12 Dec 2003 - Today’s Military, Veteran, War and National Security News

12 Dec 2003 - Today’s Military, Veteran, War and National Security
News

You can also receive this resource listing that is published
daily via
email by The American War Library (www.amervets.com). Go here
for more info:
http://members.aol.com/militarypeople/e-wcor.htm


U.S. families told of POW deaths after A-bombing
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031213wo32.htm

USS Cole crew trying out new uniforms that 'blend in better'
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19218

Million-dollar toy drive leaves kids on bases in Europe smiling
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19220

GI pleads guilty to injuring self to get out of Iraq, by Steve
Liewer, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, December 12,
2003
WÜRZBURG, Germany — Plagued with anxiety, driven by addiction to
painkillers and yearning to see his newborn son, Spc. Marcus Lee
couldn’t stand to spend another day in Iraq.
So on July 1, 3½ months into his tour at Sustainer Air Base in Balad,
Lee grabbed his M-16 rifle from the weapons rack of the 3rd Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment, and walked outside behind the tent. He sat
down on a water jug, chambered a round, aimed the rifle at his foot,
and fired.
“I knew I wanted to get out of Iraq and be with my son, ” he said. “I
mentally quit. I gave up being a soldier because I wanted to be a
father.”
The gunshot did earn Lee a trip back to his home base in Giebelstadt,
Germany, for medical treatment and a court-martial. But the reunion
with his wife, Susanne, 19, and his son, Anthony, came with a
price.
Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of injuring himself to avoid
duty, wrongful use of the prescription...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19226

Wesley Clark Appears on
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertain...031212_43.html

Army Military Police unit returns from Kuwait
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...al/7470251.htm

Zimbabwe Military police director dies
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id...ate=2003-12-12

Demand for MPs forces soldiers into new roles
http://www.news-leader.com/today/121...rM-240951.html

Several months ago four military police from a Pennsylvania-based Army
Reserve unit were accused of abusing prisoners of war
http://www.intellectualconservative....ticle2946.html

U.S. issuing troops more `non-lethal' weaponry
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...312110108dec11, 1,
680570.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Opinion Adopt-a-Soldier
http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamer...12/12/opinion/

Chief wants adaptive Soldiers
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/penta...s/26661-1.html

USS Hampton Returns Home for the Holidays
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=11054

Injuries expected to drop with new parachute
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5502

Forum: Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Call-In: Clark Presidential Campaign
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Officer loses pay for interrogation acts in Iraq

(EXCERPT) Lt. Col. who fired pistol near head of suspect will retire,
by GEORGE EDMONSON Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army officer who was charged with assault after
he fired his pistol near the head of a man he was interrogating in
Iraq will forfeit $5, 000 in pay and return to Texas while his
retirement request is processed, his lawyer said Friday.
Major Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division,
made the decision Friday after an administrative hearing in Tikrit
with Lt. Col. Allen West, reported Neal Puckett, a retired U.S.
Marine who represents West.
"The punishment does not affect his eligibility for retirement and
pension, " Puckett wrote in an e-mail announcing the decision.
West, who grew up in Atlanta and plans to move to south Florida after
his discharge, reached his 20th anniversary in the service last
month. He also has filed to retire, Puckett said.
West's case received widespread attention, especially in the time
leading up to his hearing before a military panel last month. The
recommendation after that procedure was that Odierno handle the case
administratively.
Many of West's supporters believed he should not have been charged
fo...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/13west.html

White House: no conflict for Baker in Iraq role

(EXCERPT) Reuters, 12.12.03, 3:03 PM ET, by Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday rejected a
New York Times editorial call for the U.S. special envoy on Iraq debt,
James Baker, to sever his private business ties because of alleged
conflicts of interest in his new role.
"There's been a thorough review by the White House counsel's office.
He has complied with all applicable ethics laws and rules, " White
House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news briefing.
President George W. Bush earlier this month named Baker, a former
secretary of state and trusted friend of the Bush family, to the
delicate task of trying to win debt forgiveness for Iraq from creditor
countrie...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/ne...tr1179720.html

CIA embarks on largest mobilization for Iraq operations, says report

(EXCERPT) www.chinaview.cn 2003-12-13 02:34:36
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The US spy agency Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) has embarked on its largest mobilizationof
manpower in Iraq since the war began, a report said Friday.
In recent weeks, the CIA has begun sending 100 more agents to Iraq to
increase its presence that is already several hundred strong since the
war started in March, the Los Angeles Times reported in a front-page
story.
Among those being sent include case officers,
counter-terrorismanalysts and a small contingent of...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1228999.htm

The cleric who may shape Iraq

(EXCERPT) December 13, 2003
Print this article
Email to a friend
He's quiet and secluded, but Ayatollah Sistani is likely to play a
major role in Iraq's future, writes Paul McGeough from Baghdad.
It is impossible to escape Iraq's past in the gold-domed city of
Najaf. But after a few hours in the pilgrim city's tea houses and
spiritual backrooms, an outline of this benighted country's future
emerges - and it's not what George Bush envisaged.
Najaf is a shrine for Iraq's long oppressed Shiites, who make up 60
per cent of the population.
The tomb of their saint of saints, Imam Ali, is here because the 7th
century martyr instructed his army that, should he die, his body was
to be strapped to a camel and he was to be buried where the camel
rested. Such is the will of Shiites worldwide to be interred near
Ali's tomb, that the city boasts the biggest cemetery in the Middle
East.
Najaf also remembers its recent dead. Its crumbling walls are papered
with the faces of Sa...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...125658294.html

Half of Iraq's new army deserts

(EXCERPT) From The Times December 13, 2003
Baghdad: Almost half the soldiers recruited into Iraq's new army have
deserted less than two months after completing basic training, in a
major embarrassment for the US-led administration in Baghdad.
Three hundred of the New Iraqi Army's 700-strong 1st Battalion were
discharged after they refused to obey orders following a row over pay
and "terms and conditions", a senior Coalition Provisional Authority
official confirmed yesterday.
However, Iraqis said some had left because they feared being killed
in escalating attacks on occupation forces, and because the training
was too hard.
Their departure is a significant setback to the coalition's efforts to
hasten the recruitment and deployment of Iraqis onto the streets to
combat the upsurge in attacks on US-led troops, which average 21 a
day.
The 1st Battalion was celebrated with fanfare when a US Army band
played at the ceremony marking the end of its nine-week initial
training course in Oc...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...n/story_page/0, 5744,
8147553%255E2703, 00.html

