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click here for "REMEMBER ME" video
by Lizzie Palmer
added November 6, 2007
WASHINGTON -
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted Tuesday
that U.S. troop levels may increase slightly in
Iraq in the coming days because of pilgrimages connected to the
holiday of Ashura.
His comments, while linked to the holy celebration, came as sectarian violence spiked again in Iraq, with the execution-style killings of at least 87 people, including about 29 bodies piled in a mass grave in a Baghdad neighborhood.
Hundreds of people have been killed since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra, creating concern that the country may be tipping toward civil war.
Rumsfeld said Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. military officer in Iraq, "may decide he wants to bulk up slightly for the pilgrimage."
The holiday, which ends March 20, includes pilgrimages to holy sites in Najaf and Karbala. Increased attacks marked the celebration during 2004 and 2005.
Rumsfeld said the U.S. is continuing to shift responsibilities to Iraqi security forces, but he would not say how long U.S. troops are expected to stay in Iraq.
"Do we think we're going to be there four or five years more in terms of large numbers of U.S. ground forces?" said Rumsfeld. "The answer is no, I don't think so. Those are decisions for the president."
As of Tuesday there were about 133,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The total had dipped to 132,000 last week.
Rumsfeld did not specify how many troops might be added.
Rumsfeld and Bush have repeatedly said that conditions in Iraq will determine the number of U.S. troops deployed there.
In other comments, Rumsfeld said it is likely that the government of Iran is backing efforts by members of its Republican Guard to incite violence in Iraq.
While he said it is difficult to draw a direct line to the Iranian government, he said a reasonable man would deduce that members of the guard "are not freelancing" and are not pilgrims traveling to holy sites in Iraq.
Rumsfeld's comments expanded on his recent accusations that the Al Quds Division of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is trying to stir up trouble in Iraq by helping to move explosives and bomb-making material across the border from Iran.
WASHINGTON - For the Bush administration, 2006 is shaping up as a
make-or-break year in Iraq, a year when Iraqis take ownership of a democracy
built with U.S. treasure and troops or Washington loses a second chance for
success in the costly undertaking.
Intersecting factors in Iraq and at home make this year pivotal. The first permanent postinvasion government offers hope for Iraqi political stability even in the face of unabated sectarian violence. At the same time, the Bush administration faces growing domestic pressure to reduce the U.S. troop presence.
Within the administration, there is an urgency to get it right this time, after the stumbles and false starts of the U.S.-run Coalition Provisional Authority and more than a year of Iraqi-led caretaker governments.
Some officials talk of "restarting the clock" in Iraq. Others say 2006 represents an opportunity to capitalize on existing policies.
"This is the year that we are going to try to sustain the accomplishments on the political, economic and security tracks," James Jeffrey, the State Department senior adviser for Iraq, said in an interview.
The latest report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction warns that 2006 will be a critical year of transition in Iraq. It questions, though, whether the Iraqi government has the resources to rebuild and protect the infrastructure, develop the country's major cities and support private-sector projects.
"The successful December 2005 elections launched Iraq into a new phase of its history," Special Inspector General Stuart Bowen told Congress last week. "The first government elected under Iraq's new constitution is now forming and will soon assume responsibility for managing Iraq's economy and infrastructure."
Bowen said it will take far more U.S. support before the Iraqi government can take control over billions of dollars in reconstruction projects, including problem-plagued oil and electricity improvements.
As the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion approaches, President George W. Bush himself has acknowledged unanticipated setbacks in what he knows is an unpopular war.
"I know that this war is controversial, yet being your president requires doing what I believe is right and accepting the consequences," Bush said in December, during a drive to revive public support.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to echo that caution when she testifies on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday, while praising Iraqi progress toward inclusive democracy and expressing confidence in U.S.-led reconstruction efforts.
In November, the Republican-led Senate illustrated how growing U.S. costs in Iraq have taken a political toll at home.
Senators voted 79-19 that 2006 "should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty," with Iraqi forces taking the lead in providing security to create the conditions for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces.
New White House requests would boost total spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan well past the $400 billion (€336 billion) mark. Lawmakers who have voted repeatedly for more funding have told the administration that they are alarmed.
