Operaton Iraqi Freedom Updates
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Military Phone Card Donation Program Goes Public
The Department of Defense announced today that any American can now help troops in contingency operations call home.
The Defense Department has authorized the Armed Services Exchanges to sell prepaid calling cards to any individual or organization
that wishes to purchase cards for troops who are deployed. The “Help Our Troops Call Home” program is designed to help
servicemembers call home from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
For those wishing to donate a prepaid calling card to a military member may log on to any of the three Armed Services
Exchange web sites: the Army and Air Force Exchange Service http://www.aafes.com/, the Navy Exchange Service Command http:
//www.navy-nex.com/, and the Marine Corps Exchange http://www.usmc-mccs.org/. Click the “Help Our Troops Call Home”
link. From there, a prepaid calling card may be purchased for an individual at his or her deployed address or to “any service member”
deployed or hospitalized. The Armed Services Exchanges will distribute cards donated to “any service member” through the American
Red Cross, Air Force Aid Society and the Fisher House Foundation.
The Armed Services Exchanges operate telephone call centers in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and other countries and aboard ships
-- anywhere servicemembers are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. All of these
locations stay busy around the clock to keep up communication between deployed troops and their loved ones. The cards available
through the “Help Our Troops Call Home” program offer the best value for calls made from the call centers, never expire, and there
are no added charges or connection fees.
Individuals and organizations also can show their support to deployed troops and their families with gift certificates. The
“Gift of Groceries” program allows anyone to purchase commissary gift certificates at http://www.commissaries.com or by calling
toll free 1 (877) 770-GIFT. The Armed Services Exchanges offer the “Gift From the Homefront” gift certificate for merchandise at
these exchange web sites: http://www.aafes.com and http://www.navy-nex.com or by calling toll free 1 (877) 770-GIFT. Gift
certificates may be purchased to be mailed to servicemembers and family members or will be distributed to “any servicemember.”
Only authorized commissary and exchange patrons may redeem the gift certificates at military commissaries and exchanges, including
those stores supporting deployed personnel around the globe.
Apr. 18, 2005
Exchange Services' Prepaid Phone Cards Better Than Others
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2005 – When it comes to buying prepaid phone cards to call home from Iraq or Afghanistan, not all cards
are alike.
Friends and loved ones who purchase prepaid cards at supermarkets, gas stations or warehouse stores may think they’re sending
deployed troops a big stockpile of calling minutes. But that’s often not the case.
Many prepaid cards that offer low per-minute calling charges are actually geared for stateside use, according to Judd Anstey,
public affairs specialist for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. When used overseas to call home, these-type prepaid cards
often buy just a fraction of their advertised calling minutes.
In contrast, the Military Exchange Global Prepaid 550- and 200-unit phone cards, part of the “Help Our Troops Call Home”
program, offer lower per-minute rates than other prepaid cards, including AT&T prepaid cards sold by other retailers, Anstey said.
"It's the best value out there," he noted.
In fact, the program remains a big hit that’s saving troops and their loved ones big dollars. And this is a year after the Defense
Department made the unprecedented move of allowing military exchanges to sell prepaid phone cards to anyone wishing to buy them
for deployed troops.
Last April, DoD introduced the since-named “Help Our Troops Call Home” program, which enables even people not otherwise
entitled to exchange privileges to buy Military Exchange Global Prepaid Calling Cards for deployed troops. A year later, the
program is within striking distance of the $2 million mark -- enough to buy and distribute more than 78,000 prepaid cards, according
to Anstey.
Cards purchased through the program can be sent to individual servicemembers or to “any servicemember” through the
American Red Cross, United Service Organizations, Air Force Aid Society or Fisher House Foundation. During the past year
alone, these partners have distributed almost 27,000 prepaid phone cards through the program, Anstey said. More than half of those
cards were donated through the American Red Cross.
If usage is any gauge of the cards’ popularity, they’re a big hit. During February alone, troops generated nearly 20 million minutes of
calls using the cards at AAFES phone centers in the Middle East, Anstey said.
The Help Our Troops Call Home program enables the public to tap into an exclusive DoD contract with AT&T that gives troops the
lowest per-minute fees for calls placed from AT&T phone centers, Anstey said.
