Police Say Marine Killed Ex-Girlfriend
March 27, 2008
Associated Press
SAGINAW, Texas - After returning from his third tour of duty in Iraq in three years, Lance Cpl. Eric Acevedo just wasn't the same, his relatives said.
The previously athletic teen, who had enlisted in the Marines just after graduating from high school a few months after the war began in 2003, suffered from nightmares, fought with his girlfriend and gained weight. The 22-year-old, whose breaks between deployments were less than a year, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, said his father, Andres Acevedo.
Early on the morning of March 22, 13 months after returning from his last tour, he went to his ex-girlfriend's townhouse, broke through a ground-floor window and stabbed her repeatedly with a kitchen knife, police said. A blood-covered Acevedo then paced in the parking lot as officers rushed to the tan wood-and-brick townhouse complex and arrested him, neighbors said.
Eric Acevedo, 22, is charged with capital murder, which carries the death penalty, and remained jailed Wednesday on $1 million bond. Acevedo's court-appointed attorney, Lex Johnston, said he had not spent much time talking to his client.
"I gave him to the government nice and healthy, and the government returned somebody who is capable of doing something like that," Andres Acevedo told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The ex-girlfriend, Mollieann Worden, 32, frantically called 911 during the attack but was dead when officers arrived a few minutes later, Officer Kim Allison said. Worden's 10-year-old daughter had been spending the night at a friend's house and is now staying with relatives.
Andres Acevedo said his son and Worden dated more than two years and broke up a few months ago. He said he picked up his son from Worden's house at least twice, after his son called to avoid being arrested when the couple fought.
Police in Saginaw, a working-class suburb of Fort Worth, never received any domestic disturbance calls at the townhouse where Acevedo had lived with Worden or at another home they previously shared, Allison said.
The Marine's father and an aunt, Alicia Rodriguez, told the Star-Telegram that Eric Acevedo had been a good kid who never caused problems. Andres Acevedo said that a military doctor last year diagnosed his son with post-traumatic stress disorder and placed him on medication that seemed to calm him down.
But according to Veterans Affairs records, Eric Acevedo has not enrolled in the VA North Texas Health Care System or applied for any VA benefits.
Dwayne Parker, one of Worden's neighbors, said that before the couple broke up, Eric Acevedo sometimes talked to him but rarely mentioned Iraq.
"He tried to act normal, but it seemed like he was hiding something," Parker told The Associated Press. "He was scared to go back."
Parker said Worden, a striking brunette with soft brown eyes, had moved on and had been spending time with her new friends at church. Just two days before she was killed, she proudly showed off two new star tattoos on her finger - covering another tattoo that once read "Eric," Parker said.
"I've never seen her as happy as that," Parker said. "She was such a sweet person, and she didn't deserve this."
Acevedo, who was stationed at Twentynine Palms, Calif., was deployed for about seven months in 2004 and again in 2005-06, and for six months in 2006-07, said Master Sgt. Ronald J. Spencer, a spokesman with the Marine Corps Mobilization Command in Kansas City. In the war zone, Acevedo carried a machine gun as part of a patrol team, Spencer said.
"He was a good Marine," Spencer said.
Spencer said he could not release Acevedo's medical records or say if he had been disciplined, citing privacy laws.
After his last deployment, Acevedo had completed active duty and was to serve his last four years in the Marine Corps' Individual Ready Reserve, Spencer said.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Face of Defense: Army Nurse Strives to Make a Difference
Face of Defense: Army Nurse Strives to Make a Difference
By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 26, 2008 – Capt. Jody Brown’s barely 5-foot-tall stature easily is dwarfed by the sea of infantrymen. The Army nurse’s body armor and helmet make her look almost childlike, and her M4 rifle is more than half her size.
Army Capt. Jody Brown, a Kingston, N.H., native, looks for medication for a patient March 17, 2008, at a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Brown is a registered nurse with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
“Come here. I want a picture,” said Brown, a native of Kingston, N.H. Her fellow medic reluctantly posed with her for a picture March 17 before they loaded into Stryker vehicles on their way to Batta village, northwest of Baghdad, en route to a combined medical mission.
“She’s never been outside the wire,” a soldier said under his breath with a snicker.
He was wrong.
Brown, a registered nurse, supports the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s units with immunizations and travels to wherever the soldiers are -- even outside the wire. She is assigned to 2nd SBCT’s Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, as part of Multinational Division Baghdad.
But on this day, she was not wielding syringes or tracking down soldiers who need shots; she was joining her fellow doctors, physician assistants and medics from 225th Brigade Support Battalion and 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, to provide medical aid for the people of Batta village.
“I’m so excited,” she said. The mission marked Brown’s first combined medical effort, and she said it is a great way to help the Iraqi people and build positive relationships with them.
“This is a great thing, and I hope we can help as many people as possible,” she said.
Brown said she didn’t always want to be a nurse, but she knew it was a great way to help people, which is something she’s always wanted to do. She joined the Army 10 years ago as a transportation officer, and she credited “great leadership” with her ultimate transfer into the medical corps. Shortly after making the decision to transfer, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire’s nursing school.
“Being a nurse is great,” she said. “There are not many people who are nurses, and even less can say they serve in the Army.”
Brown said she sometimes finds her experiences to be unfathomable.
“I mean, here I am, this petite woman,” she said. “I know I can’t be infantry, and I know I will never be able to lift what those guys lift, or do what those guys do, but this is just as amazing. I am here, and I can do a lot as a nurse.”
The line at the medical exercise seemed endless, as patient after patient shoved into the overcrowded room. As in so many places in Iraq, villagers don’t get many opportunities to be seen by a medical professional. Brown worked easily with the patients, breaking the barriers of culture and language with her actions and tone of voice. Only when she was satisfied with the level of care she provided to the patient did she move on to the next.
“She’s a great nurse,” said Capt. Drew Webb, a native of Monterey, Calif., who serves as a physician assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “She’s very caring, and we are happy to have her here.”
Brown said she is happy to be in Iraq. She volunteered, against the wishes of her husband, Capt. Steve Brown, to deploy by his side.
“Quite frankly, he was mad,” she said, of her husband who is the commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Liberty. “He couldn’t think of his wife in a combat zone.”
