WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today evoked the Cold War and its ultimate result in making the case for U.S. policy in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The enemy is likely to "pull out all the stops" to disrupt the upcoming Iraqi constitutional referendum and election, but won't succeed, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq told Pentagon reporters today.

NAVAL AIR STATION NEW ORLEANS, La. - A specially tailored Marine task force ordered to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is headed home after wrapping up its work in some of the region's most devastated communities.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs and ABC Radio Networks have partnered on a program to enhance VA's outreach to America's nearly 25 million veterans, officials announced Sept. 29.

WASHINGTON - Marine Gen. Peter Pace vowed today that as he gives his best military advice to the president and other members of the National Security Council, he "will remember not only the mission, but the impact it will have on the lance corporals and the airmen and the lieutenants junior grade and the captains."

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld pointed to this week's open congressional hearings involving the two top generals in Iraq as an opportunity for the world to watch democracy in action. Had the tides been turned, he said, terrorists would have had some "awkward" explanations to make.

WASHINGTON - It's just as important to fight for American ideals today as it was in 1776, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said today during his Armed Forces Farewell Tribute.

WASHINGTON - Iraq's Sunni Arabs marginalized themselves and fanned fractional discord when they largely boycotted national elections held in January, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told U.S. House of Representatives members at a Sept. 29 hearing here.

WASHINGTON - Renovation of the second wedge of the Pentagon is nearly completed, keeping the program right on schedule and even slightly under budget, the program's director said here Sept. 29.

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - A select team of combat aviation advisors from the 6th Special Operations Squadron here deployed to the edge of the Sahara desert to conduct a joint exchange training exercise with the fledgling Niger air force in August.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army troops working with coalition personnel detained a suspected insurgent recruiter Sept. 29 in Fallujah, Iraq, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces and multinational forces from Task Force Freedom detained 44 suspected terrorists and seized a number of weapons during operations in northern Iraq Sept. 26-30, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Five soldiers assigned to 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed by an improvised explosive device in Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 28, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from Task Force Baghdad's 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 448th Civil Affairs Battalion conducted a humanitarian aid drop in the Nissan district of Iraq's capital Sept. 28.

WASHINGTON - Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers started his last day on the job today reflecting on the war on terror that's dominated his term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and affirming his belief that the United States "will be successful in Iraq."

WASHINGTON - Al Qaeda terrorists hope to drive American influence from the Middle East and install a global Muslim leader in Saudi Arabia, Army Gen. John Abizaid said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. leaders of the American effort in Iraq told senators that U.S. strategy in the country is correct and that Americans must see it through.

WASHINGTON - The National Endowment for the Arts launched its "Great American Voices Military Base Tour: Unforgettable Melodies from Opera and Broadway" during a special performance Sept. 28 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery here.

WASHINGTON - The Army's senior engineer described ongoing efforts to "dewater" New Orleans following hurricanes Katrina and Rita during a Sept. 28 House subcommittee hearing here.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Most Americans take running water for granted. Not so for some residents near Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk. Before January 2005, they had never had running water.

WASHINGTON - The determination of the Iraqi people to resist terrorists and to advance the cause of democracy in their country is what will win the war there, a military official in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition forces detained 10 suspects and seized weapons and ammunition in operations across Iraq on Sept. 28, military officials reported.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Canada's humanitarian-relief efforts in the United States Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina have shown, once again, that the two countries enjoy "a great relationship," the new U.S. ambassador to Canada said last week during a visit to the headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command here.

WASHINGTON - It is too soon to say whether there will be "fairly substantial" cuts in the U.S. military presence in Iraq, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq said here Sept. 28.

WASHINGTON - So many people asked Susan Feland why she attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and, even more, why she would want to be in the military, it dawned on her that women graduates of military academies are special and different from women in mainstream American society.

WASHINGTON - Five Iraqi civilians were killed and 30 were wounded in a suicide-bomber attack in Tal Afar, Iraq, today, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - When it comes to shaping the face of the armed forces, few people have as significant and direct a role as the recruiters who fill the ranks.

WASHINGTON - Elements of the Texas National Guard continue supporting relief efforts for areas affected by Hurricane Rita, and Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, has been providing essential support, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England kicked off the 2005 Combined Federal Campaign here today by thanking Defense Department employees for their generosity in supporting hurricane-relief efforts and encouraging them to continue that same level of support for other important causes.

WASHINGTON - A soldier assigned to 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in action Sept. 27 by small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces are increasing in size and capability, and American forces are constantly adapting their tactics to fight the ever-changing tactics of terrorists in Iraq, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - As America confronts violent extremists, the military and civilians of the Defense Department must work more closely than ever before, and the example starts right at the top.

WASHINGTON - One 56th Brigade Combat Team soldier died and another was wounded as a result of an improvised-explosive-device attack during a combat logistics patrol at about 10:45 a.m. today near Safwan, Iraq, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Balad, Iraq, in July 2003 was a hot, dusty outpost for the American Army. In the morning, the outpost had received a "nuisance" mortar attack, but that didn't stop planning for the arrival of the highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. military.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department wants to wait for after-action reviews of operations following Hurricane Katrina before making recommendations on changing laws or policies, Defense leaders said today.

WASHINGTON - About 3,600 soldiers and airmen of the Texas National Guard continue to conduct relief operations in the areas of eastern and southeastern Texas hardest hit by Hurricane Rita, military officials reported today.

