WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday signed into law H.R. 5631, the "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2007," which appropriates the funds needed to fight the war on terror, advance other U.S. interests abroad, and support the armed forces.

WASHINGTON - The presidents of the United States and Kazakhstan today reaffirmed their commitment to working together to defeat terrorism and promote peace and stability in Central Asia and elsewhere in the world.

WASHINGTON - The Army will soon power up a faster, computerized readiness-assessment system that commanders will use to monitor and gauge their units’ fitness for deployment to perform combat and other missions, a senior Army official said here today.

FORT LEE, Va. - The Defense Commissary Agency preserves a military benefit officially established 140 years ago, with a heritage extending back to the American Revolution.

WASHINGTON - In addition to filling its traditional maritime security role, the U.S. Navy has been performing different missions on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, shouldering a larger part of the burden in the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - The battle for Ramadi has "tipped" in favor of the government of Iraq and the coalition, the commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, said today.

HEIDELBERG, Germany - Starting Oct. 1, military spouses in Europe interested in teaching can participate in the Department of Defense Spouses to Teachers program, which until now had been only available stateside.

WASHINGTON - There’s no doubt of victory in the terror war -- not just because the United States is committed to seeing it through, but also because of the quality of the troops carrying it out, President Bush told the Reserve Officers Association here today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi national police detained eight suspected terrorists and seized a weapons cache in western Baghdad Sept. 26, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The soldiers of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, greeted news of their extension in Iraq with “a collective shrug,” the unit’s commander said during a Pentagon teleconference today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush reaffirmed today his commitment to stand by Afghanistan and Iraq as they develop new democracies and become solid partners in the war against extremism, and vowed that the United States won’t rest until Osama bin Laden and his fellow terrorists are brought to justice.

WASHINGTON - The killing of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June severely disrupted the terrorist organization’s capability, but foreign fighters entering Iraq continue to cause problems, a senior Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters in Baghdad yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The United Service Organizations celebrated its 65th anniversary last night and honored troops from each branch of the military for heroism.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - U.S. Northern Command, which works to deal with threats to the U.S. homeland, celebrates its fourth birthday Oct. 2.

WASHINGTON - Military spouses facing a permanent change of station into or out of the Fort Riley, Kan., area can relax about at least one aspect of their pending move.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - The challenges the world faces in the 21st century can’t be overcome by military means alone, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - Some 12,000 U.S. troops in 14 eastern provinces of Afghanistan will come under NATO control in the near future following a decision today by the alliance’s defense ministers meeting here.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - The enemy in Afghanistan underestimated NATO’s will and ability to bring security and stability to the country, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - A 65-year segment of history ends Sept. 30, when the last American servicemember based in the country leaves Iceland.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s America Supports You program was one of five Support of Military Families award recipients honored at the National Military Family Association’s award reception at the Hart Senate Office Building here last night.

WASHINGTON - The Iranian government is behind shipping components used to make improvised explosive devices to Iraqi insurgents, a senior intelligence official in Iraq said yesterday.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - NATO defense ministers meeting in Portoroz, Slovenia, have approved the expansion of responsibility for the alliance's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan to include the eastern portion of the country. ISAF already exercises opertional control in the country's other three regions.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - Military equipment, availability of troops and the alliance's willingness to use them are on the table here as NATO defense ministers meet today and tomorrow, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said here today.

WASHINGTON - Stryker Brigade soldiers killed a terrorist and wounded another after spotting them attempting to place an anti-tank mine near Muqdadiya, in Iraq’s Diyala province, yesterday, U.S. military officials said.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia - NATO’s operations in Afghanistan will be among the key topics here today and tomorrow as the alliance’s defense ministers hold their last informal meeting before this fall’s formal NATO Summit planned in Riga, Latvia.

WASHINGTON - Air Force officials have convened a Safety Investigation Board to determine the cause of a ground collision between a Kyrgyz TU-154 passenger plane and a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyzstan around 8 p.m. Sept. 26.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. and free countries in the Middle East need to work together to stop the spread of terrorism and ensure a hopeful future for the region, President Bush said here last night before attending a dinner with the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

TIRANA, Albania - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today gave voice to U.S. support for NATO enlargement at a news conference wrapping up a conference of southeastern European defense ministers here.

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - While a multinational assembly met at the United Nations in mid-September to evaluate progress on the Kosovo situation, a multi-state task force of National Guard soldiers prepared to assume responsibilities of U.S. peacekeeping efforts in the region.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces captured a known makeshift bomb expert and terrorist cell leader today during an operation south of Asadabad, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - As coalition and Iraqi forces continue security operations in Baghdad, the Iraqi government and security forces are making significant progress and moving closer to an independent future, a U.S. spokesman in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - The number of people identifying themselves as jihadists is increasing and spreading, but the United States has still made significant progress against terrorists, according to a declassified National Intelligence Estimate.

WASHINGTON - A Multinational Corps Iraq soldier assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and a Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died Sept. 25 from enemy action while operating in Iraq’s Anbar province, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - USA Cares recently received a $2.5 million grant to further its mission of assisting servicemembers and their families, organization officials said.

WASHINGTON - The classified national intelligence estimate, “Trends in Global Terrorism,” was not just an examination of Iraq and international terrorism, but far broader, the director of national intelligence said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The award-winning creator of the Doonesbury cartoon strip visited the Pentagon today to meet with wounded servicemembers and sign copies of his second book in a series chronicling the recovery of a wounded Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Eighty-eight years after being killed in action along the not-so-quiet Western Front of World War I, Army Pvt. Francis Lupo of Cincinnati was buried today with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers died in Iraq today, and another U.S. soldier was killed there yesterday. In addition, officials have identified six soldiers and two Marines killed earlier.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers stopped a would-be Baghdad bomber in his tracks today, while Iraqi police nabbed two suspected killers during a raid yesterday.