Brown said the deployment has made her stronger, and she and her husband talk whenever they can. Working side by side with Iraqi army medics and the town doctor as they combine their efforts to help the people of Batta village is a satisfying opportunity, Brown said.
“I know I can’t help everyone,” she said, “but just helping these people is a start in the right direction.”
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti serves with the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
Army Capt. Jody Brown, a Kingston, N.H., native, takes a woman’s blood pressure March 17, 2008, while participating in a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Brown is a registered nurse with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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Army Sgt. Katrina Colvin treats a child’s injured arm March 17, 2008, while participating in a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Colvin, a native of Smithville, Texas, serves as a medic with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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Army Capt. Drew Webb, a native of Monterey, Calif., checks the ears of an Iraqi girl March 17, 2008, during a combined medical mission in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Webb serves as a physician assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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An Iraqi doctor checks a man’s blood pressure March 17, 2008, during a combined medical mission in Bata village, northwest of Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 26, 2008 – Capt. Jody Brown’s barely 5-foot-tall stature easily is dwarfed by the sea of infantrymen. The Army nurse’s body armor and helmet make her look almost childlike, and her M4 rifle is more than half her size.
Army Capt. Jody Brown, a Kingston, N.H., native, looks for medication for a patient March 17, 2008, at a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Brown is a registered nurse with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
“Come here. I want a picture,” said Brown, a native of Kingston, N.H. Her fellow medic reluctantly posed with her for a picture March 17 before they loaded into Stryker vehicles on their way to Batta village, northwest of Baghdad, en route to a combined medical mission.
“She’s never been outside the wire,” a soldier said under his breath with a snicker.
He was wrong.
Brown, a registered nurse, supports the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s units with immunizations and travels to wherever the soldiers are -- even outside the wire. She is assigned to 2nd SBCT’s Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, as part of Multinational Division Baghdad.
But on this day, she was not wielding syringes or tracking down soldiers who need shots; she was joining her fellow doctors, physician assistants and medics from 225th Brigade Support Battalion and 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, to provide medical aid for the people of Batta village.
“I’m so excited,” she said. The mission marked Brown’s first combined medical effort, and she said it is a great way to help the Iraqi people and build positive relationships with them.
“This is a great thing, and I hope we can help as many people as possible,” she said.
Brown said she didn’t always want to be a nurse, but she knew it was a great way to help people, which is something she’s always wanted to do. She joined the Army 10 years ago as a transportation officer, and she credited “great leadership” with her ultimate transfer into the medical corps. Shortly after making the decision to transfer, she graduated from the University of New Hampshire’s nursing school.
“Being a nurse is great,” she said. “There are not many people who are nurses, and even less can say they serve in the Army.”
Brown said she sometimes finds her experiences to be unfathomable.
“I mean, here I am, this petite woman,” she said. “I know I can’t be infantry, and I know I will never be able to lift what those guys lift, or do what those guys do, but this is just as amazing. I am here, and I can do a lot as a nurse.”
The line at the medical exercise seemed endless, as patient after patient shoved into the overcrowded room. As in so many places in Iraq, villagers don’t get many opportunities to be seen by a medical professional. Brown worked easily with the patients, breaking the barriers of culture and language with her actions and tone of voice. Only when she was satisfied with the level of care she provided to the patient did she move on to the next.
“She’s a great nurse,” said Capt. Drew Webb, a native of Monterey, Calif., who serves as a physician assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. “She’s very caring, and we are happy to have her here.”
Brown said she is happy to be in Iraq. She volunteered, against the wishes of her husband, Capt. Steve Brown, to deploy by his side.
“Quite frankly, he was mad,” she said, of her husband who is the commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Camp Liberty. “He couldn’t think of his wife in a combat zone.”
Brown said the deployment has made her stronger, and she and her husband talk whenever they can. Working side by side with Iraqi army medics and the town doctor as they combine their efforts to help the people of Batta village is a satisfying opportunity, Brown said.
“I know I can’t help everyone,” she said, “but just helping these people is a start in the right direction.”
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti serves with the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
Army Capt. Jody Brown, a Kingston, N.H., native, takes a woman’s blood pressure March 17, 2008, while participating in a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Brown is a registered nurse with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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Army Sgt. Katrina Colvin treats a child’s injured arm March 17, 2008, while participating in a combined medical effort in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Colvin, a native of Smithville, Texas, serves as a medic with Company C, 225th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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Army Capt. Drew Webb, a native of Monterey, Calif., checks the ears of an Iraqi girl March 17, 2008, during a combined medical mission in Batta village, northwest of Baghdad. Webb serves as a physician assistant with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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An Iraqi doctor checks a man’s blood pressure March 17, 2008, during a combined medical mission in Bata village, northwest of Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti, USA
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Face of Defense: Firefighter Trades New York for Iraq
Face of Defense: Firefighter Trades New York for Iraq
By Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 27, 2008 – On Sept. 11, 2001, Nicholas Pata was a volunteer firefighter in Rockland County, N.Y., who assisted rescue efforts after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus (left) presents a commander’s coin for excellence to Army Pfc. Nicholas Pata, a New York City native who serves as a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, March 12, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christian Foster, USA
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Pata, 25, no longer fights fires; he now is an Army private first class and fights terrorism as a Multinational Division Baghdad radio-telephone operator assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
“After 9/11, seeing and losing friends that were firefighters, I felt I owed it to them to jump into the fight,” Pata said. “The time I spent at ground zero made up my mind.”
Pata joined the Army in January 2007. He completed basic combat training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He joined the Wolfhounds in June.
Less than two months later, Pata left Hawaii with his unit to conduct training at the National Training Center, in Fort Irwin, Calif. There, he used his medical skills gained as a fireman and emergency medical technician to save the life of a fellow soldier who was suffering from a severe heat injury. As a result of his actions and performance during the training rotation, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal.
After completing training in California, Pata took pre-deployment leave to relax before a 15-month deployment to Iraq. His leave was not all relaxation. He suited up and went back to work as a firefighter. Pata answered the last alarm minutes before he had to return from leave.
Greg Tobin, a fellow Rockland County volunteer firefighter, said Pata told his fellow firefighters to keep his bunk warm and to leave his gear alone until he returned. “Ever since he has been gone, his gear is exactly like he left it,” Tobin said. “No one (has) dared to touch it -- not out of fear, but rather out of respect for the man who wore it.”