ARLINGTON, Va. - No woman wants to be a "female dean" anymore than she wants to be a "female ship driver," a "female pilot," a "female tank mechanic," or a "woman warrior," the first woman dean of faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy said here Sept. 24.

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - Active-duty and reserve-component rescue airmen are "staging to depart" after spending the past five days supporting Hurricane Rita rescue missions along the Texas-Louisiana border.

WASHINGTON - In his last news conference as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers today once again urged Americans to maintain their resolve and determination against terrorism. Myers will retire Sept. 30.

WASHINGTON - There is no quick solution to overhauling the defense acquisition system to make it more responsive to warfighter needs and taxpayer interests, Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the Senate Armed Services Committee here today.

WASHINGTON - A Marine assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed by an improvised explosive device Sept. 24 in Khalidiyah, Iraq, military officials reported today.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - A U.S. soldier and a U.S. Marine were killed Sept. 26 in separate attacks near Kandahar and Asadabad, Afghanistan, military officials reported today.

KELLY USA, Texas - Not since the 1840s has the Mexican military flown its flag as a deployed military force in the United States, Mexican officials here said today - especially so close to the site of the famed battle of the Alamo where Texas volunteers fought the Mexicans in a bloody daylong clash.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - U.S. military forces confirmed all five personnel aboard a CH-47 transport helicopter were killed when it crashed southwest of Deh Chopan on Sept. 25.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today urged Congress to consider whether the Defense Department should play a lead role in coordinating responses to catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina.

CAMP MABRY, Texas - As Hurricane Rita gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico, 3,600 Texas National Guard soldiers and airmen were mobilizing and readying to assist Texans in the aftermath of the storm. By Sept. 20, four days before the storm made landfall, guardsmen were already in place along Interstate 35 and moving into the storm as it neared the Texas coast.

CONROE, Texas - Unlike the early stages of the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, getting people to safety hasn't been the top priority for 1st Cavalry Division aviation troops conducting disaster-relief operations in the wake of Hurricane Rita.

ELLINGTON FIELD, Texas - A Texas Air National Guardsman was awarded the Army Commendation Medal Sept. 25 for helping thousands of Texans flee Hurricane Rita as the storm churned off the Texas coast.

WASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq today after two separate attacks with improvised explosive devices. Elsewhere, officials released 1,000 "security detainees" from Abu Ghraib prison as a goodwill gesture for the Muslim holy month, Ramadan.

BEAUMONT, Texas - The South Texas State Fairgrounds is now the hub of relief operations for several Texas National Guard task forces organized to provide Hurricane Rita victims with humanitarian relief. The storm pounded the Louisiana-Texas border Sept. 24.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers often speaks of the long line of men and women in the military who have stepped forward when their country called. He met two such men at an award ceremony here Sept. 24.

WASHINGTON - Led by scores of Gold Star family members from throughout the United States, several hundred Americans today rallied on the National Mall here to support U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - One U.S. soldier was killed and two wounded when their vehicle rolled over while conducting a combat logistics patrol at about 2:30 p.m. today near Trebil, Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The American Red Cross has a long history of providing support to members of the United States armed forces.

MISSION, Kan. - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers received the greetings of friends -- some of whom he has known since kindergarten -- here Sept. 24 as he attended the reunion of the Shawnee Mission North High School Class of 1965.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force search-and-rescue crews have been combing the Gulf Coast since the afternoon of Sept. 24, and the Air Force's auxiliary volunteer force continues to assist in aerial damage assessment.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition forces have scored several successes against insurgent forces in Iraq in recent days.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. - A hero of the battle of Ia Drang, in Vietnam, finally received the Silver Star for his actions of Nov. 17, 1965.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today visited U.S. Northern Command to see military personnel in action as they dealt with humanitarian issues surrounding the landfall of Hurricane Rita.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Joint Task Force Rita has been established here to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency as they support state and local authorities in response to Hurricane Rita, which came ashore this morning packing 120 mph winds near the southeastern tip of Texas.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Six days ago the Army Medical Department Center and School and Fort Sam Houston here began to mobilize personnel and resources in preparation for Hurricane Rita. The first truck carrying relief supplies arrived about 48 hours later. Since then, more than 135 have followed.

WASHINGTON - As part of a comprehensive, government-led hurricane-relief effort, the U.S. Air Force evacuated nearly 2,000 Gulf Coast residents from the path of Hurricane Rita Sept. 22.

WASHINGTON - Sixty years ago, elements of the 11th Armored Division from Patton's own 3rd Army liberated the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Among the prisoners freed was Tibor "Ted" Rubin, a 15-year-old Hungarian who had lost his father, mother and sister to concentration camps.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is working closely and proactively with federal and state government agencies to save lives and property threatened by Hurricane Rita, President Bush said today in his weekly radio address.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers have maintained the offensive in Iraq and have stopped ongoing terrorist activities and captured numerous terrorist suspects in recent days, military officials said.

WASHINGTON - In preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Rita, the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard are positioning assets and equipment to aid in relief efforts.

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve honored several federal agencies at the D.C. National Guard Armory here Sept. 22.

WASHINGTON - Ten years ago, under the auspices of NATO, tens of thousands of U.S. forces entered Bosnia-Herzegovina to end a war, enforce a peace, and separate two warring armies in the same state.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi officials estimate 93 to 96 percent of eligible Iraqis have registered to vote in the country's constitutional referendum and national elections, a U.S. general in Iraq announced.