WASHINGTON - With a ceremony today, DoD launched the Pentagon’s 2006 Combined Federal Campaign. The theme of this year’s campaign, which runs through Dec. 15, is “Be a Star in Someone’s Life.”

WASHINGTON - The fight in Afghanistan is part of a global struggle, and America has the will to do the hard work necessary to help that country eradicate terrorism and build a better life for its citizens, President Bush said here today.

TIRANA, Albania - Albanian soldiers will remain in Iraq until the job is done, the country’s defense minister promised Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld here today.

WASHINGTON - Sending the U.S. military into Iraq was not a mistake, and if America had never gone into Iraq, terrorists would still be active and would still be promoting their radical movement, President Bush said here today.

PODGORICA, Montenegro - The newly independent nation of Montenegro wants to participate in the global war on terror, and the United States stands ready to help after the first meeting between senior officials from both nations took place here today.

WASHINGTON - A Marine corporal quizzed top leaders at a recent Pentagon employees’ question-and-answer session about what the department can do to counter the reporting of negative news from Iraq and Afghanistan.

CHICAGO - The Army and the Marine Corps’ top enlisted leaders took part in a poignant Gold Star Mothers Day ceremony at Chicago’s Navy Pier on Sept. 24.

WASHINGTON - Adjustments to Iraq troop-rotation schedules announced yesterday will allow 15 U.S. combat brigades to be in Iraq through spring, Defense Department officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Richard B. Cheney yesterday thanked Michigan National Guardsmen for their service to their state and nation, and talked about the war on terror and the central fronts of Afghanistan and Iraq.

PODGORICA, Montenegro - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here today for meetings with Montenegrin leaders. This is Rumsfeld’s first visit to the country, and he’s the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Montenegro since it achieved its independence earlier this year.

WASHINGTON - One Army unit will be extended in Iraq and another will be deployed earlier than previously scheduled, DoD officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai expressed his people's gratitude to U.S. servicemembers during a visit to the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld discussed progress being made in Afghanistan and NATO assuming responsibility for the country during meetings at the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - In a proclamation dated Sept. 21, President Bush declared yesterday through Sept. 30 as National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week to recognize citizen soldiers and the employers who support them.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Coast Guard will be featured in two major productions debuting this month: an original documentary episode of “Recon” airing on the Pentagon Channel titled “Always Ready,” and a Hollywood feature film titled “The Guardian,” starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutchner.

WASHINGTON - Entertainers in Branson, Mo., are taking a stand to support servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism.

STUTTGART, Germany - Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark L. Farley became the sixth U.S. European Command senior enlisted leader during a change of responsibility ceremony here today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Navy forces in the Arabian Gulf have been contributing to the war on terror by conducting maritime security operations and providing support to troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Navy strike group commander said today.

HOUSTON - The National Football League's Houston Texans honored American servicemembers during its salute to the military at the game against the Washington Redskins at Reliant Stadium here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - With reports circulating of a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said quelling the Taliban is only part of the bigger response needed for a secure and peaceful country.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government is ready to send whatever number of troops is needed to help secure Baghdad, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said today.

WASHINGTON - Two Marines were killed in Iraq today; three soldiers were killed there yesterday in two separate incidents. In addition, officials have identified a Marine and a soldier killed earlier.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces detained 21 suspected terrorists in Iraq yesterday, while another five suspects were detained and a weapons cache discovered based on an Iraqi citizen’s tip.

WASHINGTON - President Bush said he relies on military advisors and other officials on the ground in Iraq to keep him abreast of the situation in the country, and they’re telling him civil war is not imminent.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Afghanistan earlier this month to meet with U.S. and coalition servicemembers and to assess the many challenges U.S. troops are facing with more sophisticated and increased improvised explosive device attacks.

WASHINGTON - Civilized nations working together can defeat terrorism and help people of the Middle East build democratic societies, President Bush said yesterday in his weekly radio address to the nation.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is working hard to quell sectarian violence and pave the way for the reconciliation of his country’s people, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Members of a NATO working group met here yesterday to play video games -- not just for kicks though. The gathering was part of a serious effort to achieve better interoperability and standards among the alliance’s partners in all aspects of training, including using video games to train troops before they deploy.

WASHINGTON - Since June 23, 1936, the last Sunday in September has been recognized as Gold Star Mother’s Day, thanks to Senate Joint Resolution 115. On Sept. 20, President Bush issued a proclamation declaring that, this year, Sept. 24 will be observed as Gold Star Mother's Day.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense yesterday evening honored 15 top employers with the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for their incredible support of activated military employees.

WASHINGTON - Freedom and democracy are what works in the world, and the enemies in the war on terror have hijacked the Islamic faith to promote their own violent agenda and paint a negative picture of America and other free nations, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - Combined U.S.-Iraqi operations in Baghdad have produced real results for citizens there, who are seeing improvements in their neighborhoods and basic services and who report a stronger feeling of security, a top U.S. general in the area said today.

WASHINGTON - NASCAR drivers and top brass came out in full force at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here last night to show their support for America’s wounded troops.

WASHINGTON - Four soldiers have died in separate incidents in Iraq in recent days, and defense officials have released the identities of several servicemembers killed earlier.

WASHINGTON - The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gave a sense of urgency to the Defense Department’s transformation to meet the threats of the 21st century. Since then, historic changes have been made that have prevented terrorist attacks and improved America’s military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Pakistan are partners in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and in fighting extremists and terrorists in the region around Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, the U.S. and Pakistani presidents said in a White House news conference today.