When Pata left in October, he had to say goodbye not only to his biological family, but also to his other family, his fellow firefighters, Tobin said.
“His passion as a firefighter to help his community is what Nick lives for,” he added. “He is a unique person that has risen to the position of captain in the fire department. He feared no fire; he was always the first into a fire and the last one out, and always making sure he watched over the men he led. He is a brave man, very respected, and very missed by us at home. The community will be safer again when he comes home.”
While in Iraq, Pata assists his unit and the Iraqi security forces keep Taji safe. His experience under fire has helped him be a calm presence here.
“Pata always maintains his composure under pressure, regardless of the situation,” said Army Maj. Patrick Aspland, a Fort Ann, N.Y., native who is the executive officer for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, recognized Pata on March 12 for his exemplary performance in Iraq.
“Your great work is bringing new hope for the Iraqi people,” Petraeus said during the award ceremony. “Keep up the terrific work.”
Army Master Sgt. Timothy Jackson, a native of Dryden, N.Y., who serves as the operations sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, said Pata is one of the best radio-telephone operators he’s ever known. “Pata is a great asset to the (battalion),” he said.
Pata has about a year left in Iraq before going back to fight a different kind of fire. Pata said he looks forward to going back to Hawaii and eventually returning to New York to continue to serve the people there.
(Army Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.)
Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
Nicholas Pata, now an Army provate first class, is a New York City native who serves as a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. He was a volunteer firefighter in the Rockland County Fire Department prior to joining the Army. Pata assisted in the rescue efforts after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Courtesy photo
Army Pfc. Nicholas Pata, a New York City native, is a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. Brad Willeford, USA
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By Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
CAMP TAJI, Iraq, March 27, 2008 – On Sept. 11, 2001, Nicholas Pata was a volunteer firefighter in Rockland County, N.Y., who assisted rescue efforts after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus (left) presents a commander’s coin for excellence to Army Pfc. Nicholas Pata, a New York City native who serves as a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, March 12, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. Christian Foster, USA
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Pata, 25, no longer fights fires; he now is an Army private first class and fights terrorism as a Multinational Division Baghdad radio-telephone operator assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
“After 9/11, seeing and losing friends that were firefighters, I felt I owed it to them to jump into the fight,” Pata said. “The time I spent at ground zero made up my mind.”
Pata joined the Army in January 2007. He completed basic combat training at Fort Benning, Ga., and then was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He joined the Wolfhounds in June.
Less than two months later, Pata left Hawaii with his unit to conduct training at the National Training Center, in Fort Irwin, Calif. There, he used his medical skills gained as a fireman and emergency medical technician to save the life of a fellow soldier who was suffering from a severe heat injury. As a result of his actions and performance during the training rotation, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal.
After completing training in California, Pata took pre-deployment leave to relax before a 15-month deployment to Iraq. His leave was not all relaxation. He suited up and went back to work as a firefighter. Pata answered the last alarm minutes before he had to return from leave.
Greg Tobin, a fellow Rockland County volunteer firefighter, said Pata told his fellow firefighters to keep his bunk warm and to leave his gear alone until he returned. “Ever since he has been gone, his gear is exactly like he left it,” Tobin said. “No one (has) dared to touch it -- not out of fear, but rather out of respect for the man who wore it.”
When Pata left in October, he had to say goodbye not only to his biological family, but also to his other family, his fellow firefighters, Tobin said.
“His passion as a firefighter to help his community is what Nick lives for,” he added. “He is a unique person that has risen to the position of captain in the fire department. He feared no fire; he was always the first into a fire and the last one out, and always making sure he watched over the men he led. He is a brave man, very respected, and very missed by us at home. The community will be safer again when he comes home.”
While in Iraq, Pata assists his unit and the Iraqi security forces keep Taji safe. His experience under fire has helped him be a calm presence here.
“Pata always maintains his composure under pressure, regardless of the situation,” said Army Maj. Patrick Aspland, a Fort Ann, N.Y., native who is the executive officer for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, recognized Pata on March 12 for his exemplary performance in Iraq.
“Your great work is bringing new hope for the Iraqi people,” Petraeus said during the award ceremony. “Keep up the terrific work.”
Army Master Sgt. Timothy Jackson, a native of Dryden, N.Y., who serves as the operations sergeant major for 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, said Pata is one of the best radio-telephone operators he’s ever known. “Pata is a great asset to the (battalion),” he said.
Pata has about a year left in Iraq before going back to fight a different kind of fire. Pata said he looks forward to going back to Hawaii and eventually returning to New York to continue to serve the people there.
(Army Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.)
Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
Nicholas Pata, now an Army provate first class, is a New York City native who serves as a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. He was a volunteer firefighter in the Rockland County Fire Department prior to joining the Army. Pata assisted in the rescue efforts after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Courtesy photo
Army Pfc. Nicholas Pata, a New York City native, is a radio-telephone operator for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. Brad Willeford, USA
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DoD to Award $15.7 Million for Science and Engineering Research
DoD to Award $15.7 Million for Science and Engineering Research
The Department of Defense announced today plans to award $15.7 million to 24 academic institutions in 18 states to perform research in science and engineering, under the fiscal 2008 Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR).
The Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research solicited proposals using a defense-wide broad agency announcement. The announcement was published on the Internet and accessed by the DEPSCoR state committees, which solicited and selected projects for each state's proposal.
Academic researchers in Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming were eligible to receive awards under this competition.
All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between DoD and the academic institutions.
The list of projects selected for fiscal 2008 DEPSCoR funding can be found on the Web at: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2008/d20080326depscor.xls .
The Department of Defense announced today plans to award $15.7 million to 24 academic institutions in 18 states to perform research in science and engineering, under the fiscal 2008 Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR).
The Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research solicited proposals using a defense-wide broad agency announcement. The announcement was published on the Internet and accessed by the DEPSCoR state committees, which solicited and selected projects for each state's proposal.
Academic researchers in Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming were eligible to receive awards under this competition.
All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations between DoD and the academic institutions.
The list of projects selected for fiscal 2008 DEPSCoR funding can be found on the Web at: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2008/d20080326depscor.xls .