GULFPORT, Miss. - In the aftermath of a hurricane, the capabilities that a combat engineer battalion brings are pure gold.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved "a modest extension" of three units in Iraq for up to 10 days, Pentagon officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqis are very clear in their desire for freedom and are taking steps to ensure that freedom is secure, a senior military commander said during a briefing from Mosul, Iraq, today.

WASHINGTON - Ten enemy combatants and one Afghan National Army soldier were killed Sept. 22 during a firefight north of Deh Rahwodin Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers died in combat in separate incidents in Iraq Sept. 22, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - The successful Sept. 18 elections in Afghanistan signify a vital step toward democracy in that country, and the situation there is an example of the progress being made in the war on terror, President Bush said at the Pentagon today.

LOGISTICS SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, Iraq - Soldiers serving here proved they have not forgotten Army Sgt. Keith Matthew Maupin, the only U.S. soldier still listed as captured in Iraq. Base officials dedicated a new computer lab in Maupin's name Sept. 19.

WASHINGTON - Military units are gearing up today to react to Hurricane Rita's expected landfall late Sept. 23 or early Sept. 24, even as its response to Hurricane Katrina continues.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists are testing American will and resolve in Iraq, and failing that test would mean dire consequences for the safety and security of America, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition maritime forces in the northern Persian Gulf are working to develop the fledgling Iraqi navy and bring it to a level where it can sustain itself, a U.S. commander in the area said today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi troops captured and detained three men after being attacked Sept. 21 in western Fallujah, Iraq, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. Army soldiers died in separate incidents in Iraq Sept. 21, military officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military forces in the Horn of Africa are working to win the hearts and minds of the people and are preventing the spread of terrorism throughout the region, the area's U.S. commander said today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is adopting a more customer-focused approach to acquisitions, technology and logistics, the department's top AT&L official told a group of more than 300 industry leaders at the National Defense Industrial Association's September luncheon here today.

NEW ORLEANS - Soldiers have been providing security at disaster-recovery centers throughout the city here to assist New Orleans residents facing pressing financial and other needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

NEW ORLEANS - "This was the most deaths I've seen over the 24-plus years that I've been in the service," a senior 82nd Airborne Division noncommissioned officer said of his recently concluded duty with remains-recovery teams here.

WASHINGTON - In anticipation of the landfall of Hurricane Rita, nearly 2,000 National Guardsmen in Texas are on state active duty and the governor has authorized the activation of up to 5,000 of the more than 10,000 National Guardsmen currently available in the state, defense officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have captured two key terrorist medical doctors, dealing a serious blow to al Qaeda attempts to establish treatment facilities for terrorists in Iraq, military officials here announced this week.

WASHINGTON - Proceedings will resume within the month at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the military commission trial of David Hicks, the so-called "Australian Taliban," Defense Department officials announced Sept. 20.

WASHINGTON - One child was killed and another was injured when terrorists used them as human shields during coalition forces raids of three terrorist safe houses Sept. 20 in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, officials in Baghdad reported today.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Rich Owens takes great pride in his role as the "owner/commander" of Kulis Air National Guard Base's "Ice Cream Support Squadron" here.

NEW ORLEANS - The Army's 82nd Airborne Division took to the water soon after it deployed to New Orleans to provide disaster relief assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the unit's two-star general said here Sept. 20.

WASHINGTON - The successful parliamentary elections in Afghanistan Sept. 18 have proven wrong all critics of U.S. efforts in that country, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a Pentagon news briefing today.

WASHINGTON - Former secretary of state and retired four-star Army general Colin Powell helped begin celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the National War College -- an institution he graduated from in 1976 -- with a speech to students Sept. 19.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army soldiers, accompanied by their U.S. counterparts from Forward Operating Base Michael, recently visited a school in downtown Mahmudiyah, Iraq, to deliver school supplies in one of the poorest communities in the area.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is fully capable to fulfill all its responsibilities, including homeland defense and relief efforts, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a Pentagon news briefing today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Northern Command is prepared to meet requests for assistance that the Federal Emergency Management Agency may issue prior to and in the wake of Hurricane Rita, military officials reported today.

NEW ORLEANS - Military medical specialists who often are airborne have been getting down to earth over the past week to attend to the medical needs of New Orleans residents who'd survived Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Five U.S. soldiers and a U.S. diplomat died in a series of four attacks in Iraq Sept. 19 and today.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Two enemy rockets struck a cultural center in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, today, injuring an Afghan girl and an Afghan National Police officer.

NEW ORLEANS - A National Guard unit soon will be conducting security and recovery missions for residents in Algiers, a New Orleans neighborhood located across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter.

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska - Staff members of the Armed Services YMCA here have stepped up to solve a transportation problem for people stationed here and at nearby Fort Richardson, Alaska.

NEW ORLEANS - Two Army Humvees chugged their way into another ravaged section of Algiers, an old New Orleans neighborhood set just across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter.

WASHINGTON - The military's enlisted personnel paid tribute to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers and his wife, Mary Jo, during a Pentagon ceremony today.

WASHINGTON - Though the Defense Department has made considerable progress in increasing Hispanic representation in its military and civilian work force, much more needs to be done, a top DoD official said here recently.