More than 2,260 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war. All signs point to a major drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006 - perhaps to fewer than 100,000 by year's end, down from last year's base force of 138,000.
Top U.S. generals say troop withdrawals are contingent on progress in training and deploying Iraqi soldiers. It also depends on the ability of the Iraqis to put together a government that can win the trust of disaffected Sunni Arabs, the backbone of the insurgency.
Rice has said there is a risk of losing momentum after December's successful elections in Iraq, the first with meaningful Sunni participation. The U.S. ambassador in Baghdad continues to push the major ethnic factions - Shiite Arabs, Kurds and Sunnis - to stick to business, but a functioning Iraqi-run government with no overt U.S. participation could still be months away.
U.S. officials say endemic corruption remains a major problem for political progress and for making nuts-and-bolts improvements to Iraq's moth-eaten systems for electricity, water and other basic services.
Meanwhile, a Bush administration plan to strengthen expertise and accountability in the key Iraqi Interior and Defense ministries has suffered from delays and bureaucratic disputes between Washington and U.S. officials in Baghdad, and between the Pentagon and the State Department.
Frederick Barton, co-director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sees U.S. involvement in Iraq at a watershed this year.
"We still have opportunities in Iraq because we've made such a huge effort," in money, lives and political capital, Barton said. "So far the huge effort hasn't really produced a decisive result, either positive or negative, so it means that everything is still up for grabs."
BAGHDAD - The U.S.
military says 40% of Iraq's combat battalions are effective enough to have
taken the lead role in fighting the insurgency, a key measure for
determining when U.S. forces can withdraw.
The U.S. military expects to complete the handover of responsibility to nearly all of Iraq's army by the end of the year, meaning Iraq's military will rely on U.S. troops primarily for logistical support and for providing airstrikes and heavy artillery. The main fighting will be conducted by Iraqis.
"When all Iraqi combat battalions own their own battle space, the map of Iraq will be covered," said Lt. Col. Michael Negard, a military spokesman. Battle space refers to the area of responsibility assigned to a military unit.
Currently, 40 of Iraq's 102 battalions have taken over security in the areas where they operate, Col. James Greer, chief of staff for the U.S. military command responsible for training Iraqi troops, said in an interview.
The goal is to build 110 combat battalions. A typical Iraqi battalion, the Army's basic fighting unit, has 700 to 800 soldiers.
"It's an essential part of the broader strategy," said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
With American troops in more of a support role, they will be less visible and not as susceptible to attack, Cordesman said. "But you won't have a situation where Iraqi battalions come on line and U.S. troops leave the next week."
About 137,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq.
The pace at which the U.S. military has handed control to Iraqi battalions has picked up during the past year, Greer said. In March 2005, there were only three battalions manning their own areas -- all in Baghdad, he said.
The Iraqi army is taking control in contested areas, such as parts of Fallujah, Ramadi and Samarra. "We're not just giving them the easy areas," Greer said.
The turnover raises questions about whether the United States is handing responsibility to the Iraqi army before it is ready, said Andrew Krepinevich, a military expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
"If they're not ready to provide security, there could be a regression," Krepinevich said.
Some military units are aligned with religious and political factions. Handing over responsibility too quickly could result in arming soldiers more loyal to factions than the national government, he said.
Last month, the U.S. military handed over an area of operation to an entire Iraqi army division in Qadissiya and Wassit provinces, south of Baghdad.
Currently, there are 227,000 Iraqi security forces, which include 106,000 military troops and 121,000 police officers, according to the U.S. military. Greer says recruitment of army cadets has been steady.
The number of trained security forces is not as good a measure of progress as the capabilities of combat units, Greer said. "The battle spaces where Iraqis have actually taken over (are) more of a measure of success," he said.
Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. general in the Iraq region, said last month that U.S. commanders must overcome their reluctance to turn over control to less-experienced Iraqi forces.
"There is always a risk in taking a chance on the people that you've come to help," Abizaid said. "There's also a risk of condescension (when) you look at them and say, 'They're not ready.'"