National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Mobilized as of March 26, 2008
National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Mobilized as of March 26, 2008
This week, the Navy and Marine Corps announced a decrease, while the Army and Air Force announced an increase. The Coast Guard number remained the same. The net collective result is 2,443 more reservists mobilized than last week.
At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 76,309; Navy Reserve, 5,495; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,614; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,638; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 344. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been mobilized to 98,400, including both units and individual augmentees.
A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently mobilized can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2008/d20080326ngr.pdf
This week, the Navy and Marine Corps announced a decrease, while the Army and Air Force announced an increase. The Coast Guard number remained the same. The net collective result is 2,443 more reservists mobilized than last week.
At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization of the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 76,309; Navy Reserve, 5,495; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 7,614; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,638; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 344. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been mobilized to 98,400, including both units and individual augmentees.
A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently mobilized can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2008/d20080326ngr.pdf
Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Award Winners Announced
Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Award Winners Announced
The winners of the fiscal 2007 Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement awards have been announced by the Department of Defense. A ceremony will be held in June to recognize the recipients’ outstanding achievements through the application of value engineering.
Value engineering is a systematic process of function analysis to identify actions that reduce cost, increase quality, and improve mission capabilities across the entire spectrum of DoD systems, processes, and organizations. The DoD’s Value Engineering Program continues to be an incentive for government and our industry partners to improve the joint value proposition by promoting innovation and creativity. Innovative value engineering proposals seek best value solutions as part of a successful business relationship. During year 2007, 1,373 in-house value engineering proposals and contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals were accepted with projected savings/cost avoidance in excess of $4.5 billion.
The Value Engineering Awards Program is an acknowledgment of exemplary achievements and encourages additional projects to improve in-house and contractor productivity. Award winners from each DoD component were eligible for selection in five categories: program/project, individual, team, organization, and contractor. Additional special awards were given to recognize innovative applications or approaches that expanded the traditional scope of value engineering use.
Army winners include the following:
Program/Project: Civil Works District Value Engineering Program, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Individual: Karen Caudle, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command
Team: Firefinder Reliability, Maintainability Improvement Program Team, U.S. Army, Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command Organization Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Contractor: Northstar Aerospace Inc., Ill. And Carleton Technologies, Inc. N.Y.
Special: U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Life Cycle Management Command and Jim Knowles, Headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command
Navy winners include:
Program/Project: Virginia Class Submarine Program, Program Management Office, Ships
Individual: John Martin, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Calif.
Team: Program Management Office, Warfare, Design to Scope Team, Sea Systems Command
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Heuneme Division, Air Dominance Department
Special: Naval Air Systems Command, Avionics Component Improvement Program and Naval Surface Warfare Command Crane, Airborne Electronic Warfare; Naval Facilities Systems Command Design-Build Acquisition Strategy and Cooperative Engagement Capability System Antenna Environmental Control Unit Redesign
Air Force winners include:
Team: Processing and Fabrication Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Defense Logistics Agency winners include:
Program/Project: Ned Pruitt, Reliability of Aviation, Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va.
Individual: Robert Volk, Jr., Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio
Team: Organic Manufacturing Team, Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va.
Organization: Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio
Special: Mitchell McElroy, Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio and Supply Center Richmond,Va., Value Management Office
Missile Defense Agency winners include:
Program/Project: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Project Management Office
Individual: Toni Hamilton, Manufacturing and Product Assurance Directorate, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
Team: Radar Obsolescence Value Engineering team, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
Special: Richard Gonzalez and Rod Haverkamp, program executive office, Missile and Space, Huntsville, Ala.
The winners of the fiscal 2007 Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement awards have been announced by the Department of Defense. A ceremony will be held in June to recognize the recipients’ outstanding achievements through the application of value engineering.
Value engineering is a systematic process of function analysis to identify actions that reduce cost, increase quality, and improve mission capabilities across the entire spectrum of DoD systems, processes, and organizations. The DoD’s Value Engineering Program continues to be an incentive for government and our industry partners to improve the joint value proposition by promoting innovation and creativity. Innovative value engineering proposals seek best value solutions as part of a successful business relationship. During year 2007, 1,373 in-house value engineering proposals and contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals were accepted with projected savings/cost avoidance in excess of $4.5 billion.
The Value Engineering Awards Program is an acknowledgment of exemplary achievements and encourages additional projects to improve in-house and contractor productivity. Award winners from each DoD component were eligible for selection in five categories: program/project, individual, team, organization, and contractor. Additional special awards were given to recognize innovative applications or approaches that expanded the traditional scope of value engineering use.
Army winners include the following:
Program/Project: Civil Works District Value Engineering Program, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Individual: Karen Caudle, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command
Team: Firefinder Reliability, Maintainability Improvement Program Team, U.S. Army, Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command Organization Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Contractor: Northstar Aerospace Inc., Ill. And Carleton Technologies, Inc. N.Y.
Special: U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Life Cycle Management Command and Jim Knowles, Headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command
Navy winners include:
Program/Project: Virginia Class Submarine Program, Program Management Office, Ships
Individual: John Martin, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, Calif.
Team: Program Management Office, Warfare, Design to Scope Team, Sea Systems Command
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Heuneme Division, Air Dominance Department
Special: Naval Air Systems Command, Avionics Component Improvement Program and Naval Surface Warfare Command Crane, Airborne Electronic Warfare; Naval Facilities Systems Command Design-Build Acquisition Strategy and Cooperative Engagement Capability System Antenna Environmental Control Unit Redesign
Air Force winners include:
Team: Processing and Fabrication Branch, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
Defense Logistics Agency winners include:
Program/Project: Ned Pruitt, Reliability of Aviation, Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va.
Individual: Robert Volk, Jr., Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio
Team: Organic Manufacturing Team, Defense Supply Center Richmond, Va.
Organization: Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio
Special: Mitchell McElroy, Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio and Supply Center Richmond,Va., Value Management Office
Missile Defense Agency winners include:
Program/Project: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Project Management Office
Individual: Toni Hamilton, Manufacturing and Product Assurance Directorate, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
Team: Radar Obsolescence Value Engineering team, Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
Special: Richard Gonzalez and Rod Haverkamp, program executive office, Missile and Space, Huntsville, Ala.
Army to Focus More on Family Support
Army to Focus More on Family Support
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 26, 2008 – The Army is doubling its investment in family support programs in the 2009 budget and will use that money to hire support personnel for family readiness groups, improve child care, and expand educational opportunities for spouses and children of troops, the Army secretary said today.