WASHINGTON - The people of Afghanistan successfully voted in new leaders Sept. 18. Limited violence was reported near only a handful of voting stations, military officials said.

NEW ORLEANS - The man in charge of a Baptist-run mission set in an impoverished neighborhood here said Sept. 18 that he's glad the Army arrived to help him meet the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces raided two terrorist safe houses in Mosul, Iraq, today, killing two terrorists and detaining three others, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department developed a new way for its employees to learn more about the Constitution and citizenship as part of the national attention on both this week.

WASHINGTON - For the third straight day, Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and coalition forces stymied enemy efforts to disrupt elections, as Afghan voters filled the more than 6,100 polling stations in every province today, military officials in the Afghan capital of Kabul reported.

WASHINGTON - A 56th Brigade Combat Team soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while on a combat logistics patrol Sept. 17 near Asad, Iraq, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Washington's young professional crowd turned out in droves at the Hard Rock Caf here Sept. 16 to show support for the military and to raise money for military families affected by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Early morning raids today resulted in the detention of five suspected terrorists and the confiscation or destruction of multiple weapons caches, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - Six Hispanic-American servicewomen were honored last week for outstanding achievements in the military services and their status as role models during the 2nd annual Latina Style Symposium awards luncheon sponsored by Latina Style magazine and co-hosted by the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin emerged from a Sept. 16 meeting with a renewed commitment to working together in fighting terrorism and preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

KABUL, Afghanistan - When the people of Afghanistan cast their ballots Sept. 18 to elect a lower house of parliament and councils for each of their nation's 34 provinces, their safety and security will be ensured through the coordinated efforts of the Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, as well as coalition forces, Afghan and coalition military officials report.

WASHINGTON - President Bush concurred with and sent the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission's report to Congress on Sept. 15 for legislative review, White House officials announced.

WASHINGTON - The commander of coalition troops in Iraq today described "an extremely successful tactical operation" in which U.S. and Iraqi troops all but cleared Tal Afar, Iraq, of foreign fighters.

WASHINGTON - The acting deputy defense secretary today reaffirmed the nation's commitment to fully account for all the nation's prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers can rest easy that their health care benefits will only improve with the chartering of the Military Health System Office of Transformation, the director of the new office said today.

WASHINGTON - More than 12 million Afghans are registered to vote in the country's general assembly elections slated for Sept. 18, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan interpreter was killed and two U.S. servicemembers were wounded Sept. 15 when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, military officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - A Marine assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed Sept. 15 from an indirect-fire explosion at Forward Operating Base Camp Ramadi in Iraq, military officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - The military will have a broader role in disaster response, based on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush said in a nationally televised address Sept. 15.

WASHINGTON - The Army Corps of Engineers continues working with New Orleans' authorities to repair levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina and to pump out remaining floodwater in the city, the corps' senior official said today.

WASHINGTON - The day after more than 330 Armed Services Retirement Home residents from Gulfport, Miss., were evacuated to the sister facility here after Hurricane Katrina, the ASRH deputy director looked ahead to brighter days for the elderly veterans.

NEW ORLEANS - Continuing on through adversity seems to be the norm for civilian employees of the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Reginald Peoples is a case in point.

WASHINGTON - The United Service Organizations revealed a well-kept secret during its annual gala here Sept. 14.

WASHINGTON - Because "democracy means failure for the insurgency" in Iraq, terrorists are employing violence across Iraq in an effort to derail the democratic process, a senior military Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters today during a Baghdad news conference.

NEW ORLEANS - The Crescent City will be dry long before originally thought, the commander of Task Force Unwatering said here Sept. 14.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Katrina wiped out the infrastructure throughout the Gulf Coast. Civil support teams working in response to Hurricane Katrina's widespread destruction have given commanders here needed capabilities.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - A U.S. servicemember was injured when an improvised explosive device struck a joint Afghan National Army and coalition forces patrol Sept. 14 south of Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Iraqi forces searched houses and fields during Operation Flea Flicker in Zafaraniya, Iraq, Sept. 14, military officials reported today.

BERLIN - NATO defense ministers, who met here Sept. 13 and 14, "are strongly committed to expanding NATO's role" in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a Sept. 14 news conference.

MANASSAS, Va. - Ronald and Felicia Alexander were smiling because the community was showing that their son, Army Green Beret Staff Sgt. LeRoy E. Alexander, 27, who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan on June 3, isn't forgotten.

WASHINGTON - Some military units that deployed to support Hurricane Katrina operations are preparing to return to their home stations, military officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today urged the United Nations to close ranks against the threat of global terrorism.

WASHINGTON - Eighty percent of al Qaeda's network in northern Iraq "has been devastated" since January due to the capture or killing of key leaders and the outrage of Iraqi citizens, a U.S. troop commander told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers continue to respond to car-bomb attacks in various districts of Baghdad, Iraq, today, military officials reported.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Hurricane Katrina has emphasized the word "national" in National Guard. A case in point is the firefighters at the Mississippi Air Guard's Combat Arms Training Center here. The flight line fire station is manned by members of the Guard from Mississippi, of course, but also from Michigan, New York, Florida, Georgia and North Dakota.

WASHINGTON - An Article 32 hearing for a soldier charged in the deaths of two Task Force Liberty soldiers is scheduled to begin Sept. 19, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - Task Force Liberty soldiers seized a cache of weapons and ammunition near Muqdadiyah in Iraq's Diyala province in an evening raid Sept. 13, military officials reported today.