WASHINGTON - Agents and experts from many different government agencies are working together out of a headquarters in Key West, Fla., to stem the flow of drugs and other contraband into the U.S. from Latin America.

WASHINGTON - In an effort to provide clarity in awards standards across the military services, the Defense Department has begun a comprehensive review of military awards and decorations, a DoD official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - If you’re currently a chef on active duty in the Armed Forces, TV cooking-show icon Emeril Lagasse wants your favorite recipe.

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan’s illicit drug trade has to be brought under control for the country to succeed, the commander of coalition forces in the country said here today.

WASHINGTON - The Venezuelan government’s anti-U.S. stance is “bigger than a nuisance,” the outgoing commander of U.S. military operations in Latin American said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - In keeping with the high-tech nature of intelligence collection today, officials snipped a ribbon in cyberspace to open U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance here Sept. 13.

WASHINGTON - Detainee treatment and interrogation operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are fully compliant with the Detainee Treatment Act and Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions -- at least as best as U.S. military leaders understand Common Article 3, the general with overall responsibility for operations there said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The coalition has the military capacity and the Iraqi people have the political will to get Iraq under control and moving toward a peaceful future, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - NATO forces have given the Taliban a good thrashing in the extremist group’s traditional home in southern Afghanistan, but threats to that nation’s long-term stability remain, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe told a Senate committee here today.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Nearly 100 golfers and their associated sponsors helped raise more than $38,000 to benefit the SemperComm Foundation’s mission during the SemperComm Golf Classic tournament at the Fort Belvoir Golf Club in Alexandria, Va., Sept. 15.

WASHINGTON - Much has been made in recent days of an aerial photograph taken in Afghanistan that reportedly shows hundreds of Taliban fighters attending a funeral and the decision to refrain from wiping out the gathering militarily.

WASHINGTON - Though violence and crime continue to hinder progress, the challenge in Afghanistan isn’t military in nature, the commander of coalition forces serving in that country said at a Pentagon news conference.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recognized five servicemembers here last night for their contributions to the war on terror, calling them the hope for a peaceful future.

WASHINGTON - Wars are won by determination and by understanding the nature of the enemy and the consequences of failure, and the U.S. can be victorious in the war on terror if Americans reaffirm their commitment to the fight, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Providing for the Defense Department’s transportation needs isn’t the sexiest of military endeavors, the commander of U.S. Transportation Command readily admits.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Morales may have lost both his legs while on a training mission in support of the global war on terrorism, but he was standing tall Sept. 19 at the Hiring Heroes Career Fair here.

WASHINGTON - Although progress has been profound and his country continues to move forward, terrorists have stepped up their efforts to derail that progress, Afghanistan’s president told the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday.

WASHINGTON - A community sewer and water service provider near Reno, Nev., is tapped to receive a Defense Department-sponsored award for exceptional support of its employees in the Guard and Reserve.

WASHINGTON - Four people wearing Revolutionary War-era clothing are making a 600-plus-mile hike for history that celebrates Franco-American cooperation and friendship.

WASHINGTON - Marine Lance Cpl. James Gentile’s path in life was forcibly altered when he was shot in the face while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq. His path is about to change again, thanks to the community of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and the California-based nonprofit organization, Homefront America.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Department of Homeland Security has seen a drop in the number of illegal immigrants crossing the U.S. border with Mexico for the first time, and the National Guard has made the difference, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said here Sept. 18.

WASHINGTON - The hot dog stand in the Pentagon’s center courtyard, which has long been a source of Cold War intrigue, will be torn down in the coming months and replaced with a new eating facility.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police forces now are trained and equipped to almost 100 percent of the level promised by the coalition and are improving in quality and capability every day, the U.S. general in charge of training the police said today.

WASHINGTON - Several NATO countries have agreed to send additional forces to Afghanistan to fill the troop requirement agreed upon a year and a half ago, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said today.

WASHINGTON - The home of the Minutemen will now be known for another piece of military heritage: exceptional support of its Guardsmen and reservists.

WASHINGTON - While it’s up to the Iraqi government to make the tough decisions as the country continues its progress, the Iraqi people can continue to count on the United States for help, President Bush said in New York yesterday.

SAN DIEGO - Two Chinese military ships are wrapping up a three-day port visit at Naval Base San Diego today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad have found three weapons caches and captured six suspected terrorists in and around Baghdad since yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since yesterday, and Defense Department officials have released the identities of earlier casualties.

WASHINGTON - Another aviation first was accomplished at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., yesterday morning when a B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber flew using an alternative fuel.

WASHINGTON - Five years after 9/11, the United States remains determined to protect the homeland and defeat global terrorism wherever it rears its head, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said here today.

WASHINGTON - A more hopeful world free of terrorism is within reach, and the international community must make a decision to support reformers in the Middle East and work together to secure that peaceful future, President Bush said today in New York City.

WASHINGTON - An Army astronaut orbiting 220 miles above the earth did a somersault Sept. 14 for wounded warriors recuperating at Brooke Army Medical Center here.

WASHINGTON - National Guardsman Scott J. Moser said he and his fellow combat engineers routinely risked their lives while they searched for unexploded roadside bombs in Iraq. However, Moser didn’t worry too much about how his family was faring back home, thanks to his civilian employer

COTONOU, Benin - Medical Task Force Benin wrapped up its final community clinic run in Africa by treating an estimated 500 patients from nearby villages during exercise Medflag ’06.

HEIDELBERG, Germany - Set in a banquet hall, Guardian Shield ’06 was a far cry from the typical frenzy of emergency response exercises -- but that was exactly the point.