U.S. Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, right, briefs online journalists and "bloggers" about the Army's plan to double its investement in family support programs for troops. Seated to Geren's left is Charles "Jack" Holt, new media chief for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Defense Dept. Photo.
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
The Army has been building on several years of emphasis on better support for families, Pete Geren told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call.
The 2009 budget for family support programs will be $1.4 billion, up from $700 million last year. Through traveling to different Army bases and talking with soldiers and spouses, Army leaders have learned that child care and family support are important issues for troops, he said.
“So much of the family support over the years has been based on volunteers, where you have spouses that carry the heaviest burden for family support initiatives,” Geren said. “One deployment, perhaps that works; two deployments, that’s starting to be too much to ask; and three deployments is pushing those volunteers to the breaking point.”
To remedy this problem, Geren said, the Army will use its expanded budget to hire full-time support personnel for family readiness groups to help spouses who also have to balance career and family responsibilities. The Army also will hire more staff for child care and youth services, he said.
Another important issue the Army is working on is improving career opportunities for spouses of soldiers as they have to relocate around the country, Geren said. The Army has started the spouse employment partnership, working with industry across the country to provide greater spousal employment opportunities, he said, and the secretaries of defense and labor have entered into a joint venture to expand employment opportunities for military spouses.
Geren added that the Army is seeking to better manage the force so soldiers and their families face fewer moves throughout their careers, to give spouses more opportunities for education and professional development, and to work with employers to identify more opportunities for Army spouses.
“With the economy that we have now, … there are opportunities today for spouses that wouldn’t have existed a very few years ago,” Geren said. “And as an Army, we need to explore how we can use the Internet economy and use the virtual economy to help spouses, whether their employment skills are blue collar or professional.”
Geren also addressed improvements the Army has made in medical care for wounded soldiers since last year, when problems were revealed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Army has established 35 warrior transition units, which are aimed solely at helping wounded soldiers recover, and has hired about 2,500 personnel to man those units, he said. Every soldier assigned to a warrior transition unit has three people who are responsible for him -- a squad leader, a nurse case manager and a primary care physician -- to ensure all that soldier’s needs are met, both physically and mentally, Geren said.
“The whole concept of the warrior transition unit is to provide this triad of support that meets the full range of a warrior in transition’s care and needs,” he explained.
This summer, the Army is launching a program to educate all soldiers on suicide prevention, Geren said. This program is following on the success of the education program on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, he said, and every soldier will be required to take the course.
Biographies:
Pete Geren
Related Sites:
Defense Department Bloggers Roundtable
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 26, 2008 – The Army is doubling its investment in family support programs in the 2009 budget and will use that money to hire support personnel for family readiness groups, improve child care, and expand educational opportunities for spouses and children of troops, the Army secretary said today.
U.S. Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, right, briefs online journalists and "bloggers" about the Army's plan to double its investement in family support programs for troops. Seated to Geren's left is Charles "Jack" Holt, new media chief for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Defense Dept. Photo.
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
The Army has been building on several years of emphasis on better support for families, Pete Geren told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call.
The 2009 budget for family support programs will be $1.4 billion, up from $700 million last year. Through traveling to different Army bases and talking with soldiers and spouses, Army leaders have learned that child care and family support are important issues for troops, he said.
“So much of the family support over the years has been based on volunteers, where you have spouses that carry the heaviest burden for family support initiatives,” Geren said. “One deployment, perhaps that works; two deployments, that’s starting to be too much to ask; and three deployments is pushing those volunteers to the breaking point.”
To remedy this problem, Geren said, the Army will use its expanded budget to hire full-time support personnel for family readiness groups to help spouses who also have to balance career and family responsibilities. The Army also will hire more staff for child care and youth services, he said.
Another important issue the Army is working on is improving career opportunities for spouses of soldiers as they have to relocate around the country, Geren said. The Army has started the spouse employment partnership, working with industry across the country to provide greater spousal employment opportunities, he said, and the secretaries of defense and labor have entered into a joint venture to expand employment opportunities for military spouses.
Geren added that the Army is seeking to better manage the force so soldiers and their families face fewer moves throughout their careers, to give spouses more opportunities for education and professional development, and to work with employers to identify more opportunities for Army spouses.
“With the economy that we have now, … there are opportunities today for spouses that wouldn’t have existed a very few years ago,” Geren said. “And as an Army, we need to explore how we can use the Internet economy and use the virtual economy to help spouses, whether their employment skills are blue collar or professional.”
Geren also addressed improvements the Army has made in medical care for wounded soldiers since last year, when problems were revealed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Army has established 35 warrior transition units, which are aimed solely at helping wounded soldiers recover, and has hired about 2,500 personnel to man those units, he said. Every soldier assigned to a warrior transition unit has three people who are responsible for him -- a squad leader, a nurse case manager and a primary care physician -- to ensure all that soldier’s needs are met, both physically and mentally, Geren said.
“The whole concept of the warrior transition unit is to provide this triad of support that meets the full range of a warrior in transition’s care and needs,” he explained.
This summer, the Army is launching a program to educate all soldiers on suicide prevention, Geren said. This program is following on the success of the education program on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, he said, and every soldier will be required to take the course.
Biographies:
Pete Geren
Related Sites:
Defense Department Bloggers Roundtable
FBI identifies remains of 2 more U.S. Contractors
FBI identifies remains of 2 more U.S. Contractors
WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities identified the remains of two more U.S. Contractors kidnapped in Iraq and are awaiting forensic testing on remains of a third body, the FBI said Thursday.
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko identified the two men as Paul Johnson-Reuben of Minneapolis and Joshua Munns of Redding, Calif. They were among six Western contractors kidnapped in Iraq more than a year ago.
The case received attention earlier this month when the severed fingers of five of the men were sent to the U.S. Military in Iraq.
Several relatives had taken the discovery of the fingers as a hopeful sign but hopes dimmed Monday when the FBI said the remains of Ronald Withrow of Roaring Springs, Texas, and John Roy Young of Kansas City, Mo., had been identified.
The other men still missing are Jonathon Cote, of Getzville, N.Y. And Bert Nussbaumer of Vienna.
