Dec 31, 2007

January is National Blood Donor Month and the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) staff extends a worldwide thank you to all blood and platelet donors. The ASBP will collect more than 170,000 units of blood and blood products this year because donors stop and take the time to give to those whose lives are in jeopardy. A very special thank you goes out to the war fighters serving overseas who donate blood on the spot when the need is great.

Dec 31, 2007

Tribal leaders of Khalis and Hibhib in Diyala province held a reconciliation meeting at the Governance Center here Dec. 27.

Dec 31, 2007

Sgt. Nicholas HardebeckAca,!a,,cs platoon was about midway through their afternoon patrol when the sound of explosions began echoing from a nearby street. Sgt. Hardebeck cocked his head to listen for a moment. Aca,!A"Fire crackers. Just people celebrating,Aca,!A? he said casually. At the beginning of their deployment, the sergeant and the other paratroopers from his unit, Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, might not have reacted as calmly. But after almost a year on the ground, the paratroopers are accustomed to the sights and sounds of Baghdad. What was once alien and strange Aca,!" and liable to cause overreactions Aca,!" now seems commonplace.

Dec 31, 2007

No furlough for Army Civilians - Congress approves emergency funds.

Dec 31, 2007

The Army Field Band performs Sleigh Ride at their holiday concert in Baltimore, MD.

Dec 31, 2007

Spc. Rodney Warchuck, a radio operator in Iraq.

Dec 31, 2007

Spc. Nicholas Barron, Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team, pulls security in Parwan Province, Afghanistan.

Dec 30, 2007

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq Aca,!" The commanding general of Multi-National Division Center greeted troops and met with a local sheik at Patrol Base WarriorAca,!a,,cs Keep Dec. 26.

Dec 29, 2007

Dec 29, 2007

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Dec 29, 2007

Dec 28, 2007

Dec 28, 2007

ABU OBAED, Iraq Aca,!" Soldiers in Company A, 2nd Aca,!EoeLancerAca,!a,,c Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division are continuing their work by patrolling in the communities near here building relationships and trust while operating out of a Coalition outpost (COP) west of Baghdad.

Dec 28, 2007

CAMP TAJI, Iraq Aca,!" Soldiers from the 1st Aca,!A"IronhorseAca,!A? Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division unfurled 150 flags in a ceremony here Dec. 25 to mark the 231st anniversary of Gen. George Washington, commander of the Continental Army and later the first President of the United States, crossing the Delaware River during Christmas of 1776.

Dec 28, 2007

U.S. military forces in Europe now have a better way to defend against cyber attacks aimed at destroying networks and infiltrating sensitive data.

Dec 28, 2007

On behalf of a grateful Nation, Laura and I send our best wishes for the holidays.

Dec 28, 2007

Aca,!A"Upon entering our academy...you are no longer Turkman, Arab, Christian, Kurd...you are an Iraqi,Aca,!A? Col. Samir Murshed Khushid, commandant of the Kirkuk Police Academy and former Peshmerga soldier, said. He tells his recruits they are here to serve their fellow citizen, to Aca,!A"protect them, ethnicity does not matter.Aca,!A?

Dec 28, 2007

A collection of holiday greetings from the Troops.

Dec 28, 2007

Dec 28, 2007

The Army Field Band performs Mannheim Steamroller at their holiday concert in Baltimore, MD.

Dec 28, 2007

Iraqi soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) brought smiles to children at a local elementary school in northwest Baghdad by delivering donated school supplies and care packages, Dec. 17.

Dec 28, 2007

Dec 28, 2007

MND-B Commander, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, visits troops.

Dec 28, 2007

When people think of aircraft in Iraq, many imagine fighter jets and helicopters, but many donAca,!a,,ct know about a smaller and equally important aircraft in use today. Shadow 200 RQ-7B unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs are flown over the skies of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division area of operations to provide safety for Soldiers on the ground.

Dec 28, 2007

Staff Sgt. Lawrence E. Fontaine and fellow North Dakota National Guard Soldiers visit veterans at a nursing home in Lisbon, N.D.

Dec 28, 2007

Maj. Patrick Michaelis, an operations officer with the 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq.

Dec 28, 2007

With 2007 drawing to a close, Director of the Army National Guard Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn looked back on the year and what it meant for the 350,000+ Citizen-Soldiers he leads.

Dec 28, 2007

In a major drive to root out al-Qaeda forces west of Iskandariyah, Soldiers wrested the Khidr area from insurgent control during Operation Dragoon, which took place Dec. 15-21.