WASHINGTON - Telling the nation’s servicemembers to “Shut Up and Drive” is just one more way country music star Chely Wright is letting them know just how much she cares.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces are becoming more capable every day and are fighting and dying for their country, where the future depends on them and their fellow citizens, the commander of U.S. Central Command said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - A soldier assigned to Task Force 3rd Medical Command died yesterday in Baghdad from non-battle-related injuries, and the Defense Department has identified 10 earlier casualties.

WASHINGTON - NATO leaders will meet in New York later this week to discuss the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force effort in Afghanistan and the best way to meet its outstanding requirements.

WASHINGTON - A California-based program designed to reinforce the benefits of reading aloud to children is making it easier for deployed parents to do so.

WASHINGTON - New identification cards to be issued to Defense Department employees beginning next month will help standardize workforce identification and security access systems across the government, a senior Defense Department official said here Sept. 15.

CANTON, Ohio - Five years into the global war on terrorism, there are still plenty of Ohioans who want to become one of the few and the proud, an official here told American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON - Enlisted leaders from all the military combatant commands and the different branches of service met here last week to discuss issues pertaining to the enlisted force and cooperation between the military and other government agencies.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The National Guard’s domestic equipment levels must be significantly improved, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Sept. 16.

WASHINGTON - South Dakota’s wildlife management agency, which routinely issues permits to anglers hoping to land a big walleye fish, has hooked a Defense Department-sponsored award for exceptional support of its employees in the Guard and Reserve.

ODESSA, Ukraine - Members of the California Air National Guard are participating in a disaster response exercise here with civilian and military personnel from Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

VILSECK, Germany - Another piece of U.S. Army, Europe's ongoing transformation fell into place during ceremonies welcoming its newest warriors, the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, here Sept. 15.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Leaders of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Task Force Band of Brothers marked the division’s return here from Iraq by uncasing the unit colors in a homecoming ceremony Sept. 15.

WASHINGTON - After a week of activities commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, President Bush said yesterday he’s looking forward to meeting with world leaders this week to strengthen international cooperation in fighting terrorism.

WASHINGTON - One U.S. soldier died and another was wounded in Afghanistan during two separate battles on a firebase near Khowst, near the Pakistan border, U.S. officials said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - As a small, member-owned cooperative, Skyline Membership Corporation has always believed in treating its employees well.

WASHINGTON - In response to an alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Defense Commissary Agency is advising its customers not to eat any bagged fresh spinach. The FDA alert, dated yesterday, warns that the bagged spinach “may be a possible cause” of the confirmed outbreak of E. coli.

WASHINGTON - Newly promoted Navy Lt. Cmdr. Abuhena M. Saifulislam had always wanted to serve Islam, even as a young boy growing up in Bangladesh.

WASHINGTON - Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Gloria Estefan made a trip to the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt yesterday to promote the military’s “United Through Reading” literacy program by singing and reading to children of military families.

WASHINGTON - There’s no question that parts of Iraq are dangerous or that the mission there is tough, but President Bush said today he’s convinced progress continues and vowed that the United States won’t abandon the Iraqis.

WASHINGTON - Before Kentucky archrivals Beechwood and Covington Catholic high schools hit the gridiron tonight, servicemembers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 504th Infantry Regiment will find themselves at the center of the field.

WASHINGTON - Military and defense leaders, former prisoners of war and families of missing servicemembers gathered here today to commemorate National POW/MIA Recognition Day and to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring a full accounting of those missing in action.

WASHINGTON - The pending legislation in Congress about detaining, questioning and trying suspected terrorists will give military intelligence professionals the clarity they need to protect the American people from another terrorist attack, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is committed to peace and security on the Korean peninsula, and decisions about placement and size of U.S. forces there will be made in consultation with the South Korean government, President Bush said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The commander of the Army’s 3rd Corps and Fort Hood used the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States as an opportunity to remind his troops -- most of whom have played active roles in the global war on terror -- about the importance of their mission in keeping America safe.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military’s goal is to win the fight against insurgents in Anbar province and across Iraq, but leaders recognize that winning will take more than just military operations, a top U.S. general in Iraq said today.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An agreement heralded the promise of a new State Partnership Program between the Ohio National Guard and Serbia’s military forces that, officials said, could lead to improved security and economic growth for the Serbian people and pave the way for Serbia’s entrance into NATO and the European Union.

WASHINGTON - All Defense Department civilians pledge to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies” when they take the federal oath of office upon joining the department, so defense civilians should seek to learn more about the government that they -– like U.S. servicemembers -- have vowed to protect, DoD officials believe.

COTONOU, Benin - Spending 10 days ridding cattle of lice and worms is a job that would make many people squeamish. But for a U.S. Army Europe veterinary team deployed to exercise MEDFLAG ’06, it came as a welcome change of pace.

WASHINGTON - A suicide car bomber killed two Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers and wounded 30 others yesterday west of Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - As Iraqi and coalition forces work hand-in-hand to secure Iraq, thousands of reconstruction projects under way are providing another critical contribution to the country’s long-term success, the Army Corps of Engineers commander in Iraq told reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Brian Ambrose knew from the start that the DuPont company valued its employees who were in the reserve components.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army soldiers freed a man who was being held and tortured by members of an illegal armed group in Diwaniyah, Iraq, during a raid today, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - Two Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers were killed today in Iraq, and another soldier died yesterday. Also, the Defense Department released the name of a previous casualty from the war on terror, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - As Americans pause to observe POW/MIA Recognition Day tomorrow, teams of military and civilian experts will be excavating sites in Europe, South Korea, Solomon Islands, Alaska and Hawaii, looking for remains to help identify servicemembers still missing from past wars.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Military representatives from 26 countries reviewed the importance of sports in the military at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire’s fourth symposium Sept. 11 through today at the Springfield Hilton.

