Soldier sees Iraqi progress on second tour

Written by:  Pfc. Adrian Muehe, 2nd Infantry Division

Friday, February 05, 2010 14:10

DIYALA – “This is way easier than my last deployment,” said Sgt. George Applegate, from Evergreen, Colo., while pulling security beside his Stryker vehicle near the Iraqi Police’s 7th Battalion Emergency Reaction Force headquarters in Muqdadiyah, Jan. 31.

Applegate, a fire team leader with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the rest of 2nd Platoon were conducting a night patrol there, searching for possible improvised explosive devices.

A couple years ago, Applegate wouldn’t have been engaged in such a casual conversation while pulling security, because the threat of violence was much more prominent.

“This country differs greatly,” said Applegate, who was last deployed to Iraq from August 2006 to November 2007 with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, stationed just south of Baghdad.

On his last deployment, Applegate operated as part of a combat force in a light infantry unit, encountering violence on a regular basis. There were no combined operations back in those days.

“We were basically a quick reaction force for the entire country,” he said. “We were able to be deployed anywhere in a heartbeat.”

Moving around quite a bit and going out on continuous missions, Applegate found himself living in quarters that are unheard of in today’s Iraq. He has repeatedly slept in storage containers placed at strategic locations or set up camp in empty houses, whose original occupants evacuated to escape sectarian violence.

“It’s a much better Iraq now,” he said.

At the tail end of his first trip to Iraq, Applegate started to see the Iraqi Army and Police take form. They weren’t equipped with the best weaponry or tactics, but they were willing to make a difference.

“After the Iraqi Security Forces started taking action, it was like flipping a light switch,” he said. “The violence seemed to immediately stop, shops opened back up and people started to live normal lives.”

Now, he finds himself as part of an assistance team with 2nd Platoon, conducting joint operations and training with the IP and the IA, working as a teacher and mentor as opposed to kicking down doors.

“We’re doing a lot of training with these guys; we’re even doing PT [physical training] with them,” he said.

During this deployment, 2nd Platoon has worked a lot with their primary partners in the Iraqi ERF, conducting training and combined operations with them at least twice a week. When they first started working together, the ERF were inexperienced. After the partnership started, the U.S. Soldiers noticed an instant difference.

“Seeing their improvement in the first two weeks was impressive,” exclaimed Applegate.

Gearing up for this deployment, Applegate was nervous. With the last deployment fresh on his mind, he expected the same for this adventure.

“Everyone that had a previous deployment was pretty uptight,” said Applegate while talking about getting ready to deploy with 2/3 Inf., 3SBCT.

When he and the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon set boots on the ground, they started conducting operations that involved working more with the people of Iraq than he had before.

“We started to get used to the people in the area. The interaction with children and people in the area is much better,” Applegate said with a smile.

Throughout his experience in the Army, Applegate has seen Iraq change so much that he finds it hard to believe it’s the same place. To him, it’s like he has been deployed to two different countries. He left an Iraq that was ravaged with violence and came back to find a nation finding its feet, with a much more competent infrastructure.

Last year, after assembling footage of ACT! for America events, chapter leader activities, and our lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, we created a video entitled “This is ACT! for America.”

If we are going to reach our 30 day goal we need to get 50% of the way there in the next few days.

P.S. Please feel free to forward this email to others so they, too, will have the opportunity to see this video.

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

The news items, blogs, educational materials and other information in our emails and on our website are only intended to provide information, news and commentary on events and issues related to the threat of radical Islam. Much of this information is based upon media sources, such as the AP wire services, newspapers, magazines, books, online news blog and news services, and radio and television, which we deem to be reliable. However, we have undertaken no independent investigation to verify the accuracy of the information reported by these media sources. We therefore disclaim all liability for false or inaccurate information from these media sources. We also disclaim all liability for the third-party information that may be accessed through the material referenced in our emails or posted on our website.

Dear AMERICA,

It is not uncommon for Members of Congress to say one thing in their districts and vote the opposite way in Washington. The average American doesn’t have the time to research their records. How do we hold these members accountable for their words and votes?

Here’s how. ACT! for America will do the research. We will publish their voting records. We will let the world see.

This past Tuesday, Brigitte Gabriel launched our ACT! IMPACT! 2010 campaign, which includes publishing our 2010 Congressional Scorecard this summer.

Here’s a screenshot of what one page of the 2008 Congressional Scorecard looked like:

Every Member’s vote is “scored” as being in agreement or disagreement with ACT! for America’s position, and each member receives a final “score” showing percentage agreement with ACT! for America on all votes. If you were looking at the entire scorecard, you would be able to see every Member of Congress’ votes and an explanation for each bill and amendment.

As you might guess, this is a very demanding project. It takes hundreds of hours to search through the maze of congressional votes, select the ones that most impact national security and the threat of radical Islam, and construct the web design for this Congressional Scorecard.

But if you agree with us that getting this done is well worth the effort, then I’m asking for your help.

I’m asking you to click here to join our “1010 for 2010” campaign. During this 30 day campaign we need 1010 people to either become monthly contributing Patriot Partners or make a one-time contribution as a Contributing Member.

Your contribution will make it possible for us to roll out the projects we have planned for ACT! IMPACT! 2010, such as the 2010 Congressional Scorecard.

For those who are able, I’m especially urging you to become monthly contributing Patriot Partners. Our monthly giving Patriot Partners are the backbone of our support.

And for those who prefer to mail a check to make a one-time contribution, rather than give online, that option is available as well by clicking here.

Over the past several months, we’ve all witnessed a remarkable phenomenon occurring in our country.

On issues ranging from health care to deficit spending, grassroots Americans are rising up to make their voice heard.

Regardless of one’s position on those issues, we should be encouraged by the impact this newly found grassroots voice is having—because we can have the same impact on the threat of radical Islam!

The issues of health care, the economy, and deficit spending have overshadowed the threat of radical Islam, but the American sleeping giant is beginning to awaken on that issue as well.

For example, polls in the recent Massachusetts U.S. Senate campaign revealed that a high percentage of voters disagreed with the Obama administration’s decision to grant civilian, criminal trials to terrorists like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

With your help today, we will tell the country how every member of the U.S. House and Senate voted on legislation ranging from the Patriot Act to defunding terrorist organizations.