BERLIN - The NATO Response Force is the touchstone of the alliance's transformation to meet its 21st century threats, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a news conference here today.

WASHINGTON - Military retirees or annuitants who have relocated or changed their banking information after Hurricane Katrina must contact the Defense Finance and Accounting Service as soon as possible, DFAS officials said.

ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska - A public/private housing partnership has improved the quality of life for those living in Elmendorf Air Force Base housing, officials here said.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The leader of the all-Air Force men's softball team knew it was going to take more than talent alone to claim the 2005 armed forces men's softball championship.

WASHINGTON - Severely wounded servicemembers and all military spouses are encouraged to attend a "Hiring Heroes Career Fair" Sept. 20 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to explore job opportunities in the federal government and private sector.

WASHINGTON - Some of the nation's largest veterans organizations are pitching in to help displaced veterans, servicemembers and other victims of the Hurricane Katrina storm that devastated New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists who once ran the western Iraq city of Tall Afar have been routed by American and Iraqi security forces, a U.S. military officer told Pentagon journalists today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told President Bush today the Iraqis "will never forget what you have done for our people" as both presidents asserted that they won't set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.

WASHINGTON - National Guardsmen in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are eyeing Tropical Storm Ophelia and preparing to respond if needed, National Guard Bureau officials reported today.

BERLIN - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today thanked NATO nations for an outpouring of support toward U.S. regions damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces captured a terrorist today known to have connections with senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq, officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Military evacuees displaced by Hurricane Katrina may request that their prescription records at military treatment facilities in the Gulf Coast region be transferred to other military or retail pharmacies nationwide, officials with Tricare, the DoD agency that administers the health plan for the uniformed services, announced Sept. 12.

WASHINGTON - The more than 72,000 active and reserve component troops were continuing their support today for Hurricane Katrina relief operations through air, sea and ground operations, defense officials reported.

BERLIN - The movement of military forces and equipment into the Gulf Coast region decimated by Hurricane Katrina has all but ended, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.

BERLIN - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here today to thank NATO allies for their humanitarian contributions to the stricken U.S. Gulf Coast region and to meet with other defense ministers on issues concerning the future of the alliance.

WASHINGTON - In light of the ongoing need for volunteers to support hurricane relief efforts in the Gulf, the Defense Department is encouraging its federal civilian employees to consider participating.

WASHINGTON - Hard work by a reinforced recruiting team that's able to offer more attractive incentives for a wider range of would-be recruits is proving to be the formula for success in attracting new members into the military, a top military official said today.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. ambassador to Iraq today called the stakes in that war-torn country "huge," and said the time has come for Syria to decide whether it's in its own best interest to impede Iraq's progress.

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - Florida Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Doug Gilbert answered the incoming phone call in front of a large dry-erase board where the 202nd Red Horse Squadron is tracking a long list of construction projects.

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. - This city of 9,000 people is gone. There isn't a structure in this coastal city that Hurricane Katrina didn't destroy or damage. The antebellum homes that lined Route 90 along the beach have been reduced to kindling.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Some Mississippi National Guardsmen are getting a bit annoyed at the criticism that their response to Hurricane Katrina was too slow.

GULFPORT, Miss. - As Hurricane Katrina approached, most Mississippians evacuated the area. But some had to stay to help their fellow citizens.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Iraq is safer, thanks to the efforts of a team that has destroyed hundreds of thousands of tons of captured enemy ammunition.

STUTTGART-VAIHINGEN, Germany - A document formalizing the agreement between the U.S. Defense Department and military staffs of Turkey and the other NATO nations providing support to the NATO Center of Excellence-Defense Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey, was signed Sept. 8 in Ankara.

WASHINGTON - Task Force Liberty soldiers killed a terrorist sniper during a Sept. 11 small-arms engagement near Samarra, Iraq, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is tailoring its 70,000-member force supporting hurricane relief operations as needed to provide the critical capabilities required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies, defense officials said today.

WASHINGTON - As soon as a chair is open, it is occupied again by another displaced American rescued by one of the many helping hands here. Many of those hands come from soldiers and airmen working at the New Orleans Convention Center.

GAUTIER, Miss. - Hurricane Katrina left two things in its wake: destruction and confusion. In its aftermath, the Alabama National Guard dispatched resources to Gulf states to help remove tons of debris that state officials here say will fill 1,000 football fields, each 10 feet deep. But the Alabama National Guard is also helping remove much of the confusion too.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 800 motorcycles "rattled the runway" at Washington Dulles International Airport this morning as riders met there and rode to the Pentagon to honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and servicemen and women who have died since.

WASHINGTON - The image at the "America Supports You Freedom Walk" musical tribute on was a sea of patriotic red, white and blue from the design of the T-shirts the walkers had received at the Pentagon start earlier in the day.

WASHINGTON - Today marked the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, and to commemorate that tragic event the Defense Department held the first "America Supports You Freedom Walk."

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Marine 2nd Lt. Jeff Robichaux stands in front of what used to be his uncle's house less than 500 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. The neighborhood is devastated and 90 percent of the homes on the block have been reduced to large piles of broken wood and cracked concrete - Hurricane Katrina's calling card.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition forces have seized the initiative in a series of operations in and around Baghdad and north and west of the city, official said today.