WASHINGTON - A growing number of Iraqi troop battalions - nearly four dozen as of this week - are playing lead roles in the fight against the insurgency, and American commanders have turned over more than two dozen U.S.-established bases to Iraqi government control, officials said Monday.
Those are among the signs of progress that the Bush administration is citing as evidence that the Iraqis not only want more responsibility on the security front but are capable of handling it with less assistance from U.S. troops.
The steps toward lessening the U.S. military role in Iraq come amid mounting political pressure on the Bush administration to reduce the American presence in the face of rising casualties and an unrelenting insurgency.
President Bush is to give a major speech Wednesday at the U.S. Naval Academy in which administration officials say he is expected to spotlight recent moves toward increasing Iraqi security responsibilities. One recent step was putting Iraqi forces in full control of sections of Baghdad and other cities.
There are now about 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. They have trained and equipped about 212,000 Iraqi security forces, including infantry, commandos, special police battalions and a variety of military support units. The figure is supposed to reach 230,000 by mid-December and top out at 325,000 by July 2007.
Pentagon officials acknowledge there are significant gaps in the Iraqis' ability to defend their own country. They are unwilling to commit to any specific drawdown of U.S. forces next year, beyond the announced plan to pull back 28,000 troops who were added this fall for extra security during upcoming elections.
The remaining shortcomings range from the institutional (a lack of administrative and leadership support from the ministries of Defense and Interior) to the personal (a sometimes faint-heartedness among Iraqi troops).
Many in Congress have expressed worry at what they see as sluggish progress in training Iraqi security forces, even as U.S. commanders insist that measures of progress have been widely misunderstood.
In late September, some members of Congress reacted with surprise and dismay when Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, testified that the number of Iraqi battalions rated at the highest level of readiness had dropped from three to one. That number apparently has not changed, but U.S. officials say the Iraqis don't need to reach that top level before they are competent enough to take over for American troops.
Lt. Col. Fred Wellman, a spokesman in Baghdad for the U.S. command responsible for the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, said Monday that approximately 130 Iraqi army and special police battalions are fighting the insurgency. Of the 130, about 45 are rated as "in the lead," with varying degrees of reliance on U.S. support. The exact numbers are classified as secret, but the 45 figure is about five higher than the number given Nov. 7 at a briefing by Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who previously led the training mission. And it is about 10 higher than the figure Petraeus offered at a Pentagon briefing Oct. 5.
An Iraqi battalion usually numbers between 700 and 800 soldiers.
As another measure of progress, Wellman said about 33 Iraqi security battalions are now in charge of their own "battle space," including parts of Baghdad. That figure was at 24 in late October. Wellman said it stood at three last March.
Also, the Americans have pulled out of 30 "forward operating bases" inside Iraq, of which 16 have been transferred to Iraqi security forces. The most recent and widely publicized was a large base near Tikrit, which U.S. forces had used as a division headquarters since shortly after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003.
At a Nov. 22 ceremony marking the Tikrit base transfer to Iraqi control, insurgents delivered a reminder of their resilience by firing a mortar nearby; it failed to explode, and U.S. officials declared the handover to be an important step in replacing U.S. forces with Iraqis.
Lawrence Di Rita, spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, said Monday that the transfer of authority at formerly U.S.-controlled bases is an important part of the long-range plan for stabilizing the country.
"As you continue to either close or turn over these bases, it's just self-evident that there would be some reduced need for the American presence in those areas," Di Rita said.
The spokesman said no decisions on future troop levels were likely until after the Dec. 15 election of a new Iraqi government. He suggested, however, that signs point to reductions during the course of 2006, so long as the political process remains on track.
Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is continually assessing the security situation, Di Rita said.
"He's presented a variety of alternative approaches that could occur after the election, but again it's all based on waiting to see how it goes and waiting and watching as we continue to hand over responsibility to the Iraqis," Di Rita said.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., told reporters Monday after his return from a visit to Iraq that he hoped U.S. forces could begin a significant withdrawal by late 2006 or early 2007. That compares with the recent call by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., to begin a withdrawal immediately.
|
WASHINGTON - The estimated 120,000 veterans of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan receiving medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs are getting top priority as they access some of the world's best-quality medical treatment, the secretary of Veterans Affairs said.