Please click here now to help us either as a Patriot Partner or Contributing Member. When you make your monthly or one-time contribution, we will send you a special gift as our way of saying “thank you.”

Help us hold Congress accountable for its votes on national security issues and the threat of radical Islam. Help us let the world know how Members of Congress have voted.

Click here now to become one of our “1010 for 2010.” Thank you.

Yours for America,

Guy Rodgers

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam. We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

The news items, blogs, educational materials and other information in our emails and on our website are only intended to provide information, news and commentary on events and issues related to the threat of radical Islam. Much of this information is based upon media sources, such as the AP wire services, newspapers, magazines, books, online news blog and news services, and radio and television, which we deem to be reliable. However, we have undertaken no independent investigation to verify the accuracy of the information reported by these media sources. We therefore disclaim all liability for false or inaccurate information from these media sources. We also disclaim all liability for the third-party information that may be accessed through the material referenced in our emails or posted on our website.

DONATE NOW TO HELP HAITI

Dear AMERICA And The World,

Like you, our hearts are breaking as we see the horrendous suffering in Haiti.

Children are screaming in pain from untreated cuts and broken limbs. Gangrene is rampant. Thousands are suffering from untreated deadly infections.

Children are dying needlessly and we must act immediately to send medical supplies and doctors to save lives in Haiti.

As I write:

• Our Operation Smile medical teams and supplies are flying to Haiti. On board are 20 highly skilled surgeons, anesthesiologists, critical care nurses and other medical professionals — all experts in setting up surgical sites in challenging conditions.
• We are flying in several tons of supplies, sutures, syringes, gloves, gowns, operating tables — everything to set up and equip operating rooms and perform safe surgeries on suffering earthquake victims.
• Our teams will be traveling by convoy to reach a field hospital where thousands have been waiting in anguish for help.

Every moment counts and we need your help. Please send an emergency donation of $100, $200 or whatever you can to help us save lives in Haiti.

Thank you for rushing your generous donation today.

Thank you.

Dr. Bill Magee
CEO and Co-founder
Operation Smile

For more updates:
• Check our blog
• Follow us on Twitter or Facebook Operation Smile • 6435 Tidewater Drive • Norfolk, VA 23509

NEWSMAX.COM

The election triumph of Republican Scott Brown in the race to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat in Massachusetts is a “huge victory” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

Netanyahu has been pressured by Obama to make concessions to the Palestinians to help restart peace talks. But with Republicans now holding 41 seats in the Senate, Obama will be more dependent “on the support of his Republican rivals, the supporters and friends of Netanyahu,” Haaretz reported.

Netanyahu dragged out negotiations over a freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, then declared that a freeze would last for 10 months and end in September ? “just in time for U.S. congressional elections in which Democrats are expected to suffer heavy losses,” the newspaper observed.

“Netanyahu understood he must withstand the pressure until his right-wing supporters recapture a position of power on Capitol Hill and work to rein in the White House’s political activities. The election in Massachusetts . . . will from this moment on be a burden for Obama.”

With the current political atmosphere in the U.S., “Netanyahu can rely on Republican support to thwart pressure on Israel.” Story Continues at: NewsMax.com

Allen West: GOP Should Follow MLK’s Principles

By: John Rossomando

NEWSMAX

Republicans need to follow the example of Martin Luther King Jr. and return to their basic principles if they plan to win big in this year’s midterm elections, says Lt. Col Allen West, a retired Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who is challenging Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in Florida’s 22nd congressional district.

West used King’s birthday as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of the slain civil rights leader’s belief in the importance of character and to critique the mentality that many black leaders have instilled.

“I think we need to be very careful about losing the sense of individualism, and when you look at this collective progressive mentality that has turned the black community into victims and dependent upon the government,” West, who himself is black, told Newsmax TV’s Kathleen Wolter and Ashley Martella.

See Video: Allen West says the GOP should follow the example set by Martin Luther King Jr. – Click Here Now

West says many black clergy hold conservative values such as the need for self-reliance and personal responsibility, and believe in traditional family values even if they don’t self-identify as conservatives.

“It is just a matter of us connecting and getting them to contrast between liberal principles of victimization and conservative principles of empowerment,” he said.

Republicans, he says, can reclaim the trust that many blacks, including Martin Luther King Jr., gave them by emphasizing the heritage of defending their rights going back to that party’s 1854 foundation and not by trying to be all things to all people.

The GOP pioneered civil rights for blacks through the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. constitution.

“The first congressmen of this country that were black congressmen were congressmen of the Republican Party,” West said. “Then you contrast that with the segregation laws, the Jim Crow laws and the founding of the Ku Klux Klan, which was the terrorist arm of the Democratic Party.”

He said it took Republicans such as late Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act in spite of Southern Democrats such as Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.V., who tried killing it.

“Go back to what you stand for, and the community will come back to you,” West said. “What we need to establish in our culture is a sense of individual responsibility and move away from victimization.” To Read More Of This Article, Please Click Here

Dictators Mock Obama’s Ignorance In YouTube Video

In New Ad, Scott Brown Shakes ~ Hands In Southie (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | January 14, 2010, 3:33PM

Dear AMERICA,

It was on June 8, 2009, that Brigitte Gabriel published an “Open Letter to President Obama” following his “outreach” speech to the Muslim world in Cairo.

Seven months later, America is in greater danger from Islamic terrorism than it was before Obama was elected. The number of foiled terror plots in 2009 was greater than in any year since 9/11. The number of homegrown jihadists arrested was four times greater than in any year since 9/11.

And, of course, how can we forget the jihadist attack that succeeded—the Ft. Hood massacre.

Polls show Americans are losing confidence in President Obama to keep us safe from Islamic terrorism. Iran has defied every deadline and ultimatum the Obama administration has presented it. Yet Obama appears determined to follow a course of action that is premised on a deeply flawed perception of who the enemy is and what drives the enemy to attack us.

Brigitte Gabriel tried to warn the President back on June 8th, 2009 that his approach would fail. Our jihadist enemies are emboldened by the Obama administration’s campaign of apologies, appeasement and accommodation.

For our readers’ edification, we offer you again Brigitte’s letter to President Obama, followed by a current analysis by Mark Steyn, penned in his inimitable style. (Highlights added)

Dear Mr. President,

You face difficult challenges in matters such as achieving peace in the Middle East and protecting America from the threat of radical Islam and terrorism. These are challenges that have vexed past presidents, going as far back as our second president, John Adams. I have no doubt you appreciate both the gravity of these challenges and the enormous obstacles that exist to solving them.