WASHINGTON - Things are looking up across the Gulf Coast region hit by Hurricane Katrina almost two weeks ago, the top military official overseeing rescue and recovery operations said today.

WASHINGTON - A recently completed joint Iraqi-American military mission, shows that Iraqi soldiers are becoming increasingly capable and exercising greater initiative and independence, U.S. military personnel in Iraq said.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - "Join the Air Force, Serve with the Army" may be a new twist to an old recruiting slogan.

MINNEAPOLIS - Eight days after she buried her 22-year-old son who was killed in Iraq, and on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Kelly Freudenberg has no doubt that her son gave his life for a worthy cause.

MINNEAPOLIS - Thunder rolled through the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" here this weekend, not leaving a dry eye in its path as participants in the second annual "Tribute to the Troops" motorcycle ride visited families of fallen troops in the terror war to personally thank them for their sacrifice.

WASHINGTON - For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Pentagon today allowed the public to view the 9/11 memorial site.

GARDEZ, Afghanistan - Governors from Khowst, Paktya and Paktika provinces met at the Afghan National Police Regional Training Center near here Sept. 9.

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. - "We have ground zero devastation," a county spokesman said here Sept. 9 in painting a sobering scenario about the county government's infrastructure.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - "Git 'er done" is popping up on the T-shirts recovery professionals are wearing here. The phrase popularized by comedian Larry the Cable Guy is the way all meetings seem to end. This air base is one staging area for relief supplies "going downrange" into the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

LONG BEACH, Miss. - Tennessee Army National Guard Spc. Geoffrey Taylor stands on a street corner here armed with a rifle and equipped with tactical communications and a Humvee nearby. It's apparent he's not from this Gulf Coast community, yet he seems to know everyone and everyone seems to know him.

WASHINGTON - On the day before the nation observes the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and as recovery efforts continue along the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast, President Bush praised the American spirit today in his weekly radio address.

WASHINGTON - Coalition officials reported a senior al Qaeda terrorist may have been killed when fighter aircraft dropped precision-guided munitions on a terrorist safe house in the western Iraq city of Ubaydi today.

WASHINGTON - Coming equipped with his paintbrushes, artist Keith Beihle arrived at the Pentagon on Sept. 9 to finish his tribute painting to the victims who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the building.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - The Aero Club hangar here resembles Noah's Ark, with 25 dogs, 19 cats and one ferret rescued from the flood at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - "I have U.S. Air Force on my uniform, he has U.S. Air Force on his. That's enough for me," said Col. Scott Walker about why he had no worries about inviting an airman and his family displaced by Hurricane Katrina to stay with him.

WASHINGTON - Iraq's president today thanked "all the brave American Army" for its sacrifices and losses in liberating Iraq and said his country mourns the loss of American lives in exchange for Iraq's freedom.

WASHINGTON - Great progress has been made in developing education systems in Iraq and Afghanistan, but much more remains to be done, the U.S. education secretary said here today.

WASHINGTON - A new Defense Department policy asks servicemembers, government civilians and retirees to obtain needed pay documents from an online Web site, a Defense Finance and Accounting Service spokesman said today.

WASHINGTON - When American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the side of the Pentagon at 9:39 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Lee Evey was unaware that anything was wrong, let alone that three years worth of hard work was in ruins.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi Police Service graduated 231 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility on Sept. 8.

WASHINGTON - A nonprofit organization has raised $8 million for the construction of a memorial to remember the 184 people who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops are continuing to conduct humanitarian assistance, search and rescue, evacuation and security assessments along the Gulf Coast, U.S. Northern Command officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Winning the global war on terror is one way the United States can honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President Bush today told families of public safety officers killed in the attacks.

TAJI, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers serving at the military base here collected 1 million Iraqi dinars for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Four years after his parents died when American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, Marcus Flagg said the United States must never forget the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks so the country never again experiences such a tragic day.

GULFPORT, Miss. - National Guard soldiers flying helicopters from dawn to dusk are providing a critical air bridge to communities throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany - Nineteen years of growing up around the capricious hurricanes of Pascagoula, Miss., kept an Air Force staff sergeant here relatively calm upon hearing the news that a surge in the Gulf of Mexico was on the way.

WASHINGTON - An American citizen who was kidnapped Nov. 1 in Iraq and rescued by coalition forces Sept. 7 left Iraq for the United States today aboard a military transport plane.

WASHINGTON - After a year in Iraq, the 256th Brigade Combat Team of the Louisiana National Guard is coming back to the United States to join another fight -- the fight against the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - The Base Realignment and Closure Commission delivered its final report, outlining its recommendations for reshaping the Pentagon's infrastructure and force structure plan, to President Bush late Sept. 8.

WASHINGTON - For the chief of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on his charge is still a vivid memory.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 William Tisdale, of the Mississippi Army National Guard, was sitting in a chair waiting for his helicopter to be repaired. He wants to fly.

WASHINGTON - With the late afternoon sun glistening off of polished car hoods and new prosthetic limbs, wounded troops recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here gathered to take a peek at a row of NASCAR racecars parked in front of the hospital's Mologne House hotel.

WASHINGTON - The Army will take care of the "Tigers" of the 256th Brigade Combat Team as they return to a devastated Louisiana from their year in Baghdad, Iraq, a senior defense official said Sept. 7.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney said today that he is impressed with the can-do attitude of the people in Mississippi.