Cote's family said on its blog Wednesday night that the body awaiting identification is not Jonathon's.
"The third body has not been identified yet but officials have ruled out that it is NOT Jonathon Cote," the posting said. "We really feel the need to ask for continued prayers. Please remember to pray for Jon's safety and the loss of the other hostages and their families."
Munns' mother had said Tuesday that she lost hope that her son would be found alive after hearing that the remains of Withrow and Young had been identified.
"I think at this point, because they already killed the others, (he) is going to be probably dead as well, that's just a mom's intuition," said Jackie Stewart, a resident of Ridgefield, Wash.
Johnson-Reuben and Munns were guards for Crescent Security Group when men in Iraqi police uniforms ambushed their convoy near the Kuwaiti border on Nov. 16, 2006.
U.S. Starts breakdown of outposts in Ramadi
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 27, 2008
By David A. Weikle / US Army
Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, take down concertina wire as part of the process of "demilitarizing" Joint Security Station Steel in Ramadi.
Marines in Ramadi have begun dismantling some of the combat outposts credited with helping calm what was once among the most violent cities in Iraq.
According to Marine Corps officials in Anbar province, the “demilitarization” process is another sign of the calm that has enveloped the city over the past year and a half. Ramadi had been the heart of the Sunni insurgency, with militants mounting attacks on U.S. And Iraqi targets daily.
Now, taking down the combat outposts is hoped to have a positive economic impact.
“The people will have more freedom of movement and civil-military operations projects will allow people to return their businesses to the surrounding neighborhoods,” 1st Lt. Matthew Johnson, a company executive officer with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, was quoted as saying in a news release.
The first outpost to be “demilitarized” was Joint Security Station Steel, officials said.
Marines cleared the outpost of barricades and concertina wire that had previously been used to fortify the station. The station had been built in October 2006 by soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division and occupied a month later by the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment.
“Just walking down the street doesn’t do you anything but get you shot at,” Capt. Adam Rudy told a Stars and Stripes reporter in November, shortly after the outpost had been built.
The outpost was the centerpiece of an “inkblot strategy” that created several small outposts in dangerous quarters of the city, gradually spreading a U.S. Security presence. Now, less than two years later, that strategy has appeared to pay off in Ramadi.
“We started out constantly patrolling when we first got here, mostly by ourselves,” Marine Lance Cpl. Chris Hopkins said of the improvement.
“After months of hard work alongside the [Iraqi police], they’ve taken the lead role and we’re serving more as advisers.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities identified the remains of two more U.S. Contractors kidnapped in Iraq and are awaiting forensic testing on remains of a third body, the FBI said Thursday.
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko identified the two men as Paul Johnson-Reuben of Minneapolis and Joshua Munns of Redding, Calif. They were among six Western contractors kidnapped in Iraq more than a year ago.
The case received attention earlier this month when the severed fingers of five of the men were sent to the U.S. Military in Iraq.
Several relatives had taken the discovery of the fingers as a hopeful sign but hopes dimmed Monday when the FBI said the remains of Ronald Withrow of Roaring Springs, Texas, and John Roy Young of Kansas City, Mo., had been identified.
The other men still missing are Jonathon Cote, of Getzville, N.Y. And Bert Nussbaumer of Vienna.
Cote's family said on its blog Wednesday night that the body awaiting identification is not Jonathon's.
"The third body has not been identified yet but officials have ruled out that it is NOT Jonathon Cote," the posting said. "We really feel the need to ask for continued prayers. Please remember to pray for Jon's safety and the loss of the other hostages and their families."
Munns' mother had said Tuesday that she lost hope that her son would be found alive after hearing that the remains of Withrow and Young had been identified.
"I think at this point, because they already killed the others, (he) is going to be probably dead as well, that's just a mom's intuition," said Jackie Stewart, a resident of Ridgefield, Wash.
Johnson-Reuben and Munns were guards for Crescent Security Group when men in Iraqi police uniforms ambushed their convoy near the Kuwaiti border on Nov. 16, 2006.
U.S. Starts breakdown of outposts in Ramadi
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 27, 2008
By David A. Weikle / US Army
Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, take down concertina wire as part of the process of "demilitarizing" Joint Security Station Steel in Ramadi.
Marines in Ramadi have begun dismantling some of the combat outposts credited with helping calm what was once among the most violent cities in Iraq.
According to Marine Corps officials in Anbar province, the “demilitarization” process is another sign of the calm that has enveloped the city over the past year and a half. Ramadi had been the heart of the Sunni insurgency, with militants mounting attacks on U.S. And Iraqi targets daily.
Now, taking down the combat outposts is hoped to have a positive economic impact.
“The people will have more freedom of movement and civil-military operations projects will allow people to return their businesses to the surrounding neighborhoods,” 1st Lt. Matthew Johnson, a company executive officer with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, was quoted as saying in a news release.
The first outpost to be “demilitarized” was Joint Security Station Steel, officials said.
Marines cleared the outpost of barricades and concertina wire that had previously been used to fortify the station. The station had been built in October 2006 by soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division and occupied a month later by the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment.
“Just walking down the street doesn’t do you anything but get you shot at,” Capt. Adam Rudy told a Stars and Stripes reporter in November, shortly after the outpost had been built.
The outpost was the centerpiece of an “inkblot strategy” that created several small outposts in dangerous quarters of the city, gradually spreading a U.S. Security presence. Now, less than two years later, that strategy has appeared to pay off in Ramadi.
“We started out constantly patrolling when we first got here, mostly by ourselves,” Marine Lance Cpl. Chris Hopkins said of the improvement.
“After months of hard work alongside the [Iraqi police], they’ve taken the lead role and we’re serving more as advisers.”
Shiite anger builds as battles continue in Basra
Shiite anger builds as battles continue in Basra
BAGHDAD — Tens of thousands of Shiites took to Baghdad's streets to protest the government crackdown on militias in Basra as heavy fighting between Iraqi security forces and gunmen erupted for a third day in the southern oil port and the capital.
Iraqi officials reported 17 more people killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City and raised the number of deaths from fighting in the southern city of Hillah to at least 60.
Mounting anger focused on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is personally overseeing an operation against Shiite militias dominated by followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr amid a violent power struggle in Basra, Iraq's southern oil hub near the Iranian border.