Taylor: Put VA facility under USM

(EXCERPT) By Nikki Davis Maute American Staff Writer

Congressman Gene Taylor will lobby top Veterans Administration
officials Monday for their support of a plan to turn the VA's Gulfport
hospital into a teaching facility administered or owned by the
University of Southern Mississippi.
"We've got to make this project so worthwhile to the Veterans
Adminis-tration that the agency will become a willing partner, "
Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, said Thursday in Hattiesburg.
Taylor said military veterans were promised medical care for their
service to the nation and as the number of severely wounded Gulf War
soldiers grows, so will their need for long-term care.
"With medical advances in the field, soldiers who would have died
before are now living and that's the good news, " Taylor said. "But
hand in hand with that is that the wounds our military personnel are
receiving will require aid for the rest of their lives. We promised
a...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/n...ews/25319.html

Shakeup unlikely to hurt Lake City VA hospital

(EXCERPT) , By CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Veterans Affairs hospital in Lake City is likely to
be left untouched in a nationwide health-care realignment that at one
point put the facility at risk of losing all of its inpatient
services.
A panel that is finalizing recommendations to VA Secretary Anthony
Principi, called the CARES Commission, is expected to reject a
proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs for moving inpatient
surgery to a VA hospital in nearby Gainesville.
The commission also is leaning toward approval of a new 135,
000-square-foot tower in Gainesville and a new hospital in Orlando,
among other improvements in the high-growth state of Florida,
Commission Chairman Everett Alvarez said in an interview.
If the commission makes those decisions at a meeting Dec. 18, Florida
may be an unqualified winner in a process that has drawn fire from
some quarters of Congress.
Alvarez said the Lake City issue would be revisited in the future when
it is clearer how four proposed outpatient clinics in North Florida
and South Georgia affect the region and th...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...312120442/1017

Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight

(EXCERPT) PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of
Public Affairs
Release No. 1212039 Dec 12, 2003
Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight
KITTY HAWK, N.C. - The U.S. Air Force brings aviators, aircraft and
adventure to the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17.
The celebration commemorates the last century of flight and looks to
the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.
"The Centennial of Flight is as much about our future as it is about
our past -- military aviation developed quickly after that first
flight, " said Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff. "From
the Wright Flyer to the F/A-22 Raptor, America continues to pioneer
cutting-edge technology and its airmen remain champions of
innovation."
Air Force Secretary James Roche will hold a media availability at noon
Dec. 17 and other senior leaders will be available for interviews
throughout the event.
Aircraft flybys include a spectrum of the Air Force inventory, from
the F/A-22 Raptor to the B-2 stealth bomber. Additionally, the Air
Force will have exhibits, speakers and festivities that highlight
aviation heritage and inspire pursuit of the skies.
Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team pilot and narrator Capt.
David Haworth will be available for interviews during the event. The
Air Force Academy's "Wings of Blue" parachute team will be performing
during the event and the school's mascot, a paragon falcon, will be
avilable for photographs.
The "Cross Into The Blue" Tour high-tech, interactive experience will
be on hand throughout the event. Highlights include:
-- A state-of-the-art movie theater with a 6-foot-by-14-foot movie
screen and digital surround sound featuring a three-and-a-half-minute,
high-powered audio visual experience of what it's like to be a member
of today's U.S. Air Force
-- An air-to-air refueling game designed to test skills as a boom
operator on a refueling tanker
-- An extreme equilibrium ride designed to experience the "spatial
disorientation" pilots may encounter during flight
-- A special operations jumper interactive virtual reality game that
simulates a parachute jump
-- A satellite systems display to help expain the detail and
intricacies of a GPS satellite
-- An actual F-16 Fighting Falcon jet
For more information please contact Maj. Cheryl Law, Maj. Kimberly
Tebrugge, or Capt. Jeff Jones at (252) 480-1499 or (210) 316-3296.
-30-
.. Send this email to friends and colleagues so they can subscribe to
this list or other U.S. Air Force lists at
https://oaprod.hq.af.mil/saf/pa/misc/listserv.cfm

Send a Veteran a Christmas Present of The War Directory
http://members.aol.com/veterans/xmasdir.htm

12 Dec 2003 - Today’s Military, Veteran, War and National Security
News

You can also receive this resource listing that is published
daily via
email by The American War Library (www.amervets.com). Go here
for more info:
http://members.aol.com/militarypeople/e-wcor.htm


U.S. families told of POW deaths after A-bombing
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031213wo32.htm

USS Cole crew trying out new uniforms that 'blend in better'
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19218

Million-dollar toy drive leaves kids on bases in Europe smiling
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19220

GI pleads guilty to injuring self to get out of Iraq, by Steve
Liewer, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, December 12,
2003
WÜRZBURG, Germany — Plagued with anxiety, driven by addiction to
painkillers and yearning to see his newborn son, Spc. Marcus Lee
couldn’t stand to spend another day in Iraq.
So on July 1, 3½ months into his tour at Sustainer Air Base in Balad,
Lee grabbed his M-16 rifle from the weapons rack of the 3rd Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment, and walked outside behind the tent. He sat
down on a water jug, chambered a round, aimed the rifle at his foot,
and fired.
“I knew I wanted to get out of Iraq and be with my son, ” he said. “I
mentally quit. I gave up being a soldier because I wanted to be a
father.”
The gunshot did earn Lee a trip back to his home base in Giebelstadt,
Germany, for medical treatment and a court-martial. But the reunion
with his wife, Susanne, 19, and his son, Anthony, came with a
price.
Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of injuring himself to avoid
duty, wrongful use of the prescription...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19226

Wesley Clark Appears on
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertain...031212_43.html

Army Military Police unit returns from Kuwait
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...al/7470251.htm

Zimbabwe Military police director dies
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id...ate=2003-12-12

Demand for MPs forces soldiers into new roles
http://www.news-leader.com/today/121...rM-240951.html