R. James Nicholson spoke to American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel in anticipation of National Veterans Awareness Week, which began Nov. 6 and continues through Nov. 12.
Although the wounded veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom represent just 2 percent of the VA's total patient load, "it's a very important 2 percent because these are young people who have come back from the combat zone," Nicholson said.
As a result, the VA is "giving them priority and making sure we are taking care of their physical and mental needs" so they can continue to enjoy productive lives, he said.
Seeing the nation's young people return home from combat reinforces the message that freedom comes at a high cost, Nicholson said. "Freedom is not free, and they are paying the ultimate price," Nicholson said. "And so, they will be taken care of and given whatever (health care and related assistance) they need ... for the rest of their lives."
It's gratifying to watch the recovery these wounded veterans make, particularly when hearing many of them say they want nothing more than to return to duty with their units, Nicholson said.
But for those unable to do that, Nicholson said, the VA's responsibility is to help them see beyond their wounds and recognize that they can continue to live productive lives. "That's part of our mission, to show them all the things they still can do and not have them focus on the things they can no longer do," he said.
While the nation gives special consideration of its veterans this week, the VA continues its longstanding commitment to the nation's veterans year-round, Nicholson said. For the past 75 years, the VA has provided health services and other benefits to veterans, living up to the promise made by President Abraham Lincoln during his second inaugural speech: "To care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan."
Over its history, the VA has created the world's most comprehensive system of assistance for veterans, including what Nicholson described as "world-class health care." Some 237,000 VA professionals provide health care to more than 5 million veterans through 187 medical centers and 860 outpatient clinics.
A computerized medical record system -- one Nicholson said he hopes will serve as a model for the Defense Department and other organizations -- helps eliminate hospital mix-ups and ensures more thorough patient care, he said. In addition, VA remains a leader in medical research, from studies involving Parkinson's disease to a recent breakthrough in immunizations for shingles, he said.
Nicholson said Congress and the Bush administration have demonstrated through increased funding for VA health care that they remain committed to ensuring veterans receive the top-quality services they deserve. VA funding has increased more than 50 percent since 2001, he noted.
"Veterans of every era can rest easy knowing that access to what has been described as the finest integrated health care system in the country will remain undiminished -- especially for low-income veterans, those with service-connected disabilities (or) special needs or who have recently returned from combat," Nicholson said.
SPECIAL REPORT
AN IN-DEPTH STUDY, ANALYSIS OR REVIEW EXPLORING THE MEDIA
THE MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER ! WWW.MRC.ORG
TV’s Bad News Brigade
ABC, CBS and NBC’s Defeatist Coverage of the War in Iraq
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ever since the United States and an international coalition toppled Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship in the spring of 2003, the Iraq war has dominated network newscasts. Since then, there’s been a lot of undeniably bad news, as terrorists have launched a savage campaign to thwart efforts to establish democracy in a major Arab state. But are network reporters giving the public an inordinately gloomy portrait of the situation, as some critics charge? Are the positive accomplishments of U.S. soldiers and Iraq’s new democratic leaders being lost in a news agenda dominated by assassinations, car bombings and casualty reports?
The answer to both questions is: Yes.
This conclusion is based on a Media Research Center study of broadcast network news coverage of the Iraq war so far this year. MRC analysts reviewed all 1,388 Iraq stories broadcast on ABC’s World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News from January 1 through September 30. (In 2006, the MRC will release a similar analysis of cable news coverage of Iraq.) Among the key findings:
# Network coverage has been overwhelmingly pessimistic. More than half of all stories (848, or 61%) focused on negative topics or presented a pessimistic analysis of the situation, four times as many as featured U.S. or Iraqi achievements or offered an optimistic assessment (just 211 stories, or 15%).
# News about the war has grown increasingly negative. In January and February, about a fifth of all network stories (21%) struck a hopeful note, while just over half presented a negative slant on the situation. By August and September, positive stories had fallen to a measly seven percent and the percentage of bad news stories swelled to 73 percent of all Iraq news, a ten-to-one disparity.