WASHINGTON - Iraq is facing grave challenges as it transitions into a democratic society, but Iraqi leaders are committed to the country’s success and are working hard to create a political situation that will allow the terrorists to be defeated, Iraq’s deputy prime minister said here today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition forces captured a key al Qaeda operative and some 70 more terror suspects in Iraq during a series of 25 raids in and around Baghdad Sept. 12, a senior Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters in Baghdad today.

WASHINGTON - Next time the munchies hit, Americans in some parts of the United States only need to look for the red, white and blue bag asking shoppers to “Support Our Troops.”

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - A disease has robbed 23-year-old Jenni Craig of her hair, her health and, possibly, her future. But the one thing Jenni and her husband, Army Spc. William Craig, refuse to let go of is hope.

WASHINGTON - An administrator in a Defense Department school in Germany has been selected as the 2007 National Principal of the Year for Middle School.

WASHINGTON - Special operations forces personnel, so accustomed to operating in the shadows, stepped sadly into the light tonight as the Navy presented the widows of two SEALs killed in Afghanistan with the nation’s second-highest military award for valor.

WASHINGTON - About 50 authors, including current and former servicemen and women as well as family members, gathered in the Library of Congress's Thomas Jefferson Building last evening to sign copies of a 377-page book of their observations and experiences in the global war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police detained three suspected insurgents and discovered a makeshift bomb near a mosque in Mosul, Iraq, Sept. 11, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - Last week, a Brewster, Mass., teen marked a milestone in his support of U.S. troops deployed overseas.

WASHINGTON - When Noel Totten arrived home to find 40 leather-clad motorcyclists pulled up at his house in Bloomington, Minn., he knew why they’d come -- to pay their respects for the loss of his brother.

WASHINGTON - A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier died yesterday when his vehicle struck a makeshift bomb south of Baghdad, and a soldier assigned to a battalion under the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died Sept. 11, from injuries suffered due to enemy action in Iraq’s Anbar province, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - A 17-year-old Los Angeles boy likes the sentiment of the old song about tying a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree to remember someone who’s away from home. But Matthew Cook is taking the idea a step -- make that a mile -- further.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Staff Sgt. Mike Myers experienced one of the most frightening events of his life in Afghanistan, while the birth of his child was taking place simultaneously more than 7,000 miles away.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Hundreds of people gathered here on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks to participate in one of seven Freedom Walks throughout the Hampton Roads area to remember victims of the attacks and honor U.S. servicemembers, veterans, police and fire fighters.

FORT RILEY, Kan. - The voices of more than 500 Ware Elementary School “Bears” chimed together chanting “U-S-A,” “We love America” and other patriotic slogans yesterday as they paraded through the McClellan Heights housing area here waving flags and banners during the school’s Freedom Walk.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - Surrounded by a breathtaking panorama of foothills painted in a variety of hues by warm, late-afternoon sunshine, hundreds of Californians gathered yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library here for Simi Valley’s inaugural Freedom Walk.

WASHINGTON - Different parts of Iraq have different security environments, and that is important to recognize as Americans assess stories coming out of the country, officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Five years after military recruiting hit the ceiling after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, recruiting remains solid, with every service meeting its active-duty recruiting goal for the 15th consecutive month.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - This colonial city, Maryland’s capital and home of the U.S. Naval Academy, commemorated the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks yesterday morning with its first Maryland Freedom Walk.

WASHINGTON - A coalition soldier died in a vehicle accident yesterday in Afghanistan, U.S. military officials reported, and the Defense Department released the identities of U.S. servicemembers killed recently supporting the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces in Afghanistan quelled rocket attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border yesterday after extremists hiding in nearby hills fired on them, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - The use of biological-based products is important to the nation’s economy and to national security, because these products help reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy resources, the deputy secretary of defense said here today.

OKLAHOMA CITY - With the sun hanging low in the western sky yesterday, Oklahomans of all ages assembled at the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial.

SEBRING, Ohio - Under a “no rain” proclamation issued earlier in the week by the town’s mayor, Colton Lockner, age 9, led nearly 2,000 people in Sebring, Ohio’s first Freedom Walk yesterday.

SAN ANTONIO - Despite a downpour and half-flooded streets, about 1,200 people braved the rain yesterday to participate in San Antonio’s first Freedom Walk, a 2-mile tribute to the 3,000 victims of Sept. 11, 2001.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is honoring the Fred Fletemeyer Company, a small family-owned construction business in Colorado Springs, Colo., with its most prestigious award for employers who support National Guard and reserve troops.

WASHINGTON - Success in Iraq is critical to success in the global war on terror, President Bush said tonight during a televised address to the American people on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States tonight by calling on the nation to remember those lost that day and to unite in moving forward to win the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - On a day filled with events across the country commemorating the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a group of 94 bicyclists marked the occasion in their own way, by completing a 272-mile journey from Ground Zero in New York City to the Pentagon here.

WASHINGTON - The United States is undoubtedly safer than five years ago, but “we are not yet safe,” Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said here today.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Servicemembers from around the Hampton Roads, Va., area came together at Mount Trashmore Park here today to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led Little Rock’s Freedom Walk today, marking the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld talked about the nature of terrorism as part of Radio Day at the Pentagon today, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

WASHINGTON - A Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosive strapped to his body today during the funeral ceremony for the late governor of Afghanistan’s Paktia province, Mohammad Hakim Taniwal, U.S. military officials reported.