WASHINGTON - The multinational command responsible for training and equipping Iraqi security forces changed hands today in Baghdad, Iraq.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Above the Mississippi Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center, various types of military aircraft are carefully navigating the busy skies.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops continue to comb New Orleans for hurricane survivors as local officials enforce a mandatory evacuation order.

WASHINGTON - Coalition air forces conducted an air strike against a terrorist safe house in the vicinity of Husaybah, Iraq, near the Syrian border, shortly after 1 a.m. today, military officials said.

WASHINGTON - Like their military counterparts, families of DoD civilian employees ordered to evacuate their duty stations due to Hurricane Katrina and whose housing is now uninhabitable can seek temporary safe haven anywhere within the continental United States.

WASHINGTON - The voter registration period for Iraqi citizens officially ended Sept. 7. And while final results have not been compiled, estimates so far indicate a willingness by the Iraqi people to participate in the political process, a military spokesman in Baghdad, Iraq, said today.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - Transportation of war materials has been vital to military services throughout U.S. history, a fact proved every day the United States fights the war on terror and recovers from a natural disaster, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said here Sept. 7 during a change-of-command ceremony for U.S. Transportation Command.

WASHINGTON - Military family members ordered to evacuate military installations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama due to Hurricane Katrina are now authorized to select an alternate safe haven anywhere in the continental United States, defense officials confirmed today.

WASHINGTON - One U.S. soldier was killed in a non-combat-related accident at about 6:30 p.m. local time today at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces collected a number of weapons caches and disarmed several improvised explosive devices Sept. 6 across the southern and eastern parts of Afghanistan, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials vowed this week to keep DoD civilian employees affected by Hurricane Katrina as up-to-date as possible on benefits and other entitlements and to help these employees continue to contribute to the department's mission.

WASHINGTON - Along with thousands of active-duty and National Guard troops, several commercial passenger ships are also reporting to duty to support hurricane-relief efforts along the Gulf Coast, U.S. Northern Command officials announced.

WASHINGTON - Members of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Brigade Combat Team are preparing to turn their attention to hurricane-relief operations when they return from their deployment in Iraq, their commander said.

WASHINGTON - Federal troops continue to deploy to the area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, but active-duty forces will not participate in the mandatory evacuation order issued by local authorities in New Orleans, a senior military officer involved in the operations said today.

NAVAL AIR STATION NEW ORLEANS, La. - More than 1,000 Marines who hurried to the storm-stricken Gulf Coast are continuing their search for residents still in need of rescue and life-saving sustenance after Hurricane Katrina plunged much of New Orleans under water, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The Army's shift to a modular force made up of smaller, more rapidly deployable units will not only improve warfighting capabilities, but will reduce stress on soldiers and their families, the secretary of the Army said.

WASHINGTON - The 60,000 U.S. military forces on the ground in the hurricane-decimated Gulf Coast region are carrying out President Bush's priorities -- saving, then sustaining lives -- before getting to recovery and reconstruction, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

WASHINGTON - A ceremony celebrating the transfer of authority of Forward Operating Base Hotel in Najaf, Iraq, and the anniversary of the end of hostile activities in Najaf was held at the base Sept. 6, military officials reported.

BOULDER, Colo. - The approaching anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States gives Americans cause to think about things that happened before, during and after that day, the Army's chief of public affairs told an audience here Sept. 6.

WASHINGTON - Almost 60,000 U.S. servicemembers are aiding in rescue and recovery efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, Defense Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - Recent Army recruiting problems don't constitute a crisis, and a number of initiatives are being implemented to bring recruiting numbers up, the secretary of the Army said.

WASHINGTON - DoD's response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina began even before the storm made landfall, Defense leaders said during a news conference today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will open the site of the planned Pentagon Memorial and the existing America's Heroes Memorial to the public for the first time on Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - Some airmen of the 908th Airlift Wing are returning to their home base today after participating in an overseas deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The troops aren't even back yet, but their commander says they're ready to serve again, only this time, in disaster-relief operations.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers supporting hurricane-relief efforts along the Gulf Coast agree that while it's heartbreaking to see the massive devastation left in Hurricane Katrina's wake, they're happy to be able to roll up their sleeves to help their fellow countrymen.

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. - A private airport here has been converted into a forward operating base from which more than 1,500 soldiers and airmen from the Alabama National Guard are supporting disaster-relief operations for Jackson, George and Greene counties in Mississippi as part of Task Force Alabama.

WASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers were killed in improvised-explosive-device-attacks in two different areas of Iraq since Sept. 5, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Multiple offensive operations over the past two weeks in Afghanistan's northern Paktika province netted nine suspected terrorists, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Unable to suppress a barrage of machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire from insurgents holed up in a mosque in the Sarai district of Tal Afar, Iraq, coalition forces called in helicopter gunships to stop the enemy salvo, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - The thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines supporting relief efforts along the Gulf Coast "are doing a great job" as they focus on what the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina today called their top priority: rescuing and evacuating victims and providing them food and water.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Amidst the seemingly endless vistas of tragedy between Mobile, Ala., and Gulfport, Miss., relief distribution sites are increasing in numbers and providing vital sustenance and essential personal items to help ease the discomfort of Hurricane Katrina's victims.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Just west of Mobile, Ala., the Gulf of Mexico gently comes ashore, softly sighing as small waves break against the coastline. Nearly a week ago, these calm waters came inland, accompanied by winds that flattened homes, stacked moored boats into jagged piles and decimated communities here.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Members of the National Guard who are mobilized for federal service, along with their family members, are eligible to receive free legal counsel on any active-duty military installation that has a legal assistance office. This entitlement may be particularly important for families affected by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 30,000 National Guard troops from across America left their families and their civilian jobs during the week after Hurricane Katrina became the biggest national calamity since terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon with jetliners nearly four years earlier.