# Terrorist attacks are the centerpiece of TV’s war news. Two out of every five network evening news stories (564) featured car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings or other attacks launched by the terrorists against the Iraqi people or coalition forces, more than any other topic.
# Even coverage of the Iraqi political process has been negative. More stories (124) focused on shortcomings in Iraq’s political process — the danger of bloodshed during the January elections, political infighting among politicians, and fears that the new Iraqi constitution might spur more civil strife — than found optimism in the Iraqi people’s historic march to democracy (92 stories). One-third of those optimistic stories (32) appeared on just two nights — January 30 and 31, just after Iraq’s first successful elections. # Few stories focused on the heroism or generous actions of American soldiers. Just eight stories were devoted to recounting episodes of heroism or valor by U.S. troops, and another nine stories featured instances when soldiers reached out to help the Iraqi people. In contrast, 79 stories focused on allegations of combat mistakes or outright misconduct on the part of U.S. military personnel.
# It’s not as if there was no “good news” to report. NBC’s cameras found a bullish stock market and a hiring boom in Baghdad’s business district, ABC showcased the coalition’s successful effort to bring peace to a Baghdad thoroughfare once branded “Death Street,” and CBS documented how the one-time battleground of Sadr City is now quiet and citizens are beginning to benefit from improved public services. Stories describing U.S. and Iraqi achievements provided essential context to the discouraging drumbeat of daily news, but were unfortunately just a small sliver of TV’s Iraq news. It is probably predictable that journalists would emphasize bad news, but network TV’s profoundly pessimistic coverage has shortchanged the accomplishments of both the U.S. military and Iraq’s new leaders and has certainly contributed to the public’s growing discontent with the war. Just as it would be wrong for reporters to conceal any bad news, it is wrong for journalists to downplay the good news that is being made in Iraq. Reporters have the responsibility to fully inform citizens about progress that is being made amid great sacrifice, and they are not doing so.
WASHINGTON - The Navy has been unable to determine whether Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher, the fighter pilot shot down over Iraq in January 1991, is dead or alive, but it decided to keep his official status "missing/captured" and intensify investigative efforts.
Navy Secretary Gordon England on Wednesday approved the findings and recommendations of a Navy board of inquiry, which concluded that "elements of the former Iraqi regime know the whereabouts of Captain Speicher."
The board's report said this conclusion was based on the fact that some years after Speicher's F/A-18 fighter was shot down over the Iraqi desert on the opening night of the Gulf War the former Iraqi government turned over items from the aircraft and a flight suit. The report did not say who in the former regime of Saddam Hussein is believed to have knowledge about what happened to the pilot after he was shot down.
The Iraqi government maintained from the start that Speicher perished at the site where his F/A-18 crashed after being hit by an Iraqi air-to-air missile. No evidence to contradict that has surfaced since the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, but the new Navy inquiry concluded there was no credible evidence of his death, either.
The Navy has changed its position on Speicher's status over the years. Hours after his plane went down in the desert, the Pentagon publicly declared him killed in action. Ten years later, the Navy changed his status to missing in action, citing an absence of evidence that he had died. In October 2002, the Navy switched his status to "missing/captured," although it has never said what evidence it had that he ever was in captivity.
Members of the Navy board of inquiry, whose report was made public Thursday, did not go to Iraq or conduct their own investigation. They considered the findings of an initial Navy inquiry in May 1991, plus a report that was filed after a search of the crash site in 1996, and subsequent Navy deliberations on the case as well as a March 2005 intelligence report based on search efforts inside Iraq after Baghdad fell in 2003.
The head of an intelligence agency POW/MIA analytical group briefed members of the Navy board of inquiry in June, but details from that briefing were not made public because the information is classified secret.
The board recommended, and England agreed, that the Pentagon should work with the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Iraqi government to "increase the level of attention and effort inside Iraq" to resolve the question of Speicher's fate.
It did not elaborate on how this should be done. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who has pressed the Navy on this matter for years, said in a statement Thursday that he would ask Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for details on how the Speicher search will be intensified.
Among the board's findings: "That Captain Speicher likely ejected from the aircraft and may have been captured by Iraqi forces." Also, given that the Iraqi government turned over a flight suit and other items associated with Speicher's aircraft years ago, the board concluded that some members of the former Saddam regime know Speicher's whereabouts.