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Soldiers and families of the 3rd Infantry Division, representatives of Fort Stewart, the city of Hinesville and Liberty County, and more than 1,000 other guests displayed their unity at twilight yesterday to observe the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, with a commemorative Freedom Walk.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon employees gathered here today to remember those lost Sept. 11, 2001, as well as those serving in uniform today in the global war on terror, with prayer, reflection and a musical tribute by Selah, a contemporary Christian group.

WASHINGTON - A group of American seamstresses is working to apply an old-fashioned skill -- sewing -- to help today’s wounded veterans.

WASHINGTON - Immediately after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the nation was thrown into a war-time mode, and the public got a glimpse of the culture inside the Pentagon and the quality of the people who work there, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said here today.

BAGHDAD - Multinational Corps Iraq held a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Al Faw palace here today, reminding everyone in attendance why servicemembers stand on foreign ground today.

WASHINGTON - Tears flowed freely under the gray sky as family members of those killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gathered outside the Pentagon today to honor the memory of their loved ones.

WASHINGTON - One result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was the establishment of U.S. Northern Command to deal with threats aimed at the United States, the organization’s commander said here today.

WASHINGTON - The media spotlight shone on the Pentagon today, five years after the terrorist attack killed 184 people here.

WASHINGTON - Amid the thousands of walkers at the Pentagon yesterday commemorating the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and the nation’s past and present veterans, was a group that looks to help those veterans in a very tangible way.

WASHINGTON - They represented a cross-section of America -- thousands of men, women and children of all ages, races and backgrounds from every corner of the country -- and came together yesterday during the second annual America Supports You Freedom Walk here to pay tribute to those killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

JACKSON, N.H. - On the west side of the historic Jackson Covered Bridge, built in 1836, nearly 100 residents and visitors of the Mount Washington Valley gathered yesterday to participate in a Freedom Walk.

WASHINGTON - It takes a lot of electrical wattage to produce the 184 beams of light that are shooting skyward from the Pentagon’s center courtyard this evening.

WASHINGTON - People kept a respectful silence as 184 beams of white light emanated from the Pentagon’s center courtyard this evening, rising into the night sky like lonely wraiths searching for lost loved ones.

WASHINGTON - As thousands of people streamed into the Pentagon parking lot at the end of the America Support You Freedom Walk tonight, they were greeted by representatives of a variety of groups that run programs to support America’s servicemembers and families.

WASHINGTON - President Bush and first lady Laura Bush laid two wreaths today at Ground Zero, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once soared into the New York City sky.

WASHINGTON - A sea of walkers in white shirts proudly proclaiming their participation in the America Supports You Freedom Walk walked from Washington to the Pentagon to remember those murdered on Sept. 11, 2001.

CHICAGO - As hundreds of Chicagoans huddled in a cold rain in anticipation of today’s Freedom Walk here, a member of the city council told them that while the weather may have kept their numbers down, their spirit and the freedoms it represents are what make America strong.

CHICAGO - Unity and remembrance emerged as the resounding themes of today’s Freedom Walk here.

WASHINGTON - About 1,200 Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders along with a peppering of folks on other types of bikes rode in the fourth annual “Rattle the Runway Ride" today to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

CHICAGO - Hundreds of people braved a cold rain in Chicago’s Freedom Walk here today, drawn by the chance to make a statement in remembering the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and honoring the nation’s past and present servicemembers.

AURORA, Colo. - If you tell Army Staff Sgt. Paul Brondhaver he’s a hero, he’ll just laugh and shake his head. He’s heard it before, but he doesn’t think he’s any more of a hero than the millions of men and women who served before him or alongside him.

WASHINGTON - Iraq is the major front in the war on terror, and even though no weapons of mass destruction have been found there, it was still the right call to overthrow Saddam Hussein, Vice President Dick Cheney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” today.

AURORA, Colo. - Hundreds of Coloradoans stepped out from the site of the state’s future veterans memorial this morning and walked a mile and a half to the Aurora Municipal Center here to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to honor the nation’s past and present veterans.

WASHINGTON - For only the second time, Pentagon officials today allowed the general public access to the building’s memorial to the 184 people killed when American Airlines flight 77 hit the building.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force major missing in Kyrgyzstan since Sept. 5 was found alive, officials with U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward, in Southwest Asia, announced yesterday evening.

WASHINGTON - As the United States gets ready to mark the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept, 11, 2001, it is important to remember and honor the memory of every person lost on that day, President Bush said today.

WASHINGTON - White Sands Missile Range, N.M., yesterday became the first U.S. city to hold a local Freedom Walk.

WASHINGTON - Army leaders are committed to ensuring soldiers have the best force-protection capability possible, but also want to avoid giving soldiers a false sense of security, service officials said here today.

WASHINGTON - Adm. Edmund G. Giambastiani Jr., the most senior military officer serving in the Pentagon today who was present during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, recalls the painful irony of the day.

WASHINGTON - Troops appreciate a congressionally legislated insurance program that provides financial aid to badly wounded servicemembers, a senior DoD official told a Senate committee here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The morale of American GIs serving in Iraq continues to be high, regardless of the danger, difficult conditions and family sacrifices they face, the Army’s top enlisted leader said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army units, along with coalition force advisors, conducted multiple raids yesterday to capture suspected insurgents, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - Chicago will remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and the nation’s past and present veterans with a Freedom Walk on Sept. 10 at the north lawn of Soldier Field.

WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of Americans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are preparing to put on their walking shoes during the next few days as they participate in Freedom Walks to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to honor veterans, past and present.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - For the first time in its 52-year history, the Japan Air Self Defense Force began its first United Nations mission over the skies of Iraq, Sept. 6. The first flight of the new mission landed safely at Baghdad International Airport before returning to its forward deployed location in Southwest Asia later that day.