The events threatened to unravel a Mahdi Army cease-fire and spark a dramatic escalation in violence after a monthslong period of relative calm.
There is minimal presence of the U.S.-led coalition in Basra after British forces turned over responsibility for the area to the Iraqis in late December, and the crisis was seen as a test of the government's ability to take over security.
Demonstrators in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Kazimiyah called al-Maliki a "new dictator" as they carried a coffin bearing a crossed-out picture of the U.S.-backed prime minister, who belongs to a rival political party.
A sea of people also rallied in Sadr City, chanting slogans against the government and in favor of al-Sadr amid rising fears that the cleric's cease-fire order to his Mahdi Army militia is unraveling.
Sheik Salman al-Feraiji, al-Sadr's chief representative in Sadr City, issued a statement with demands to quell the discontent, including the release of Sadrist detainees, an end to military operations against them and al-Maliki's resignation.
Suspected Shiite extremists also hammered the U.S.-protected Green Zone for the fourth day this week, firing several rounds of apparent rockets that sent a huge plume of smoke above the heavily fortified area in central Baghdad.
The U.S. Military said 16 rockets slammed into the Green Zone on Wednesday, wounding a U.S. Soldier, two American civilians and an Iraqi soldier. An American financial analyst also was killed in this week's first spate of Green Zone attacks on Sunday.
The violence continued a day after al-Maliki warned gunmen in Basra to surrender their weapons by Friday or face harsher measures, as clashes between security forces and Shiite militia fighters spread throughout the south and in Baghdad.
Despite the ultimatum, heavy gunfire and explosions resounded across Basra while helicopters and jet fighters buzzed overhead. The city's police chief escaped an assassination attempt late today but three of his guards were killed in the roadside bombing.
Government troops have faced stiff resistance in neighborhoods controlled by the Mahdi Army in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. Residents spoke of militiamen using mortar shells, sniper fire, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades to fight off security forces.
A Pentagon official said Wednesday that reports from the Basra area indicate that militiamen had overrun a number of police stations and that it was unclear how well the Iraqi security forces were performing overall. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Street battles that started Tuesday in Basra and Sadr City spread to several other neighborhoods and southern cities, leaving nearly 200 dead, including civilians, Iraqi security forces and militants. That three-day figure was a rough estimate provided by police and hospital officials who could not give a more specific breakdown.
The death toll in the Shiite city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, rose to at least 60, according to a senior police official who asked not to be identified because of security concerns.
He said that was the number of bodies counted after fierce clashes that began on Wednesday and continued this morning.
The U.S. Military said four suspected Shiite extremists were killed in an airstrike but it had no further details.
Two American soldiers were also killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, the military said.
The Sadrists are angry over recent raids and detentions, saying U.S. And Iraqi forces have taken advantage of the August cease-fire to crack down on the movement.
They have accused rival Shiite parties, which control Iraqi security forces, of engineering the arrests to prevent them from mounting an effective campaign after the Iraqi parliament agreed in February to hold provincial elections by the fall.
The U.S. Military has insisted the fight is being led by the Iraqi government and was not against al-Sadr's movement but breakaway factions believed to be funded and trained by Iran, which has denied the allegations.
President Bush told The Times of London in an interview published Wednesday that the Iraqi government's decision to "respond forcefully" was a "positive moment in the development of a sovereign nation that is willing to take on elements that believe they are beyond the law."
The violence also was raising concerns about Iraq's beleaguered oil industry since Basra accounts for most of the country's exports.
A bomb struck an oil pipeline today in Basra, a local oil official said, declining to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information.
Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, however, sought to assure international oil companies.
"The security situation in Basra is still unstable ... but this has not reflected negatively works at oil output and export installations," al-Shahristani told the U.S.-funded Radio Sawa.
In other violence reported by police, a booby-trapped car exploded near the Iraqi Red Crescent Society's offices in Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding five.
Gunmen also killed a U.S.-allied Sunni fighter and wounded his wife and daughter after storming his house in the northern city of Samarra late Wednesday.
BAGHDAD — Tens of thousands of Shiites took to Baghdad's streets to protest the government crackdown on militias in Basra as heavy fighting between Iraqi security forces and gunmen erupted for a third day in the southern oil port and the capital.
Iraqi officials reported 17 more people killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City and raised the number of deaths from fighting in the southern city of Hillah to at least 60.
Mounting anger focused on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is personally overseeing an operation against Shiite militias dominated by followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr amid a violent power struggle in Basra, Iraq's southern oil hub near the Iranian border.
The events threatened to unravel a Mahdi Army cease-fire and spark a dramatic escalation in violence after a monthslong period of relative calm.
There is minimal presence of the U.S.-led coalition in Basra after British forces turned over responsibility for the area to the Iraqis in late December, and the crisis was seen as a test of the government's ability to take over security.
Demonstrators in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Kazimiyah called al-Maliki a "new dictator" as they carried a coffin bearing a crossed-out picture of the U.S.-backed prime minister, who belongs to a rival political party.
A sea of people also rallied in Sadr City, chanting slogans against the government and in favor of al-Sadr amid rising fears that the cleric's cease-fire order to his Mahdi Army militia is unraveling.
Sheik Salman al-Feraiji, al-Sadr's chief representative in Sadr City, issued a statement with demands to quell the discontent, including the release of Sadrist detainees, an end to military operations against them and al-Maliki's resignation.
Suspected Shiite extremists also hammered the U.S.-protected Green Zone for the fourth day this week, firing several rounds of apparent rockets that sent a huge plume of smoke above the heavily fortified area in central Baghdad.
The U.S. Military said 16 rockets slammed into the Green Zone on Wednesday, wounding a U.S. Soldier, two American civilians and an Iraqi soldier. An American financial analyst also was killed in this week's first spate of Green Zone attacks on Sunday.
The violence continued a day after al-Maliki warned gunmen in Basra to surrender their weapons by Friday or face harsher measures, as clashes between security forces and Shiite militia fighters spread throughout the south and in Baghdad.
Despite the ultimatum, heavy gunfire and explosions resounded across Basra while helicopters and jet fighters buzzed overhead. The city's police chief escaped an assassination attempt late today but three of his guards were killed in the roadside bombing.
Government troops have faced stiff resistance in neighborhoods controlled by the Mahdi Army in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. Residents spoke of militiamen using mortar shells, sniper fire, roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades to fight off security forces.