WASHINGTON - Army and Air Force Exchange Service officials announced Sept. 2 that they are waiving interest and suspending monthly payment requirements to Exchange Credit Program cardholders displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in the Gulf Coast area today to get briefed up on military support for hurricane relief efforts and see ongoing relief operations firsthand.

WASHINGTON - The chief of the National Guard Bureau declared the National Guard's role in Hurricane Katrina response operations "a great success story," Sept. 3, after returning from the Gulf Coast to see citizen-soldiers and airmen at work, providing almost three-quarters of the military's uniformed response.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Less than 24 hours after Katrina had left its trail of destruction, soldiers and airmen from the Alabama National Guard were rescuing and evacuating civilians from the state's Gulf Coast. Guard officials here said 96 civilians were rescued from the Mobile area, and Alabama troops evacuated 400.

WASHINGTON - Acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from concerned citizens, multinational forces raided a suspected terrorist location east of Al-Amiriyah, Iraq, capturing several terror suspects and destroying a weapons cache Sept. 2, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Growing up in the hills of Kentucky, the Venable brothers were always close. But when all four shipped out to serve in World War II, they ended up in different parts of the world and didn't have contact with each other for almost four years.

WASHINGTON - The relief effort under way along the Gulf Coast will probably be remembered as "the greatest disaster recovery effort in our nation's history," the deputy commander for U.S. Northern Command told Pentagon reporters today.

FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska - A National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program is giving "at-risk" Alaskan youth a chance to turn their lives around. The Alaska Military Youth Academy, which administers the ChalleNGe, is a voluntary program for 16- to 18-year-olds who have either dropped out of high school or been expelled.

FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska - Sept. 2 was a very special day for 85 Alaska Military Youth Academy cadets as they received diplomas for completing the five-and-a-half month residential portion of the academy's Youth ChalleNGe program.

WASHINGTON - Veterans of World War II gathered with military, political and diplomatic leaders and the public to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the war's end Sept. 2 at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall here.

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced today the deployment of 7,000 more active-duty forces to support hurricane relief operations along the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast. There, they will join 5,000 other active forces and almost 22,000 National Guardsmen already on the ground.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - As more than 300 active-duty and reserve airman assigned to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., return from deployments in the Middle East in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, their fellow Keesler airmen and families displaced by the hurricane are among those seeking shelter here.

WASHINGTON - It was hot, muggy and scary. Temperatures hovered above 95 degrees in the 11-story high-rise home built for more than 600 military retirees, and there wasn't any power or water as the aging veterans peered through windows watching the total devastation hurricane Katrina left behind, including cars floating around the 49-acre complex.

WASHINGTON - As National Guard vehicles forded floodwaters in downtown New Orleans today delivering critical relief supplies and helping law enforcement officials restore order, workers from the Army Corps of Engineers were focused on draining the city and repairing gaps in its levee system.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - A U.S. soldier and an Afghan interpreter were killed in a small-arms fire attack Sept. 1 south of Deh Chopan, in Afghanistan's Zabul province.

WASHINGTON - Military support for the Hurricane Katrina response focused today on continuing to evacuate people stranded along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast and getting food, water and medical care to the storm's victims.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces will provide the primary security for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and the December elections, a U.S. commander in Baghdad, Iraq, said today.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi Police Service graduated 175 police officers Sept. 1 from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility as part of the Iraqi government's ongoing effort to train its security forces, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. soldiers have been killed in three separate incidents in Iraq over the past several days, U.S. officials in Baghdad announced today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department today announced its findings after three weeks of investigations into allegations made by two military intelligence officers about the Able Danger program.

WASHINGTON - The National Guard troops reporting for duty in the Gulf region to help maintain security are trained professionals, many who serve as civilian law enforcement officers when not on military duty, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told reporters today.

WASHINGTON - With thousands of troops from the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast deployed thousands of miles from home and worried about their families, a program operated by the National Guard Bureau is providing a vital communication link and assurance that families are being taken care of.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - The Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute here offered a medical readiness course in August that crossed service boundaries and international borders.

WASHINGTON - Fifty servicemembers applied several hours worth of old-fashioned elbow grease Aug. 31 to make a building undergoing renovations suitable for nearly 400 military retirees displaced from Gulfport, Miss., by Hurricane Katrina.

WASHINGTON - Military support for the hurricane-stricken Gulf Coast intensified today as more troops and assets arrived in the region, where responders are focusing on saving lives and relieving suffering among thousands of the hurricanes victims, the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces are continuing to show signs of progress, with the newly formed Iraqi air force completing its first significant operation this week, a military spokesman in Baghdad, Iraq, said today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces conducted an air strike against an identified terrorist safe haven in Husaybah, Iraq, near the country's Syrian border, military officials reported.