WASHINGTON - A soldier and a Marine were killed in separate incidents in Iraq this week, U.S. military officials reported, and the Defense Department released the identities of four servicemembers killed recently supporting the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Continual training with coalition forces has increased the capabilities of the Iraqi army and police in northern Iraq and allowed the local forces to take responsibility for more territory and work toward the future of the country, the U.S. commander in the area said today.

WASHINGTON - August saw “a significant decrease in violence” in Iraq, the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - It was an “eerie feeling” returning to the United States after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace.

WASHINGTON - Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers was visiting senators on Capitol Hill Sept. 11, 2001, when he first heard of a plane hitting the World Trade Center.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide attack on a coalition convoy in central Kabul today killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded another.

WASHINGTON - DoD is spending almost $3.5 billion this year to defeat improvised explosive devices, and the effort’s leader today said he expects the same level of funding in fiscal 2007.

WASHINGTON - NATO forces in southern Afghanistan are not in dire need of reinforcements, but the international community needs to fulfill its commitment of military forces to ensure the ground commander has enough flexibility to quell the rise in violence in the region, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said today.

WASHINGTON - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Nelson Felix Lebron said a number of reasons, aside from serving his country, led him to join the military.

WASHINGTON - Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., has partnered with the Waynesville School District and communities surrounding the base to host a Freedom Walk on Sept. 11, a Fort Leonard Wood official said.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is now officially the commander in chief of his troops. Coalition forces handed over operational control of Iraq’s navy, air force and the 8th Iraqi Army Division in a ceremony today.

WASHINGTON - Fourteen men believed to be high-level terrorist leaders arrived in recent days at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and were transferred to Defense Department custody without incident, the commander of the U.S. military detention facility there said today.

WASHINGTON - The American Legion is focused, as always, on fighting for veterans’ rights, but also on supporting the troops serving today in the war on terrorism, the Legion’s two new leaders said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Although some people may call the war in Iraq a diversion from the war on terror, terrorists disagree, and they recognize that their long-term success or failure hinges on what happens in Iraq, President Bush said today during an address in Marietta, Ga.

WASHINGTON - Five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the United States is safer because it’s made sweeping changes to close security gaps revealed that day and has taken the terrorist fight to the enemy, President Bush said today in Marietta, Ga.

WASHINGTON - Sept. 11, 2001, started beautifully. But by 10 a.m., the clear blue skies were marred by black smoke rising above horrific scenes of death and destruction.

WASHINGTON - Starbucks didn’t just wish then-Army Capt. Matt Parkinson well when he was activated to serve in Iraq as part of the Washington National Guard.

KABUL, Afghanistan - For the last five years, here in the heart of Afghanistan’s largest city, lies the nerve center for the command and control of Operation Enduring Freedom, the mission to defeat al Qaeda and associated terrorist movements.

WASHINGTON - In addition to ensuring humane treatment of all detainees, a new policy directive and field manual released yesterday hold all servicemembers involved in or familiar with detainee operations accountable to ensure they are enforced.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers died in separate incidents in Iraq yesterday, and officials have identified 13 servicemembers who died during war on terrorism operations in the past two weeks.

WASHINGTON - Thousands of Kentuckians are expected to show their patriotism at the Sept. 10 Freedom Walk in Louisville, Ky., a volunteer organizer for the event said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England views them over the course of three distinct days he said forever changed America: one day the country celebrated its greatness, the next, that greatness came under attack, and the third day, the nation began striking back.

WASHINGTON - Nearly five years after America “awoke to a nightmare attack” on Sept. 11, 2001, the nation is thankful that terrorists haven’t succeeded in launching another attack on U.S. soil, but recognizes that it’s not for the terrorists’ lack of trying, President Bush said at the White House today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today announced the transfer of 14 high-value terrorist detainees from CIA custody to confinement at the Defense Department’s detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that he asked Congress to authorize military commissions to try them.

WASHINGTON - A new policy directive and field manual released today establish crystal-clear guidelines on U.S. military detention and interrogation policies and further the Defense Department’s longstanding policy of humane treatment for all detainees, defense officials told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is focusing efforts to ensure servicemembers stationed overseas and in the United States know their options for voting in the 2006 congressional and local elections.

WASHINGTON - Columbia, S.C., will remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and honor servicemembers past and present with a Freedom Walk Sept. 11, according to a news release from the city.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force special investigators and Kyrgyz authorities are continuing search efforts to locate an Air Force officer missing since Sept. 5, officials said.

WASHINGTON - The northwestern suburbs of Chicago will hold a Freedom Walk on Sept. 9 to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and to honor the nation's veterans, past and present.

WASHINGTON - At about 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Debra Wagner and her colleagues at the Pentagon got a phone call telling them to turn on the television. There had been a terrible “accident” in New York City.

WASHINGTON - Waxhaw, N.C., will be awash in red, white and blue Sept. 9, as the town holds a Freedom Walk and “Waving Patriotism” event to commemorate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and honor servicemembers, past and present.

WASHINGTON - Army Sgt. J.R. Schultz spent much of his down time in Iraq writing songs with his buddies. The endeavor paid big dividends when he entered the Dallas Songwriters Association’s “Songs From the Soul of Service” amateur songwriting contest.

WASHINGTON - The Afghan government is implementing a new national security system designed to strengthen the country’s security apparatus, U.S. officials reported.

WASHINGTON - As the Iraqi army gains in numbers and capability, so too does the country’s air force, which aims to grow to 2,500 airmen by the year’s end, the commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said.