I also have no doubt that you and your staff understood that, no matter what you said in your speech last Thursday in Cairo, there would be those who would take issue with you. That is always the case when attempting to solve problems that are as deep and emotionally-laden as these challenges are.

I am assuming it is your sincere hope that the approach you have chosen to take, as evidenced by what I’m sure was a carefully crafted speech, will ultimately prove successful. However, it pains me to say this sir, but, while you said in your speech that you are a “student of history,” it is abundantly clear that, in these matters, you do not know history and thus, as Santayana noted, you are doomed to repeat it. In doing so your efforts, however well-intentioned they may be, will not produce what you profess to hope they will produce.

A wise man once said that if you start with the wrong assumptions, no matter how logical your reasoning is, you will end up with the wrong conclusion. With all due respect Mr. President, you are starting with certain assumptions that are unsupported by history and an objective study of the ideology of political Islam.

You began in your speech by asserting that “tensions” exist between the United States and Muslims around the world, which, of course, is correct. Unfortunately, you then proceeded, incorrectly, to lay virtually all the blame for these tensions at the feet of America and the West. You blamed western colonialism, the Cold War, and even modernity and globalism.

A student of American history, who is not trying to reconstruct it to fit a modern politically correct narrative, would state that tensions between America and Muslims began with the unprovoked, four-decades long assault by the Muslim Barbary pirates against American shipping in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I find it telling that you mentioned the Treaty of Tripoli in your speech but ignored the circumstances that led to it. That treaty was but one of numerous attempts by the United States to achieve peace with the jihadists of the Barbary Coast who were attacking our shipping and killing and enslaving our citizens and our soldiers – and who by their own admission were doing so to fulfill the call to jihad.

These jihadists were not acting to protest American foreign policy, which was decidedly isolationist, and there was no state of Israel to scapegoat. They were doing what countless Islamic jihadists have done throughout history – acting upon the hundreds of passages in the Qur’an and the Hadith that call upon faithful Muslims to kill, conquer or subjugate the infidel.

A student of world history would know that, for all the acknowledged evils of Western colonialism, these evils pale in comparison to the nearly 14 centuries of Islamic colonialism that began in Arabia under the leadership of Mohammed. The student of history would know that Islamic forces eradicated all Jewish and Christian presence from Arabia after Mohammed’s death, and then succeeded in conquering all of North Africa, most of the Middle East, much of Asia Minor, and significant portions of Europe and India – eventually creating an empire larger than Rome’s was at its peak.

The number of dead and enslaved during these many centuries of Islamic imperial conquest and colonialism have been estimated to total more than 300 million. What’s more, the wealth of many of the conquered nations and cultures was plundered by the Islamic conquerors, and millions of millions of non-Muslims who did survive were forced to pay onerous taxes, such as the “jizya,” a humiliation tax to the Islamic caliphs. Indeed, in some areas Christians and Jews were made to wear a receipt for the jizya around their neck as a mark of their dishonor.

These facts have not been invented by Christian or Jewish historical revisionists, but were chronicled by Muslim eyewitnesses throughout the past 14 centuries and are available to be researched by any person seeking an objective understanding of how Islam spread throughout the world.

You say in your speech that we must squarely face the tensions that exist between America and the Muslim world. That is a laudable notion with which I agree, but by casting Islam as the historical victim and the West (and by implication, America) as the aggressor, you do not face these tensions squarely, but alleviate the Muslim world from coming to grips with the jihadist ideology embedded in its holy books and acted upon for 1,400 years.

Even worse, you empower and embolden militant Islamists who regard your gestures as signs of weakness and capitulation.

The issue is not that all Muslims are terrorists or radicals or extremists. We all know that the majority of Muslims are not. We also know that many peace-loving Muslims are victims of Islamist violence.

The issue is this: what drives hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide to call for the death of Jews?

What drives millions of Muslims to riot, destroy property, and take innocent lives in reaction to the Danish cartoons?

What drives tens of thousands of Muslims to demand the execution of a British teacher whose only “crime” was allowing her students to name their teddy bears “Mohammed”?

What drives countless Muslims worldwide to actively participate in, or fund, or provide nurture to, terrorist organizations?

What drives Muslims in mosques in America to proclaim and distribute materials that call for hatred of and the destruction of infidels?

What drives entire Islamic countries to prohibit the building of a Christian church or synagogue?

To assume, as you apparently do, that what drives these actions is not an ideology embedded in the holy books of Islam, but rather other “root causes,” most of which you lay at the feet of America and the West, is at best naïve and at worst dangerous.

Lastly, I must address your statement that “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.” Unfortunately, the examples you gave are the exception rather than the rule.

Historically speaking, I seriously doubt the Egyptian Copts, the Lebanese Maronites, the Christians in Bethlehem, the Assyrians, the Hindus, the Jews, and many others who have been persecuted by Islamic violence and supremacism, would agree with your assertion.

For instance, Christians and Jews became “Dhimmis,” a second class group under Islam. Dhimmis were forced to wear distinctive clothing; it was Baghdad’s Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, in the ninth century, who designated a yellow badge for Jews under Islam, which Hitler copied and duplicated in Nazi Germany nearly a thousand years later.

I witnessed first-hand the “tolerance” of Islam when Islamists ravaged my country of birth, Lebanon, in the 1970’s, leaving widespread death and destruction in their wake. I saw how they re-paid the tolerance that Lebanese Christians extended toward them. My experience is not an isolated one. When you make an unfounded assertion about the “proud tradition” of tolerance in Islam, you do a great disservice to the hundreds of millions of non-Muslims who have been killed, maimed, enslaved, conquered, subjugated or displaced – in the cause of Islamic jihad.

Mr. President, those of us like me who are ringing the alarm in America about the threat of radical Islam would like nothing better than to peacefully co-exist with the Muslim world. Most Americans would like nothing better than to peacefully co-exist with the Muslim world. The obstacle to achieving this does not lie with us in America and the West. It lies with the hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, including many of their spiritual leaders, who take seriously the repeated calls to jihad in the Qur’an and the Hadith. Who regard “infidels” as inferior and worthy of conquering, subjugating and forcibly converting. Who support “cultural jihad” as a means to subvert non-Muslim societies from within. Who take seriously the admonitions throughout the Qur’an and the Hadith to convert the world to Islam – by force if necessary – and bring it under the rule of Allah.