A Pentagon official said Wednesday that reports from the Basra area indicate that militiamen had overrun a number of police stations and that it was unclear how well the Iraqi security forces were performing overall. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Street battles that started Tuesday in Basra and Sadr City spread to several other neighborhoods and southern cities, leaving nearly 200 dead, including civilians, Iraqi security forces and militants. That three-day figure was a rough estimate provided by police and hospital officials who could not give a more specific breakdown.
The death toll in the Shiite city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, rose to at least 60, according to a senior police official who asked not to be identified because of security concerns.
He said that was the number of bodies counted after fierce clashes that began on Wednesday and continued this morning.
The U.S. Military said four suspected Shiite extremists were killed in an airstrike but it had no further details.
Two American soldiers were also killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, the military said.
The Sadrists are angry over recent raids and detentions, saying U.S. And Iraqi forces have taken advantage of the August cease-fire to crack down on the movement.
They have accused rival Shiite parties, which control Iraqi security forces, of engineering the arrests to prevent them from mounting an effective campaign after the Iraqi parliament agreed in February to hold provincial elections by the fall.
The U.S. Military has insisted the fight is being led by the Iraqi government and was not against al-Sadr's movement but breakaway factions believed to be funded and trained by Iran, which has denied the allegations.
President Bush told The Times of London in an interview published Wednesday that the Iraqi government's decision to "respond forcefully" was a "positive moment in the development of a sovereign nation that is willing to take on elements that believe they are beyond the law."
The violence also was raising concerns about Iraq's beleaguered oil industry since Basra accounts for most of the country's exports.
A bomb struck an oil pipeline today in Basra, a local oil official said, declining to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information.
Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, however, sought to assure international oil companies.
"The security situation in Basra is still unstable ... but this has not reflected negatively works at oil output and export installations," al-Shahristani told the U.S.-funded Radio Sawa.
In other violence reported by police, a booby-trapped car exploded near the Iraqi Red Crescent Society's offices in Baghdad, killing two civilians and wounding five.
Gunmen also killed a U.S.-allied Sunni fighter and wounded his wife and daughter after storming his house in the northern city of Samarra late Wednesday.
Navy: Warning shot likely killed Egyptian in Suez
Navy: Warning shot likely killed Egyptian in Suez
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 27, 2008
U.S. Navy and Embassy officials acknowledged Wednesday that shots fired from a U.S. Navy-contracted ship in the Suez Canal likely struck and killed an Egyptian man — a reversal of information provided a day earlier.
“It appears that an Egyptian in the boat was killed by one of the warning shots,” reads part of a statement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
A U.S. Navy security team embarked on the civilian cargo ship Global Patriot, chartered by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command to transport military equipment to and from the Middle East, fired the shots late Monday after the smaller vessel failed to back off when ordered, officials said.
The Navy’s 5th Fleet on Wednesday issued a statement expressing “regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died Monday night, an apparent result from warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy.”
“We express our deepest sympathies to the family,” Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, commander of 5th Fleet, said in the statement.
“We accept responsibility for actions that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will help take care of the victim’s family.”
Officials did not specify what that assistance would include, though the U.S. Military routinely pays for death or damage it has caused in other countries.
“We will work with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and advocates to determine the appropriate action to take care of the family,” Lt. Nathan Christensen, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said Wednesday. “There is a process to work through this type of circumstance, and an advocate will help the family navigate through this process.”
U.S. Officials had said Tuesday that all of the shots were “accounted for” and that all had hit the water, denying that any casualties had occurred.
The conflicting information about the shots “wasn’t a mistake,” Christensen said. “It was at night, the incident still is under investigation, and the initial report out the gate was that all shots were accounted for.”
In addition to the man who died, two Egyptians were also injured in the incident, according to Egypt’s official MENA news agency.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Wednesday that while he could not confirm the number of injuries, “I don’t have anything that disputes what Cairo has said.”
The 5th Fleet is investigating the incident with Egyptian authorities.
The Global Patriot, under a short-term contract with the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, was returning to the U.S. From Kuwait with a cargo of assorted military equipment. It had arrived in Kuwait on March 8 to deliver military mine-resistant vehicles.
Stars and Stripes reporter Lisa Burgess contributed to this report.
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 27, 2008
U.S. Navy and Embassy officials acknowledged Wednesday that shots fired from a U.S. Navy-contracted ship in the Suez Canal likely struck and killed an Egyptian man — a reversal of information provided a day earlier.
“It appears that an Egyptian in the boat was killed by one of the warning shots,” reads part of a statement issued Wednesday by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
A U.S. Navy security team embarked on the civilian cargo ship Global Patriot, chartered by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command to transport military equipment to and from the Middle East, fired the shots late Monday after the smaller vessel failed to back off when ordered, officials said.
The Navy’s 5th Fleet on Wednesday issued a statement expressing “regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died Monday night, an apparent result from warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy.”
“We express our deepest sympathies to the family,” Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, commander of 5th Fleet, said in the statement.
“We accept responsibility for actions that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will help take care of the victim’s family.”
Officials did not specify what that assistance would include, though the U.S. Military routinely pays for death or damage it has caused in other countries.
“We will work with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and advocates to determine the appropriate action to take care of the family,” Lt. Nathan Christensen, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said Wednesday. “There is a process to work through this type of circumstance, and an advocate will help the family navigate through this process.”
U.S. Officials had said Tuesday that all of the shots were “accounted for” and that all had hit the water, denying that any casualties had occurred.
The conflicting information about the shots “wasn’t a mistake,” Christensen said. “It was at night, the incident still is under investigation, and the initial report out the gate was that all shots were accounted for.”
In addition to the man who died, two Egyptians were also injured in the incident, according to Egypt’s official MENA news agency.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Wednesday that while he could not confirm the number of injuries, “I don’t have anything that disputes what Cairo has said.”
The 5th Fleet is investigating the incident with Egyptian authorities.
The Global Patriot, under a short-term contract with the Navy’s Military Sealift Command, was returning to the U.S. From Kuwait with a cargo of assorted military equipment. It had arrived in Kuwait on March 8 to deliver military mine-resistant vehicles.
Stars and Stripes reporter Lisa Burgess contributed to this report.
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