WASHINGTON - For the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Iraqi prime minister, through the Iraqi minister of defense, will take operational control of the Iraqi ground forces command structure and the country’s air forces and navy tomorrow, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - A high-level al Qaeda in Iraq leader whose capture was announced Sept. 3 by the Iraqi government was actually captured June 19 and has been yielding valuable intelligence since then, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - When José Rojas went to pull a badly burned woman from a Pentagon window after Islamic extremists drove a commercial airliner headlong into the building, her skin came off in his hands.

WASHINGTON - The same global positioning technology that helps fighter and bomber pilots deliver smart bombs with pinpoint accuracy now allows bundles dropped from cargo planes to steer themselves to drop zones.

WASHINGTON - For the man who now serves as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, watching the televised image of an airliner hitting the World Trade Center signaled the end of an era as the country was thrust into war.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today released his updated National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, which outlines the U.S. government’s strategy to protect and defend American interests at home and abroad from terrorism.

WASHINGTON - An early U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq would play into terrorists’ plans of establishing a new world order of radical Islam, President Bush told members of a military officers’ group here today.

FONTANA, Calif. - For the sixth time since a California teenager began her quest two and a half years ago to collect and distribute a million thank you letters to U.S. servicemembers, the “A Million Thanks” organization set up its booth at a Nextel Cup NASCAR race.

WASHINGTON - Two Marines and a sailor assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died yesterday due to enemy action while operating in Iraq’s Anbar province, and the Defense Department has identified two soldiers who previously died in Iraq.

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq - Iraqi police and soldiers, along with U.S. Marines and soldiers from Regimental Combat Team 7, detained 30 confirmed insurgents and 38 suspected insurgents over the weekend throughout the Anbar province in western Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Military officials in Southwest Asia are expressing regret and offering condolences in the wake of a “friendly fire” incident in Afghanistan yesterday that claimed one coalition soldier’s life and wounded several others.

WASHINGTON - For four hours on Sept. 9, Pentagon tours will return to a pre-Sept. 11, 2001, “normal.”

WASHINGTON - Enemy roadside bombs claimed the lives of three U.S. soldiers in Iraq over the past two days, another soldier died today of non-combat causes, and two Marines were killed yesterday during fighting in Anbar province, U.S. officials reported.

TAL AFAR, Iraq - The 1st, Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, became the third and final battalion to take the lead in assuming security operations for the city of Tal Afar during a ceremony held at Fort Tal Afar on Sept. 2, U.S. officials reported.

BAGHDAD - Two Longbow Apache helicopters provided air-to-ground support to American soldiers by blasting enemy vehicles during action in western Baghdad yesterday, U.S. officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police killed one of the most wanted insurgent leaders in the Euphrates River Valley during a Sept. 2 counterinsurgency operation in the city of Rawah, U.S. officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 found hundreds of weapons recently during Operation Rubicon in Mushin, Iraq, west of Habbaniyah, U.S. officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The capture of a top-tier terrorist has left al Qaeda in Iraq in a "serious leadership crisis," an Iraqi government official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Citing media reports suggesting a possible connection between three U.S. soldiers killed in June and the alleged rape of an Iraqi girl and murder of the girl and her family in March, military officials in Iraq today issued a statement saying “no evidence” connects the dead soldiers to the incident.

WASHINGTON - Bruce Gorman is driven, literally, in demonstrating his belief that Americans should close ranks against terrorism and never forget the people who were killed during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

WASHINGTON - Two American soldiers and one Marine died in Iraq today in two separate incidents, and another Marine was killed Sept. 1, U.S. officials reported.

WASHINGTON - An Iraqi Army unit caught a mid-level leader of an illegal militia group during an early-morning Aug. 31 raid in southeastern Baghdad, according to Multinational Corps Iraq officials.

WASHINGTON - An early withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would give victory to the terrorists and put the American people in danger, President Bush said here yesterday.

WINTHROP, Wash. - Task Force Blaze is returning home to Fort Lewis, Wash., today, following a three-week deployment to fight wildfires in the state’s north-central region.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Civilians make up more than 84 percent of the people killed by suicide bombers throughout Afghanistan this year, military officials here reported today.

BAGHDAD - Soldiers from 1st Iraqi Army Division assumed control of the Abu Ghraib prison here from U.S. Army Task Force 134 in a ceremony here Sept. 1.

WASHINGTON - When describing the vast scope of the air mission in support of ground troops waging the war on terror, the commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces paints some graphic images.

WASHINGTON - A test of the Ground-based Missile Defense System today was a total success, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering III, the director of the Missile Defense Agency.

WASHINGTON - Violence in Iraqi is up, but there has been progress on the political and economic fronts, according to the Defense Department’s quarterly report to Congress, released today.

WASHINGTON - Fort Riley, Kan., an Army base that’s been a big player in the war on terror, will commemorate the terrorist attacks that gave rise to it during a Freedom Walk Sept. 11, the fifth anniversary of those attacks.

WASHINGTON - More military health system beneficiaries are opting to have prescriptions mailed to their homes, rather than picking up medications at installation or commercial-sector pharmacies, a military health care official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The commander of coalition forces in East Baghdad is “cautiously optimistic” for the future in his area of operations.

WASHINGTON - Extremists severely damaged a co-ed school in Afghanistan’s Paktika province today with a makeshift bomb, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Interest is building on Capitol Hill in putting a nationwide cap on the interest rates lenders can charge servicemembers for loans, a measure the Defense Department is pushing to protect its force.

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Ground Forces Command assumed command and control here today of one of its Iraqi army divisions from the Multinational Corps Iraq, marking what officials here said is the first step toward Iraqi sovereignty over the country’s armed forces.

WASHINGTON - Americans can help the nation’s servicemembers by helping Brittany and Robbie Bergquist and their organization, Cell Phones for Soldiers, win one of three $50,000 Volvo for Life Awards.