Unless you are willing to courageously and honestly accept this, your aspirations for worldwide comity and peace in the Middle East are doomed to fail.

Sincerely,

Brigitte Gabriel

Brigitte Gabriel is the New York Times bestselling author of They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It. She is the founder and president of ACT! for America, www.ActforAmerica.org.

But We’re Still Gonna Kill You
Isolated extremists? This “war” is about the intersection of Islam and the West.

By Mark Steyn

Not long after the Ayatollah Khomeini announced his fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the British novelist suddenly turned up on a Muslim radio station in West London late one night and told his interviewer he’d converted to Islam. Marvelous religion, couldn’t be happier, Allahu Akbar and all that.

And the Ayatollah said hey, that’s terrific news, glad to hear it. But we’re still gonna kill you.

Well, even a leftie novelist wises up under those circumstances.

Evidently, the president of the United States takes a little longer. Barack Obama has spent the last year doing bigtime Islamoschmoozing, from his announcement of Gitmo’s closure and his investigation of Bush officials to his bow before the Saudi King and a speech in Cairo to “the Muslim world” with far too many rhetorical concessions and equivocations. And at the end of it, the jihad sent America a thank-you note by way of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s underwear: Hey, thanks for all the outreach! But we’re still gonna kill you.

Click here to continue reading . . .

Visit Our News Page

ACT for America is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam.

We are only as strong as our supporters, and your volunteer and financial support is essential to our success. Thank you for helping us make America safer and more secure.

The news items, blogs, educational materials and other information in our emails and on our website are only intended to provide information, news and commentary on events and issues related to the threat of radical Islam. Much of this information is based upon media sources, such as the AP wire services, newspapers, magazines, books, online news blog and news services, and radio and television, which we deem to be reliable. However, we have undertaken no independent investigation to verify the accuracy of the information reported by these media sources. We therefore disclaim all liability for false or inaccurate information from these media sources. We also disclaim all liability for the third-party information that may be accessed through the material referenced in our emails or posted on our website.

Health Care Reform Round-Up: As

Negotiations Begin, C-Span Demands

Coverage

http://www.c-span.org/pdf/C-SPAN%20Health%20Care%20Letter.pdf

Note: This the C-Span Letter To The Whiehouse asking OBAMA To keep his promises of putting the Health Care debate on C-SPAN…for the American people…as OBAMA himself promised he would do on at least eight different occasions…on videos.

Questions Regarding C-SPANs Letter on Health Care Coverage Transparency…Obama is on 8 different videos, different speeches saying that Healthcare debate would be on C-SPAN

When Did Lying NOT Become Lying?

Written by ~  2nd Lt. Anthony Greco, 1st Armored Division ~ Monday, January 04, 2010 11:14

COB ADDER — Escorting and assisting Provincial Reconstruction Team efforts to build the civilian infrastructure is almost a daily task for many U.S. Soldiers here, but one project the Task Force Pathfinders recently participated in could be considered extra sweet.

Second Platoon, “B” Battery, 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Pathfinders rolled out in mid-December with eight members of the Department of Defense’s Task Force to Improve Business and Stability Operations to the city of Al Majaar Al Kabir, in southern Iraq’s Maysan province.

They were escorting TF-BSO personnel to evaluate the Sugar Factory there, in need of renovation. The manager of the factory brought in engineers and representatives from several departments within his corporation to meet with the TF.

TF-BSO recently completed two inspections with “B” Btry. The first was an initial evaluation of the factory’s buildings. The second was to examine the machinery inside and the sugar cane fields once used to supply the factory.

The fields still grow sugar cane, but, without the means to refine it into a finished product, locals have to sell the cane to factories outside of Maysan. The refined sugar then makes its way back to the province and is resold at increased prices in local markets.

The partnership between the Maysan PRT and the Soldiers of “B” Btry is a new one here, part of the Army’s Advisory and Assistance concept to better integrate military support into building-up civilian infrastructure.

“The battery does a great job supporting our operations and projects in any way they can,” said Steven Banks, Maysan PRT’s team leader. “We’re delighted to have such great and enthusiastic partners.”

While this partnership consists mostly of escort missions to various projects, “B” Btry also conducts Commander’s Emergency Response Program inspections and reconnaissance missions to assess Maysan’s civil capacity needs.

Each CERP project is a direct result of a recognized need within the Maysan province, coordinated with the provincial government, but requiring funding and expertise local elected leaders simply don’t have. Projects cover a variety of civilian needs and are steadily making an impact on the overall quality of life of the citizens of Maysan.

The rehabilitation of the sugar factory is a TF-BSO-led project with help from the Maysan PRT.

Donna Carter, the Maysan PRT’s economic advisor, said the facility was “once a thriving industry in Maysan.” The factory was capable of providing all of Iraq with its sugar supply and was once referred to as the “jewel of Majaar Al Kabir,” but the factory had since been left neglected and abandoned.

“Its state of disrepair stands as a symbol of the despair, frustration and anger felt by many in the province,” said Carter. “Revitalization of this major factory will have a far-reaching impact; not only for the people of Maysan, but also for a legacy of American good will we hope to leave.”

Monday, January 04, 2010 00:00

By:  Airman 1st Class Allison Boehm, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing

JOINT BASE BALAD — Members of the Air Force Theater Hospital recently took the first step in partnering with members of Iraq’s Ministry of Defense Hospital here, to form the American-Iraqi Air Medical Evacuation and Medical Provider Training Course.

The first installment of training allowed the Iraqis to study burn care as well as practice proper medical evacuation techniques when transporting patients. Classes are scheduled for every two weeks, and topics will vary to achieve the goal of helping the MoD establish a stronger medical program.

“We had to come up with a program that would meet the Ministry of Defense surgeon general’s expectations,” said Capt. Elizabeth Hoettels, 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group civil-military operations officer. “Each installment of training will give the Iraqis an opportunity to work with a progressively more complicated patient, with the ultimate goal of them being able to take care of a trauma patient from [the] point of impact.”