If the card is purchased in the United States, the per-minute fees are 21 cents a minute from Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait. If
the deployed servicemember buys the card overseas, the rates are even lower -- 19 cents a minute from Iraq, Afghanistan or
Kuwait, Anstey said.
These rates are lower than they were a year ago, Anstey said, and compare to as much as 40 cents per minute charged by some phone-
card companies after converting calling units to actual calling minutes.
In addition to low rates, the military prepaid cards don’t expire and aren’t subject to additional charges or connection fees, he said.
Army Lt. Col. Debra Pressley, AAFES’ chief of corporate communications, called the public outpouring through the Help Our
Troops Call Home program “inspiring.”
“The decision to allow the exchange services to work directly with the American public has provided a textbook study in how to
safely and effectively support our troops,” she said.
One participating organization, the USO, has sent almost 1,700 prepaid cards through the program, according to Donna St. John,
spokeswoman for the USO World Headquarters, in Washington. That’s in addition to the USO’s own “Operation Phone Home”
program, which had sent almost 300,000 100-minute global calling cards to deployed troops as of April 1, St. John said. AT&T has
donated more than $6 million in prepaid cards to the USO program.
The USO also distributes prepaid phone cards to wounded troops recuperating at military hospitals stateside and overseas and
has included “several hundred thousand” phone cards in Operation USO Care Package boxes sent to deployed troops, St. John
said.
More information about the Military Exchange Global Prepaid Calling Card is available on the Army and Air Force Exchange
Service, the Navy Exchange and the Marine Corps Exchange Web sites, or by calling (800) 527-2345.
America Supports You: Indiana Jeweler Creates Sterling Tribute
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2005 – An Indiana jeweler has put a new twist on the well-worn bracelets supporting various
causes.
Indiana jeweler Jan Marten designed a sterling silver bracelet in support of the troops. All proceeds beyond the
cost to make the bracelet are being donated to the Indiana National Guard Relief Fund.
Jan Marten owns J.S. Marten Jewelers in Carmel, Ind., a store that boasts a patriotic spirit.
She has put her creative talents to work and designed a sterling silver bracelet made up of small oval pieces that
spell out "Support Our Troops." The bracelet was designed to be durable, easy for jewelers to assemble and, most
importantly, comfortable to wear. It can also incorporate an individual's name to truly honor that service member,
she said.
Since she began selling them on Dec. 10, she has sold about 50 of the bracelets.
A basic bracelet costs $150, and extra links or personalization add to the cost. All proceeds above Marten's cost to
produce the bracelets -- 50 to 55 percent of the retail cost -- are being donated to the Indiana National Guard
Relief Fund.
The amount of the donation varies depending on whether the buyer adds extras to the bracelet.
Marten said she had wanted to donate money all along but was having a hard time finding an organization that could
put all of the donated funds toward support of the troops and their families. That's when she turned to an old
friend who was familiar with the military after being an Air Force wife and mother for many years.
Ann Callaghan, a spokeswoman for the Indiana National Guard, offered to lend Marten a hand finding a solution to her
dilemma.
"When I talked to the Indiana National Guard they told me about the relief fund," Callaghan said. "That sounded like
an outstanding source for her to donate ... the proceeds from the bracelets."
The ladies said they chose that organization because 100 percent of the donation would go to support the troops and
their families.
A mother of three, Marten started selling jewelry out of her house when her children were small -- "just to give me
something to do," she said. Her children are all in college now, and the once-small jewelry business has grown to
employ 25.
Marten's desire to show her support for the troops stemmed from having a godson serving his second tour in Iraq with
the Marines. Though her own 20-year-old son is not in the military, he is the same age as many young people serving
overseas.
"I was just thinking about how if my son was over there fighting that I would not want it to be about politics. I
would want it to be (that) everyone was supported," she said. "I think America needs to be united. And I think that
those men and women over there really didn't get to decide, ... but they understand that their job is to protect the
United States.
"We need to stand behind that decision as a country and support the people that are over there and their families,"
she added.
Marten is also working to present the family of each Indiana National Guardsman killed in the war on terror with a
bracelet. Because of the considerable cost, Marten said, she is looking for a company to sponsor the effort.
