B*N*S*N4

Tractors handed out to Afghan farmers in Nad 'Ali

A Military Operations news article

26 May 10

Soldiers from 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1 LANCS) have handed out 20 new tractors to farming co-operatives in the Nad 'Ali region of Helmand province.

District Governor Habibullah Khan starts up the first tractor just outside Forward Operating Base Shawqat in the district centre of Nad 'Ali
[Picture: Corporal Barry Lloyd RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

The troops were working alongside the International Relief and Development Agency and the Afghan Government.

Local farmers were presented with keys to tractors, thresher machines and ploughing equipment by District Governor Habibullah Khan at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Each of the farming co-operatives consisted of at least 35 farmers who had been asked to work-up and present a business plan. To qualify for the equipment, the co-operatives had to show that they were willing to stop sowing poppy crops and focus their production on wheat farming.

Captain Nick Carter, Influence Officer with 1 LANCS, said:

"The International Relief and Development Agency has been helping bring together co-operatives of farmers. How much land these farmers actually own will entitle them to certain farming equipment. So what we have today is a giveaway of tractors, threshing machines and ploughs."...

More here.

A lasting legacy from the Herriot of Helmand

Memorial Day Fundraiser for Operation TopKnot Family

From Operation TopKnot Team at Soldiers' Angels:




Saturday, May 29 6-9pm
Paddy Burkes
100 4th St S. St Pete
St. Petersburg, Florida

Hope to see some of you there!

The Pledge of Allegiance

UPDATE: BlackFive has great news from James Hooker, and it has to do with Soldiers' Angels. Go here to B5 and check it out!







CJ sent this out as an Mp3 'thingie.' I found it on YouTube....

For my American 'family.'

Atlantis is HOME!

Homecoming for Atlantis

Space shuttle Atlantis' main gear touched down on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:48 a.m. EDT, completing a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. On board were Commander Ken Ham, pilot Tony Antonelli, Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers. The six-member STS-132 crew carried the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. STS-132 is the last planned flight for Atlantis.

Image Credit: NASA/Carl Winebarger

RELEASE : 10-124

Space Shuttle Atlantis Returns Home After Its Final Planned Mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48 a.m. EDT landing Wednesday at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. The mission, designated STS-132, delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. Also known as Rassvet ("dawn" in Russian), the module provides additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.

Ken Ham commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers.

The mission's three spacewalks focused on replacing and installing components outside the station, including replacing six batteries, installing a communications antenna and adding parts to the Canadian Dextre robotic arm.

A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Thursday, May 27, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CDT event at Ellington Field's NASA Hangar 276.

Highlights from the ceremony will be broadcast on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

STS-132 was the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd flight for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to lift off in September 2010. Discovery's flight will deliver the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module to house experiments. STS-133 also will bring critical spare components and a cargo carrier to the station. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery to become a permanent resident of the station.

For more information about the STS-132 mission and the upcoming STS-133 flight, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

- end -

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(Source: NASA)

Song for Trooper Larry Rudd

Trooper Larry Rudd(DND photo)




A beautiful song that I found on FaceBook (thanks, Franky!) where it says:

Sorry about the mic noise here and there; it's something of a home recording... If you don't know (Don't feel bad if you don't), 146 refers to Larry Rudd, the 146th Canadian casualty in the war. My condolences to his family and friends, he made the ultimate sacrifice. (From YouTube here)

To learn more about this Canadian hero, go to my original column here.

RIP Trooper Rudd.

From the Front: 05/27/2010

In today's From the Front: (Click on link to read stories highlighted below) This post is courtesy of The Thunder Run

Dispatches:
Kandahar Diary: The WolfPack Grows
CI-Roller Dude: What's that day for? A day off work....
Ssg B: The War Over Facebook
Family Matters Blog: Help Combat Stigma of Seeking Help
IraqPundit: Votes and Bullets
Kerplunk: Good and Evil
Bill Roggio: Pakistani Taliban assault district center in Nuristan
Loving A Soldier Blog: Military Family & Stouffers: Let's Fix Dinner Challenge
wifeunit: "Every coin has two sides, kiddo."
The Unknown Soldiers: The volunteer
Wings Over Iraq: The Defense Industry: Committed to Excellence
War is Boring: Embedded with Afghan Civil Society
Deebow: The Battle of Another Gun...
Blackfive: Rules of Engagement and Weapon Status
The Captain's Journal: McChrystal Calls Marjah a Bleeding Ulcer

News from the Home Front:
‘Service Before Self’
Army Launches Acquisition Review
Prisoners no longer making helmets for troops
Service Chiefs Seek to Delay Vote on Gays
Just another act of deadly treason

News from the Front:
Iraq:
Baghdad's Trade in Wildlife Anything but Tame
Iraq dissolves its national airline in dispute with Kuwait over war reparations
Iraqi Airways closed to avoid paying $1.2 billion for Saddam invasion
Iraqi Vote Results Sent to Court for Certification
U.S. withdrawal from Iraq will be on time, Vice President Biden says
Joint Training Sharpens ISF Skills
New Life Yields Hope for Displaced Iraqis
Marez Force Protection Shields Base

Afghanistan:
‘The Poo Pond’
Commander Cites Progress and Frustration in Afghanistan
Improving Schools in Northern Afghanistan
Afghan Army Chief, Advisor Shape Growing Force
ISAF Forces Set Sights on Kandahar
Pakistan Plans to Relax YouTube Ban
Militants Storm House, Kill 3 in NW Pakistan
Afghan Army Chief, Advisor Shape Growing Force
Coalition Forces Capture Provincial Taliban Commander
Trial Marks Change at Prison for Afghan Detainees
Taliban learning first aid from Red Cross workers
Afghan Police Say Pakistani Taliban Leader Killed
U.S., NATO Forces Set Sights on Kandahar
US, NATO Gear Up for Major Offensive in Kandahar
U.S. puts hopes in bedraggled Afghan police
IJC Operational Update, May 27
Pakistani troops kill 40 militants near Afghan border
Obama’s July 2011 Draw-Down Date for Afghanistan Sends Mixed Messages, Former Afghan Presidential Candidate Says
Afghan president's half-brother denies corruption
Case filed against Noristan governor

The Thunder Run's From the Front is a daily series that highlights news and personal dispatches from the front and the home front.