Starlifter

Iraqi Air Force Commander Visits San Antonio Lt. Gen. Anwar Hamad Ameen Ahmed, Iraqi air force commander, met with Air Education and Training Command officials at JBSA-Randolph, Tex., to discuss the US-led training mission for Iraqi airmen, according to a Randolph release. This was Anwar's fifth visit to the United States to witness first-hand the training activities for Iraqi airmen, states the July 12 release. "I am proud that I am the Iraqi air force commander," said Anwar. "I want to build the air force. We started from zero in 2003. I am so proud when I see today the air force growing day after day. This is our future," he said. Among the stops during his July 2-5 visit, Anwar met with Lt. Gen. Douglas Owens http://r.listpilot.net/c/afa/88109wp/1uipn, AETC vice commander and toured the Defense Language Institute English Language Center at nearby JBSA-Lackland, states the release. Iraqi aircrews and aircraft maintainers train in places like Tucson Ariz., and Sheppard AFB, Tex.

Awesome! Let-er rip! ppppppppppppppppppppppffffffffffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttt!

and Amen! who am I that He is mindful of me

Iraq Gets its First C-130Js: Lockheed Martin delivered the first of the Iraqi air force's C-130J transports earlier this week, announced <http://r.listpilot.net/c/afa/7p23he5/3at5t> the company. Staff Lt. Gen. Anwer Hamad Amen, Iraqi air force commander, accepted one of the first three C-130Js that Lockheed Martin is supplying this year during a Dec. 12 handover ceremony at the company's production facility in Marietta, Ga. The two other airframes took off for Iraq on the previous day, according to the company. Iraq has ordered a total of six C-130Js to reconstitute its intratheater airlift capability. Iraq's final three airframes are slated for delivery in 2013, states the company's release. The initial cadre of Iraqi C-130 pilots and maintainers has been training with the Rhode Island Air National Guard's 143rd Airlift Wing at Quonset Point ANGS, R.I., over the past few months. (See also entry <http://r.listpilot.net/c/afa/7p23he5/3at6u> from Lockheed Martin's Code One Magazine.)

April 2, 1954 - To 6 April 1954, the 59 ARS and its H-19 helicopters helped refugees in Iraq’s flooded Tigris River Valley. In 66 sorties, the H-19s dropped 30,000 pounds of food to 4,000 victims. Just thought I would share this.

Balad Returned to Iraqis: The last members of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing departed JB Balad, Iraq, on Tuesday, as the United States relinquished control of its second largest base in Iraq, reports Reuters http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE7A82HR20111109. The Iraqi government now controls the base, which once housed roughly 36,000 American troops and contractors, according to the news wire service. Known as al Bakr Air Base before the US invasion in March 2003, the installation grew into Balad Air Base, hosting a large Air Force presence, and Camp Anaconda, the Army's major logistics hub in the country. The Air Force and Army combined the two into a joint base in June 2008 under the stewardship of USAF's 332nd AEW. http://www.airforce-magazine.com/DRArchive/Pages/2008/June%202008/June%2019%202008/MoreThananAirBase.aspx Aircraft such as F-16s, MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, and MC-12 Liberty surveillance aircraft operated from there. Boasting an 11,000 foot runway, Balad at one time during the US military's presence was "second only" to London's Heathrow airport in terms of activity, according to Reuters, citing a US military historian.

US Troops to be Mostly out of Iraq by Mid-December: The vast majority of US forces will be out of Iraq by mid-December, Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, deputy commanding general of US Forces-Iraq, told reporters last week. However, officials are not releasing a more detailed breakdown of the withdrawal, citing security concerns for those troops left in theater. At the height of operations in Iraq, there were 165,000 people operating from 505 bases. Today, there are less than 34,000 people operating from just 12 bases, said Spoehr. "We are deep in the midst of this. So, there are trucks and planes and people moving very quickly, at a high rate of speed throughout Iraq to execute our commitments [to withdraw by Dec. 31]," he said during a briefing with reporters Nov. 3. "This, I should emphasize, though, is not a rush to the exits. So, it's a measured plan which ensures our continued force protection at every step of the operation." Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is scheduled to visit the White House Dec. 12, to discuss the "deepening" and "comprehensive strategic partnership" between the US and Iraq, announced <http://r.listpilot.net/c/afa/6o4i6wr/2uo79> the White House Nov. 4. (Spoehr transcript <http://r.listpilot.net/c/afa/6o4i6wr/2uo8a> )