Several months ago four military police from a Pennsylvania-based Army
Reserve unit were accused of abusing prisoners of war
http://www.intellectualconservative....ticle2946.html

U.S. issuing troops more `non-lethal' weaponry
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...312110108dec11, 1,
680570.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Opinion Adopt-a-Soldier
http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamer...12/12/opinion/

Chief wants adaptive Soldiers
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/penta...s/26661-1.html

USS Hampton Returns Home for the Holidays
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=11054

Injuries expected to drop with new parachute
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5502

Forum: Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Call-In: Clark Presidential Campaign
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Officer loses pay for interrogation acts in Iraq

(EXCERPT) Lt. Col. who fired pistol near head of suspect will retire,
by GEORGE EDMONSON Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army officer who was charged with assault after
he fired his pistol near the head of a man he was interrogating in
Iraq will forfeit $5, 000 in pay and return to Texas while his
retirement request is processed, his lawyer said Friday.
Major Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division,
made the decision Friday after an administrative hearing in Tikrit
with Lt. Col. Allen West, reported Neal Puckett, a retired U.S.
Marine who represents West.
"The punishment does not affect his eligibility for retirement and
pension, " Puckett wrote in an e-mail announcing the decision.
West, who grew up in Atlanta and plans to move to south Florida after
his discharge, reached his 20th anniversary in the service last
month. He also has filed to retire, Puckett said.
West's case received widespread attention, especially in the time
leading up to his hearing before a military panel last month. The
recommendation after that procedure was that Odierno handle the case
administratively.
Many of West's supporters believed he should not have been charged
fo...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/13west.html

White House: no conflict for Baker in Iraq role

(EXCERPT) Reuters, 12.12.03, 3:03 PM ET, by Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday rejected a
New York Times editorial call for the U.S. special envoy on Iraq debt,
James Baker, to sever his private business ties because of alleged
conflicts of interest in his new role.
"There's been a thorough review by the White House counsel's office.
He has complied with all applicable ethics laws and rules, " White
House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news briefing.
President George W. Bush earlier this month named Baker, a former
secretary of state and trusted friend of the Bush family, to the
delicate task of trying to win debt forgiveness for Iraq from creditor
countrie...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/ne...tr1179720.html

CIA embarks on largest mobilization for Iraq operations, says report

(EXCERPT) www.chinaview.cn 2003-12-13 02:34:36
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The US spy agency Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) has embarked on its largest mobilizationof
manpower in Iraq since the war began, a report said Friday.
In recent weeks, the CIA has begun sending 100 more agents to Iraq to
increase its presence that is already several hundred strong since the
war started in March, the Los Angeles Times reported in a front-page
story.
Among those being sent include case officers,
counter-terrorismanalysts and a small contingent of...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1228999.htm

The cleric who may shape Iraq

(EXCERPT) December 13, 2003
Print this article
Email to a friend
He's quiet and secluded, but Ayatollah Sistani is likely to play a
major role in Iraq's future, writes Paul McGeough from Baghdad.
It is impossible to escape Iraq's past in the gold-domed city of
Najaf. But after a few hours in the pilgrim city's tea houses and
spiritual backrooms, an outline of this benighted country's future
emerges - and it's not what George Bush envisaged.
Najaf is a shrine for Iraq's long oppressed Shiites, who make up 60
per cent of the population.
The tomb of their saint of saints, Imam Ali, is here because the 7th
century martyr instructed his army that, should he die, his body was
to be strapped to a camel and he was to be buried where the camel
rested. Such is the will of Shiites worldwide to be interred near
Ali's tomb, that the city boasts the biggest cemetery in the Middle
East.
Najaf also remembers its recent dead. Its crumbling walls are papered
with the faces of Sa...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...125658294.html

Half of Iraq's new army deserts

(EXCERPT) From The Times December 13, 2003
Baghdad: Almost half the soldiers recruited into Iraq's new army have
deserted less than two months after completing basic training, in a
major embarrassment for the US-led administration in Baghdad.
Three hundred of the New Iraqi Army's 700-strong 1st Battalion were
discharged after they refused to obey orders following a row over pay
and "terms and conditions", a senior Coalition Provisional Authority
official confirmed yesterday.
However, Iraqis said some had left because they feared being killed
in escalating attacks on occupation forces, and because the training
was too hard.
Their departure is a significant setback to the coalition's efforts to
hasten the recruitment and deployment of Iraqis onto the streets to
combat the upsurge in attacks on US-led troops, which average 21 a
day.
The 1st Battalion was celebrated with fanfare when a US Army band
played at the ceremony marking the end of its nine-week initial
training course in Oc...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...n/story_page/0, 5744,
8147553%255E2703, 00.html

Taylor: Put VA facility under USM

(EXCERPT) By Nikki Davis Maute American Staff Writer

Congressman Gene Taylor will lobby top Veterans Administration
officials Monday for their support of a plan to turn the VA's Gulfport
hospital into a teaching facility administered or owned by the
University of Southern Mississippi.
"We've got to make this project so worthwhile to the Veterans
Adminis-tration that the agency will become a willing partner, "
Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, said Thursday in Hattiesburg.
Taylor said military veterans were promised medical care for their
service to the nation and as the number of severely wounded Gulf War
soldiers grows, so will their need for long-term care.
"With medical advances in the field, soldiers who would have died
before are now living and that's the good news, " Taylor said. "But
hand in hand with that is that the wounds our military personnel are
receiving will require aid for the rest of their lives. We promised
a...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/n...ews/25319.html

Shakeup unlikely to hurt Lake City VA hospital

(EXCERPT) , By CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Veterans Affairs hospital in Lake City is likely to
be left untouched in a nationwide health-care realignment that at one
point put the facility at risk of losing all of its inpatient
services.
A panel that is finalizing recommendations to VA Secretary Anthony
Principi, called the CARES Commission, is expected to reject a
proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs for moving inpatient
surgery to a VA hospital in nearby Gainesville.
The commission also is leaning toward approval of a new 135,
000-square-foot tower in Gainesville and a new hospital in Orlando,
among other improvements in the high-growth state of Florida,
Commission Chairman Everett Alvarez said in an interview.
If the commission makes those decisions at a meeting Dec. 18, Florida
may be an unqualified winner in a process that has drawn fire from
some quarters of Congress.
Alvarez said the Lake City issue would be revisited in the future when
it is clearer how four proposed outpatient clinics in North Florida
and South Georgia affect the region and th...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...312120442/1017

Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight

(EXCERPT) PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of
Public Affairs
Release No. 1212039 Dec 12, 2003
Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight
KITTY HAWK, N.C. - The U.S. Air Force brings aviators, aircraft and
adventure to the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17.
The celebration commemorates the last century of flight and looks to
the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.
"The Centennial of Flight is as much about our future as it is about
our past -- military aviation developed quickly after that first
flight, " said Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff. "From
the Wright Flyer to the F/A-22 Raptor, America continues to pioneer
cutting-edge technology and its airmen remain champions of
innovation."
Air Force Secretary James Roche will hold a media availability at noon
Dec. 17 and other senior leaders will be available for interviews
throughout the event.
Aircraft flybys include a spectrum of the Air Force inventory, from
the F/A-22 Raptor to the B-2 stealth bomber. Additionally, the Air
Force will have exhibits, speakers and festivities that highlight
aviation heritage and inspire pursuit of the skies.
Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team pilot and narrator Capt.
David Haworth will be available for interviews during the event. The
Air Force Academy's "Wings of Blue" parachute team will be performing
during the event and the school's mascot, a paragon falcon, will be
avilable for photographs.
The "Cross Into The Blue" Tour high-tech, interactive experience will
be on hand throughout the event. Highlights include:
-- A state-of-the-art movie theater with a 6-foot-by-14-foot movie
screen and digital surround sound featuring a three-and-a-half-minute,
high-powered audio visual experience of what it's like to be a member
of today's U.S. Air Force
-- An air-to-air refueling game designed to test skills as a boom
operator on a refueling tanker
-- An extreme equilibrium ride designed to experience the "spatial
disorientation" pilots may encounter during flight
-- A special operations jumper interactive virtual reality game that
simulates a parachute jump
-- A satellite systems display to help expain the detail and
intricacies of a GPS satellite
-- An actual F-16 Fighting Falcon jet
For more information please contact Maj. Cheryl Law, Maj. Kimberly
Tebrugge, or Capt. Jeff Jones at (252) 480-1499 or (210) 316-3296.
-30-
.. Send this email to friends and colleagues so they can subscribe to
this list or other U.S. Air Force lists at
https://oaprod.hq.af.mil/saf/pa/misc/listserv.cfm

Send a Veteran a Christmas Present of The War Directory
http://members.aol.com/veterans/xmasdir.htm


12 Dec 2003 - Today’s Military, Veteran, War and National Security
News

You can also receive this resource listing that is published
daily via
email by The American War Library (www.amervets.com). Go here
for more info:
http://members.aol.com/militarypeople/e-wcor.htm


U.S. families told of POW deaths after A-bombing
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031213wo32.htm

USS Cole crew trying out new uniforms that 'blend in better'
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19218

Million-dollar toy drive leaves kids on bases in Europe smiling
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19220

GI pleads guilty to injuring self to get out of Iraq, by Steve
Liewer, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, December 12,
2003
WÜRZBURG, Germany — Plagued with anxiety, driven by addiction to
painkillers and yearning to see his newborn son, Spc. Marcus Lee
couldn’t stand to spend another day in Iraq.
So on July 1, 3½ months into his tour at Sustainer Air Base in Balad,
Lee grabbed his M-16 rifle from the weapons rack of the 3rd Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment, and walked outside behind the tent. He sat
down on a water jug, chambered a round, aimed the rifle at his foot,
and fired.
“I knew I wanted to get out of Iraq and be with my son, ” he said. “I
mentally quit. I gave up being a soldier because I wanted to be a
father.”
The gunshot did earn Lee a trip back to his home base in Giebelstadt,
Germany, for medical treatment and a court-martial. But the reunion
with his wife, Susanne, 19, and his son, Anthony, came with a
price.
Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of injuring himself to avoid
duty, wrongful use of the prescription...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19226

Wesley Clark Appears on
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertain...031212_43.html

Army Military Police unit returns from Kuwait
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...al/7470251.htm

Zimbabwe Military police director dies
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id...ate=2003-12-12

Demand for MPs forces soldiers into new roles
http://www.news-leader.com/today/121...rM-240951.html

Several months ago four military police from a Pennsylvania-based Army
Reserve unit were accused of abusing prisoners of war
http://www.intellectualconservative....ticle2946.html

U.S. issuing troops more `non-lethal' weaponry
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...312110108dec11, 1,
680570.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Opinion Adopt-a-Soldier
http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamer...12/12/opinion/

Chief wants adaptive Soldiers
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/penta...s/26661-1.html

USS Hampton Returns Home for the Holidays
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=11054

Injuries expected to drop with new parachute
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5502

Forum: Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Call-In: Clark Presidential Campaign
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Officer loses pay for interrogation acts in Iraq

(EXCERPT) Lt. Col. who fired pistol near head of suspect will retire,
by GEORGE EDMONSON Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army officer who was charged with assault after
he fired his pistol near the head of a man he was interrogating in
Iraq will forfeit $5, 000 in pay and return to Texas while his
retirement request is processed, his lawyer said Friday.
Major Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division,
made the decision Friday after an administrative hearing in Tikrit
with Lt. Col. Allen West, reported Neal Puckett, a retired U.S.
Marine who represents West.
"The punishment does not affect his eligibility for retirement and
pension, " Puckett wrote in an e-mail announcing the decision.
West, who grew up in Atlanta and plans to move to south Florida after
his discharge, reached his 20th anniversary in the service last
month. He also has filed to retire, Puckett said.
West's case received widespread attention, especially in the time
leading up to his hearing before a military panel last month. The
recommendation after that procedure was that Odierno handle the case
administratively.
Many of West's supporters believed he should not have been charged
fo...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/13west.html