"In view of the above findings, the board concludes as to the current whereabouts and status of the person that the person is missing/captured," the report said.
A Pentagon team assigned to search for evidence of Speicher after the fall of Baghdad completed its efforts in May 2004. Marine Brig. Gen. Joseph J. McMenamin, who led the search team, told Congress afterward that all in-country leads regarding the pilot's fate had been exhausted.
McMenamin added, however, that some leads could not be fully pursued because of the security threat from the Iraq insurgency. Another problem, he said, was that nomadic Bedouin tribesmen who may have information of value are difficult to find. And some who might have information about Speicher may be intimidated by the threat of retribution by members of the former Saddam regime who are still at large.
HONOLULU
- Delegates to the nation’s largest wartime
veterans organization meeting here in national convention today vowed to use
whatever means necessary to ensure the united support of the American people for
our troops and the global war on terrorism.
“Warriors, above all other people, pray for peace, for they must suffer and bear
the deepest wounds and scars of war,” said Thomas P. Cadmus, national commander
of The American Legion referring to Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s quote. “We had
hoped that the lessons learned from the Vietnam War would be clear to our fellow
citizens: public protests against the war here at home while our young men and
women are in harm’s way on the other side of the globe only provide aid and
comfort to our enemies. We understand that the terrorists they are engaging
there would slit the throats of every American, adult and child, if they could.”
The resolution passed unanimously by 4,000 delegates to the annual event states:
“The American Legion fully supports the President of the United States, the
United States Congress and the men, women, and leadership of our armed forces as
they are engaged in the global war on terrorism.”
“For many of us, the visions of Jane Fonda glibly spouting anti-American
messages with the North Vietnamese and protestors denouncing our own forces four
decades ago is forever etched in our memories,” Cadmus said. “We must never let
that happen again. I assure you, The American Legion will stand against anyone
and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives
by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom
loving peoples.”
The measure recognizes that the global war on terrorism is as deadly as any war
in which the United States has been previously engaged and that the President
and Congress did authorize military actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
“No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but
we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their
elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up
and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies,“ Cadmus said. “It would be
tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used
against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our
destruction.
“Let’s not repeat the mistakes of our past,” he added. ”I urge all Americans to
rally around our armed forces and remember our fellow Americans who were
viciously murdered on Sept. 11, 2001. We must commit ourselves to stand united
together to defeat terrorism once and forever.”
The 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans
organization.
Six in Guard to Face Court Martial
LOS ANGELES - Six members of a California Army National Guard unit will face courts-martial for allegedly mistreating detainees in Iraq, military officials said Tuesday.
The trials were ordered after investigators reviewed allegations of prisoner abuse by 12 soldiers with the 1st Battalion of the 184th Infantry Regiment.
Two cases involve a so-called general court-martial, reserved for the most serious infractions, while four involve a midlevel court called a special court-martial, according to Lt. Col. Robert Whetstone, a Task Force Baghdad spokesman.
Two additional cases have been completed in what is known as a summary court-martial, which hears lesser offenses, but the outcomes were not immediately available, Whetstone said. Four remaining cases were still under investigation, he said.
The soldiers, who were not identified, belong to the battalion's Fullerton-based Alpha Company. Some face charges of mistreatment of a person under their control, assault and making a false statement, while one soldier was charged with obstruction of justice, military officials have said.
The company, which comprises about 130 soldiers, was placed on restrictive duty. The courts-martial will be in Baghdad, but the dates have not been disclosed.
AL ASAD,
Iraq - The Greyhawks of Marine Medium Helicopter
Squadron 161 first deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. This
deployment marks the third occasion "161 has deployed in support of OIF. The
squadron deployed here Aug. 11 and is ramped up to provide casualty evacuation
and logistics transport.
At the end of their 2004 deployment the squadron had flown more than 750
missions transporting more than 2,900 passengers, 116,000 pounds of cargo and
300 casualties to urgent care facilities throughout Iraq.
"This squadron started the CASEVAC mission last year during its second
deployment to Iraq," said Lt. Col. Mike Brassaw, the Greyhawks commanding
officer and Cape Coral, Fla., native "We plan to continue the success we had."