Moment of Remembrance Aims to Put 'Memorial' Back in Memorial Day
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2005 – The National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day is an act of national unity,
remembrance and rededication to the ideals upon which the nation was founded, the executive director of the White
House Commission on Remembrance explained.
At 3 p.m. local time on May 30, Major League Baseball games will stop, Amtrak train whistles across the nation will
blast, and hundreds of other nationwide participants will ask Americans to pause for the National Moment of
Remembrance for the nation's fallen, said Carmella LaSpada.
"By remembering those who died for our country, we become more aware of our identity as Americans," she said. "The
moment is a time of remembrance for America's fallen and to make a commitment to give something back to our country
in their memory."
She pointed out that the National Moment of Remembrance activities are slated to coincide with Memorial Day
observances worldwide to help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day. The 3 p.m. local
time start was chosen because it's the time of day when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national
holiday, LaSpada said.
Gen. John Logan officially proclaimed Memorial Day -- originally called Decoration Day -- on May 5, 1868. At the
time, Logan was national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, the largest organization of Union veterans of
the Civil War. The holiday was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and
Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia.
In December 2000, Congress passed and the president signed into law "The National Moment of Remembrance Act,"
creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission's charter is to "encourage
the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and
opportunity." The commission encourages and coordinates commemorations of Memorial Day and the National Moment of
Remembrance in the United States.
"The goal was to put 'memorial' back in Memorial Day," LaSpada said. "A Gallup Poll revealed that only 28 percent of
Americans know the meaning of this noble holiday. The 'moment' doesn't replace the traditional Memorial Day events;
rather, it's an act of national unity in which all Americans can participate.
"We want to encourage people to think about their freedom and give something back to the country," she added.
LaSpada said she wants to start a campaign to get Americans to realize the value of "giving back."
"If you appreciate what you have and appreciate your freedom, that's a start," she said. "You could help by
volunteering with literacy programs, mentoring at schools, trying to make communities better and enhancing what's
already out there, for example, with blood donations and organ donations."
LaSpada said uniting the country in a moment of remembrance is important because America is "becoming a fragmented
society."
"(Americans) don't have a sense of history," she said. "If they have a sense of history, they would have a
'connectiveness.' We have to connect as Americans."
The idea for having a National Moment of Remembrance was born in May 1996 while LaSpada was walking through
Lafayette Park on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House and stopped to talk to a group of schoolchildren
touring Washington.
"I said, 'You know, Memorial Day is next Monday. What's the meaning of Memorial Day to you?'" she recalled. "They
all looked at each other and said, 'Oh, that's the day the pool opens.' I thought, 'Gee, we really have to come
together.'"
Some do remember, she said, as evidenced by hundreds of thousands of people attending Memorial Day ceremonies. "But
we want to get to the large majority who don't observe it in any way," she said.
U.S. Helo Crash Claims Two Lives; Marine Killed in Operation
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2005 – Two soldiers died May 26 after a U.S. helicopter crashed near Baqubah, Iraq, officials
reported today, and a U.S. Marine was killed May 25 by enemy small-arms fire in Haditha during Operation New Market.
One helicopter crashed, and the second landed safely at a coalition forces base after sustaining damage from
small-arms fire. According to news reports, the helicopters were OH-58 Kiowa reconnaissance models supporting combat
operations.
Coalition forces responded to the scene and secured the crash site.
The Marine who was killed was assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary
Force (Forward). The names of the deceased soldiers and Marine are being withheld pending notification of next of
kin.
U.S. Marines and sailors from Regimental Combat Team 2 and members of the Iraqi security forces conducted
anti-insurgent operations in and around the city of Haditha May 25-26.
Marines from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, and Iraqi forces spearheaded Operation New Market, successfully disrupting
terrorist activity in the vicinity of Haditha. The mission's purpose was to maintain pressure on terrorists that
began with Operation Matador, conducted in western Iraq May 7-14.
"The operation is successful to this point," said Col. Stephen Davis, the combat team's commanding officer. "We were
able to achieve what we believe is total surprise, and we continue to do our series of coordinated searches for
insurgents and for caches of munitions and weapons."
Five men with possible information on terrorist activity in the area have been detained for questioning.
About 120 kilometers away, in Ubaydi, multinational forces rescued an Iraqi man early May 26 during a raid on a
suspected terrorist safe house.