White House: no conflict for Baker in Iraq role

(EXCERPT) Reuters, 12.12.03, 3:03 PM ET, by Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday rejected a
New York Times editorial call for the U.S. special envoy on Iraq debt,
James Baker, to sever his private business ties because of alleged
conflicts of interest in his new role.
"There's been a thorough reiew by the White House counsel's office.
He has complied with all applicable ethics laws and rules, " White
House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news briefing.
President George W. Bush earlier this month named Baker, a former
secretary of state and trusted friend of the Bush family, to the
delicate task of trying to win debt forgiveness for Iraq from creditor
countrie...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/ne...tr1179720.html

CIA embarks on largest mobilization for Iraq operations, says report

(EXCERPT) www.chinaview.cn 2003-12-13 02:34:36
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The US spy agency Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) has embarked on its largest mobilizationof
manpower in Iraq since the war began, a report said Friday.
In recent weeks, the CIA has begun sending 100 more agents to Iraq to
increase its presence that is already several hundred strong since the
war started in March, the Los Angeles Times reported in a front-page
story.
Among those being sent include case officers,
counter-terrorismanalysts and a small contingent of...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1228999.htm

The cleric who may shape Iraq

(EXCERPT) December 13, 2003
Print this article
Email to a friend
He's quiet and secluded, but Ayatollah Sistani is likely to play a
major role in Iraq's future, writes Paul McGeough from Baghdad.
It is impossible to escape Iraq's past in the gold-domed city of
Najaf. But after a few hours in the pilgrim city's tea houses and
spiritual backrooms, an outline of this benighted country's future
emerges - and it's not what George Bush envisaged.
Najaf is a shrine for Iraq's long oppressed Shiites, who make up 60
per cent of the population.
The tomb of their saint of saints, Imam Ali, is here because the 7th
century martyr instructed his army that, should he die, his body was
to be strapped to a camel and he was to be buried where the camel
rested. Such is the will of Shiites worldwide to be interred near
Ali's tomb, that the city boasts the biggest cemetery in the Middle
East.
Najaf also remembers its recent dead. Its crumbling walls are papered
with the faces of Sa...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...125658294.html

Half of Iraq's new army deserts

(EXCERPT) From The Times December 13, 2003
Baghdad: Almost half the soldiers recruited into Iraq's new army have
deserted less than two months after completing basic training, in a
major embarrassment for the US-led administration in Baghdad.
Three hundred of the New Iraqi Army's 700-strong 1st Battalion were
discharged after they refused to obey orders following a row over pay
and "terms and conditions", a senior Coalition Provisional Authority
official confirmed yesterday.
However, Iraqis said some had left because they feared being killed
in escalating attacks on occupation forces, and because the training
was too hard.
Their departure is a significant setback to the coalition's efforts to
hasten the recruitment and deployment of Iraqis onto the streets to
combat the upsurge in attacks on US-led troops, which average 21 a
day.
The 1st Battalion was celebrated with fanfare when a US Army band
played at the ceremony marking the end of its nine-week initial
training course in Oc...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...n/story_page/0, 5744,
8147553%255E2703, 00.html

Taylor: Put VA facility under USM

(EXCERPT) By Nikki Davis Maute American Staff Writer

Congressman Gene Taylor will lobby top Veterans Administration
officials Monday for their support of a plan to turn the VA's Gulfport
hospital into a teaching facility administered or owned by the
University of Southern Mississippi.
"We've got to make this project so worthwhile to the Veterans
Adminis-tration that the agency will become a willing partner, "
Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, said Thursday in Hattiesburg.
Taylor said military veterans were promised medical care for their
service to the nation and as the number of severely wounded Gulf War
soldiers grows, so will their need for long-term care.
"With medical advances in the field, soldiers who would have died
before are now living and that's the good news, " Taylor said. "But
hand in hand with that is that the wounds our military personnel are
receiving will require aid for the rest of their lives. We promised
a...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/n...ews/25319.html

Shakeup unlikely to hurt Lake City VA hospital

(EXCERPT) , By CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Veterans Affairs hospital in Lake City is likely to
be left untouched in a nationwide health-care realignment that at one
point put the facility at risk of losing all of its inpatient
services.
A panel that is finalizing recommendations to VA Secretary Anthony
Principi, called the CARES Commission, is expected to reject a
proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs for moving inpatient
surgery to a VA hospital in nearby Gainesville.
The commission also is leaning toward approval of a new 135,
000-square-foot tower in Gainesville and a new hospital in Orlando,
among other improvements in the high-growth state of Florida,
Commission Chairman Everett Alvarez said in an interview.
If the commission makes those decisions at a meeting Dec. 18, Florida
may be an unqualified winner in a process that has drawn fire from
some quarters of Congress.
Alvarez said the Lake City issue would be revisited in the future when
it is clearer how four proposed outpatient clinics in North Florida
and South Georgia affect the region and th...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pb...312120442/1017

Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight

(EXCERPT) PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of
Public Affairs
Release No. 1212039 Dec 12, 2003
Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight
KITTY HAWK, N.C. - The U.S. Air Force brings aviators, aircraft and
adventure to the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17.
The celebration commemorates the last century of flight and looks to
the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.
"The Centennial of Flight is as much about our future as it is about
our past -- military aviation developed quickly after that first
flight, " said Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff. "From
the Wright Flyer to the F/A-22 Raptor, America continues to pioneer
cutting-edge technology and its airmen remain champions of
innovation."
Air Force Secretary James Roche will hold a media availability at noon
Dec. 17 and other senior leaders will be available for interviews
throughout the event.
Aircraft flybys include a spectrum of the Air Force inventory, from
the F/A-22 Raptor to the B-2 stealth bomber. Additionally, the Air
Force will have exhibits, speakers and festivities that highlight
aviation heritage and inspire pursuit of the skies.
Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team pilot and narrator Capt.
David Haworth will be available for interviews during the event. The
Air Force Academy's "Wings of Blue" parachute team will be performing
during the event and the school's mascot, a paragon falcon, will be
avilable for photographs.
The "Cross Into The Blue" Tour high-tech, interactive experience will
be on hand throughout the event. Highlights include:
-- A state-of-the-art movie theater with a 6-foot-by-14-foot movie
screen and digital surround sound featuring a three-and-a-half-minute,
high-powered audio visual experience of what it's like to be a member
of today's U.S. Air Force
-- An air-to-air refueling game designed to test skills as a boom
operator on a refueling tanker
-- An extreme equilibrium ride designed to experience the "spatial
disorientation" pilots may encounter during flight
-- A special operations jumper interactive virtual reality game that
simulates a parachute jump
-- A satellite systems display to help expain the detail and
intricacies of a GPS satellite
-- An actual F-16 Fighting Falcon jet
For more information please contact Maj. Cheryl Law, Maj. Kimberly
Tebrugge, or Capt. Jeff Jones at (252) 480-1499 or (210) 316-3296.
-30-
.. Send this email to friends and colleagues so they can subscribe to
this list or other U.S. Air Force lists at
https://oaprod.hq.af.mil/saf/pa/misc/listserv.cfm