The two-day course began at al-Muthana Military Hospital, where four Iraqi medical evacuation technicians loaded a patient with a simulated fractured femur. As the group of medical professionals traveled to the hospital here, the technicians were able to begin their training on how to care for a patient in transit.

At JBB’s hospital, the Iraqis were not only able to receive educational briefings, but also take part in some hands-on training.

The attendees saw real burn victims and watched as an occupational therapist demonstrated how to properly splint a burn fracture.

“This training is important because we don’t see too many cases in our hospital,” said the chief of surgery at al-Muthana’s hospital. “It is continuous education for us to be able to see these patients and learn how to manage these cases. We really want to increase our learning, our experience, and learn from our American colleagues.”

Although this course taught 11 Iraqi medical personnel, it is not limited to just the medevac personnel.

“We are attempting to maximize the training opportunity for all Ministry of Defense medical personnel, so we created a dual focus,” said Hoettels. “The ultimate goal of this military-military medical capacity-building program is to help establish an Iraqi military air medical evacuation program with trained flight surgeons, flight nurses, and medevac technicians.”

The training program, as requested by the Iraqi MoD surgeon general, also supports the overall effort to responsibly draw down U.S. forces in the country.

“The goal of this program is to allow the Iraqis to get medical sovereignty,” said Col. Andy Marchiando, 332nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron commander. “They will be able to take the information they learn here and carry it on once we leave. Hopefully, this will become a model system for the Iraqis.”

Saturday, January 02, 2010 00:00

By: 1st Lt. William Marquez, 49th Military Police Brigade

BAGHDAD — Tucked away in a palm grove, surrounded by a canal lined with long reeds, a training facility, consisting of multiple buildings at the edge of a military base, offers a place where Iraqi Police can learn the skills necessary to make their city more secure.

The Criminal Justice Center here on Camp Liberty is a training center for IP where they are taught skills that build upon what they learned during their basic training and what they learned as experienced police officers working on the streets of Baghdad.

At the CJC, IP take a three-week course that consists of classes on democratic policing, crime scene preservation and evidence collection, human rights, non-abusive compliance techniques, election security tactics, counter improvised explosive device training, fundamentals of Iraqi Law and much more.

The curriculum is approved by Iraq’s Ministry of Interior and Baghdad’s Provincial Department of Police. The Iraqi Highway Patrol department operating in Baghdad also approves the curriculum before they send any of their officers to the course.

“All the training conducted at our facility is approved by the law enforcement departments that send their officers to train with us,” said Capt. David Worthy, commander of the 217th Military Police Company, the National Guard unit from Prattville, Ala., that operates the CJC. “We do not do anything without the approval of Iraq’s Ministry of Interior.”

Since the Security Agreement between the United States and Iraq was implemented in early 2009, the relationship between the U.S. MP and the IP is one of partnership, as the MP can no longer dictate the training of the IP.

“If the Iraqi Police commanders do not approve of the training, we change it to suit the needs of their police force,” said Worthy.

IP commanders and their superiors at the MoI seem to approve of the training the 217th is providing, because they are consistently sending dozens of their police officers to the CJC. Furthermore, the IP participating in the training believe they are learning a lot.

“This course is excellent,” said Hatam Al Albdi, a Baghdad police officer. “We learn things that we never thought of. In this course, I’m developing myself; and when I’m done, I will help my fellow Iraqi Police at my station.”

Worthy said that the CJC has the potential of becoming an Iraqi Police Academy with its own commandant, administrators and instructors.

“It’s possible that when we leave, the CJC will be a training facility operated by the Iraqi Police, except for a few American liaison officers advising and assisting,” he said.

United States Forces – Iraq Photos

Purple Reign

Iraqi graduates of the Kirkuk Training Center demonstrate room clearing procedures as part of their graduation ceremony at the KTC, on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Dec. 15, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew D. Leistikow.

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Purple Reign

Iraqi graduates of the Kirkuk Training Center demonstrate room clearing procedures as part of their graduation ceremony at the KTC, on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Dec. 15, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew D. Leistikow.

Looking Back

An Iraqi girl looks back over her sister’s shoulder while Soldiers from the 17th Fires Brigade and the 14th Iraqi Army Division conduct a joint patrol in Al Hyyaniyah, Iraq, Dec. 4, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Samantha Ciaramitaro.

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Warrior Welcomed

USF-I Command Sergeant Major, Army Sgt. Maj. Lawrence Wilson (left) accompanies Army Sgt. 1st Class Mike Schlitz, a wounded warrior returning to Iraq as part of Operation Proper Exit, on Camp Ramadi, Dec. 29, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod

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Window Seat

A Soldier with the 4th Brigade’s 1st Infantry Division provides security while her unit participates in training with the 4th Iraqi Army Division’s Facility Maintenance Company on Forward Operating Base Wrench, near Tikrit, Dec. 16, 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael D. Heckman.

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Pot of Gold

A rainbow is seen over a CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the Camp Taji airfield, Dec. 31.  Photo by Sgt. Lindsey Bradford, USF-I PAO.

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Best Medicine

U.S. Soldiers at Joint Security Station Nasir Wa Salam roar in laughter while Dave Price, from CBS’s “The Early Show,” performs during the “Laugh in the New Year – Improv in Iraq Tour III,” Dec. 30. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Daniel Schneider, USF-I PAO.

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Inducted

Eleven Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., were officially inducted into the NCO Corps during the “Proud Americans” NCO Induction Ceremony, Dec. 31 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher. Photo by Spc. Shantelle Campbell, 4th BCT, 1st ID.

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Bloodline

Col. Charles E. Sexton (left), 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division commander, and his son, 1st Lt. Chuck Sexton, stand side by side during a humanitarian aid drop on Christmas Day 2009 in northern Iraq.  U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Crystal M. O’Neal, 3rd ID.

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Milestone

The commanding generals and sergeants major of MNF-I, MNC-I, Task Force 134 and MNSTC-I cased their colors during the United States Forces – Iraq activation ceremony at Al Faw Palace, Camp Victory.

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New Year

Spc. Nathaneal Meade (left) and Spc. Frank Walker, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, hang balloons in celebration of the New Year at Forward Operating Base Falcon, Dec. 31, 2009. Photo by Spc. Ruth

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Face Time

A U.S. Army paratrooper in Iraq uses an online video-chat program to talk with his wife and children back at Fort Bragg, N.C., Dec. 28, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod.

