www.supportourtroopsiniraq.com

 
Operation Wounded Soldiers.org - Our mission is to help wounded soldiers, one at a time, helping heal a heart, a mind, a body. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

 
Thursday, January 15 2004 @ 05:13 PM CST
Contributed by: lordzmom


Soldier's Angels, Dan Forant and Keystone Soldiers unite in the Freedom Ride across the United States to symbolize bringing America together coast-to-coast to Support Our Troops On March 1, 2004.

Mr. Forant will have a laptop with video and still picture capability that will transmit his progress to New York City daily. America will be able to watch his progress by visiting this site.

We ask all Americans to rally their communities & please pledge 1-penny for every 3 miles of the journey - approx. $20.00 for the entire trip. Or contribute whatever you'd like. ALL proceeds go directly to benefit our troops.



Soldiers Angels was formed in July of 2003 by Patti Patton-Bader, Mother of SPC Brandon Varn stationed in Iraq. Soldier's Angels mission is to provide aid and comfort to any armed forces fighting for freedom and their families. Soldier's Angels have to date sent over 2,000 packages to Soldiers deployed, helped the wounded at 3 major military hospitals and aided many families.

Cyclists everywhere along the route are encouraged to join us in the ride, for as long as you like. Be a part of history in the making.

The route begins in Albany N.Y. on March 1, 2004 and works it's way to Ground Zero in NYC. From there Dan will be heading through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana before connecting with historic Route 66 in Illinois.

The full route will be published in the very near future so keep us bookmarked in your favorites so you can follow us from sea to shining sea.

We hope you will join Keystone Soldiers in showing your support for our troops. No donation is too small and every penny goes to care packages and assistance for our soldiers and their families. Click on the link below to make a donation by PayPal.


KeystoneSoldiers.com Supporting those on the frontline of freedom

 
Iraq War News
Suicide Car Bomb Kills 44 at Baghdad Army Center: "A suicide car bomb exploded at an Iraqiarmy recruitment center in Baghdad on Wednesday, killing 44people and taking the 24-hour death toll in attacks againstIraqis working with the U.S. occupation close to 100. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Car Bomb Kills at Least 47 Outside Iraqi Army Headquarters: "The blast on Wednesday came almost 24 hours after a separate car bombing had killed at least 54 people at a police station."

In New York Times: World Special



Earthquake rattles Israel; no injuries: "An earthquake rattled parts of Israel early Wednesday, shaking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for several seconds."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



25 Iraqis killed in suicide bombing: "A suicide driver detonated explosives Wednesday outside an army recruiting center in Baghdad where hundreds of Iraqis were lined up to volunteer for the military, killing at least 25 people, U.S. officials and Iraqi witnesses said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Car bomb kills Iraq army recruits: "A powerful car bomb explodes in Baghdad, killing 36 people - the second such attack in as many days."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)



Separate Bombings Kill Dozens in Iraq: "A suicide bomber blew up a truckload of explosives Tuesday outside a police station south of Baghdad, killing up to 53 people and wounding scores - including would-be Iraqi recruits lined up to apply for jobs. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Identifying suspects difficult in Tikrit: "Under a full moon, the soldiers in Humvees cruised through the deserted streets to their target, a house in an upscale neighborhood of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Barriers slowly eroding for Cyprus: "Yiltan Tasci's daily cross-town commute is no ordinary one. For the past five months, the Turkish Cypriot teacher has been crossing the border that cuts across Cyprus to reach his school on the Greek Cypriot south of Nicosia, passing over the barbed wire barrier that has divided the island for 30 years."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Israeli troops kill four Palestinians: "Israeli troops moved into a neighborhood at the eastern edge of Gaza City early Wednesday, killing four Palestinians and wounding 13 others in gunbattles, residents said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Recruiting-center bombing kills Iraqis: "A vehicle bomb exploded outside an army recruiting center in central Baghdad on Wednesday, killing around 25 Iraqis, the second such attack in two days targeting Iraqis working with the U.S.-led coalition."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Russia launches nuclear war games in IraqWar.ru (English)



Terrorists spark fear of civil war in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)



Terrorists spark fear of civil war in Iraq as 50 die in car bomb in IraqWar.ru (English)



Army probe over Iraqi PoW death in IraqWar.ru (English)



6 U.S. governors visit Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)



U.S. military chiefs fear funding squeeze in IraqWar.ru (English)



Rumsfeld says Iraq killings reflect human nature in IraqWar.ru (English)



US forces kill ''10 armed Iraqis'' as four Iraqi officers shot dead in Baghdad area in IraqWar.ru (English)



War critics urge censure of Bush in IraqWar.ru (English)



Traditional Iraqi music under threat in IraqWar.ru (English)

 
Iraq War News Updates
Robin's Iraq Report: Feb 9/04: "Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday.
Our " Winds of War " coverage of the global War on Terror is a separate briefing today, and both are brought to you by Robin Burk.
TOP TOPICS

• " Going postal " - it's not just for the home front! Looks like some Iraqis are learning the hard way that American postal types can be ornery.

• The Washington Post has an article dealing with frontline views of soldiers returning from Iraq and attempting to debrief their new replacements on the dangers there. Winds of Change.NET has run a few of those, too .

• Intel Dump examines the Improved Explosive Device ("IED") problem facing U.S. troops in Iraq and what measures they are taking to combat the situation. (Hat Tip: Stryker Brigade News )

Other Topics Today Include: Stryker's trial by fire; Committee formed to investigate pre-war intel; Arab League nervous about democracy; Support the troops; Cards captured; Toy drive recognized by President Bush.
Read the Rest?"