Send a Veteran a Christmas Present of The War Directory
http://members.aol.com/veterans/xmasdir.htm


12 Dec 2003 - Today’s Military, Veteran, War and National Security
News

You can also receive this resource listing that is published
daily via
email by The American War Library (www.amervets.com). Go here
for more info:
http://members.aol.com/militarypeople/e-wcor.htm


U.S. families told of POW deaths after A-bombing
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20031213wo32.htm

USS Cole crew trying out new uniforms that 'blend in better'
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19218

Million-dollar toy drive leaves kids on bases in Europe smiling
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19220

GI pleads guilty to injuring self to get out of Iraq, by Steve
Liewer, Stars and Stripes European edition, Friday, December 12,
2003
WÜRZBURG, Germany — Plagued with anxiety, driven by addiction to
painkillers and yearning to see his newborn son, Spc. Marcus Lee
couldn’t stand to spend another day in Iraq.
So on July 1, 3½ months into his tour at Sustainer Air Base in Balad,
Lee grabbed his M-16 rifle from the weapons rack of the 3rd Battalion,
158th Aviation Regiment, and walked outside behind the tent. He sat
down on a water jug, chambered a round, aimed the rifle at his foot,
and fired.
“I knew I wanted to get out of Iraq and be with my son, ” he said. “I
mentally quit. I gave up being a soldier because I wanted to be a
father.”
The gunshot did earn Lee a trip back to his home base in Giebelstadt,
Germany, for medical treatment and a court-martial. But the reunion
with his wife, Susanne, 19, and his son, Anthony, came with a
price.
Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of injuring himself to avoid
duty, wrongful use of the prescription...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19226

Wesley Clark Appears on
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertain...031212_43.html

Army Military Police unit returns from Kuwait
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...al/7470251.htm

Zimbabwe Military police director dies
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.php?id...ate=2003-12-12

Demand for MPs forces soldiers into new roles
http://www.news-leader.com/today/121...rM-240951.html

Several months ago four military police from a Pennsylvania-based Army
Reserve unit were accused of abusing prisoners of war
http://www.intellectualconservative....ticle2946.html

U.S. issuing troops more `non-lethal' weaponry
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...312110108dec11, 1,
680570.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

Opinion Adopt-a-Soldier
http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamer...12/12/opinion/

Chief wants adaptive Soldiers
http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/penta...s/26661-1.html

USS Hampton Returns Home for the Holidays
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/disp...story_id=11054

Injuries expected to drop with new parachute
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5502

Forum: Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Call-In: Clark Presidential Campaign
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:808...=dfullschedule

Officer loses pay for interrogation acts in Iraq

(EXCERPT) Lt. Col. who fired pistol near head of suspect will retire,
by GEORGE EDMONSON Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army officer who was charged with assault after
he fired his pistol near the head of a man he was interrogating in
Iraq will forfeit $5, 000 in pay and return to Texas while his
retirement request is processed, his lawyer said Friday.
Major Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the 4th Infantry Division,
made the decision Friday after an administrative hearing in Tikrit
with Lt. Col. Allen West, reported Neal Puckett, a retired U.S.
Marine who represents West.
"The punishment does not affect his eligibility for retirement and
pension, " Puckett wrote in an e-mail announcing the decision.
West, who grew up in Atlanta and plans to move to south Florida after
his discharge, reached his 20th anniversary in the service last
month. He also has filed to retire, Puckett said.
West's case received widespread attention, especially in the time
leading up to his hearing before a military panel last month. The
recommendation after that procedure was that Odierno handle the case
administratively.
Many of West's supporters believed he should not have been charged
fo...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1203/13west.html

White House: no conflict for Baker in Iraq role

(EXCERPT) Reuters, 12.12.03, 3:03 PM ET, by Caren Bohan
WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday rejected a
New York Times editorial call for the U.S. special envoy on Iraq debt,
James Baker, to sever his private business ties because of alleged
conflicts of interest in his new role.
"There's been a thorough review by the White House counsel's office.
He has complied with all applicable ethics laws and rules, " White
House spokesman Scott McClellan told a news briefing.
President George W. Bush earlier this month named Baker, a former
secretary of state and trusted friend of the Bush family, to the
delicate task of trying to win debt forgiveness for Iraq from creditor
countrie...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/ne...tr1179720.html

CIA embarks on largest mobilization for Iraq operations, says report

(EXCERPT) www.chinaview.cn 2003-12-13 02:34:36
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The US spy agency Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) has embarked on its largest mobilizationof
manpower in Iraq since the war began, a report said Friday.
In recent weeks, the CIA has begun sending 100 more agents to Iraq to
increase its presence that is already several hundred strong since the
war started in March, the Los Angeles Times reported in a front-page
story.
Among those being sent include case officers,
counter-terrorismanalysts and a small contingent of...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1228999.htm

The cleric who may shape Iraq

(EXCERPT) December 13, 2003
Print this article
Email to a friend
He's quiet and secluded, but Ayatollah Sistani is likely to play a
major role in Iraq's future, writes Paul McGeough from Baghdad.
It is impossible to escape Iraq's past in the gold-domed city of
Najaf. But after a few hours in the pilgrim city's tea houses and
spiritual backrooms, an outline of this benighted country's future
emerges - and it's not what George Bush envisaged.
Najaf is a shrine for Iraq's long oppressed Shiites, who make up 60
per cent of the population.
The tomb of their saint of saints, Imam Ali, is here because the 7th
century martyr instructed his army that, should he die, his body was
to be strapped to a camel and he was to be buried where the camel
rested. Such is the will of Shiites worldwide to be interred near
Ali's tomb, that the city boasts the biggest cemetery in the Middle
East.
Najaf also remembers its recent dead. Its crumbling walls are papered
with the faces of Sa...
U.S. and friendly nation laws prohibit fully reproducing
copyrighted material. In abidance with our laws this report
cannot be provided in its entirety. However, you can read it
in full today, 12 Dec 2003, at the following URL. (COMBINE
the following lines into your web browser.) The
subject/content of this report is not necessarily the
viewpoint of the distributing Library. This report is provided
for your information and discussion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...125658294.html