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Bearing Gifts

U.S. Army Sgt. Jacob J. Friday carries gifts of stuffed animals and toys to the 170 kindergarten students that attend school at the Chaldean Catholic Church in downtown Basrah, Dec. 28. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Maurice A. Galloway.

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR TROOPS & THEIR FAMILY’S!

Col. Noyat, an officer in the Kirkuk Emergency Services Unit, presents the plans for Operation Lion Dragon Hunt to ESU members, recently. The ESU, with U.S. advisors, conducted the raid that led to the capture of 20 people in the area who did not possess proper identification. Photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs, 1st Armored Division.

KIRKUK — Brig. Gen. Khatub Umer Aref recently led more than 400 Iraqi Emergency Service Unit “Lions” in Operation Lion Dragon Hunt here, proving the skill, determination and professionalism of his unit.

The Lions had assistance from Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, attached to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, known as the “Dragons,” led by Capt. Jeremiah Fritz, the commander of Delta Company. In addition to the Delta Company Soldiers, the U.S. Army also provided military working dogs to assist in the mission, according to Fritz.

“We had two main purposes today,” said Fritz. “One was to demonstrate the ability of the Kirkuk ESU to perform clearing operations and also to disrupt the enemy.”

In addition to these missions, the ESU and U.S. military were also looking for anyone staying in the area illegally, according to Fritz.

Even though no hidden weapons were located, more than 20 people were detained and taken to the Amal Shabi Iraqi Police station for lacking proper identification to be in the area, said Fritz.

“This mission was very successful; together we made the insurgents fearful and met our objectives,” said Aref.

“Every day the ESU is getting better and better; they are very close to being completely independent,” said Fritz.

“We will continue to do missions like this,” Aref concluded. “We will not give the insurgents a break.”

(By: Pfc. Jessica Luhrs, 1st Armored Division)

Wednesday, 30 December 2009 ~ By:  Pfc. Jessica Luhrs
1st Armored Division

Members of the Iraqi Police hand out book bags with school supplies for Iraqi schoolchildren during a combined humanitarian mission in the Faylaq neighborhood of Kirkuk, Dec. 22. Photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs, 1st Armored Division.

KIRKUK — To help with their education, three hundred Iraqi children near here in the village of Faylaq were treated to a surprise donation of school necessities, Dec. 22.

In an effort to improve education here, Iraqi Police and members of the Atyah Women’s Organization (AWO), assisted by Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, donated the school supplies for the children.

This humanitarian mission was a part of a larger mission to reach out to the people in this neighborhood, said Hanna Hasan Husein, a leader with the AWO.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Russell Raines, 30th Inf. Regt., whose platoon helped the IP and AWO members in delivering the supplies, believes these combined activities are important to stability in the region.

The progress the IP, AWO and U.S. forces are making in the villages can already be seen, according to Husein. The children are talking to the IP and Soldiers, laughing, smiling and sometimes even singing.

Humanitarian aid plays a huge part in the fight we are in now, said Husein. It allows the people to see the IP are here to also help them, not just to conduct raids or combat patrols.

Raines said it is important for the Iraqi population to see the IP and U.S. forces conducting these types of operations which show that we are allies and not occupiers.

Raines also feels it is a welcome change of pace for him and his Soldiers to be able to help children.

“For everyone involved it is a powerful experience; through partnership we were able to improve the lives of these students,” Raines explained.

“The IP and U.S. forces mission here is the people of Iraq,” he continued. “We want them to know we are all here to protect them and keep them safe. Throughout their time here, 1st Bn., 30th Inf. Reg. plans on assisting the Iraqi Police and AWO.”

According to Raines, U.S. forces, IP and the AWO will continue to deliver school supplies and other items needed by the students.

“This helps the community build a relationship of trust with the IP, and hopefully a better future,” said Raines.

Some Common Sense From The “HeartLand” Of America

FROM Kansas.com ~ More ‘best’ of Opinion Line 2009

Author: ‘Unknown’

Instead of hanging what looks like male anatomy from the bottom of your truck, why don’t you just get a bumper sticker that says, “I’m an idiot”?

I think the Obamas should name their new dog “Maverick.”

If we are going to have a “rock star” president, can it at least be Ted Nugent?

I’m always amazed at these guys who get arrested in prostitution stings. Any idiot knows that if she has teeth, she’s a police officer.

I don’t mind my tax money going to help the truly helpless, but it burns me up when it goes to the lazy and clueless.

You ladies out there who think it’s sexy to smoke cigarettes and have tattoos plastered all over and put rings in your noses and your ears: You look like floozies.

I am proud to live in a country where I can smoke cigarettes, have tattoos, put rings in my nose and ears, and look like a “floozy” if I so choose. If you don’t like it, then don’t look.

The United States is currently in two wars. The economy is in the tank. Unemployment is rising, and Wichitans are complaining about restaurant service.

Not owing MasterCard a dime: priceless.

The only difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is a public relations man.

Opinion Line should be renamed the Tower of Babble.

It’s finally time to say, “Good riddance to bad rub-Bush” and get ready to “Barack and roll.”

Well, we have a new president. I hope he can lead our country better than he could lead the first lady on the dance floor.

I’m running out of candles and incense for my Obama commemorative plate shrine. Please help.

Two weeks into the new administration and nobody’s tried to take my gun away. Nobody’s turned my church into a mosque. Nobody’s forced me to have an abortion. What’s taking them so long?

Mr. Obama: I’ll keep my guns, my freedom and my money. You keep the change.

Asking the Republicans for advice on how to fix our economy is like asking that California octuplet mother about birth control.

I lost my job because of the economic downturn. If I could get all of my bill collectors together to employ me to call myself as much as they call me, I could afford to pay them all off.

When the state makes it legal to buy strong beer at the grocery store and convenience stores, I expect we’ll have a lot more UFO sightings.

Republicans, Democrats. Bloods, Crips. What’s the difference? Think about it.

All those who still want to be able to invest your Social Security in the stock market, raise your hand. George Bush? Really?

As voters, we stink. Tattoo this on your arm: Truly smart people don’t run for office, and what we need right now are some truly smart people.

My new plan for the future will be the Oklahoma casinos. The way things are, I have a much better chance of earning my retirement there than by working hard and trusting the government.

It is a popular delusion that the government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money.

Obama’s change is what is left in our retirement accounts.

