Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, left, shakes hands with Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III during the U.S. Pacific Command change-of-command ceremony on Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, March 9, 2012. Willard passed Pacom's reins to Locklear and retired after almost 39 years of service. DOD Photo by Glenn Fawcett.
BALTIMORE (Sept. 30, 2011) The official party salutes as the color guard parades the colors during a change of command ceremony at Fort McHenry National Monument. Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers, second from right, relived Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, left, as commander of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and U.S. 10th Fleet. Fleet Cyber Command is the Navy's central operating authority for networks, cryptologic and signals intelligence, information operations, cyber, electronic warfare, and space capabilities. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua J. Wahl.
Leon E. Panetta takes the oath of office as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Defense during a ceremony at the Pentagon July 1, 2011. Department of Defense General Counsel Jeh Johnson administered the oath in the secretary?s office. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey, U.S. Air Force/Released)
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, take down the final American Flag to fly over Forward Operating Base Blessing during a transfer of authority ceremony March 4. Afghan soldiers now safeguard the Pech River Valley, one of Kunar Province’s most volatile areas near the Pakistan border. U.S. and Afghan soldiers have lived together at FOB Blessing for the three years. Photo by Capt. Jonathan Springer.
An AH-64D Apache Longbow crew from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 130th Aviation Regiment, prepares for a mission from Contingency Operating Base Delta. The Apache's are now serving as a recon tool for U.S. and Iraqi Forces on the ground as the pilots' mission transitions from close air support to more of a reconnaissance role. Photo: Sgt. Cody Harding, USDS Public Affairs.
Read the story here.
Responsibility for Air Combat Command's three nuclear-capable bomb wings will transition from ACC to Air Force Global Strike Command Feb. 1, 2010, and include bomber forces, like the B-2 Spirit shown here from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., as well as bombers from the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, La., and the 5th BW at Minot AFB, N.D. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Kenny Holston)
GROTON, Conn. (Sept. 16, 2009) The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Texas (SSN 775) exits the Thames River as it departs Naval Submarine Base New London for the final time. Texas is transiting to its new homeport in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steven Myers (Released)
SAN DIEGO (Aug. 6, 2009) Officers stand on the sail of the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) as she arrives at her new homeport at San Diego, Calif. Albuquerque completed her change of homeport from Groton, Conn., to Naval Base Point Loma, the first homeport change in her history. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen/Released)
Army Gen. David Petraeus (left to right), Gen. John D.W. Corley, Lt. Gen. Gary North, Lt. Gen. Gilmary Michael Hostage III and Maj. Gen. William L. Holland salute the colors during the 9th Air Force/U.S. Air Force Central change-of-command ceremony Aug 5 at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. General North relinquished command of 9th AF/USAFCENT, which was re-designated as AFCENT Command and a new headquarters 9th Air Force was activated. General Petraeus is the U.S. Central Command commander, General Corley is the Air Combat Command commander, General North is the outgoing 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central commander, General Hostage is the receiving USAFCENT Command commander, and General Holland is the receiving 9th Air Force commander. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Matt Davis)
Read the story here.
U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines stand in formation saluting with their Afghan and coalition counterparts during a Transfer of Authority ceremony between the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, June 3, 2009. The 101st transfered command of Regional Command East to the 82nd, completing a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Michael Greenberger
Col. Raymond Strasburger, 455th Expeditionary Operations Group commander, shares his thoughts about Lt. Col. Wayne Straw's one-year tenure as the operations support squadron commander during a change of command ceremony May 20. Colonel Straw relinquished command of the 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron to Lt. Col. Cloyce Adams. (Air Force/Staff Sgt. Jason Lake)
Read more here.
Two influential Shayks Salih discuss the reconciliation process at Forward Operating Base Bernstein, March 31. Photo by Sgt. Angie Johnston, 25th Infantry Division.
FOB BERNSTEIN — The Iraqi Army (IA) reconciled more than thirty people in the Salah ad-Din province with technological help from 25th Infantry Division Soldiers, March 31.
Through a process that guarantees a wanted man will not be arrested unless he is guilty of murder, shaykhs and other local leaders convinced friends and family who have warrants out for their arrests to come here to reconcile their differences with the Government of Iraq.
“This reconciliation is a great opportunity for those people who are wanted but innocent; some are wanted for real crimes, but some of these men never did anything wrong,” said Shaykh Sami Husayn Abdulla al-Bayati, Muftul tribal leader.
Sami widely publicized the reconciliation event before it took place by distributing flyers and passing the word on to everyone he knows. “My people are very happy and enthusiastic about this,” he said. “They wanted to come here. All they have to do is give their name and have a photo taken and their name will be cleared.”
The 25th ID Soldiers helped the IA with security and biometric and fingerprint scans. Soldiers also scanned Iraqi identification cards and entered them into a database that the IA will keep for future use.
Spc. Charles Wagner was busy all morning entering identification documents right alongside Iraqi Soldiers. “This just provides extra clarification of who they are and adds documentation to say they’ve come in and reconciled,” said Wagner. “I can see that these guys are just trying to get on with their lives; what happened in the past, happened in the past.”
Shaykh Shokr Murshed Toama al-Bayati, who leads the people of the Thahab village, has attended five reconciliation events in the past. “We wish for this whole area to become peaceful again,” said Shokr. “We don’t want even one person left as ‘wanted.’ Then everyone can have a peaceful life in Iraq.”
Some attendees of the reconciliation event were wanted for petty crimes such as theft. Others insisted they were falsely accused of crimes they never committed.
“I’m one of the people who was accused of being a terrorist, but it was for personal reasons,” said Shaykh Salih Jassem Mohammad from Dibbaj. “Most people are here because of malicious gossip that went around several years ago. I have four wives and twenty sons and daughters – I would never take the risk of being a terrorist.”
The U.S. Army is working with the government of Iraq in Salah ad Din to develop better forensics techniques and teaching them that solid physical evidence is an important part of gaining convictions in court.
Tim Lorenzen, a Law Enforcement Professional who works with the STB, has arranged for local police to attend specialized forensic training at Contingency Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit. Iraqi Police are scheduled to learn the importance of crime scene photography, fingerprinting and accurate witness statements, as well as having the opportunity to train one-on-one with Lorenzen.
“People came to me to ask about this reconciliation,” said Salih. “I brought a lot of people. They were all comfortable because they see that Coalition forces are working with the Iraqi Army. Everyone knows they [the Iraqi Army] can be trusted now.”
NORFOLK (March 6, 2009) The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Jacksonville (SSN 699) heads out into the Elizabeth River for her final voyage from Naval Station Norfolk. Jacksonville is changing homeports from Norfolk to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of the 60/40 split of submarine force assets between the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets as designated in the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Dean Lohmeyer/Released)
NORFOLK (March 5, 2009) Cmdr. Howard Goldman salutes the national ensign as he departs the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769) following a change of command ceremony. Cmdr. Douglas Reckamp relieved Goldman as commanding officer of Toledo. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st class Todd A. Schaffer/Released)