Half of Iraq's new army deserts

(EXCERPT) From The Times December 13, 2003
Baghdad: Almost half the soldiers recruited into Iraq's new army have
deserted less than two months after completing basic training, in a
major embarrassment for the US-led administration in Baghdad.
Three hundred of the New Iraqi Army's 700-strong 1st Battalion were
discharged after they refused to obey orders following a row over pay
and "terms and conditions", a senior Coalition Provisional Authority
official confirmed yesterday.
However, Iraqis said some had left because they feared being killed
in escalating attacks on occupation forces, and because the training
was too hard.
Their departure is a significant setback to the coalition's efforts to
hasten the recruitment and deployment of Iraqis onto the streets to
combat the upsurge in attacks on US-led troops, which average 21 a
day.
The 1st Battalion was celebrated with fanfare when a US Army band
played at the ceremony marking the end of its nine-week initial
training course in Oc...
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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...n/story_page/0, 5744,
8147553%255E2703, 00.html

Taylor: Put VA facility under USM

(EXCERPT) By Nikki Davis Maute American Staff Writer

Congressman Gene Taylor will lobby top Veterans Administration
officials Monday for their support of a plan to turn the VA's Gulfport
hospital into a teaching facility administered or owned by the
University of Southern Mississippi.
"We've got to make this project so worthwhile to the Veterans
Adminis-tration that the agency will become a willing partner, "
Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis, said Thursday in Hattiesburg.
Taylor said military veterans were promised medical care for their
service to the nation and as the number of severely wounded Gulf War
soldiers grows, so will their need for long-term care.
"With medical advances in the field, soldiers who would have died
before are now living and that's the good news, " Taylor said. "But
hand in hand with that is that the wounds our military personnel are
receiving will require aid for the rest of their lives. We promised
a...
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http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/n...ews/25319.html

Shakeup unlikely to hurt Lake City VA hospital

(EXCERPT) , By CORY REISS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Veterans Affairs hospital in Lake City is likely to
be left untouched in a nationwide health-care realignment that at one
point put the facility at risk of losing all of its inpatient
services.
A panel that is finalizing recommendations to VA Secretary Anthony
Principi, called the CARES Commission, is expected to reject a
proposal by the Department of Veterans Affairs for moving inpatient
surgery to a VA hospital in nearby Gainesville.
The commission also is leaning toward approval of a new 135,
000-square-foot tower in Gainesville and a new hospital in Orlando,
among other improvements in the high-growth state of Florida,
Commission Chairman Everett Alvarez said in an interview.
If the commission makes those decisions at a meeting Dec. 18, Florida
may be an unqualified winner in a process that has drawn fire from
some quarters of Congress.
Alvarez said the Lake City issue would be revisited in the future when
it is clearer how four proposed outpatient clinics in North Florida
and South Georgia affect the region and th...
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Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight

(EXCERPT) PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of
Public Affairs
Release No. 1212039 Dec 12, 2003
Air Force celebrates Centennial of Flight
KITTY HAWK, N.C. - The U.S. Air Force brings aviators, aircraft and
adventure to the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17.
The celebration commemorates the last century of flight and looks to
the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.
"The Centennial of Flight is as much about our future as it is about
our past -- military aviation developed quickly after that first
flight, " said Gen. John P. Jumper, Air Force Chief of Staff. "From
the Wright Flyer to the F/A-22 Raptor, America continues to pioneer
cutting-edge technology and its airmen remain champions of
innovation."
Air Force Secretary James Roche will hold a media availability at noon
Dec. 17 and other senior leaders will be available for interviews
throughout the event.
Aircraft flybys include a spectrum of the Air Force inventory, from
the F/A-22 Raptor to the B-2 stealth bomber. Additionally, the Air
Force will have exhibits, speakers and festivities that highlight
aviation heritage and inspire pursuit of the skies.
Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team pilot and narrator Capt.
David Haworth will be available for interviews during the event. The
Air Force Academy's "Wings of Blue" parachute team will be performing
during the event and the school's mascot, a paragon falcon, will be
avilable for photographs.
The "Cross Into The Blue" Tour high-tech, interactive experience will
be on hand throughout the event. Highlights include:
-- A state-of-the-art movie theater with a 6-foot-by-14-foot movie
screen and digital surround sound featuring a three-and-a-half-minute,
high-powered audio visual experience of what it's like to be a member
of today's U.S. Air Force
-- An air-to-air refueling game designed to test skills as a boom
operator on a refueling tanker
-- An extreme equilibrium ride designed to experience the "spatial
disorientation" pilots may encounter during flight
-- A special operations jumper interactive virtual reality game that
simulates a parachute jump
-- A satellite systems display to help expain the detail and
intricacies of a GPS satellite
-- An actual F-16 Fighting Falcon jet
For more information please contact Maj. Cheryl Law, Maj. Kimberly
Tebrugge, or Capt. Jeff Jones at (252) 480-1499 or (210) 316-3296.
-30-
.. Send this email to friends and colleagues so they can subscribe to
this list or other U.S. Air Force lists at
https://oaprod.hq.af.mil/saf/pa/misc/listserv.cfm

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http://www.canada.com/owensound/stor...d-47eb5f30ac74
Students make 400 fruitcakes for soldiers The Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...12/TPNational/
Cellucci fails to clear up confusion on Iraq contracts The Globe and
Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...12/TPNational/
Who's what

http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Minister/biography_e.asp
Pratt The Toronto Star

http://torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...d=970599119419
WWI veteran turns up just in time for his medals Canadian Commentary
Marcus Gee -- The Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...ent/Columnists
Canada has no call on Iraq contracts