Military post offices in Iraq to close Nov. 17 BY: Cheryl Pellerin , American Forces Press Service 10/27/2011 WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Because U.S. forces are coming home from Iraq by the end of the year, the U.S. Postal Service will stop accepting mail addressed to military post offices in Iraq starting Nov. 17, Defense Department officials said Oct. 26. Military post offices in Iraq also will stop processing mail Nov. 17, and service members there should begin now to advise those who send them mail about the Nov. 17 deadline. Mail still in the postal system through Nov. 17 will be processed and delivered to service members in Iraq, officials said. In November, U.S. military postal service responsibilities in Iraq will transition to State Department embassy or consulate post offices for service members assigned to Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq, officials said. These sites will provide letter and parcel mail services to service members assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq. The transition will be closely coordinated with the U.S. Postal Service Agency, which will delete ZIP codes for Iraq military post offices from the USPS database to prevent undeliverable mail from entering the postal system after Nov. 17, according to defense officials. If APO mail arrives in Iraq after a service member departs, mail will be redirected to the new mailing address provided or, if no mailing address was provided, returned to sender. Any mail mistakenly accepted by a USPS post office after Nov. 17 will be returned to sender once it reaches the International Gateway in New Jersey. U.S. service members in Iraq who do not receive an absentee ballot by Nov. 17 should contact their U.S. Local Election Office to change their address. Unit voting assistance officers can provide state-specific voting details. Service members who are remaining in Iraq after Nov. 17 and who are there on behalf of or are assigned to the Office of Security Cooperation or the Chief of Mission in Iraq should coordinate with their chain of command and the servicing State Department mail location to receive a new mailing address. According to defense officials, conditions and situations in the Iraq transition change often. Officials recommend that service members check the Military Postal Service Agency website and USPS Postal Bulletins frequently for updates. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123277521

Air Force Assists in Historic Final Transfer of Iraq’s Airspace BY: Maj. Stacie N. Shafran , 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Iraq Public Affairs 10/27/2011 Tech. Sgt. Bryce Hamilton and Senior Airman Matt Morrow, 407th Air Expeditionary Group air traffic controllers, and a U.S. contractor, aid in training Iraqi counterparts to take control of the air space in Iraq. With the Air Force’s assistance, Iraq now has full air traffic control responsibility for the country’s airspace for the first time since 2003. The Air Force transferred management of the Baghdad and Balad Airspace sector to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) on Oct. 1. With this historic step, Iraq’s air traffic controllers now direct the movement of all aircraft within the busiest and most complex airspace in Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo) BAGHDAD -- With the Air Force's assistance, Iraq now has full air traffic control responsibility for the country's airspace for the first time since 2003. The Air Force transferred management of the Baghdad and Balad Airspace sector to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) on Oct. 1. With this historic step, Iraq's air traffic controllers now direct the movement of all aircraft within the busiest and most complex airspace in Iraq. "This transfer was the culmination of a multi-year effort by the Air Force, U.S. Embassy-Baghdad, and the ICAA to help Iraq develop a self-sufficient, national air traffic control system," said Maj. Adam Fiedler, an airspace planner with the U.S. Forces-Iraq Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq. This project is one of many U.S. and Iraq initiatives which support Iraq's economic development and sovereignty under the Strategic Framework Agreement. From the Baghdad Area Control Center, the ICAA now controls the skies directly over Baghdad and provides approach and departure services for aircraft arriving and departing from Baghdad International Airport. In August of 2007, the airspace transfer process started with the ICAA taking control of the airspace above 29,000 feet over Iraq, explained Fiedler. On Jan. 1, 2009, surveillance and control over Iraqi airspace officially transferred to Iraqi authority as part of the security agreement. During the transition, the Iraqi government requested additional help from the U.S. due to gaps in capacity. In order to overcome this, the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq and the U.S. Embassy Transportation Attaché office partnered with the ICAA to incrementally transfer airspace as their capability and capacity increased. "Essentially this last airspace transfer culminates more than four year's worth of effort and has returned true airspace sovereignty to Iraq," said Fiedler. "It signifies that Iraq reached a point where it can stand on its own and no longer require U.S. support and assistance. They own, operate and control their own national airspace system." Fiedler emphasized that this herculean effort would have been challenging enough in a permissive environment, but the added complexities of integrating during ongoing tactical air operations in support of security efforts, made this accomplishment all the more significant and impressive for the ICAA. http://www.centaf.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123277513