The Greyhawks are a very seasoned squadron that knows what is expected of them.
They have served in Iraq before and are ready to continue their tradition of
excellence in combat.
"We have Marines who are serving for a third time in Iraq," Brassaw said. "We
have a wealth of experience in this squadron that will lead the rest of the unit
to success."
The unit has been preparing for this deployment since their return from Iraq 11
months ago. They transported new CH-46s here and have worked long hours to
ensure the aircraft are operational. They are set for the move to a forward
operating base from which they will conduct missions.
"We brought aircraft in last year and then left them behind for future units to
use," Brassaw said. "Now those CH-46s have been in Iraq for more than 18 months
and been used under very strenuous conditions by three different squadrons. We
are bringing in aircraft that have been completely re-modified and ready for the
mission."
Over the past two weeks the Greyhawks have put their aircraft back together
after traveling across the world in Air Force cargo planes. They have spent
their days checking systems and going on test flights, ensuring everything is
ready for combat.
"Our Marines are anxious to begin the mission," said Sgt. Maj. William
Fitzgerald, a Big Rapids, Mich., native.
"We're ready to get to work," said Sgt. Jason Hernandez, a mechanic and aerial
observer and Orange Park, Fla., native. "We want to get to our base and get into
a routine and do our part again."
Along with a wealth of experience in the squadron, the Greyhawks also have a
number of young Marines who are deploying for the first time. The Marines who
are serving for their second and third time in country have been preparing the
younger Marines.
"I'm a little nervous," said Lance Cpl. Michael Kubbeler, a crew chief from
Toledo, Ohio. "I guess I'm just experiencing the normal emotions for someone who
is deploying to a combat zone for the first time, but mainly I'm excited to be
here. This is a great opportunity and I'm ready for it."
"We stress training and learning everything you can as soon as someone new walks
in the door," said Cpl. Nicholas Moreno, a crew chief and Sulphur, La., native.
"These younger guys are prepared a lot better than we were last year. They have
been able to learn from our lessons learned from our previous deployments."
The Marines expect nothing less than the excellence they started two years ago.
Keeping in mind the importance of their job helps the Marines stay focused while
preparing for each mission.
"We are expecting the same good things that have been the trademark of this unit
for the past two combat deployments," said Hernandez, who is serving for his
third time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. "We have a good core of
experience and leadership that will make this deployment better than the rest."
The Greyhawks understand that providing casualty evacuation is vital to the
success of the forward deployed Marine force. The squadron has an experienced
crew ready to do all they can to ensure the safety and health of their
passengers throughout Iraq. Their mission is to maintain the well being of each
member of the unit, and do their part so the people of Iraq live in a free
society.
ARLINGTON, Va. - Unlike earlier wars, nearly all Arlington National Cemetery gravestones for troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are inscribed with the slogan-like operation names the Pentagon selected to promote public support for the conflicts.
Families of fallen soldiers and Marines are being told they have the option to have the government-furnished headstones engraved with "Operation Enduring Freedom" or "Operation Iraqi Freedom" at no extra charge, whether they are buried in Arlington or elsewhere. A mock-up shown to many families includes the operation names.
The vast majority of military gravestones from other eras are inscribed with just the basic, required information: name, rank, military branch, date of death and, if applicable, the war and foreign country in which the person served.
Families are supposed to have final approval over what goes on the tombstones. That hasn't always happened.
Nadia and Robert McCaffrey, whose son Patrick was killed in Iraq in June 2004, said "Operation Iraqi Freedom" ended up on his government-supplied headstone in Oceanside, Calif., without family approval.
"I was a little taken aback," Robert McCaffrey said, describing his reaction when he first saw the operation name on Patrick's tombstone. "They certainly didn't ask my wife; they didn't ask me." He said Patrick's widow told him she had not been asked either.
"In one way, I feel it's taking advantage to a small degree," McCaffrey said. "Patrick did not want to be there, that is a definite fact."
The owner of the company that has been making gravestones for Arlington and other national cemeteries for nearly two decades is uncomfortable, too.