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serie...11thuedcar.gif
Gable Peter Worthington -- The Toronto Sun

http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/worthington_dec12.html
Move to speed up military justice only bogs it down

http://cfgb-cgfc.gc.ca/background_lamer-e.php
CFGB Russell D. Storring -- CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_.../20031212.html
Driving to Kabul Editorial -- The Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...A12/TPComment/
How the West deals with Taiwan's plan International Commentary John
Keegan -- The Daily Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/opinio.../12/do1201.xml
Forces need more rations, not less Leader -- The Daily Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/opinio.../12/dl1201.xml
There is no substitute for 'boots on the ground' Leader -- The
Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/st...105095,00.html
We cannot have it all Simon Hoggart -- The Guardian

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/forei...105444,00.html
We shall fight them on the benches Derrick Z. Jackson -- The Boston
Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/edi...deaths?mode=PF
US evades blame for Iraqi deaths Editorial -- The Christian Science
Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1212/p10s01-comv.html
How Not to Win Friends

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1212/csmimg/cartoon.jpg
Bennett Editorial -- The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
Boomerang Diplomacy Paul Krugman -- The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/12/op...&partner=ASAHI
A Deliberate Debacle H.D.S. Greenway -- The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/edi...nistan?mode=PF
A race against time in the new Afghanistan Daniel Schorr -- The
Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1212/p11s02-cods.html
Spark of hope for Mideast peace David Ignatius -- The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
A Reluctant Israel's Reality Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough -- The
Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com/funct...1-105754-6020r
Inside the Ring International News The Associated Press

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038211,00.html
Many in military face second tour in Iraq The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
Bush's Iraq Comments At Odds With Diplomacy The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
Halliburton Unit Probed for Possible Overbilling of U.S.

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038180,00.html
More The Virginian-Pilot

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories...498&ran=167115
Intelligence wing created at Langley AFB The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
A Baghdad Thanksgiving's Lingering Aftertaste

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...6&archive=true
S&S

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19124
Russell Ltr Stars and Stripes

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19200
R&R task force helps get troops home The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
For the Old Guard, A Renewed Mission The Washington Times

http://washingtontimes.com/national/...5808-7904r.htm
Yee case on hold as military falters

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...adm10712101846
Photo The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
The Ultimate Wingding

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038173,00.html
More

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038176,00.html
Facts The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
Rights Group Slams Cluster-Bomb Use

http://washingtontimes.com/world/200...4852-7925r.htm
More

http://www.hrw.org/
HRW

http://www.cursor.org/stories/steelrain.html
More The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
U.S. Bioterror Readiness Criticized

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038146,00.html
More UK Defence Today

http://news.mod.uk/news/press/news_h...wsItem_id=2729
Defence White Paper, Op Telic Lessons published The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m.../12/ndef12.xml
Forces face 'hidden' cuts in shake-up

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/exit.jhtml?exit=
http://www.mod.uk/publications/white...003/index.html
White Paper The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/ndef112.xml
Sophisticated forces merely camouflage for cuts The Guardian

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/forei...105411,00.html
New enemies mean lighter and faster armed forces The Guardian

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/forei...105419,00.html
New light brigade created as army loses 50-plus battle tanks The
Guardian

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/forei...105415,00.html
Experts hail the changes to future conflict The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/ndef212.xml
Forces will not be able to fight a major war on their own again The
Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
EU Scales Down Military Command Plans The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/wsept12.xml
Hamburg: Terror suspect released after fresh evidence

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec11.html
More Stars and Stripes

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USS Cole makes Rota port stop

http://www.estripes.com/mainphotos/2_1771089.jpg
17 Stars The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/wgorg12.xml
Georgian special forces move into breakaway region The Associated
Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
18 Dead After Ivory Coast Gun Battle The Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1071115224094
IDF doesn't rule out crossing 'blue line' - official The Jerusalem
Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1071029338350
Hizbullah seeks to heat up border Ð IDF The Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1071029338249
Chemist supplies Hamas The Associated Press

http://washingtontimes.com/world/200...4848-3792r.htm
Fatal blast tied to Israeli mob The Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1071115225210
IDF bars Israelis from entering Palestinian villages The Jerusalem
Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1071115219173
Six Palestinians killed in Gaza battle with IDF

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/371231.html
More Ha'aretz

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IAEA chief ElBaradei calls on Israel to give up nuclear weapons The
Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
Iraqi Rebels Fire Shells at U.S. Compound

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml...ryID =3984309
More The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/ndef312.xml
Troops were sent into Iraq without vital chemical kit

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/forei...105437,00.html
More The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
U.S. Draws on Israeli Methods for Iraq The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m.../12/wirq12.xml
Almost half of New Iraqi Army men quit ranks The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m...12/wirq112.xml
Soldier dies in suicide attack on US base

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0...038209,00.html
More The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/12/in...&partner=ASAHI
Marines Plan to Use Velvet Glove More Than Iron Fist in Iraq The New
York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/12/in...&partner=ASAHI
Taking Supplies to the Troops, 'Coming In High and Fast' The
Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
Four Afghans Dead As Gunfight Erupts The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
U.N. May Have to Abandon Afghan Effort The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/12/in...&partner=ASAHI
Pakistan Holds Scientists for Questioning Reuters News

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Dec12.html
With Eye on India, Pakistan Launches Home-Made Sub Reuters News

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...ry ID=3982724
N.Korea Nuclear Talks Seen Delayed Despite Efforts Stars and Stripes

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...&article=19207
Japan to strengthen security around U.S. facilities The Christian
Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1212/p01s02-wosc.html
Guerrilla chiefs to undercut Karzai The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1212/p07s02-wosc.html
US commanders are taking more cues from Afghans !-- Obituaries --
Obituaries The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m.../11/db1101.xml
Antony Rowe has died aged 79

http://www.britsub.net/html/s_class1.htm
S Class The Telegraph

http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/m.../12/db1202.xml
Captain Ian Shoobridge has died aged 51

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...et/3291853.stm
More !-- /Obituaries -- History Sympatico

http://www1.sympatico.ca/news/otd/otd.98.12.12.html
On This Day in Canadian

---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com