Dec 27, 2007

Today, the Army announced its selection of Actus Lend Lease, LLC to develop the Community Development and Management Plan (CDMP) for Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely, as part of the ArmyAca,!a,,cs Residential Communities Initiative (RCI). Under the RCI Program, the Army plans to privatize family housing at 45 installations, to include over 86,000 family housing units located throughout the United States.

Dec 27, 2007

The Joint Task Force-Bravo Chapel organized a toy drive for children in Honduras. The toys were distributed Dec. 23. Donations for the drive came from families of servicemembers stationed at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.

Dec 27, 2007

Soldiers and others in the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command comb through a crash site in Boualapha Province, Laos, searching for the remains of servicemembers lost during the Vietnam War.

Dec 27, 2007

One of the biggest areas of focus in northwest Baghdad is training the Iraqi volunteers who have stepped up to ensure freedom and democracy in their own neighborhoods.

Dec 27, 2007

CAMP TAJI, Iraq Aca,!" When the senior leadership and Soldiers of the 1st Aca,!A"IronhorseAca,!A? Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division first arrived to Iraq nearly 15 months ago, the security situation here was quite different from the one they now experience as they patrol the streets throughout their area of operations.

Dec 27, 2007

CAMP TAJI, Iraq Aca,!" A Dec. 24 transfer of authority ceremony signaled the end of a 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, unitAca,!a,,cs 15-month deployment to Iraq.

Dec 27, 2007

FORT HOOD, TEXAS Aca,!" While the sleigh that landed at Fort Hood's Robert Gray Army Airfield a little after midnight on the morning of Dec. 25 didn't belong to Santa Claus, it was packed with presents for friends and families of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Dec 27, 2007

FORT HOOD, Texas - Christmas is almost upon the 1st Cavalry Division and thousands of military families are wishing one special Christmas wish Aca,!" to have their Soldier home from Iraq for the holidays.

Dec 27, 2007

FORT HOOD, Texas - Nearly 18 months after casing their colors in preparation for one year in Iraq, the 15th Sustainment Brigade returned to Fort Hood and uncased their colors following a 15-month deployment.

Dec 27, 2007

Dec 27, 2007

JERF AL MILA, Iraq -- Iraqi soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) brought smiles to the faces of children at a local elementary school in Jerf Al Mila, northwest Baghdad Dec. 17, by delivering donated school supplies and care packages.

Dec 27, 2007

FORT HOOD, Texas Aca,!" Aca,!A"A true American hero has fallen,Aca,!A? said Sgt. 1st Class John Shatto. With the deployment coming to an end some 1st Cavalry Division families are celebrating joyous reunions with their Soldiers. However, the harsh reality that some Soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice during their 15-month fight against terrorism became evident at the 1st Cavalry Division Memorial Chapel Dec. 20.

Dec 27, 2007

For the first time in more than three years, United States servicemembers from Joint Task Force-Bravo deployed to Costa Rica for a Medical Readiness Training Exercise Dec. 17. More than 600 patients were seen during the two-day exercise, with five critical enough to require air evacuation to the city of Limon, a 15-minute flight that would have taken days to hike through the mountainous terrain. The 1st Battallion-228th Aviation Regiment transported a girl diagnosed with cerebral palsy and pneumonia, which was the most critical case seen by the team.

Dec 27, 2007

A collection of holiday greetings from the Troops.

Dec 27, 2007

The Army Field Band performs Frosty the Snowman at their holiday concert in Baltimore, MD.

Dec 27, 2007

Dec 27, 2007

Madoor, referring to her niece, Noor Mustafa, 7, who received a wheelchair from U.S. Soldiers in Iraq. Noor was orphaned when her parents died and is in the care of her aunt.

Dec 27, 2007

Fifteen Iraqi children can now get around a little easier, thanks to the new wheelchairs they received at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex Civil-Military Operations Center earlier this month.

Dec 27, 2007

Having been ejected from Baghdad and its environs during the surge of forces, al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to re-establish itself in regions north of the capital city, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said.

Dec 27, 2007

Dec 27, 2007

MND-B Transfer of Authority ceremony

Dec 26, 2007

Local Iraqi invites Soldiers for a Christmas feast.

Dec 26, 2007

The Army.mil 2008 All-American Bowl microsite with news updates, Soldier Hero profiles, images, and more.

