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia made the grave mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos armed with machineguns and SA80 rifles.

In the ensuing gunfight, two Somali pirates in a Yemeni-registered fishing dhow were killed, and a third pirate, believed to be a Yemeni, suffered injuries and subsequently died. It was the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot-out on the high seas in living memory.

Continued…

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