Now that the city has added an ordinance dealing with cats and dogs that defecate in other people’s yards, it needs to deal with the birds that defecate on my car.

I think it’s time we put the City Council on a leash.

What’s the difference between Obama and Jesus? Jesus knew how to build a cabinet.

Don’t spread my wealth, spread my work ethic.

President Obama was elected promising hope and change. Four years of this administration will leave us hopeless and in chains.

Having been in law enforcement for more than 20 years, I can tell you the hardest part of the job is keeping the powdered sugar off the front of your uniform.

Members of Congress should be made to wear “uniforms” like NASCAR drivers, so that we all could identify their corporate (special interest) sponsors.

OK, everyone, just relax on these Obama-Geithner bailout deals. I’ll tell you when to panic. OK, it’s time now. Panic.

When I joined the Republican Party, I was surprised to receive my gift of rose-colored 1980s Reagan glasses, earplugs to drown out factual disagreement and a big megaphone to keep up with Rush Limbaugh.

I bet that suicide bomber won’t have the guts to do that again.

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half are going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

Watching Obama try to run this country is like watching an 8-year-old at the controls of a 747.

President Bush is making a comeback every day. He did not always do the right thing. But at least he knew what he was doing.

Note to KWCH, Channel 12: I did not buy a high-definition TV for a play-by-play of a thunderstorm.

I, uh, agree with the, uh, person who said that it is, uh, refreshing to, uh, have a president who can, uh, speak in complete, uh, sentences.

We should have an Opinion Line pity party. I’d love to see all these Opinion Line contributors in the same room together.

It’s amazing to me that people can be so focused on having peace that they are willing to fight to get it.

It takes a village of smokers to raise a child.

The obesity epidemic is over in Wichita. Let the funnel-cake eating contest begin.

In respectful deference to Joyce Kilmer: I thought that I should never see the day that Tiger would hit a tree.

About $750,000 per school for artificial turf for something as worthless as sports. It’s a good thing this country isn’t in a recession.

Mariners, 3; pirates, 0: The best score you will see all year.

Now we know exactly how our country “tortured” people. Worse things happen on a grade school playground. We are becoming the laughingstock of the world.

Putting Kathleen Sebelius in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services is like putting Michael Vick in charge of a humane society.

So a letter writer thinks all obese people should be banned from public places? I think all sanctimonious, rude and judgmental people should be banned from calling themselves “human beings” and be made to walk around with “moron” branded on their forehead.

Man, right when I thought Thomas Etheredge had enough problems, now he has another one — he just doesn’t look good in orange.

You know you’re a Kansan when you fall asleep to frogs and crickets.

Easy way to solve our country’s budget problems: Charge those who think rules don’t apply to them $10 each. In six months, we would be fine.

I love C-SPAN. It’s the only place where I can put the politicians on mute.

Bicyclists need to be arrested when riding on busy streets. You tree huggers have gone way too far on this.

After the first 100 days, I think President Obama needs his transmission checked. It seems the only gear he has is reverse.

Once Obama shoves socialized medicine down our throats, the first patient should be Nancy Pelosi — to be fitted for hearing aids.

With North Korea’s recent midrange missile launch and nuclear bomb test, maybe my shrinking 401(k) won’t matter after all.

If Republicans are trying to rebrand themselves, why are they using the same old white guys to spread the message?

What’s the point of having three different arenas all within 30 minutes of each other?

Have all the men thrown away their combs and shaving equipment?

Southwest Kansas is getting its coal-fired plant. Now you know why Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts supported Kathleen Sebelius’ appointment as secretary of Health and Human Services.

I want to help the economy by going out to spend, spend, spend, but my wife won’t let me.

I saw the ultimate in cell-phone addiction: a woman bowling with her right hand while holding a cell phone to her left ear.

The people who set the timing of the traffic lights in Wichita are either in cahoots with OPEC or stupid.

I’ve got a new name for Wichita: Land of the Big Bottoms.

Now that George Tiller is unfortunately gone from our midst, I wonder what Phill Kline is going to do with his extra time. Maybe take up knitting.

I know many people who are experienced, educated and reasonable and yet voted for Barack Obama. What’s worse, they still support him. What manner of sorcery is being perpetrated here to make intelligent people act so stupidly?

When aliens in flying saucers come flying over Wichita and see the new arena, they’re going to say “goody, goody” and land to get acquainted.

Here’s an idea: Before you tear up Kellogg and tell us that we might want to consider taking another route, you might want to finish fixing some of the other routes first.

Why is it that gays want to get married and straight people want to live together?

I don’t watch “American Idol.” But I did catch the most recent finale, and God chose the rightful winner.

Why is it that when a politician promises a tax cut, it always ends up costing us more money?

If evolution really happens, why are we so worried about the ozone and the environment? Won’t we evolve quickly enough to adapt?

The CIA needn’t waterboard these poor detainees. The background music from “America’s Next Top Model” will get the same results. Better yet — submit the terrorists to ice-cream truck music 24/7.

Irony defines the Republicans. They complain about the Democratic government taking away freedoms, yet are OK with a Republican government tapping their phones.

With global warming on the rise and sea level rising by 3 feet, don’t you think the government should mandate swimming lessons?

Obama has broken his promise of a fairy-tale existence. The unicorns are actually donkeys wearing dunce caps.

Regarding the All-America City award: I’m surprised it took only 30 people to fly to Tampa to collect it. Maybe next year we can send more people.

The Republican Party needs to change its mascot to a horse, since all Republicans have been able to say for the past six months is “nay.” They forget the rubber stamp they gave to all the Bush proposals, good or bad, during the past eight years.

The fact that an airline pilot died in midair and Michael Jackson died with a doctor nearby tells me that God is in control, not man.

Have the news media ever considered that about 270 million Americans have no interest in Michael Jackson, dead or alive?

Why is it that every time Judge Sonia Sotomayor smiles, she looks like a cat that just ate the canary?

As a small-business owner with employees, I will be forced to lay some off if the Democrats raise my taxes. The first to go will be the ones with faded Obama bumper stickers on their cars.

Sure, carry on about the Gitmo detainees being waterboarded. I had to endure “The Bachelorette,” and I don’t hear any of you crying for me.

When Kellogg is finished, folks will be able to go all the way through town and not stop. If I didn’t live here, I wouldn’t stop either.