Dec 26, 2007

The weather was bad; the warfare was worse; but air and land forces of America and our allies worked together to win.

Dec 26, 2007

A collection of holiday greetings from the Troops.

Dec 26, 2007

Lt. Col. Mark McGrail, 101st Airborne Division surgeon, referring to the ArmyAca,!a,,cs ability to diagnose traumatic brain injuries in theater and prevent further injury.

Dec 26, 2007

Soldiers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Baghdad say Grace before their holiday meal.

Dec 23, 2007

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq (Army News Service, Dec. 27, 2007) -- Standing upright and walking on her own is something 20-year-old Soham Hassan Ka-Naan, a young woman from Khargulia, never thought she would be able to do again.

Dec 22, 2007

Dec 21, 2007

Brig. Gen. Belinda Pinckney passed command of the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command to Brig. Gen. (Promotable) John A Macdonald today during a traditional change of command ceremony at the Wallace Theater. Macdonald remarked on how pleased he was too see so many familiar faces among the crowd of FMWRC employees in attendance, and alluded to Gen. MacArthurAca,!a,,cs infamous Aca,!A"I Shall ReturnAca,!A? speech. Aca,!A"I have returned,Aca,!A? he quipped, Aca,!A"IAca,!a,,cm feeling a bit of deja-vu today.Aca,!A?

Dec 21, 2007

The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metric (ANAM), administered before, during and after deployments, helps identify Soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injury. More than 12,000 Soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., recently completed the computer program that measures reaction times to simple math equations, pattern identification and matching exercises.

Dec 21, 2007

Three medics competed with top Soldiers and noncommissioned officers from throughout the Army in the 2007 Best Warrior Competition at Fort Lee, Va. SSG Russell A. Burnham, a 68W health-care specialist at the AMEDD Center and School, and SGT Steven Rovelstad, a 68E dental technician at Tripler Army Medical Center, represented Medical Command, while SGT Jamiell E. Goforth, a 68W health-care specialist for the 404th Aviation Support Battalion, represented Forces Command.

Dec 21, 2007

We have the opportunity this holiday to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this great Nation. For more than two centuries, our country has been the source of hope for those who seek opportunity and freedom. For more than 232 years, the Army has been the guarantor of those freedoms.

Dec 21, 2007

More than 25 Soldiers from U.S. Army Troop Command Korea assisted in oil clean up efforts off the coast of Taean Wednesday as the first part of an eight-day, 8th U.S. Army operation that marks the largest and latest efforts of U.S. Soldiers assisting the Republic of Korea in their time of ecological crisis.

Dec 21, 2007

Dec 21, 2007

This annual year-end special features the best of Army.mil's feature photos. These photos capture the essence of America's Army - the Soldiers and their Families - the Strength of the Nation.

Dec 21, 2007

The Army Field Band performs a Holiday Tribute at their holiday concert in Baltimore, MD.

Dec 21, 2007

The Army launched its latest web site today, Grow the Army, to illustrate upcoming troop movements and upcoming unit stationing changes.

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: J. B. Shugarts has a great frame and will only continue to get bigger and better. HeAca,!a,,cs a very athletic player who has played both tight end and tackle, but he is clearly a tackle at the next level. J.B. utilizes his outstanding footwork in space, and gets to the second and third levels quickly. He plays the game with passion and grit, and always finishes his blocks. Once he focuses on one position in college, his upside is tremendous. Statistics/Personal: Shugarts earned first team All-District honors as a sophomore. As a junior, he earned All-Greater Houston honors. He added Scout.com All-Combine First Team honors after impressing the Scouts at the U.S. Army Junior Combine. He benches 340 pounds, squats 425 and has a 27 1/2-inch vertical jump. College: Committed to Ohio State

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: Michael Brewster is a dominating drive blocker. Once he locks up on you, itAca,!a,,cs all over. Brewster has super leg drive and is overpowering at the point of attack. Equally impressive is the way he blocks on the move when pulling and trapping. He shows excellent quickness for a big man and is tough even when he gets to the second level. You also have to love BrewsterAca,!a,,cs motor, as he plays until the whistle blows every play. He is always moving and attacking. Statistics/Personal: One of the top overall prospects in the state of Florida's 2008 class, Brewster played his sophomore season at Lake Highland Prep and will play his junior year at Edgewater. Brewster benches 380 pounds and has a 25-inch vertical jump. He added Scout.com All-Combine First Team honors after impressing the Scouts at the U.S. Army Junior Combine that was held in San Antonio in early January. College: Committed to Ohio State

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: Robert Blanton is an exceptional defensive back with tremendous closing speed. He plays very well along the line in press coverage, and is a sure tackler. BlantonAca,!a,,cs fast hips, great awareness, and presence on the field allow him to make quick, accurate decisions. He also shows leadership on the field, and has the ability to come back well from the rare poor play. Statistics/Personal: During his sophomore season, Blanton picked off seven passes and recorded 147 tackles, four blocked kicks and two TDs. These numbers earned him a spot on both the all-conference and all-county teams as a junior. College: Committed to Notre Dame

Dec 21, 2007

Biography: D.J. Monroe is all about speed. He is one of the fastest football players in the state of Texas, but also has great instincts. He is very physical for his size, and can play in any type of coverage. His tremendous speed also makes him a threat returning kicks. Statistics/Personal: Monroe earned All-District honors as a Sophomore and a Junior, including co-MVP honors in 2006. He was also the 4A state 100-meters champion with a time of 10.45 seconds as a Sophomore. Tom Lemming Report: DJ has been blessed with terrific instincts and has proven to be one of the best pass defenders in the southwest. Tough and pretty physical for a little guy, he excels in all types of coverage. He plays bigger than his size would indicate, has a vertical and shows very good anticipation and timing. College: Committed to Texas

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: Jonas Gray is one of the nation's top power backs. He has improved his breakaway speed and he eats up the yardage. He is very explosive off-tackle, and does not hesitate when hitting the hole. He may not be extremely elusive, but he does have exceptional cut-back ability for being a power back. He also has very good hands out of the backfield. Statistics/Personal: In seven games during his junior season Jonas rushed for 1,252 yards and 19 touchdowns. In nine games as a sophomore, he ran for 797 yards and 15 touchdowns. College: Committed to Notre Dame

Dec 21, 2007

Biography: Mike Mauti has good size, strength, and speed. He plays well laterally, moving sideline to sideline, but heAca,!a,,cs just as tough with plays coming right at him. He fights off blockers and finds the ball, and plays hard on every down. MautiAca,!a,,cs also aggressive and plays with a nasty streak. He tackles well and shows good instincts, vision and agility. Statistics/Personal: Mauti finished with 121 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns) and two forced fumbles. He also benches 340 pounds, squats 420, has a 385 pound power clean and a 33-inch vertical jump. By attending PSU, Mike will carry on the Mauti family football tradition in Happy Valley. His older brother, Patrick, is a walk-on WR at PSU currently and his father, Rich, was a two year letterman in the 1970s. Tom Lemming Report: He has unbelievable intensity and plays the game lie it should be played, all out. He has to take no prisoners type attitude, is aggressive, quick to the ball and hits like a ton of bricks. He certainly has the intensity and aggressive play to make it big at the next level. College: Committed to Penn State

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: Blair Walsh is a promising and gifted young kicker with a great work ethic. He has an outstanding leg and pinpoint accuracy, and is among the elite kickers in the Class of 2008. Statistics/Personal: Over the past two seasons, Walsh has made 21 of 24 kicks inside the 48-yard line. His career long FG is a 57-yarder. College: Committed to Georgia

Dec 21, 2007

Scouting Report: The one thing that stands out with Lane Clelland more than anything is that heAca,!a,,cs physical. HeAca,!a,,cs a punishing OL that gets after you until the whistle blows. Clelland has good size, is quick off the ball, and uses his hands well. He has a powerful lower body and just drives people off the ball. In pass protection, he shows good footwork and punch, often throwing defensive lineman to the ground. Statistics/Personal: Clelland's brother Lance played football for Northwestern. He reports a max squat of 525 pounds and has repped 225 pounds 13 times. College: Committed to Notre Dame

Dec 21, 2007

Shanahan commanded about 3,000 Soldiers from the 1st Air Cavalry Aca,!A"WarriorAca,!A? Brigade during a 15-month deployment that saw violence in Baghdad drop to the lowest levels in nearly two years. The brigadeAca,!a,,cs Black Hawk fleet conducted missions including air medical evacuation, air assaults, commander and leader transportation and movement of personnel from base to base within the Baghdad area. Additionally, the brigadeAca,!a,,cs AH-64D Apache helicopters provided support to ground forces and disrupted roadside bomb, mortar and rocket attacks on Iraqi civilians and coalition bases. The brigades CH-47D Chinooks transported hundreds of thousands of personnel and tens of thousands of tons of cargo.

Dec 21, 2007

Dec 21, 2007

BAUGNEZ, Belgium Aca,!" Sixty three years after Nazi Waffen SS troops mowed down 84 members of his unit in cold blood, survivor Ted Paluch walked the hallowed Belgian ground where his friends had lost their lives, and he had lost his youth.

Dec 21, 2007

Secretary Geren and Gen. Cody announce the Army's plan to grow by 74,000 troops.

Dec 21, 2007

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. re-enlisted 267 Soldiers in a ceremony at Camp Victory's Al Faw Palace Dec. 19.

Dec 21, 2007

Theater Security Cooperation builds ties between Soldiers and military members of other countries. Gail McCabe reports.

Dec 21, 2007

In keeping with the holiday season, musician John Ondrasik sends the gift of music to Soldiers overseas and stateside.

Dec 21, 2007

The Army is reaching out to Soldiers who have not deployed to combat in an effort to take some of the strain off of those who have deployed more than once.

Dec 21, 2007

Dec 21, 2007

BASTOGNE, Belgium Aca,!" Standing next to the killing field where he once found himself face down in the snow Aca,!" surrounded by the dead and dying Aca,!" Ted Paulich said his return wasnAca,!a,,ct as emotional as it once was, especially having visited three other times. His resiliency and composure quickly crumbled, though, when asked to honor 84 U.S. Soldiers murdered near Malmedy, Belgium, in World War II.

Dec 21, 2007

The ArmyAca,!a,,cs assignments branch is reaching out to Soldiers who have not deployed to combat in an effort to take some of the strain off of those who have deployed more than once.

Dec 21, 2007

Army Maj. Brett Nelson, ophthalmologist, treating impoverished civilians in Bangladesh.

Dec 21, 2007

Soldiers worldwide are celebrating the holidays, even as they continue to serve day and night, often in less than ideal conditions.

Dec 20, 2007

Members of the 345th Combat Support Hospital prepare a casualty for triage during training. Such efforts to prepare Army Reserve units for deployment will be more efficient thanks to this Lean Six Sigma project.

Dec 20, 2007

Any work setting requires new employees to undergo in-processing, often characterized by activities like filling out paperwork and reading manuals. Some in-processing procedures are quick, easy and self-explanatory, while others are burdensome and complex. Before 2006, the latter was the case at the Army's Office of the Surgeon General.

Dec 20, 2007

Although they may not be carrying a rifle in combat, Soldiers of the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases' Aeromedical Isolation Team serve a vital role in protecting the nation and world.

Dec 20, 2007

Researchers in the new field of medical nanotechnology are already rushing to build these new weapons in the war against disease.

Dec 20, 2007

The Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) can now accept blood donations by people other than active-duty service members, their immediate Families, retirees and Department of Defense (DoD) employees.

Dec 20, 2007

Soldiers serving in Iraq have some new Aca,!A"best friends.Aca,!A? Budge and Boe, two black Labrador retrievers, have enlisted to help soldiers who are dealing with mental-health issues among the severe stresses of combat.

Dec 20, 2007

Secretary of the Army Peter Geren received a glimpse into Fort LeeAca,!a,,cs future during his first visit to the installation Dec. 14. The tour took him to some of the construction resulting from the Base Realignment and Closure process, a topic that would bring area civic leaders, Army commandants and garrison leadership together for a summit that afternoon.

Dec 20, 2007

Eleven Crane Army Ammunition Activity employees took a step forward toward the goal of becoming Lean Six Sigma Green Belts when they received their training course certificates Dec. 6.

Dec 20, 2007

Eleven Crane Army Ammunition Activity employees took a step forward toward the goal of becoming Lean Six Sigma Green Belts when they received their training course certificates Dec. 6.

Dec 20, 2007

More than 90 Soldier heroes will be paired with AmericaAca,!a,,cs leading high-school athletes in the week of festivities leading up the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Jan. 5.

Dec 20, 2007

A team of seven medical personnel from Tripler Army Medical Center recently teamed with army physicians from Bangladesh to treat impoverished civilians at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Bogra, a Bangladeshi Army hospital. The "Sight, Sound, and Smile" mission name is derived from the three types of disease addressed by the surgical team: cataracts, chronic ear disease and cleft lip and palate.