"It just seems a little brazen that that's put on stones," said Jeff Martell, owner of Granite Industries of Vermont. "It seems like it might be connected to politics."
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it isn't. "The headstone is not a PR purpose. It is to let the country know and the people that visit the cemetery know who served this country and made the country free for us," VA official Steve Muro said.
Since 1997, the government has been paying for virtually everything inscribed on the gravestones. Before that, families had to pay the gravestone makers separately for any inscription beyond the basics.
It wasn't until the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 that the department instructed national cemetery directors and funeral homes across the country to advise families of fallen soldiers and Marines that they could have operation names like "Enduring Freedom" or "Iraqi Freedom" included on the headstones.
VA officials say neither the Pentagon nor White House exerted any pressure to get families to include the operation names. They say families always had the option of including information like battle or operation names, but didn't always know it.
"It's just the right thing to do and it always has been, but it hasn't always been followed," said Dave Schettler, director of the VA's memorial programs service.
VA officials say they don't know how many families of the more than 2,000 soldiers and Marines who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan have opted to include the operation names.
At Arlington, the nation's most prestigious national cemetery, all but a few of the 193 gravestones of Iraq and Afghanistan dead carry the operation names. War casualties are also buried in many of the 121 other national cemeteries and numerous state and private graveyards.
The interment service supervisor at Arlington, Vicki Tanner, said cemetery representatives show families a mock-up of the headstone with "Operation Iraqi Freedom" or "Operation Enduring Freedom" already included, and ask their approval.
Former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam and headed the Veterans Administration under President Carter, called the practice "a little bit of glorified advertising."
"I think it's a little bit of gilding the lily," Cleland said, while insisting that he's not criticizing families who want that information included.
"Most of the headstones out there at Arlington and around the nation just say World War II or Korea or Vietnam, one simple statement," he said. "It's not, shall we say, a designated theme or a designated operation by somebody in the Pentagon. It is what it is. And I think there's power in simplicity."
The Pentagon in the late 1980s began selecting operation names with themes that would help generate public support for conflicts.
Gregory C. Sieminski, an Army officer writing in a 1995 Army War College publication, said the Pentagon decision to call the 1989 invasion of Panama "Operation Just Cause" initiated a trend of naming operations "with an eye toward shaping domestic and international perceptions about the activities they describe."
Mainline veterans groups are taking the change in stride. American Legion spokesman Donald Mooney said the organization hasn't heard any complaints from its members.
"I'm concerned that we do what the families want," said Bob Wallace, executive director of Veterans of Foreign Wars. "I don't think there's any critical motivation behind this."
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has ordered 1,500 paratroopers to
Iraq to provide security
in advance of two upcoming national votes, the military announced Wednesday.
Two infantry battalions from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy to Iraq before the scheduled Oct. 15 referendum on the proposed constitution, and remain through the December national elections, the Pentagon said in a statement.
They are expected to depart the United States in mid-September and will remain in Iraq for 120 days, officials said.
The battalions will be the 2nd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, the "White Falcons," and the 3rd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the "Blue Devils," according to a draft of an 82nd Airborne press release provided to the AP.
Both units have already been to Iraq. They will join the 138,000 U.S. troops already in the country.
The military anticipates an increase in violence in Iraq in advance of the elections, with insurgents opposed to the U.S.-backed government trying to disrupt the process.
The Pentagon has temporarily increased the size of the force in Iraq twice before political milestones - the June 2004 transfer of sovereignty and the January elections. Lt. Col. Barry Venable, a Pentagon spokesman, said those deployments helped limit the effectiveness of the insurgent campaign.
"This deployment is in support of continued progress," he said. "We are reinforcing success."
The troops are being sent at the request of Gen. George Casey, commander of the multinational forces in Iraq. His request was approved Tuesday by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the Pentagon said.
The Pentagon has already sent a third battalion from the 82nd Airborne to Afghanistan to bolster security for September elections there.
A fourth battalion from the 82nd is deploying to Iraq to assist with detention operations, the military recently announced.
The 82nd Airborne Division is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. The unit does not have many heavy vehicles and can be sent quickly to conflicts anywhere in the world.