The construction worker, recently employed to build an animal hospital, was found blindfolded and beaten in a house.
The house also contained various improvised explosive device-making materials and communication devices. He
explained to his rescuers that terrorists kidnapped him from his vehicle while he was driving to pick up medication
for his young child. The man said terrorists repeatedly beat and whipped him on his exposed back, legs and arms
while he was being held hostage.
Coalition forces are treating the man's wounds and will return him to his home after treatment, officials said.
After analyzing his wounds, doctors believe he was held for nearly three days.
Terrorist presence and activity have recently increased in the area. During the last three months, since the arrival
of coalition and Iraqi forces, numerous roadside bombs have been discovered in the vicinity of Haditha and numerous
indirect-fire attacks have been launched against coalition forces assigned to protect the area.
In a separate operation, Iraqi army and U.S. soldiers from Task Force Baghdad captured 11 terror suspects, including
two specifically targeted individuals, during four early-morning raids in western Baghdad May 26. The U.S. and Iraqi
soldiers teamed up to take down the two specifically targeted terror suspects in a pinpointed cordon-and-search
operation.
One target seized is thought to be involved with a terror cell that assassinates or kidnaps Iraqis working with the
Iraqi army, police or coalition forces. The other target captured was a police officer under the previous regime.
The suspect is now thought to be involved in two terror cells. Officials believe he watches a main road in the area
for coalition convoys, then initiates and participates in attacks against them. Both men were taken into custody for
questioning.
"The Iraqi army had the lead in this operation," said Army Lt. Col. Clifford Kent, a Task Force Baghdad
spokesperson. "They executed the plan flawlessly. The capture of these two men may have saved the lives of many
innocent Iraqi citizens."
Elsewhere in Iraq, a terrorist wounded during fighting died at about 5 p.m. local time today after being transported
to a coalition medical-treatment facility. Officials released no further details on the incident.
In southern Baghdad May 26, two masked terrorists fired at a U.S. soldier manning an installation checkpoint, then
fled in a vehicle. Ground patrol units and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters pursued the vehicle. The helicopters
observed the terrorists exit the vehicle and enter a building. The ground patrol then arrived and took 12 terrorists
in custody. All 12 are currently being held for questioning.
South of Baghdad, local Iraqis tipped off U.S. soldiers about a possible weapons cache. Upon searching the house, an
ammunition cache was discovered and two residents were found with explosive material. They have been held for
further questioning.
In southern Baghdad, a 155 mm round was located on the side of a highway. After clearing the area, the device was
detonated harmlessly.
U.S. forces located and disarmed three improvised explosive devices at one potential bomb site in western Baghdad,
two 155 mm rounds at another, and a bomb of unknown ordnance at a fourth site.
Multinational forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained one suspected
terrorist and seized a cache during operations in northern Iraq May 25. The soldiers, from the 1st Battalion, 24th
Infantry Regiment, detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during a raid in southern Mosul May 25.
Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, had a weapons cache turned over to them in an area southeast
of Mosul May 25. The cache consisted of mortar rounds, rocket propellant, sticks of plastic explosives, and an
explosives detonator.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq press releases.)
No. 876-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2005
Two Infantry Battalions to Deploy to Iraq for Election Period
On August 23, 2005, the Secretary of Defense approved a request by the commander of Multi-
National Forces-Iraq (MNF-I) to deploy two additional infantry battalions to Iraq.
Two battalions from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy to Iraq for an anticipated duration of
approximately 120 days to support security efforts during the election period. Adjustments to
troop levels in Iraq occurred prior to the transfer to Iraqi sovereignty in June 2004 and during the
January Iraqi elections.
These troops will join 180,000 Iraqi security forces and 138,000 coalition forces in helping set the
security conditions for successful elections.
Gen. Casey’s request for this additional capability was made in close consultation with, and with the
support of, the Iraqi government. This approved request temporarily adds an additional 1,500 active
duty soldiers to the troop level in Iraq.
This decision follows a decision in July 2005 to deploy a battalion to Afghanistan in support of
security efforts during the upcoming September elections.
Commanders continue to assess security conditions, and additional adjustments to troop levels for the
elections are possible.