I couldnt agree with you more on the RV helping to protect the country from iran. Best case senario is that the peole would beat the crap out of the iranians if they tried to come in and take it away from them... Handcuffs and helicopters all go hand in hand... Im a roter head (H1-F and H-1N) from 76-86, Loved it and miss it. Been supporting heavy airlifters since then. RI/RV, Bring It On! Starlifter

U.S., Iraq move toward normal military relations BY: Lisa Daniel , American Forces Press Service 10/24/2011 WASHINGTON -- U.S. and Iraqi officials are working toward the kind of standard military-to-military relations that the United States has with many other countries around the world, a Pentagon spokesman said Oct. 24. "The president said very clearly that what we're looking for is a more normal military-to-military relationship," Navy Capt. John Kirby told reporters. "That's the crux of what we're discussing right now," he added. Kirby made the comments in response to reporters' questions following up on President Barack Obama's Oct. 21 announcement that the U.S. military will not keep additional forces in Iraq beyond the agreement to pull out of the country by the end of this year. That agreement has been in place for three years, but officials from both countries have spent the past few months discussing whether some U.S. troops -- perhaps tens of thousands -- should remain there to further train Iraqi forces. Obama announced that would not be the case after again discussing the issue with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "Today, I can report that as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year," Obama said in the Oct. 21 announcement. "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over." Obama pledged a continued "strong and enduring partnership" with Iraq. About 150 U.S. forces will serve as military liaisons inside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as part of the State Department-run Office of Security Operations, as is common at other embassies around the world, Kirby said. And while the two governments decided against keeping U.S. military trainers in Iraq, Kirby said, combined military training exercises are part of "virtually all" military-to-military relationships. A little more than 39,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq and will be brought home by the end of the year, he said. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123277082

Panetta issues message on Iraq BY: Unattributed , American Forces Press Service 10/24/2011 WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, en route to Indonesia on the first leg of a three-nation overseas trip, issued the following message concerning President Barack Obama's announcement Oct. 20 that all U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by the end of the year: The United States and Iraq affirmed today that the U.S. will fulfill its commitments under the current U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement and withdraw all of our military forces by the end of 2011. Today's announcement means that at the end of this year, there will be a clear end to the U.S. combat presence in Iraq. I wanted to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to our men and women in uniform who have served in Iraq since 2003. Our troops and their families have borne a heavy burden during more than eight years of war, and paid a great price. Yet it is a testament to their strength and resilience that we are now able to bring this war to a responsible end. Thanks to their service and sacrifice, Iraq is ready to govern and defend itself and to contribute to security and stability in a vital part of the world. We will now turn our full attention to pursuing a long-term strategic partnership with Iraq based on mutual interests and mutual respect. Our goal will be to establish a normal relationship similar to others in the region that focuses on meeting security and training needs. Iraq is a sovereign nation that must determine how to secure its own future. Going forward, we will work closely with the Iraqi government and their armed forces to help them continue to build a stronger and more prosperous country. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123277020

url="http://www.cbi.iq/index.php?pid=Banknotes"]CBI bank notes already printed[/url] 50 Dinar note 250 Dinar note 500 Dinar note 1000 Dinar note 5000 Dinar note 10000 Dinar note 25000 Dinar note 25 Dinar coin 100 Dinar coin (not in circulation) (not in circulation) These notes were all printed back in 2004 but not all placed in circulation. nothing like carrying a truck load of 50 Dinar notes to by a loaf of bread.

this is a link to CBI and shows the only note that are available: http://www.cbi.iq/index.php?pid=Banknotes I would have to say this is from the Saddam era as well.

