Salem-News.com Iraq Coverage articles Page 2

Marine Corps, Jordan and Israel Offer Hope for Iraqi Child Heart Patients (VIDEO)

A unique and unusual merger of nations offers hope to eight small Iraqi kids who suffer from congenital heart failure.

(AL ASAD, Iraq) - U.S. Marines are among the most accomplished killers in the world, but this Marine Corps story is about giving and sustaining life, rather than taking it.

A Navy doctor attached to the U.S. Marines at Al Asad has put together an amazing program to help Iraqi children receive medical aid that is not available anywhere in their own country. Lt. Commander Christina Williams is a family practice physician from Oklahoma who came to this land of war and death to deliver a unique and unexpected gift of life.

"Well there are several children that have cardiac anomalies, holes in their hearts, and they have no resources in this country in order to address their situation."

Iraq: Land of Sheiks and Agriculture (VIDEO)

Agriculture flourishes near Balad along with the good relations between American soldiers and local governmental leaders; known here as sheiks.

(BALAD, Iraq) - Iraq may invoke images of desert terrain and that is the case in certain areas, but around Balad, agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy.

Sgt Jonathan Fondow with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne, says it is very good land, "Compared to if you go north or south of here, this is probably the best farming area that I have seen."

On this day, members of the 101st Airborne visited a local sheik who oversees the area's produce stores that sell these ag products that in turn feed many of the local people here.

Marine Security Mission in the Anbar Province (VIDEO)

Day and night, US Marines from the Al Asad Air Station check those who enter and leave the base. It may not be their "regular job" in the Corps, but then there is no single role for Marines.

(AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq) - For Marines at the Al Asad Air Station in Iraq, running base security is a never ending mission. Calling it serious would be a grave understatement, and anyone who attempts to cross these warriors treads on dangerous ground.

The Vital Mission of U.S. Air Support in Iraq (VIDEO)

Tim King is embedded with Oregon's 2/641 Aviation Support Group in Balad, Iraq and filed this report from the flightline where they operate.

(BALAD, Iraq) - Members of the Oregon National Guard have a big mission on their hands and minds over the next several months. Their tour of duty in Iraq is an aviation support mission.

The 2/641 Aviation Support Group's specific responsibility, revolves around the C-23 Sherpa transport plane, known to these soldiers simply as "The Boxcar".

Major Brian Houston is a Blackhawk pilot who drew this unique mission that supports not helicopters, but large cargo planes and another type of high-speed Army transport planes known as "White Birds".

Wheeling in Help From U.S. Families to Iraqi People (VIDEO)

Soldiers go the extra mile to make a difference in Iraq.

(BALAD, Iraq) - On this day, U.S. Army soldiers stationed in Iraq made a big difference for the life of one Iraqi citizen. People in this faraway land of war and hardship have few alternatives when it comes to things like wheelchairs.

To help change that, one soldier's family in Minnesota decided to take matters into their own hands and they have been sending a number of these into Iraq to help the local people here.

Sgt. Jonathan Fondow is the man who spearheaded this mission.

"Iraq has one of the highest percentages of handicapped people in the world. They just don't have the facilities or the medical doctors to take care of these people. So we're just doing whatever we can to help them."

Dangerous Times in Iraq War Zone

Victims from a car bomb attack fill the hospital at the Balad Joint Air Base

(BALAD, Iraq) - A sandstorm reminiscent of a Hollywood movie is descending over the base in Iraq where I have been for the last few weeks, yet it seems like small change next to other events here in the last two days.

Medical personnel from all over Balad were called out last night as victims from a car bomb that exploded in an undisclosed location launched medical crews and helicopter
rescue teams into action. The victims from what I understand were soldiers from the Iraqi Army and small children who reportedly received serious burns.

Medical technicians told me that it was as busy of a night as any they have seen in the past three to four months. The sandstorm accompanied by wild lightning strikes only seemed to raise the tension.

Iraq`s July 14th Bridge: Baghdad Divided (VIDEO)

It is almost a tale of two cities; Baghdad's International Zone continues to see relative peace while the unsecured Red Zone is another story.

(BAGHDAD, Iraq) - Soldiers stationed in the Green or 'International Zone' of Baghdad, like Andrew Hanselman, a Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Army, say there is a relative state of calm that is not the case on the other side of the Tigris River, in what is known as the 'Red Zone'.

Baghdad's International Zone is a relatively safe place for both Americans and Iraqi people today. The other side of the bridge however, is a different story. The bridge itself is of historical significance to the people of Iraq.

Lost Gear Means Slowing of Video Reports

The mystery of the missing gear continues to impact Salem-News.com and delay video reports coming from Iraq.

(BALAD, Iraq) - My video reports are at a bit of a standstill at this time as my main pack containing much of my video gear is lost somewhere in Iraq. I thought it was important to relay this information to those who are becoming accustomed to seeing new reports every two or three days.

I left the Marine Corps Air Station at Al Asad, Iraq five days ago enroute back to Balad. I was scheduled to go straight to Tikrit where I was to embed with the Army's 101st Airborne. With luck this will still happen, but with each day the gear remains missing, an accompanying level of frustration builds accordingly.

Rat Patrol in Iraq: Air Wing Marines Fill Infantry Role (VIDEO)

Salem-News.com's Tim King rejoins his former Marine Corps aviation group to see Marines in Iraq performing a role normally filled by infantry units.

(Al Asad, IRAQ) - Marines at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq are on a constant vigil, with combat patrols in their area of operation going around the clock.

Balls Forward: On Patrol in Iraq With the Army`s 101st Airborne (VIDEO)

"Overall what we're doing is trying to accomplish a mission and return home safe."

(Albu Siker, IRAQ) - My first day on patrol in Iraq. These soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne are from the 2nd Batallion, 320th Artillery. Their group is known as the Balls of the Eagle. It sounds boastful, but after a few hours in the countryside of Iraq, the name made sense.

The soldiers form a cohesive group that takes their role in this war very seriously. Sgt Major Robert Levis is a career soldier who directs the operations here.

"You know these young Americans that sign up for the military today, they already know they're going to war, they know they are going to be separated from their family, it just amazes me."