In Command Post: Irak



Iraq Fighters Seek Religious War: "A memo from an Iraqi insurgent to al Qaeda leaders calls for help in fomenting strife between Shiites and Sunnis as a way to prolong the guerilla war."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Iraqi Shias press UN on elections: "A leader of the country's largest group rejects the US view that conditions are not yet right for a national vote."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)



Court hears case over West Bank barrier: "The Supreme Court heard petitions from two Israeli human rights groups against the West Bank separation barrier Monday, a day after the government said it would change the route to minimize hardship for Palestinians."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Two U.S. soldiers killed in explosion: "Two U.S. soldiers were killed and six wounded Monday during an explosion while troops were trying to dispose of explosives, a U.S. officer said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Report: Iraqi aims to spark sectarian war: "An anti-American operative in Iraq appealed for help from al-Qaida leaders to help spark a sectarian war between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in an effort to drive the U.S. out of the country, a newspaper reported Monday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. seeks to be more sensitive to Iraqis: "The U.S. military will be more sensitive to Islam and intrude less into Baghdad's neighborhoods when a new Army division takes control of the Iraqi capital on April 15, Army commanders said Monday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



'War President' Defends Iraq War: "In a televised interview, President Bush said he makes foreign policy decisions "with war on my mind," and defended his decision to invade Iraq despite no evidence Saddam Hussein had illegal weapons."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



COMBINED FORCES COMMAND - AFGHANISTAN RELEASE in CENTCOM: News Release



NYT Reports Al-Qaeda Link: "From the New York Times, via Yahoo News :

An anti-American operative in Iraq appealed for help from al-Qaida leaders to help spark a sectarian war between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in an effort to drive the U.S. out of the country, a newspaper reported Monday.
The alleged plan is outlined in a 17-page memo that U.S. forces confiscated from an al-Qaida suspect in Iraq, The New York Times reported. The paper said its reporter viewed the Arabic document and a military translation on Sunday.
The Times says the document is the strongest evidence to date of contacts between extremists in Iraq and al-Qaida.

Apart from the Al-Qaeda material captured in a terrorist training camp by the Kurds during the war, that is?

The document expresses frustration over efforts to force the United States out of Iraq and suggests that attacks on Shiites would prompt Sunni retaliation and a cycle of widening violence, the Times said.
" It is the only way to prolong the duration of the fight between the infidels and us ," the document says. " If we succeed in dragging them into a sectarian war, this will awaken the sleepy Sunnis who are fearful of destruction and death at the hands " of Shiites.
U.S. authorities believe the memo was written by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian who is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, the Times reported.
The paper said that American forces arrested a man who had the document on a computer disc and was taking it to Afghanistan to get it to al-Qaida's senior leaders. U.S. officials did not identify the man who had the document.
The author of the document claimed he had directed about 25 suicide bombings inside Iraq, but said the resistance against the U.S. occupation was struggling to recruit Iraqis and to combat American troops.
The memo even offers a kind of praise for U.S. forces, saying " America, however, has no intention of leaving no matter how many wounded nor how bloody it becomes. "

Unless Kerry wins in November.
Hat Tip: Reader Jeffers"

In Command Post: Irak

 
January 29, 2004 02:56 PM US Eastern Timezone

Iraq Military Bases Contract Awarded to Parsons; Fast-Track Contract is for Renovation and Construction of Military Facilities

Topical News: War On Terrorism

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2004--Parsons announced today the award of a contract to reconstruct and renovate the Tadji military base and the Iraqi Armed Forces recruiting stations. The contract was awarded through Parsons' Worldwide Environmental Restoration Contract (WERC) with the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE).


The Tadji base project will include building renovation, repair of a wastewater treatment plant and installation of sewer distribution lines. This contract is critical to maintaining security in Iraq while the nation's infrastructure is rebuilt. Construction is expected to be complete by June 2004.

"A key benefit of completing this project is giving the Iraqi Armed Forces the facilities they need for the defense of their country," explains Major General Paul D. Easton, U.S. Army, commanding general of the Coalition Military Assistance and Training Team.

Parsons will hire and train local Iraqi contractors, suppliers and labor for this project. "Through this project and over 2300 to follow, tens of thousands of Iraqi people will be employed and trained. This is essential as Iraq improves and sustains its basic infrastructure and quality of life for its people," explains retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral David J. Nash, Director of the Program Management Office (PMO).

Parsons has decades of international design, construction and reconstruction experience and is currently operating out of 12 offices in the Middle East. Parsons is supporting stabilization and the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure through a variety of contracts with the U.S. government. Parsons is providing program management and logistics support to the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, for the Captured Enemy Ammunition program at various sites in Iraq. Parsons is teamed with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the restoration of infrastructure, medical, education and government facilities in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Parsons is also working on the $1.8 billion Iraq Infrastructure II program with Bechtel awarded by USAID earlier this month.

"We are proud to participate in this critical project. It is a significant effort and commitment in supporting our nation, while restoring and rebuilding a vital infrastructure for the Iraqi people," states Jack Scott, Parsons Group President.

Parsons is a leader in many diversified markets, including infrastructure, transportation, facilities, industrial processes, communications, water, advanced technology, environmental, and planning. The company provides technical and management solutions to private industrial customers worldwide as well as federal, regional, and local government agencies. For more about Parsons, please visit www.parsons.com.

Iraq Military Bases Contract Awarded to Parsons; Fast-Track Contract is for Renovation and Construction of Military Facilities