Political Science DEMOCRAT You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You push for higher taxes so the government can provide cows for everyone. REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So? SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow. COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour. CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows. BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain. AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up. FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good. JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school. GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year. ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. You break for lunch. Life is good. RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have. TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan , which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons. IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing. POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them. BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy. FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of th e people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best looking cow. CALIFORNIA CORPORATION You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegal. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. I pray the Amercian people HOpe for truth and we must have faith that even though we dont see it the God blesses us that way.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123258804 6/6/2011 - BAGHDAD (AFNS) -- Officials at the Airspace Control Authority transferred airspace to Iraq Civil Aviation Authority officials June 1 in what is being called a milestone in Operation New Dawn. The ICAA took over the Ali sector of airspace from surface area to 24,000 feet, assuming control over all aircraft on final approach. Airspace has been transferred to the ICAA in increments since January 2009, but this transfer is the first of its kind, said Maj. Adam Fiedler, a United States Forces-Iraq Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq airspace planner. "The Ali sector is a big milestone because it's the first airspace they will control down to the surface," Major Fiedler said. "The (cumulating) transfers are important because they turn controls of the airspace back to the host nation civilian authorities and help facilitate our withdrawal from the country." The first transfer occurred Jan. 1, 2009, when the ICAA took responsibility for air traffic control service above 24,000 feet across the entire country. Sept. 1, 2010, saw transfer of airspace from 15,000 to 24,000 feet in the northern third of the country, called the Jabar sector, and on Feb. 15, 2011, the same altitude of airspace transferred in the center third of the country called the Samarra sector. The work accomplished by coalition forces and the Iraqis was a process of "normalizing" Iraq's airspace system, officials said. "The airspace transfer shows confidence in the ICAA's capability to continue to 'normalize' the air traffic control service in the country," said Lt. Col. Gregory Kendrick, a USF-I ACCE-I airspace communications planner. "It also shows improvement in the capabilities of the ICAA's air traffic controllers and their maintenance personnel to maintain critical equipment that provides service to civilian aircraft." Two sectors remain to be transferred later this year. The Kirkuk and Baghdad sectors remain under U.S. control from surface to 15,000 feet. Both are currently scheduled to be transferred by October 2011. Showing the Iraqi's taking more responsibility for their country.

read up on background; ***********.wordpress.com a lot of information to digest with a LOT of links. shodul answer anyquesiton you have. if not, ask Marcus.

Col1004, that made me laugh... PokerPlayer, Might be fun and easier if you just hung a piece of Mistletoe on your belt loop in the back as you walk through the office saying good bye to every one. If my family, friends and I never make a dime (or lose any more) off this speculation it has given us a great oportunity to think outside the box and re-build our dreams. Having fun with it! Come On RV!

3 x 3 = 9 9 million Number of Dinar Owned IQD 3,000,000.00 RV/RI Rate 3.00 Gross Before Taxes $9,000,000.00 Tax Rate - Fed 35% 35% Amount of Tax $3,150,000.00 Your Net after Tax $5,850,000.00

I don't think he missed a thing... Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Ron.

I say there is a pretty high level of self policing within the VIP. Not the hype of "its happening today, or tomorrow. I find it comforting to know that it is mostly level headed. There are newbies there that get addressed/redressed occaisionally but over all its good, solid info.

Seriously, they do this every day of the year so why place special emphasis or worry on that day alone...

No Fly means take ALL necessary actions to prevent killing of those you are trying to protect; In Iraq, it was the general population. In Syria, it is the general population... Same deal different missles... Here is the real story... We tried to kill Saddam time after time with Bombs of varying types and he was always one step out of the place earlier than the bombs arrived... missed by 10-15 short minutes several times. What people fail to realize is that a no fly zone requries ALL of the possible command and control elements are taken out to prevent direction of forces to kill others. You also disrupt comminications systems, and electrical if needed to prevent direction of forces against inocent people. You blow up runways or destroy aircraft and other military vehilces as requried. So... to take out his compound and him if he is there is part of the price paided. But, didnt EA Poe kill... himself??? not following your logic.