Iraq war

Sydney -- 02 June 2008 -- Australian combat troops have begun leaving Iraq. Their departure fulfills an election promise by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who pledged to pull his country's out of Iraq by the middle of 2008. For Australia's 550 combat soldiers, the war in Iraq is over.

Australian Army Sgt. helps a wounded US Army soldier: Australian Regular Army Sgt. Tarese Heath cuts the boot off an U.S. Army Soldier with broken toes in the emergency department at Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, on June 22, 2005. Photo by Pattie A. (CC)

They have begun leaving their base at Tallil, 300 kilometers south of Baghdad, where they have been helping to train Iraqi security forces.    » read more »

June 02, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Justin R. Mixon, 22, of Bogalusa, Louisiana, died June 1 in Baghdad Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

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June 02, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Christian S. Cotner, 20, of Waterbury, Connecticut, died May 30 from a non-hostile incident in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Source: DOD

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – President Bush presented the Medal of Honor to fallen Army hero Spc. Ross A. McGinnis’ parents during a White House ceremony here today.

“The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military distinction; it is given for valor beyond anything that duty could require or a superior could command,” Bush said, before presenting the medal to McGinnis’ father and mother, Tom and Romayne McGinnis, during the East Room ceremony.

George W. Bush presents the Medal of Honor to the parents of a soldier killed in Iraq: White House photo by Chris Greenberg.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – Four years ago, Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison was center-stage amid allegations of detainee abuse, and coalition forces suddenly cast as conquerors instead of liberators, losing the trust of the Iraqi people.

Protest against Bush-Cheney torture policies at Abu Ghraib: Photo by takomabibelot (CC)

Conscientious decisions and new detainee programs have helped the coalition turn the corner on the road to regaining that lost trust, Multinational Force Iraq’s commander of detainee operations said yesterday in a Baghdad news conference.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2008 – The U.S. general responsible for operations in Baghdad announced today that he is taking proactive measures to prevent soldiers in his command from taking their own lives.

Soldiers are his “top priority,” Army Maj. Gen. Jeffery W. Hammond, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad and the 4th Infantry Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference from his Baghdad headquarters.

“We take proactive measures to improve soldier access to mental health care and prevent suicides and identify early symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Hammond pointed out.    » read more »

06/02/2008 - WASHINGTON - Wounded servicemembers in need of accommodations for their visual, hearing, dexterity and cognitive disabilities are the fastest-growing group requesting assistive technologies, a senior Defense Department official said in a May 29 interview.

“Recently, we have been overwhelmed with requests from our wounded servicemembers as they are coming back and also learning that they need to have a different type of technology or can benefit from assistive technology,” Dinah Cohen, director of the department’s Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program, or CAP, said on the “Dot Mil Docs” program on BlogTalkRadio.com.    » read more »

June 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) issued the following statement in response to Senator John McCain’s speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual meeting earlier today.

John McCain: Photo by Wigwam Jones (CC)

“Today, Senator McCain made clear that he would continue the policies of George Bush – policies that have made the entire Middle East more dangerous and left the United States and our allies, including Israel, less secure.    » read more »

May 30, 2008 -- Washington, DC - Today, House Judiciary Commitee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the following statement in response to revelation about the Valerie Plame CIA leak made in former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's new book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception:

"I find Mr. McClellan's revelations about attempts to cover-up the Valerie Plame leak extremely troubling. Particularly disturbing is McClellan's assertion that he was specifically directed by Andy Card to 'vouch' for Scooter Libby after the investigation had begun, which, if true, could amount to obstruction of justice beyond that for which Mr. Libby has already been convicted.    » read more »

Honoring Illinois' Fallen

May 30, 2008 -- The Illinois Department of Central Management Services has received notice from Governor Blagojevich’s Office to fly the flags at State occupied buildings at half-staff on behalf of:

Sgt. Blake W. Evans
United States Army
Hometown: Rockford, Illinois

Please immediately lower the United States flags and the State flags at all buildings occupied by your agency’s personnel from:

Sunrise, June 2, 2008 until sunset, June 4, 2008

Source: Illinois Governor

01 June 2008 -- Scott McClellan, former spokesman for U.S. President George Bush, says he should have spoken up sooner about his doubts about the leak of the identity of a U.S. intelligence agent and about the rationale for invading Iraq.

Scott McClellan (left): White House photo

McClellan said on U.S. television Sunday that he blames his failure to do so on youth and inexperience. He says he believes White House staffers should resign if they have a strong disagreement with the president.

McClellan wrote about his doubts about the Bush administration in his new memoir, which says the White House relied on "innuendo and implication" to bolster its claim that Iraq was producing weapons of mass destruction.    » read more »

29 May 2008 -- Iraqi officials say two suicide bombings have killed at least 26 people in northern Iraq.

In the deadliest attack Thursday, officials say a bomber blew himself up at a police recruiting center, killing 16 people and wounding 14 others. Police and hospital officials in the northwestern town of Sinjar say 14 of the dead were police recruits, and the other two were police officers.

In Mosul, U.S. forces say a suicide bomber driving a police vehicle killed two Iraqi policemen and eight bystanders. Sixteen other people were wounded in that attack.

Separately, police say members of a U.S.-backed Iraqi neighborhood patrol killed at least 12 insurgents during a clash near the northern city of Tikrit.    » read more »

29 May 2008 -- Iran's foreign minister has blamed the United States and its allies for the grave security situation in Iraq, which he says has "cast a shadow" on the lives of Iraqis.

Manouchehr Mottaki told a United Nations conference in Stockholm that Iraq's security problems are a result of what he called the "mistaken policies" of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

He stressed Iran's commitment to rebuilding its war-torn neighbor. U.S officials have accused Iran of arming and training Shi'ite insurgents in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki opened the conference Thursday by urging the international community to cancel his country's debt.

Mr. Maliki also called for an end to compensation that Iraq is required to pay due to Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.    » read more »

Chicago, IL -- May 29, 2008 -- "Today's news is a tragic reminder of the staggering and ongoing costs of the Iraq war, particularly on our troops and their families. We are more than five years into this war, and the Pentagon and VA are still unprepared to treat the unseen wounds of battle.

We know that incidence of psychological injury increase with each additional tour of duty in Iraq, and that our troops are not getting the support they need. Too many are falling through the cracks because they need help but feel they can't get it.    » read more »

05/28/2008 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today released the following statement regarding the death of Spc. Christopher Gathercole, of Santa Rosa, CA:

“Maria and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Specialist Christopher Gathercole. He served with courage, determination and patriotism and Californians will forever remember his sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers are with Christopher’s family, friends and fellow soldiers during this difficult time.”

Gathercole, 21, died May 26 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during combat operations. Gathercole was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army, Fort Lewis, WA.

In honor of Spc. Gathercole, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.    » read more »