Washington D.C.

Gen. David Petraeus isn't ready to commit to additional force reductions until after the 30,000 extra troops added last year leave this summer, U.S. military officials say Instead, Petraeus will tell Congress and the White House in April what he thinks the overall security situation in Iraq will look like, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a military spokesman in Iraq. Then Smith said, Petraeus will have to "confirm that assessment" after the initial cuts in U.S. troops are completed in July. President Bush has said he could accept a recommendation from Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, that did not include a continuation of the drawdown after July.

U. S. Death Toll -

As of Wednesday morning, 3,929 U.S. service members and 8 Defense Department civilians had been identified as having died in the Iraq war: 3,204 from hostile action and 733 from non-combat related incidents.


Latest deaths identified:

Army Sgt. Mikeal W. Miller, 22 Albany, Ore.: died Sunday at the National Naval Medical Center in Maryland of wounds suffered July 9 in Baghdad when his vehicle encountered an improvised device; 2nd Infantry Division.


Five soldiers with the Armys 4th Infantry Division died Monday from wounds suffered when their unit encountered an improvised device in Mosul:

- Sgt. James E Craig, 26, Hollywood Calif.
- Staff Sgt. Gary W. Jeffries, 37, Roscoe, Texas
- Spc. Evan A. Marshall, 21, Athens, Ga.
- Pfc. Brandon A Meyer, 20, Orange Calif.
- Pvt. Joshua A.R. Young, 21, Riddle, Ore.
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Statford Connecticut

A vacant 79 acre defense plant here could have a future in movie production. Mayor James Miron says that several businesses are considering bidding on the property, and that at least one movie business put up a required $1 million to demonstrate serious interest in obtaining the site from the U.S. Army.

Nashville Tennessee -

U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs medical clinics in Middle Tennessee and south central Kentucky reopened after water from a broken pipe this week damaged computers that manage information for the clinics. Of Nashville, Chattanooga and Fort Campbell, where the 101st Airborne Division is based.

The Pentagon - Washington D.C.

Pentagon - Contractors Meet Over Rules - Under pressure to exercise greater control over private security contractors in Iraq, Bush administration officials outlined stricter rules for these armed guards during a meeting at the Pentagon with 20 companies. The meeting was hosted by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. Chris Isleib, a Pentagon spokesman, said the closed door meeting was a chance for both sides to exchange ideals. The session comes nearly four months after an incident involving Blackwater Worldwide that left 17 Iraqis dead. The incident led to a December deal between the Defense and State Departments that gave the U.S. military a stronger hand in managing security workers.

Medical Research

Combat Brain Injuries Often May Be Stress - Pentagon and Army medical personnel are examining how they handle mild brain injury from combat after new research said symptoms in these cases are often from post-traumatic stress disorder and not brain damage The research, published in the New England Journal Of Medicine, says that soldiers who test positive for brain injury months after combat may actually be suffering from PTSD and depression. The study calls into question how the Army defines and screens soldiers for brain injury months after combat. The research was led by Army Col. Charles Hoge, a psychiatrist and epidemiologist who has conducted landmark research on PTSD.

Across The Nation

Judge: Army Corps Immune In Katrina Suit - A federal judge in New Orleans threw out a class action lawsuit Wednesday against the Army Corps of Engineers over flooding from a levee breach on the 17th street canal following Hurricane Katrina. Judge Stanwood Duval ruled that the corps should be held immune over the failure of the canal wall, which caused much of the flooding of New Orleans in 2005. The ruling relies on the Flood Control Act of 1928, which made the federal government immune when flood control projects fail. Joseph Bruno, a lawyer for the plaintiff, said the plaintiffs would appeal to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,Kathy Gibbs, a corps spokeswoman, said "the corps agrees with the dismissal of the case" but declined to comment further because other lawsuits are pending over Katrina damage.

Camp Pendleton -

A 24-year old former Marine was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas for allegedly stealing $39,000 from the bank accounts of 15 enlisted Marines while they were deployed in Iraq. Edgar Alejandro Hermosillo allegedly got access to the Marines account numbers at the Camp Pendleton credit union while he was on active duty. Using those numbers he allegedly arranged for the money to be sent to accounts in Texas, New Mexico and Nevada, authorities said.

Camp Pendleton -

The general who soon will lead 25,00 Marines in Iraq said Wednesday that " the experts " were wrong when they predicted that repeated deployments would strain military families to the breaking point. Reenlistments among Marines remain high, which would not be the case if families objected, Maj. Gen. John Kelly told several hundred Marines who are set to deploy soon to Anbar province west of Baghdad.The old adage says you enlist the Marine but you reenlist the wife and family, said Kelly, whose two sons are Marines who have served in Iraq. Many Marine families have weathered two, three, even four deployments, and Marine officials say they are well aware of the stresses on them.

Irvine Calif.

A Day For The Marines - More than 600 Marines soon to depart for Iraq and their families are being invited to a free day at Boomers recreation center on Saturday. The Marines are from the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st. Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton. Irvine adopted 2/11, an artillery unit, last April. Marines and sailors of 2/11 are expected to ship out for Iraq in February.

Happy New Year - 2008 -

I would like to take this time to wish everybody a very happy new year !!!!!!