Sweaty, inconsiderate citizens of Wichita, lend me your ears: Take a shower before you go out to shop for groceries on the same day as I do. I should not have to hold my breath as you reach for produce near me with your tank top on.

Forget about the stock market and racial harmony. The only thing President Obama can grow is government and a set of ears.

They say it takes all kinds. Although we have “all kinds,” I am certain we don’t need them all.

If every Wichitan bought a Ford and a Mudslide and wore a seat belt, would the commercial pitch people leave us alone?

Definition of a liberal: A person who will give away everything he does not own.

I just saw the new Sarah Palin book. She’s cuter than a spotted puppy and half as smart.

A Christian prison? Are there really enough Christians who need to go to jail to make that worthwhile?

Barack Obama’s election was nothing more than an expression of rebellion, much like high school students who vote for a cross-dresser for homecoming queen.

I think it should be illegal to use children to sell products on television.

Barack Obama is bringing back so many Clinton people for his administration. Will he be bringing back Monica Lewinsky, too?

I wonder if Gov. Kathleen Sebelius can tell us which category late-term abortions come under: Health or Human Services?

Bush kept us safe. Obama emptied our safes.

Obama is killing capitalism one CEO at a time.

OK, the joke is up. Bring back President Bush.

Scientists predict global catastrophe in 50 years but they can’t predict a hailstorm 20 minutes before it happens. Why should I believe them?

America: where people believe vaccines are dangerous and guns are not.

Let’s have all the Christians line up on one side of the line and all the non-Christians line up on the other side of the line. Looks like a Christian country to me.

Come on, Wichita, it’s almost the Fourth of July. Take your Christmas lights down.

I would like to buy Dick Cheney for what he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth. I would feed the nation.

Why spend $80 million to move the detainees to U.S. soil? Send a few ACLU types to Gitmo to hold their hands.

Every time I drive by the downtown arena, I smile like the butcher’s dog. That thing is awesome.

I think I can solve the parking problem for the new arena. It should be torn down and turned into its own parking lot. That way it won’t cost the taxpayers any more money.

Neat little parking map (Dec. 1 Eagle). Now stop blowing sunshine up my skirt and tell me where the other 11,000 people are going to park.

If the dinosaurs had only given up their big SUVs, they might still be here today. Let’s heed their example.

Rep. Todd Tiahrt thinks carbon dioxide is a harmless gas that we all exhale. He should lock himself in an abandoned refrigerator for an hour and then decide what he thinks.

If carbon dioxide is a pollutant, I’m Auntie Em.

Any laid-off aircraft workers who want a job that will last for infinity need only apply to be on the crew working at Kellogg and Rock Road.

If Kellogg were a racetrack, there would be fewer wrecks. Race car drivers don’t talk on cell phones, put on their makeup and read while driving.

Yes, Kellogg is a racetrack. And if you can’t hang with the big dogs, don’t get off the porch.

Ban vehicular traffic from Kellogg and allow only horses. That way we could recognize horses’ behinds from a distance.

I went to the gun show on Saturday, and you know what? Barack Obama is the gun salesman of the month.

America is great. Only here can someone who is a tax evader become Treasury secretary — if he’s a Democrat.

A picture of Obama’s spine will begin appearing on milk cartons coast-to-coast.

Would someone please tell Obama to give up his jet and see how efficient he is?

The difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to the Constitution is that the Republicans use a regular shredder and the Democrats use a cross-cut shredder.

Republicans should remember that even God could only take so much complaining in the desert.

The new catchphrase should be: “It’s 10 p.m.; do you know where your elected officials are?”

Politicians are like talking dogs in a circus. The fact that they exist is uncommonly interesting, but no sane person would actually believe what they say.

Opinion Line is for those who like to see their opinions in print so they have somebody to agree with.

I would say that the Wichita City Council members are not smarter than a fifth-grader.

My Wichita Eagle delivered to my door: 53 cents. My 5 o’clock pot of coffee: 23 cents. Four years of Obama bashing: priceless.

Read more: Kansas Opinion Forms

Monday, 21 December 2009

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly in formation during a training mission in southwest Asia, Dec. 6, 2009. The F-22 fighters and crews are deployed from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and entered the Air Forces Central area of responsibility for the first time as part of a multi-national exercise where aircrews from France, Jordan, Pakistan, the U.A.E., the U.K. and the U.S. trained together in fighting a large-scale air war. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller.

SOUTHWEST ASIA — U.S. Airmen here marked a milestone recently, completing the first deployment of F-22A Raptors to the Middle East.

The fifth-generation fighters and their crews were in the area as part of an exercise, a multi-national event where pilots from a variety of nations train together in fighting a large-scale air war.

As the first deployment to the Air Forces Central area of responsibility, expectations were high for the 150 Airmen deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va., and the six Raptors they operated.

“We didn’t know how the jet was going to perform or react, given the temperature differences as well as the dust, sand and wind,” said Lt. Col. Lance Pilch, 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander. “But we were able to fly more sorties than we scheduled for, so the F-22 actually exceeded expectations.”

The F-22 had previously deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, and Andersen Air Base, Guam, for exercises in the Pacific.

“This was historic because it’s a new weapon system and although we had shown we can deploy to other places, we hadn’t proven we could operate here,” said Maj. Daniel Bunts, a member of the Virginia Air National Guard who flies Raptors with the 27th FS.

In addition to the U.S., exercise participants included aircrews from France, Jordan, Pakistan, the U.A.E., and the U.K.

Although the Raptors weren’t participating directly in the exercise, they flew alongside crews from the participating nations in training sorties.

“Now that we’ve done some training together, they have a better understanding of what we can do with this jet, so if we ever need to partner together, they know what they can expect from us as their wingmen,” Bunts said. “But it’s also important for us to put a face to the weapon system for our partners. We’ve made great friends out here.”

Building partnerships is largely what exercises like this are all about. But now that the F-22 has proven capable in the environment here, the crews hope to return to participate in more exercises, and even provide air power in the region, said Pilch.

“The F-22 has so many capabilities, from overall air dominance to relaying situational awareness to putting bombs on target,” Pilch said. “So when it becomes our turn to come here and support the troops on the ground, now we know: the Raptor is ready.”

(By:  Staff Sgt. J.G. Buzanowski, U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs)