This from a reader:

I am the spouse of a civilian contractor currently working in Iraq. There are thousands of them who do not receive any support assistance like the military does regarding letters of support and care packages. Many of them are prior military. There are also soldiers supporting the CPA from Nepal and many other countries and hundreds of Iraqi nationals risking their lives daily to support the cause.

The donations received would primarily go to the civilian contractors and Iraqi families and children in need. My husband has bought 26 pair of shoes for Iraqi civilians since he arrived there in April.

I have created a yahoo group which has over 90 members. the members are contractors and family members and general supporters: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/civiliansinraq

I am seeking donations from individuals and agencies that would like to contribute to these care packages in some way. Please conact me if you can offer assistance or publish this information. It would be greatly appreciated. Below is a partial list of items needed or requested. Please contact me if you have additional questions.

I will be adding to this list so please check for updates.

1. Baby wipes
2. mens,women and childrens: shoes, socks various sizes
3. first aid supplies: bandaids, triple anti-biotic cream, alcohol, q-tips etc.
4. foot powder, antifungal ointments
5. postage stamps to defray cost of shipping
6. calling cards
7. Toiletries for men and women: cologne, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors
8. childrens items: toys (this will be tough and you need to use good judgement, no GI Joes etc)
9. insect repellant
10. sun screen
11. sunglasses
12. hats or baseball caps
13. Powdered Kool-Aid and Gatorade
14. Batteries
15. Magazines
16. Beef jerky
17. Hand-held games
18. CDs and CD players
19. DVDs and DVD players
20. Paperbacks
21.Cookies
22. Snacks of any kind (especially ones that don't melt)
23 Tobacco products

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
SW: moderator:civiliansinraq

From the BBC via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Four people have been killed and at least 20 others wounded in a car bomb explosion in western Baghdad.

The explosion left a crater in the street and shattered windows around the area, according to eye witnesses.

It happened around lunchtime on a busy street close to the Green Zone, the sealed off area where the Coalition has its headquarters.

And from the AFP via The Australian :

The blast happened on Kindi street in front of a house belonging to Naim Haddad, a former senior Baath official from Saddam Hussein's regime.

Medics at the nearby Yarmuk hospital said they had received one dead person and 21 injured. Witness saw at least two more people killed in the explosion.

The house of the former Baath official, who was slightly wounded in the leg, was devastated by the blast. His wife and three children were also wounded in the explosion.

Yet he told reporters he did not believe he was the target of the attack.

Updating a previous post, from the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

CNN's Guy Raz has been travelling with the US military and says there has been heavy fighting in the southern Iraqi city.

”This was, according to the troops we were travelling with, the most intense fire fight they've seen in the past six weeks, an hour and half of regular non-stop fighting,” he said.

“There were tanks backed by armoured personnel carriers, the mission was to try and secure an Iraqi police station in the town of Kufa.”

From the AFP via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

One US soldier was killed and two others wounded when a homemade bomb hit their vehicle in the south of Baghdad.

Three Task Force 1st Armoured Division soldiers were wounded when their vehicle struck the explosive device at about 6:40pm local time yesterday.

The soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital in the capital where one of them died.

The AP / Boston Channel reports that:

President George W. Bush keeps in his White House offices a trophy of one his high points in the Iraq war: the pistol that Saddam Hussein held when soldiers pulled him from his underground hideaway.

Military specialists mounted the sidearm, and soldiers who helped in the deposed Iraqi president's capture presented it to the president, the White House said Sunday. The president keeps the gun in a small study adjoining the Oval Office.

Must admit: I find this a bit odd. It's not like Saddam presented it as a symbol of defeat.

Lance Cpl Tony Sledd; Spc Brian Michael Clemens, Kokomo, IN; Spc Rodrigo Gonzalez-Garza, TX; Chief Warrant Officer Timothy W. Moehling, Nevada; Chief Warrant Officer John D Smith, NV; Spc William J Tracy, NH; Spc Curtis A Carter, Lafayette, LA; Major Jay Thomas Aubin, Waterville, MA; Capt Ryan Anthony Beaupre, Bloomington, IL; 2nd Lt Therrel Childers, Harrison, MI; Lance Cpl Jose Gutierrez, Los Angeles, CA; Cpl Brian Matthew Kennedy, Houston, TX; Staff Sgt Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, Baltimore, MD; Lt Thomas Mullen Adams, La Mesa, CA; Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Todd Arnold, Spring, TX; Chief Warrant Officer Robert William Channell Jr, Tuscaloosa, AL; Lance Cpl Alan Dinh Lam, Snow Camp, NC; Spc Brandon S Tobler, Portland, OR; Spc Jamaal R Addisom, Roswell, GA; Sgt Edward John Anguiano, Los Fresnos, TX; Sgt Michael E Bitz, Ventura, CA; Lance Cpl Brian Rory Buesing, Cedar Key, FL; Sgt George E Buggs, Barnwell, SC; Pfc Tamario D Burkett, Buffalo, NY; Cpl Kemaphoom A Chanawongse, Waterford, CN; Lance Cpl Donald James Cline, Jr, Buffalo, NY; Master Sgt Robert J Dowdy, Cleveland, OH; Pvt Ruben Estrella-Soto, El Paso, TX; Lance Cpl David K Fribley, Lee, FL; Cpl Jose A Garibay, Orange, CA; Pvt Jonathan L Gifford, Macon, IL; Cpl Jorge A Gonzalez, Los Angeles, CA; Sgt Nicolas M Hodson, Smithville, MO; Pvt Nolen R Hutchings, Boiling Springs, sc; Pfc Howard Johnson II, Mobile, AL; Staff Sgt Phillip A Jordan, Brazoria, TX; Spc James Mark Kiehl, Comfort, TX; Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, Amarillo, TX; Cpl Patrick Nixon, Gallatin, TN; Lance Cpl Eric J Orlowski, Buffalo, NY; Pfc Lori Ann Piestewa, Tuba City, AZ; 2nd Lt Frederick E Pokorney, Nye, NV; Sgt Brendon C Reiss, Natrona, WY; Cpl Randal Kent Rosacker, San Diego, CA; Capt Cristopher Scott Seifert, Easton, PA; Pvt Brandon U Sloan, Cleveland, OH; Lance Cpl Thomas J Slocum, Adams, CO; Major Gregory Stone, Boise, Idaho; Sgt Donald R Walters, Kansas City, MO; Lance Cpl Michael J Williams, Pheonix, AZ; Lance Cpl Thomas A Blair, Broken Arrow, OK; Cpl Evan T James, La Harpe, IL; Sgt Troy David Jenkins, Ridgecrest, CA; Sgt Bradley S. Korthaus, Scott, IA; Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, Hobart, IN; Corpsman Third Class Michael Vann Johnson, Jr, Little Rock, AK; Pfc Francisco A Martinez Flores, Los Angeles, CA; Staff Sgt Donald C May Jr, Richmond, VA; Lance Cpl Patrick T O'Day, Santa Rosa, CA; Spc William A Jeffries, Evansville, IL; Major Kevin Nave, Oceanside, CA; Gunnery Sgt Joseph Menusa, Tracy, CA; Cpl Robert Marcus Rodriquez, Queens, NY; Lance Cpl Jesus A Suarez Del Solar, Escondido, CA; Sgt Fernando Padilla-Rarnirez, San Luis, AZ; Sgt Roderic A Solomon, Fayetteville, NC; Staff Sgt James W. Cawley, Layton, UT; Spc Michael Edward Curtin, South Plains, NJ; Pfc Diego Fernando Rincon, Conyers, GA; Pfc Michael Russell Creighton Weldon, Conyers, GA; Lance Cpl William W White, Brooklyn, NY; Sgt Eugene Williams, Highland, NY; Capt Aaron J Contreras, Sherwood, OR; Sgt Michael V Lalush, Troutville, VA; Sgt Brian McGinnis, St. Georges, DE; Spc Brandon Rowe, Roscoe, IL; Sgt Jacob Butler, Wellsville, KA; Lance Cpl Joseph B Maglione, Lansdale, PA; Capt James F Adamouski, Springfield, VA; Lance Cpl Brian E Anderson, Durham, NC; Spc Matthew Boule, Dracut, MA; Master Sgt George A Fernandez, El Paso, TX; Pfc Christian D Gurtner, Ohio City, OH; Chief Warrant Officer Erik A Halvorsen, Bennington, VT; Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Clas Scott Jamar, Sweetwater, TX; Sgt Michael F Pedersen, Flint, MI; Sgt Todd James Robbins, Pentwater, MI; Chief Warrant Officer 3rd Clas Eric A Smith, Rochester, NY; Lt Nathan D White, Mesa, AZ; Pfc Chad E Bales, Coahoma, TX; Staff Sgt Wilbert Davis, AK; Cpl Mark Evnin, South Burlington, VT; Capt Edward J Korn, Savannah, GA; Staff Sgt Nino D Livaudais, Salt Lake City, UT; Sp Ryan P Long, Seaford, DE; Spc Donald Samuel Oaks, Jr, Harborcreek, PA; Sgt 1st Class Randy Rehn, Longmont, CO; Capt Russell B Rippetoe, Colorado; Cpl Erik H Silva, Chula Vista, CA; Capt Tristan N Aitken, State College, PA; Pfc Wilfred D Bellard, Lake Charles, LA; Spc Daniel Francis J. Cunningham, Lewiston, ME; Capt Travis A Ford, Ogallala, Nebraska; Cpl Bernard G Gooden, Mt Vernon, NY; Pvt Devon D Jones, San Diego, CA; 1st Lt Brian M McPhillips, Pembroke, MA; Sgt Duane R Rios, Hammond, IN; Capt Benjamin W Sammis, Rehobeth, MA; Sgt 1st Class Paul R Smith, Tampa, FL; Spc Larry K Brown, Jackson, MS; 1st Sgt Edward Smith, Chicago, IL; Sgt Stevon A Booker, Apollo, PA; Pfc Gregory P Huxley Jr., Forestport, NY; Pvt Kelley S. Prewitt, Birmingham, AL; Lance Cpl Andrew Julian Aviles, Palm Beach, FL; Cpl Henry L Brown, Natchez, MS; Capt Eric B Das, Amarillo, TX; Staff Sgt Lincoln D Hollinsaid, Malden, IL; 2nd Lt Jeffrey J Kaylor, Clifton, VA; Cpl Jesus Martin Antonio Medellin, Fort Worth, TX; Pfc Anthony S Miller, San Antonio, TX; Spc George A Mitchell, Rawlings, MD; Maj William R Watkins III, Danville, VA; Pfc Juan Guadalupe Garza, Jr, Temperance, MI; Sgt 1st Class John W Marshall, Los Angeles, CA; Pfc Jason M Meyer, Swartz Creek, MI; Staff Sgt Scott D Sather, Clio, MI; Staff Sgt Robert A Stever, Pendleton, OR; Sgt Jeffrey E Bohr, Jr, Ossian, IA; Staff Sgt Terry W Hemingway, Willingboro, NJ; Staff Sgt Riayan A Tejeda, New York, NY; Cpl Jesus A Gonzalez, Indio, CA; Lance Cpl David Edward Owens Jr, Winchester, VA; Spc Gill Mercado, Paterson, NJ; Pfc John E Brown, Troy, AL; Spc Thomas A Foley III, Dresden, TN; Cpl Armando Ariel Gonzalez, Hileah, FL; Spc Richard A Goward, Midland, MI; Pfc Joseph P Mayek, Rock Springs, WY; Cpl Jason David Mileo, Centreville, MD; Cpl John T Rivero, Gainesville, FL; Spc Roy Russell Buckley, Portage, IN; 1st Lt Osbaldo Orozco, Delano, CA; Spc Narson B Sullivan, North Brunswick, NJ; 1st Sgt Joe James Garza, Robstown, TX; Pfc Jesse A Givens, Springfield, MO; Sgt Sean C Reynolds, East Lansing, MI; Pvt Jason L Deibler, Coeburn, VA; Pfc Marlin T Rockhold, Hamilton, OH; Lance Cpl Cedric E Bruns, Vancouver, WA; Cpl Richard P Carl, King Hill, ID; Chief Warrant Officer Hans N Gukeisen, Lead, SD; Chief Warrant Officer Brian K Van Dusen, Columbus, OH; Lance Cpl Matthew R Smith, Anderson, IN; Pfc Jose Franci Gonzalez Rodriguez, Norwalk, CA; Lance Cpl Jakub Henryk Kowalik, Schaumburg, IL; Staff Sgt Patrick Lee Griffin Jr, Elgin, SC; Lance Cpl Nicholas Brian Kleiboeker, Irvington, IL; Spc David T Nutt, Blackshear, GA; Master Sgt Williams L Payne, MI; Cpl Douglas Jose Marencoreyes, Chino, CA; Spc Rasheed Sahib, Brooklyn, NY; Lt Col Dominic R Baragona, Ohio; Capt Andrew David Lamont, Eureka, CA; Lance Cpl Jason William Moore, San Marcos, CA; 1st Lt Timothy Louis Ryan, Aurora, IL; Sgt Kirk Allen Straseskie, Beaver Dam, WI; Staff Sgt Aaron David White, Shawnee, OK; Spc Nathaniel A Caldwell, Omaha, NE; Pvt David Evans Jr, Buffalo, NY; Sgt Keman L Mitchell, Hilliard, FL; Pvt Kenneth A Nalley, Hamburg, IA; Staff Sgt Brett J Petriken, MI; Maj Mathew E Schram, WI; Pfc Jeremiah D Smith, Odessa, MO; Sgt Thomas F Broomhead, Cannon City, CO; Staff Sgt Michael B Quinn, Tampa, FL; Staff Sgt Kenneth R Bradley, Utica, MS; Spc Jose A Perez III, San Diego, CA; Spc Michael T Gleason, Warren, PA; Spc Kyle A Griffin, Emerson, NJ; Spc Zachariah W Long, Milton, PA; Sgt Jonathan W Lambert, Newsite, MS; Spc Orenthial J Smith, Allendale, SC; Sgt Atanacio Haromarin, Baldwin Park, CA; Pfc Branden F Oberleitner, Worthington, OH; Petty Officer Third Class Doyle W Bollinger, Jr., Poteau, OK; Sgt Travis L Burkhardt, Edina, MO; Petty Officer Third Class David Sisung, Phoenix, AZ; Pvt Jesse M Halling, Indianapolis, IN; Sgt Michael E Dooley, Pulaski, VA; Pfc Gavin L Neighbor, Somerset, OH; Pfc Ryan R Cox, Derby, KA; Spc John K Klinesmith Jr, Stockbridge, GA; Pvt Shawn D Pahnke, Shelbyville, IN; Staff Sgt Andrew R Pokorny, Naperville, IL; Spc Joseph D Suell, Lufkin, TX; Pvt Robert L Frantz, San Antonio, TX; Sgt Michael L Tosto, Apex, NC; Pfc Michael R Deuel, Nemo, SD; Staff Sgt William T Latham, Kingman, AZ; Spc Paul T Nakamura, Sante Fe Springs, CA; Spc Cedric L Lennon, West Blocton, AL; Spc Andrew F Chris, CA; Lance Cpl Gregory E MacDonald, Washington, DC; Spc Corey A Hubbell, Urbana, IL; Spc Richard P Orengo, Puerto Rico; Cpl Tomas Sotelo Jr, Houston, TX; Sgt Timothy M Conneway, Enterprise, AL; Pfc Kevin C Ott, Columbus, OH; Sgt 1st Class Gladimir Philippe, Linden, NJ; Sgt Christopher D Coffin, Bethlehem, PA; Cpl Travis J Bradach-Nall, Multnomah County, OR; Pfc Edward J Herrgott, Shakopee, MN; Pfc Corey L Small, Berlin, PA; Sgt David B Parson, Kannapolis, NC; Spc Jeffrey M Wershow, Gainesville, FL; Spc Chad L Keith, Batesville, IN; Staff Sgt Barry Sanford, Sr, Aurora, CO; Sgt 1st Class Craig A Boling, Elkhart, IN; Pvt Robert L McKinley, Kokomo, IN; Sgt 1st Class Dan H Gabrielson, Spooner, WI; Sgt Roger D Rowe, Bon Aqua, TN; Lance Cpl Jason Andrew Tetrault, Moreno Valley, CA; Sgt Melissa Valles, Eagle Pass, TX; Spc Christian C Schulz, Colleyville, TX; Spc Joshua M Neusche, Montreal, MO; Cpt Paul J Cassidy, Laingsburg, MI; Sgt Jaror C Puello-Coronado, Pocono Summit, PA; Sgt Michael T Crockett, Soperton, GA; Cpl Cory Ryan Geurin, Santee, CA; Spc Ramon Reyes Torres, Caguas, Puerto Rico; Petty Officer Third Class David J Moreno, Gering, NE; Sgt Mason Douglas Whetstone, UT; Spc Joel L Bertoldie, Independence, MO; Second Lt. Jonathan D Rozier, Katy, TX; Sgt Justin W Garvey, Townsend, MA; Sgt Jason D Jordan, Elba, AL; Master Sgt David A Scott, Union, OH; Sgt 1st Class Christopher R Willoughby, Phenix City, AL; Cpl Mark A Bibby, Watha, NC; Spc Jon P Fettig, Dickerson, ND; Capt Joshua T Byers, NV; Spc Brett T Christian, North Royalton, OH; Cpl Evan Asa Ashcraft, West Hills, CA; Pfc Raheen Tyson Heighter, Bay Shore, NY; Staff Sgt Hector R Perez, Corpus Christi, TX; Sgt Juan M Serrano, Manati, Puerto Rico; Spc Jonathan P Barnes, Anderson, MO; Pfc Jonathan M Cheatham, Camden, AK; Sgt Daniel K Methvin, Belton, TX; Pfc Wilfredo Perez Jr, Norwalk, CN; Sgt Heath A McMillin, Canandaigua, NY; Sgt Nathaniel Hart Jr, Valdosta, GA; Spc William J Maher III, Yardley, PA; 1st Lt Leif E Nott, Cheyenne, WY; Pvt Michael J Deutsch, Dubuque, IA; Spc James I Lambert III, Raleigh, NC; Spc Justin W Hebert, Arlington, WA; Spc Farao K Letufuga, Pago Pago, American Samoa; Staff Sgt David L Loyd, Jackson, TN; Spc Zeferino E Colunga, Bellville, TX; Pvt Kyle C Gilbert, Brattleboro, VT; Staff Sgt Brian R Hellerman, Freeport, MN; Sgt Leonard D Simmons, New Bern, NC; Pfc Duane E Longstreth, Tacoma, WA; Pvt Matthew D Bush, East Alton, IL; Pfc Brandon Ramsey, Calumet City, IL; Spc Ryan G Carlock, Macomb, IL; Spc Levi B Kinchen, Tickfaw, LA; Sgt Floyd G Knighten Jr, Olla, LA; Staff Sgt David S Perry, Bakersfield, CA; Staff Sgt Joseph E Robsky, Jr, Elizaville, NY; Pfc Timmy R Brown, Conway, PA; Staff Sgt Richard S Eaton Jr, Guilford, CN; Pfc Daniel R Parker, Lake Elsinore, CA; Sgt Taft V Williams, New Orleans, LA; Sgt Steven W White, Lawton, OK; Pfc David M Kirchhoff, Cedar Rapids, IA; Spc Eric R Hull, Uniontown, PA; Sgt Bobby C Franklin, Mineral Bluff, GA; Spc Kenneth W Harris, Jr., Charlotte, TN; Pfc Michael S Adams, Spartanburg, SC; Lt Kylan A Jones-Huffman, Aptos, CA; Pfc Vorn J Mack, Orangeburg, SC; Spc Stephen M Scott, Lawton, OK; Spc Ronald D. Allen Jr., Mitchell, IN; Pfc Pablo Manzano, Heber, CA; Spc Darryl T Dent, Washington, D.C.; Sgt Gregory A Belanger, Narragansett, RI; Spc Rafael L Navea, Pittsburgh, PA; Lt Col Anthony L Sherman, Pottstown, PA; Staff Sgt Mark A Lawton, Hayden, CO; Sgt Sean K Cataudella, Tucson, AZ; Sgt Charles T. Caldwell, North Providence, RI; Staff Sgt Joseph Camara, New Bedford, MA; Staff Sgt Cameron B Sarno, Waipahu, HA; Pfc Christopher A Sisson, Oak Park, IL; Tech Sgt Bruce E Brown, Coatopa, AL; Spc Jarrett B Thompson, Dover, DE; Sgt Henry Ybarra III, Austin, TX; Sgt 1st Class William M Bennett, Seymour, TN; Master Sgt Kevin N Morehead, Little Rock, AR; Sgt Trevor A Blumberg, Canton, MI; Staff Sgt Kevin C Kimmerly, North Creek, NY; Spc Alyssa R Peterson, Flagstaff, AZ; Spc Craig S Ivory, Port Matilda, PA; Spc Richard Arriaga, Ganado, TX; Capt Brian R Faunce, Philadelphia, PA; Sgt Anthony O Thompson, Orangeburg, SC; Spc James C Wright, Morgan, TX; Spc Lunsford B Brown II, Creedmore, NC; Sgt David T Friedrich, Hammond, NY; Staff Sgt Frederick L Miller, Hagerstown, IN; Spc Paul J Sturino, Rice Lake, WI; Spc Kyle G Thomas, Topeka, KS; Spc Michael Andrade, Bristol, RI; Capt Robert L Lucero, Casper, WY; Sgt 1st Class Robert E Rooney, Nashua, NH; Seaman Joshua McIntosh, Kingman, AZ; Sgt Andrew Joseph Baddick, Jim Thorpe, PA; Staff Sgt Christopher E Cutchall, McConnellsburg, PA; Sgt Darrin K Potter, Louisville, KY; Spc Dustin K McGaugh, Derby, KA; 2nd Lt Todd J Bryant, Riverside, CA; Sgt Maj James D Blankenbecler, Alexandria, VA; Pfc Analaura Esparza Gutierrez, Houston, TX; Spc Simeon Hunte, Essex, NJ; Spc Tamarra J Ramos, Quakertown, PA; Pfc Charles M Sims, Miami, FL; Spc James H Pirtle, La Mesa, NM; Spc Spencer T Karol, Woodruff, AZ; Pfc Kerry D Scott, Mount Vernon, WA; 2nd Lt Richard Torres, Clarksville, TN; Spc Joseph C Norquist, San Antonio, TX; Pvt Sean A Silva, Roseville, CA; Staff Sgt Christopher W Swisher, Lincoln, NE; Spc James E Powell, Radcliff, KY; Pfc Jose Casanova, El Monte, CA; Pvt Benjamin L Freeman, Valdosta, GA; Spc Douglas J Weismantle, Pittsburgh, PA; Spc Donald L Wheeler, Concord, MI; Pfc Stephen E Wyatt, Kilgore, TX; Staff Sgt Joseph P Bellavia, Wakefield, MA; Cpl Sean R Grilley, San Bernardino, CA; Lt Col Kim S Orlando, TN; Spc Michael L Williams, Buffalo, NY; 1st Lt David R Bernstein, Phoenixville, PA; Pfc John D Hart, Bedford, MA; Staff Sgt Paul J Johnson, Calumet, MI; Pfc Paul J Bueche, Daphne, AL; Spc John P Johnson, Houston, TX; Pvt Jason M Ward, Tulsa, OK; Capt John R Teal, Mechanicsville, VA; Spc Artimus D Brassfield, Flint, MI; Sgt Michael S Hancock, Yreka, CA; Spc Jose L Mora, Bell Gardens, CA; Pfc Steven Acosta, Calexico, CA; Pfc Rachel K Bosveld, Waupun, WI; Lt Col Charles H Buehring, Fayetteville, NC; Pvt Joseph R Guerrera, Dunn, NC; Staff Sgt Jamie L Huggins, Hume, MO; Sgt Aubrey D Bell, Tuskegee, AL; Pvt Jonathan L Falaniko, Pago Pago, American Samoa; Pvt Algernon Adams, Aiken, SC; Sgt Michael Paul Barrera, Von Ormy, TX; Spc Isaac Campoy, Douglas, AZ; 2nd Lt Benjamin J Colgan, Kent, WA; 1st Lt Joshua C Hurley, VA; Spc Maurice J Johnson, Levittown, PA; Staff Sgt Daniel A Bader, Colorado Springs, CO; Sgt Ernest G Bucklew, Enon Valley, PA; Spc Steven D Conover, Wilmington, OH; Pfc Anthony D D'Agostino, Waterbury, CN; Spc Darius T Jennings, Cordova, SC; Pfc Karina S Lau, Livingston, CA; Sgt Keelan L Moss, Houston, TX; Spc Brian H Penisten, Fort Wayne, IN; Sgt Ross A Pennanen, OK; Sgt Joel Perez, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico; 1st Lt Brian D Slavenas, Genoa, IL; Chief Warrant Officer Bruce A Smith, West Liberty, IA; Spc Frances M Vega, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Staff Sgt Paul A Velazquez, CA; Staff Sgt Joe N Wilson, MI; Pfc Rayshawn S Johnson, Brooklyn, NY; Spc Robert T Benson, Spokane, WA; Sgt Francisco Martinez, Humacao, Puerto Rico; Sgt 1st Class Jose A Rivera, Bayamon, Puerto Rico; Spc James A Chance III, Kokomo, MI; Sgt Paul F Fisher, Cedar Rapids, IA; Spc James R Wolf, Scottsbluff, NE; Command Sgt Major Cornell W Gilmore, Baltimore, MD; Chief Warrant Officer (CW3) Kyran E Kennedy, Boston, MA; Staff Sgt Morgan D Kennon, Memphis, TN; Staff Sgt. Paul M. Neff II, Fort Mill, SC; Sgt. Scott C Rose, Fayetteville, NC; Capt Benedict J Smith, Monroe City, MO; Chief Warrant Officer (CW5) Sharon T Swartworth, VA; Staff Sgt Gary L Collins, Hardin, TX; Pvt Kurt R Frosheiser, Des Moines, IA; Sgt Linda C Jimenez, Brooklyn, NY; Staff Sgt. Mark D. Vasquez, Port Huron, MI; Sgt Nicholas A Tomko, Pittsburgh, PA; Spc Genaro Acosta, Fair Oaks, CA; Spc Marlon P Jackson, Jersey City, NJ; Staff Sgt Nathan J Bailey, Nashville, TN; Spc Robert A Wise, Tallahassee, FL; Pfc Jacob S Fletcher, Bay Shore, NY; Sgt Joseph Minucci II, Richeyville, PA; Spc Irving Medina, Middletown, NY; Sgt Michael D Acklin II, Louisville, KY; Spc Ryan T Baker, Brown Mills, NJ; Sgt 1st Class Kelly Bolor, Whittier, CA; Chief Warrant Officer Alexamder S Coulter, TN; Spc Jeremiah J Digiovanni, Tylertown, MI; Spc William D Dusenbery, Fairview Heights, IL; Pfc Richard W Hafer, Cross Lanes, WV; Sgt Warren S Hansen, Clintonville, WI; Pfc Sheldon R Hawk Eagle, Grand Forks, ND; Sgt Timothy L Hayslett, Newville, PA; Pfc Damian L Heidelberg, Batesville, MI; Chief Warrant Officer Erik C Kesterson, Independence, OR; Capt Pierre E Piche, Starksboro, VT; Sgt John W Russell, Portland, TX; Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Clas Scott A Saboe, Willow Lake, SD; Spc John R Sullivan, Countryside, IL; Spc Eugene A Uhl III, Amherst, WI; Pfc Joey D Whitener, Nebo, NC; 2nd Lt Jeremy L Wolfe, WI; Capt Nathan S Dalley, Kaysville, UT; Staff Sgt. Dale A Panchot, Northome, MI; Capt James A Shull, CA; Spc Josph L Lister, Pleasanton, KA; Pvt Scott M Tyrrell, Sterling, IL; Capt George A Wood, New York, NY; Cpl. Gary B Coleman, Pikeville, KY; Pfc Damian S Bushart, Waterford, MI; Spc Robert D Roberts, Winter Park, FL; Staff Sgt Eddie E Menyweather, Los Angeles, CA; CW2 Christopher G Nason, CA; Cpl Darrell L Smith, Otwell, IN; Spc Rel A. Ravago IV, Glendale, CA; Command Sgt Major Jerry L Wilson, Thomson, GA; Spc David J Goldberg, Layton, UT; Spc Thomas J Sweet II, Bismark, ND; Sgt Ariel Rico, El Paso, TX; Staff Sgt Stephen A Bertolino, Orange, CA; Spc Aaron J Sissel, Tipton, IA; Spc. Uday Singh, Lake Forest, IL; Chief Warrant Officer Clarence E Boone, Fort Worth, TX; Spc Raphael S Davis, Tutwiler, MS; Sgt Ryan C Young, Corona, CA; Spc Arron R Clark, Chico, CA; Spc Ray J Hutchinson, League City, TX; Pfc Jason G Wright, Luzerne, MI; Spc Joseph M Blickenstaff, Corvallis, OR; Staff Sgt Steven H Bridges, Tracy, CA; Spc Christopher J Rivera Wesley, Portland, OR; Spc Todd M Bates, Bellaire, OH; Staff Sgt Richard A Burdick, National City, CA; Pfc Jerrick M Petty, Idaho Falls, ID; Staff Sgt Aaron T Reese, Reynoldsburg, OH; Spc Marshall L Edgerton, Rocky Face, GA; Sgt Jarrod W Black, Peru, IN; Pfc Jeffrey F Braun, Stafford, CN; Spc Rian C Ferguson, Taylors, SC; Staff Sgt Kimberly A Voelz, Carlisle, PA; Pfc Kenneth C Souslin, Mansfield, OH; Spc Christopher J Holland, Brunswick, GA; Spc Nathan Nakis, Corvallis, OR; Sgt Glenn R Allison, Pittsfield, MA; Pfc Charles E Bush Jr, Buffalo, NY; Pfc Stuart W Moore, Livingston, TX; 1st Lt Edward M Saltz, Bigfork, MT; Sgt Benjamin W Biskie, Vermilion, OH; Sgt Major Eric F Cooke, Scottsdale, AZ; Capt Christopher F Soelzer, SD; Major Christopher J Splinter, Platteville, WI; Sgt Michael E Yashinski, Monument, CO; Staff Sgt Thomas W Christensen, Atlantic Mine, MI; Staff Sgt Stephen C Hattamer, Gwinn, MI; Spc Charles G Haight, Jacksonville, AL; Spc Michael G Mihalakis, San Jose, CA; Staff Sgt Michael J Sutter, Tinley Park, IL; Captain Ernesto M Blanco, TX; Pvt Rey D Cuervo, Laguna Vista, TX; Sgt Curt E Jordan Jr, Green Acres, WA; Spc Justin C Pollard, Foothill Ranch, CA; Sgt Dennis A Corral, Kearney, NE; Spc Solomon C Bangayan, Jay, VT; Capt Kimberly N Hampton, Easly, SC; Capt Eric T Paliwoda, TX; Spc Marc S Seiden, Brigantine, NJ; Spc Luke P Frist, West Lafayette, IN; Pfc Jesse D Mizener, Auburn, CA; Staff Sgt Craig Davis, Opelousas, LA; Spc Michael A Diraimondo, Simi Valley, CA; Spc Christopher A Golby, Johnstown, PA; Sgt 1st Class Gregory B Hicks, Duff, TN; Spc Nathaniel H Johnson, Augusta, GA; Chief Warrant Officer Philip A Johnson, Jr, AL; Chief Warrant Officer Ian D Manuel, FL; Sgt Jeffrey C Walker, Havre de Grace, MD; Chief Warrant Officer Aaron A Weaver, FL; Staff Sgt Ricky L Crockett, Broxton, GA; Sgt Keicia M Hines, Citrus Heights, CA; Staff Sgt Roland L Castro, San Antonio, TX; Pfc Cody J Orr, Ruskin, FL; Spc Larry E Polley, Jr, Center, TX; Sgt Edmond L Randle, Miami, FL; Master Sgt Kelly L Hornbeck, Fort Worth, TX; Spc Gabriel T Palacios, Lynn, MA; Pfc James David Parker, Bryan, TX; Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Clas Michael T Blaise, TN; Chief Warrant Officer 2nd Clas Brian D Hazelgrove, Fort Rucker, AL; Spc Jason K Chappell, Hemet, CA; Pfc Ervin Dervishi, Fort Worth, TX; Staff Sgt Kenneth W Hendrickson, Bismarck, ND; Sgt Randy S Rosenberg, Berlin, NH; Sgt Keith L Smette, Fargo, ND; Spc William R Sturges Jr, Spring Church, PA; Staff Sgt Christoper Bunda, WA; Chief Warrant Officer Patrick D Dorf, MI; 1st Lt Adam G Mooney, Cambridge, MD; Capt Matthew J August, RI; Sgt 1st Class James T Hoffman, Whitesburg, KY; 2nd Lt Luke S James, OK; Staff Sgt Lester O Kinney II, Zanesville, OH; Sgt Travis A Moothart, Brownsville, OR; Sgt Cory R Mracek, Hay Springs, NE; Staff Sgt Sean G Landrus, Thompson, OH; Pfc Luis A Moreno, Bronx, NY; Cpl Juan C Cabral Banuelos, Emporia, KS; Pfc Holly J McGeogh, Taylor, MI; Sgt Eliu A Miersandoval, San Clemente, CA; Pfc Armando Soriano, Houston, TX; Staff Sgt Roger C Turner, Jr, Parkersburg, WV; 2nd Lt Seth J Dvorin, NJ; Spc Joshua L Knowles, Sheffield, IA; Staff Sgt Richard P Ramey, Canton, OH; Sgt Thomas D Robbins, Schenectady, NY; Sgt Elijah Tai Wah Wong, Mesa, AZ; Master Sgt Jude C Mariano, Vallejo, CA; Pfc William C Ramirez, Portland, OR; Sgt Patrick S Tainsh, Oceanside, CA; Spc Eric U Ramirez, San Diego, CA; Pvt Bryan N Spry, Chestertown, MD; Pfc Nichole M Frye, Lena, WI; Spc Michael M Merila, Sierra Vista, AZ; Spc Christopher M Taylor, Daphne, AL; 2nd Lt Jeffrey C Graham, Elizabethtown, KY; Spc Roger G Ling, Douglaston, NY; Sgt 1st Class Henry A Bacon, Wagram, NC; Chief Warrant Officer Matthew C Laskowski, Phoenix, AZ; Chief Warrant Officer Stephen M Wells, MA; Spc Michael R Woodliff, Port Charlotte, FL; Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J Gray, Richmond, VA; Capt Gussie M Jones, LA; Pfc Matthew G Milczark, Kettle River, MN; Spc Edward W Brabazon, Philadelphia, PA; Sgt 1st Class Richard S Gottfried, Lake Ozark, MO; Fern L Holland; Robert J Zangas, Prince William County, VA; Pfc Bert E Hoyer, Ellsworth, WI; Staff Sgt Joe L Dunigan Jr., Belton, TX; Spc Christopher K Hill, Ventura, CA; Pfc Joel K Brattain, Santa Anna, CA; Spc Jocelyn L Carrasquillo, Wrightsville Beach, NC; Staff Sgt Clint D Ferrin, Picayune, MI; Spc Jason C Ford, Bowie, MD; Capt John F Kurth, WI; Sgt Daniel J Londono, Boston, MA; Sgt William J Normandy, Augusta, GA; 1st Lt Michael R Adams, Seattle, WA; Master Sgt Thomas R Thigpen, Sr, Augusta, GA; Spc Tracy L Laramore, Okaloosa, FL; Sgt Ivory L Phipps, Chicago, IL; Cpl Andrew D Brownfield, Summit, OH; Spc. Doron Chan, Highland, NY; Pfc Ricky A Morris, Jr, Lubbock, TX; Pfc Brandon C Smith, Washington, AR; Pfc Ernest Harold Sutphin, Parkersburg, WVA; Pfc Jason C Ludlam, Arlington, TX; Spc Clint Richard Matthews, Bedford, PA; Cpl David M Vicente, Methuen, MA; Spc Matthew J Sandri, Shamokin, PA; Maj Mark D Taylor, Stockton, CA; 1st Lt Michael W. Vega, Lathrop, CA; Pfc Christopher E Hudson, Carmel, IN; Pvt Dustin L Kreider, Riverton, KA; Lance Cpl Andrew S Dang, Foster City, CA; Pfc Bruce Miller, Jr, Orange, NJ; SSgt Wentz Jerome Henry Shanaberger III, Naples, FL; LCpl Jeffrey C Burgess, Plymouth, MA; LCpl James A Casper, Coolidge, TN; Spc Adam D Froehlich, Pine Hill, NJ; Pfc Leroy Sandoval Jr, Houston, TX; Master Sgt Timothy Toney, Manhattan, NY; Spc Jeremiah J Holmes, North Berwick, MA; Pfc Sean M Schneider, Janesville, WI; Master Sgt Richard L Ferguson, Conway, NH; Lance Cpl William J Wiscowiche, Victorville, CA; Pvt Brandon L Davis, Cumberland, MD; 1st Lt Doyle M Hufstedler, Abilene, TX; Spc Michael G Karr, Jr., San Antonio, TX; Spc Sean R Mitchell, Youngsville, PA; Pfc Cleston C Raney, Rupert, ID; Pfc Dustin M Sekula, Edinburg, TX; Pfc William R Strange, Adrian, GA; Civilian Emad Mikha, Seterling Heights, MI; Pfc John D Amos, II, Valparaiso, IN; Spc Robert R Arsiaga, San Antonio, TX; Lance Cpl Aric J Barr, Allegheny, PA; Spc Ahmed A Carson, McCalla, AL; Sgt Yihjyh L Chen, Saipan, Marianas Protectorate; Cpl Tyler R Fey, Eden Prarie, MN; Spc Israel Garza, Lubbock, TX; Spc Stephen D Hiller, Opelika, AL; Cpl Forest J Jostes, Albion, IL; Sgt Michael W Mitchell, Porterville, CA; Pfc Geoffery S Morris, Gurnee, IL; Spc Philip G Rogers, Gresham, OR; Spc Casey Sheehan, Vacaville, CA; Lance Cpl Shane L Goldman, Orange, TX; Pfc Moises A Langhorst, Moose Lake, MN; Spc Scott Q Larson, Jr, Houston, TX; Spc. David M McKeever, Buffalo, NY; Lance Cpl Christopher Ramos, Albuquerque, NM; Lance Cpl Matthew K Serio, North Providence, RI; Cpl Jesse L Thiry, Casco, WI; Pfc Benjamin R Carman, Jefferson, IA; Lance Cpl Marcus M Cherry, Imperial, CA; Pfc Christopher R Cobb, Bradenton, FL; Lance Cpl Kyle D Crowley, San Ramon, CA; Pfc Deryk L Hallal, Indianapolis, IN; Pfc Ryan M Jerabek, Oneida, WI; Lance Cpl Travis J Layfield, Fremont, CA; Petty Officer Third Class Fernando A Mendezaceves, Ponce, Puerto Rico; Sgt Gerardo Moreno, Terrell, TX; Lance Cpl Anthony P Roberts, Bear, DE; Sgt Lee D Todacheene, Farmington, NM; Staff Sgt Allan K Walker, Lancaster, CA; 2nd Lt John T Wroblewski, Oak Ridge, NJ; Spc Tyanna Avery Felder, Bridgeport, CN; Sgt 1st Class William W Labadie Jr, Bauxite, AK; Pfc Christopher D Mabry, Chunky, MS; Sgt 1st Class Marvin L Miller, Dunn, NC; Capt Brent L Morel, Martin, TN; Staff Sgt George S Rentschler, Louisville, KY; Lance Cpl Levi T Angell, Saint Louis, MN; Cpl Nicholas J Dieruf, Versailles, KY; Lance Cpl Phillip E Frank, Elk Grove, IL; Staff Sgt William M Harrell, Placentia, CA; Spc Isaac Michael Nieves, Unadilla, NY; 1st Lt Joshua M Palmer, Banning, CA; Lance Cpl Michael B Wafford, Spring, TX; Lance Cpl Christopher B Wasser, Ottawa, KA; Pfc Eric A Ayon, Arleta, CA; Sgt Felix M Delgreco, Simsbury, CO; Spc Peter G Enos, South Dartmouth, MA; Pfc Gregory R Goodrich, Bartonville, IL; Staff Sgt Raymond E Jones, Jr, Gainesville, FL; Spc Jonathan R Kephart, Oil City, PA; Sgt Elmer C Krause, Greensboro, NC; Staff Sgt Toby W Mallet, Kaplan, LA; Cpl Matthew E Matula, Spicewood, TX; Staff Sgt Don S McMahan, Nashville, TN; Pfc Chance R Phelps, Clifton, CO; Cpl Michael R Speer, Redfield, KS; Lance Cpl Elias Torrez III, Veribest, TX; Spc. Allen J Vandayburg, Mansfield, OH; Spc Michelle M Witmer, New Berlin, WI; Spc Adolf C Carballo, Houston, TX; Airman 1st Class Antoine J Holt, Kennesaw, GA; Spc Justin W Johnson, Rome, GA; Lance Cpl John T Sims Jr, Alexander City, AL; Cpl Daniel R Amaya, Odessa, TX; Pfc Nathan P Brown, South Glens Falls, NY; Chief Warrant Officer Lawrence S Colton, Oklahoma City, OK; Chief Warrant Officer Wesley C Fortenberry, Woodville, TX; Lance Cpl Torrey S Gray, Patoka, IL; 1st Lt Oscar Jimenez, San Diego, CA; Sgt Major Michael B Stack, Lake City, SC; Pfc George D Torres, Long Beach, CA; Lance Cpl Brad S Shuder, El Dorado, CA; Lance Cpl Robert P Zurheide Jr, Tucson, AZ; Pvt Noah L Boye, Grand Island, NE; Cpl Kevin T Kolm, Hicksville, NY; Staff Sgt Victor A Rosaleslomeli, Westminster, CA; Sgt Christopher Ramirez, McAllen, TX; Spc Frank K Rivers, Jr, Woodbridge, VA; Spc Richard K Trevithick, Gaines, MI; Staff Sgt Jimmy J Arroyave, Woodland, CA; Sgt Brian M Wood, Torrance, CA; Spc Marvin A Camposiles, Austell, GA; Staff Sgt. Edward W Carman, McKeesport, PA; Cpt Richard J Gannon II, Escondido, CA; Sgt Jonathan N Hartman, Jacksonville, FL; 1st Lt Robert L Henderson, II, Alvaton, KY; Pfc Clayton W Henson, Stanton, TX; Spc Michael A McGlothin, Milwaukee, WI; Spc Dennis B Morgan, Valentine, NE; Lance Cpl Michael J Smith Jr, Jefferson, OH; Lance Cpl Ruben Valdez Jr, San Diego, TX; Lance Cpl Gary F VanLeuven, Klamath Falls, OR; Cpl Christopher A Gibson, Simi Valley, CA; Sgt 1st Class Bradley C Fox, Orlando, FL; Spc Christopher D Gelineau, Portland, ME; Pfc Leroy Harris-Kelly, Azusa, CA; Cpl Jason L Dunham, Allegany, NY; Pfc Shawn C Edwards, Bensenville, IL; Staff Sgt Stacey C Brandon, Hazen, AR; Staff Sgt Cory W Brooks, Philip, SD; Petty Officer Third Class Nathan B Bruckenthal, Smithtown, NY; Capt Arthur L Felder, Louisville, AR; Chief Warrant Officer Patrick W Kordsmeier, North Little Rock, AR; Staff Sgt Billy J Orton, Humnoke, AR; Petty Officer 1st Class Michael J Pernaselli, Monroe, NY; Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher E Watts, Knoxville, TN; Spc Kenneth A Melton, Westplains, MO; Lance Cpl Aaron C Austin, Sunray, TX; Sgt Sherwood R Baker, Plymouth, PA; Sgt Lawrence A Roukey, Wesbrook, ME; Staff Sgt. Abraham D Penamedina, Los Angeles, CA; Pfc Marquis A Whitaker, Columbus, GA; Spc Jacob R Herring, Kirkland, WA; Staff Sgt Kendall Thomas, St Thomas, Virgin Islands; Spc James L Beckstrand, Escondido, CA; Sgt Ryan M Campbell, Kirksville, MO; Pfc Norman Darling, Middleboro, MA; Staff Sgt Jeffrey F Dayton, Caledonia, MI; Sgt Adam W Estep, Campbell, CA; Pfc Jeremy Ricardo Ewing, Miama, FL; Sgt Landis W Garrison, Rapid City, IL; Pfc Martin W Kondor, York, PA; Staff Sgt Esau G Patterson, Jr, Ridgeland, SC; Spc Ryan E Reed, Colorado Springs, CO; Spc Justin B Schmidt, Bradenton, FL; Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher M Dickerson, Eastman, GA; Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason B Dwelley, Apopka, FL; Cpl Scott M Vincent, Bokoshe, OK; Cpl Joshua S Wilfong, Walker, WV; Sgt Joshua S Ladd, Fort Gibson, MI; Spc Ramon C Ojeda, Ramona, CA; Staff Sgt Oscar D Vargas-Medina, Chicago, IL; Spc Trevor A Wine, Orange, CA; Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael C Anderson, Daytona Beach, FL; Spc Ervin Caradine, Jr, Memphis, TN; Petty Officer 2nd Class Trace W Dossett, Orlando, FL; Pvt Jeremy L Drexler, Topeka, KA; Petty Officer Third Class Ronald A Ginther, Auburndale, FL; Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert B Jenkins, Stuart, FL; Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott R McHugh, Boca Raton, FL; Staff Sgt Todd E Nunes, Chapel Hill, TN; Capt John E Tipton, Fort Walton Beach, FL; Gunnery Sgt Ronald E Baum, Hollidaysburg, PA; 1st Lt Christopher J Kenny, Miani, FL; Pfc Lyndon A Marcus, Jr, Long Beach, CA; Staff Sgt Erickson H Petty, Fort Gibson, OK; Sgt Marvin R Sprayberry, III, Tehachapi, CA; Sgt Gregory L Wahl, Salisbury, NC; Pfc Jesse R Buryj, Canton, OH; Cpl Jeffrey G Green, Dallas, TX; Pfc Bradley G Kritzer, Irvona, PA; Spc James E Marshall, Tulsa, OK; Staff Sgt Hesley Box, Jr, Nashville, AR; Cpl Dustin H Schrage, Brevard, FL; Spc Philip D Brown, El Paso, TX; Spc James J Holmes, East Grand Forks, MN; Spc Isela Rubalcava, El Paso, TX; Spc Chase R Whitman, OR; Sgt Rodney A Murray, Ayden, NC; Pfc Andrew L Tuazon, Chesapeake, VA; Spc Kyle A Brinlee, Pryor, OK; Lance Cpl Jeremiah E Savage, Livingston, TN; Spc Jeffrey R Shaver, Maple Valley, WA; Pfc Brian K Cutter, Riverside, CA; Pfc Brandon C Sturdy, Urbandale, IA; Command Sgt Maj Edward C Barnhill, Shreveport, LA; Sgt Brud J Cronkrite, Spring Valley, CA; Sgt James W Harlan, Owensboro, KY; Pfc Michael A Mora, Arroyo Grande, CA; Spc Philip I Spakosky, Browns Mill, NJ; Senior Airman Pedro I Espaillat Jr, Columbia, MO; Staff Sgt Rene Ledesma, Abelene, TX; Spc Carl F Curran, Union City, PA; Spc Mark J Kasecky, McKees Rocks, PA; 2nd Lt Leonard M Cowherd, Culpeper, VA; Lance Cpl Bob W Roberts, Newport, OR; Pfc Michael M Carey, Prince George, VA; Staff Sgt William D Chaney, Schaumburg, IL; Staff Sgt Joseph P Garyantes, Rehoboth, DE; Spc Marcos O Nolasco, Chino, CA; Spc Michael C Campbell, Marshfield, MO; Pfc Leslie D Jackson, Richmond, VA; Sgt 1st Class Troy L Miranda, DeQueen, AK; Cpl Rudy Salas, Baldwin Park, CA; Staff Sgt Jeremy R Horton, Carneys Point, PA; Lance Cpl Stephen Andrew Zabierek, Chelmsford, MA; Staff Sgt Jorge A MolinaBautista, Rialto, CA; Spc Jeremy L Ridlen, Paris, IL; Spc Beau R Beaulieu, Lisbon, ME; Pfc Owen D Witt, Sand Springs, MT; Spc Alan N Bean, Jr, Bridport, VT; Pfc James P Lambert, New Orleans, LA; Pfc Richard H Rosas, Saint Louis, MO; Sgt Kevin F Sheehan, Milton, VT; Pfc Daniel P Unger, Exeter, CA; Lance Cpl Kyle W Codner, Wood River, NE; Cpl Matthew C Henderson, Lincoln, NE

The AP/Nashua telegraph are reporting that efforts to name the Iraqi President have stalled over differences between the Iraqi Governing Council and American authorities.

A council member said the United States and U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi favored ex-Foreign Minister Adnan Pachachi, who supports keeping foreign troops in Iraq until the security situation is stabilized.

However, most of the 22 members of the Governing Council support the current chairman, civil engineer Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer, who has been more critical of the U.S.-led occupation.

MSNBC:

A Pentagon e-mail said Vice President Dick Cheney’s office “coordinated” a multibillion-dollar Iraq reconstruction contract awarded to his former employer Halliburton, Time magazine reported on Sunday.

The e-mail, sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official on March 5, 2003, said Douglas Feith, a senior Pentagon official, provided arrangements for the RIO contract, or Restore Iraqi Oil, between Halliburton and the U.S. government, Time said.

The e-mail said Feith, who reports to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, approved arrangements for the contract “contingent on informing WH (White House) tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP’s (vice president’s) office.”

A spokesman for Cheney said his office had no role in the contract process.

“Vice President Cheney and his office have had no involvement whatsoever in government contracting matters since he left private business to run for vice president,” said Kevin Kellems, a spokesman for Cheney.

An administration official familiar with the e-mail, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the memo merely mentions the fact that the White House had been given a standard courtesy call notifying that a contract decision that had already been made and was being publicly announced soon.

The original Time Magazine report is here.

Albawaba.com reports that Sunni politician Mohsen Abdel Hamid, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and Secretary General of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), was killed on Monday in an attack in Baghdad.

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that fighting continues today in Kufa, with Shiite militiamen ambushing a US patrol “with small arms fire, killing one U.S. soldier, and fired a rocket-propelled grenade on a tank, killing another American.”

CNN is reporting that a car bomb went off today outside the Green Zone in Baghdad, killing “at least two people.” It seems a motorcade carrying Prime Minister-designate Iyad Allawi had passed by just minutes before.

Welcome, and a fine Memorial Day to you all! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• The Coalition raised a lot of eyebrows when it shifted tactics from purely military victories in Fallujah and Najaf to the current strategy of negotiation. The LA Times examines the rationale behind the change. US News notes that Sadr overestimated his own support, and so had to back down rather than press the issue. (Hat tip: Instapundit.)

• The initial battle for Iraq was deceptively easy, but the ultimate fight has been much harder. Wretchard takes a look at the changing face of war, and notes the changes the U.S. is making in Iraq to adapt.

• Going against the media orthodoxy, ABC News offers reasons to be optimistic about Iraq. It's no rosy-eyed view, and it doesn't ignore the problems, but it does a good job of pointing out that there are good things happening over there as well.

Other Topics Today Include: cease-fire violation in Najaf; Iraqis fight foreigners over their next President; more connections between Iraq and al Qaeda; spotlight on Abu Ghraib.

Read the Rest…

The New York Times reports that 20 death certificates for Afghan and Iraqi prisoners who died in American custody were completed in a 10-day rush only after the Abu Ghraib investigation become public, “even though some of the deaths occurred months — in some cases many months — before.”

Philip Sherwell and Colin Freeman report:

Iyad Allawi, Iraq's prime minister-designate, plans to recall four divisions of Saddam Hussein's old army to create a rapid reaction force and anti-terrorism unit to deal with the country's security crisis. On the eve of his appointment, the leader of the Iraqi National Accord laid out his strategy for bolstering the struggling security forces after the June 30 transfer of power. The INA still draws heavily on former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, and Dr Allawi believes the decisions last year to disband the old army en masse and introduce a rigid policy of sacking Baathists from all official posts contributed significantly to the collapse in law and order.

The Sidney Morning Herald reports:

The Prime Minister, John Howard, today maintained the search for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq would continue for some time yet, sparking Labor claims he was ignoring reality. Although no WMDs have been found in the country despite intense searching by the US-led coalition since the invasion in March last year, Mr Howard said he was not willing to concede none would be found. “I'm not willing to admit that. I saw a lot of intelligence before the war started and I was satisfied with that intelligence,” Mr Howard told Channel Seven. “Until all of the work has been completed, I'm not going to totally sign off on the issue.” He said the work of the Iraq survey group would go on for a long time

The Presidency of Iraq, that is.

From Reuters via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

With the top post of prime minister filled and likely accord on key ministries, Iraqi officials spoke of sharp disagreement on the largely ceremonial choice of head of state between Adnan Pachachi, veteran scion of a pre-Saddam political dynasty, and Ghazi Yawar, a youthful engineer long based in Saudi Arabia.

Many of the 23-member Iraqi Governing Council meeting on Sunday favoured Yawar, said one senior Iraqi politician. But US administrator Paul Bremer and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi were putting the case for Pachachi, a former foreign minister.

Talks were going on after four hours, officials said.

Mr Brahimi and Mr Bremer struggled to strike a balance among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups.
[…]
Mr Pachachi, 81, was foreign minister in the 1960s, before Saddam came to power. His Baghdad-based family was a powerful force under the British-installed monarchy that fell in 1958. He has spent much of the time since in exile in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Yawar, in his mid-40s, is a leader of a prominent Sunni tribe from the northern city of Mosul. A civil engineer, he left Iraq in 1990 and ran a telecoms firm in Saudi Arabia.

Senior members of the Governing Council told Reuters after talks on Saturday that the 26 cabinet posts under Dr Allawi were all but agreed but there was a standoff over the presidency.

Others said negotiations were still open on other jobs too.

On Saturday, senior Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi said the names of key ministers had been agreed.

“The Governing Council, Bremer and Lakhdar Brahimi agreed on the list,” he told Reuters. “It is not 100 per cent certain that the nominees will accept it but it is pretty sure they will.”

Dr Chalabi said Hoshiyar Zebari, now foreign minister in the US supervised government, would be defence minister. Another Kurd, Barham Salih, would take his job at the Foreign Ministry.
[…]
Technocrat Thamir Ghadban was nominated as oil minister, said Chalabi, a Shiite relative of Dr Allawi who ran a rival exile opposition party and has fallen out of favour with Washington.
[…]
Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite, was nominated as finance minister, Dr Chalabi said. Sunni Samir Sumaidy would stay on as interior minister and Raja Habib Khuzai, a British-educated Shiite doctor, was nominated to the Health Ministry, he added.

“The list is correct as far as I know,” another senior Iraqi politician said, adding that it would be announced on Sunday.

Mr Zebari, who is not on the Governing Council, told Reuters on Saturday: “There have been no nominations for ministers. Talks are continuing. Efforts are focused on the presidency.”

Two vice presidents are expected to be a Kurd and a Shiite.

Note that the Governmental model is similar to that of many European states, with a (ceremonial) Head-of-State called the “President', and an actual executive head, called the 'Chancellor', 'Premier' or 'Prime Minister'. A similar setup is in Australia ('Governor-General' and 'Prime Minister) and the UK ('Monarch' and 'Prime Minister'). The role of such as 'President' is ceremonial, usually advisory, and to ensure smooth transition of the succession of Governments by rubber-stamping the newly elected ones in the name of the People, State or Crown.

From Time via The Australian :

US President George W Bush has been given a pistol Saddam Hussein had with him when he was captured and now proudly shows it to selected guests, Time magazine reported today.

The gun was taken from Saddam by US special forces when they caught the ousted president in a spider hole near his home town Tikrit last December, the report said.

The military had the pistol mounted, and it was presented to the president privately by some of the troops who ferreted out Saddam, Time said, citing unnamed sources.
[…]
“He really liked showing it off,” the report quotes an unnamed recent visitor to the White House as saying. “He was really proud of it.”

I rather think it was the Special Forces who gave it to him that he was proud of, and the fact they they thought enough of him to give it. Others will say it's theft of Iraqi property, it's all about Guns, revenge for Bush Sr., and after all, he's a Texan, isn't he? No matter.

From the BBC via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

Police in the central Iraqi town of Ramadi have surrounded the local office of Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress and ordered it to be evacuated.

No reason has been given for the order, which is said to have come from the Iraqi Interior Min