One of the first Army divisions to send soldiers into Iraq more than eight years ago, the Georgia-based 3rd Infantry Division was also scheduled to be one of the last to deploy fresh troops this fall.
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But with President Barack Obama's announcement that he's bringing an end to the war, the 775 soldiers from the division at Fort Stewart probably won't be deploying.
Shortly after Obama's announcement Friday, the 3rd Infantry's commander, Maj. Gen. Robert Abrams, issued a statement saying the Iraq deployment was being called off. Hours later, his chief of staff said the division had not received the official word.
Still, the earliest the division could deploy would be November — and all U.S. forces are to leave Iraq by Dec. 31.
"While we have all seen the president's announcement, we have not received any official guidance," said Col. Lee Quintas, the 3rd Infantry's chief of staff. "We're still prepared to go and we'll standby until we hear differently."
The Georgia soldiers, all part of the general's command battalion, had been training for months to deploy this fall despite the drawdown of U.S. forces. Discussions between the U.S. and Iraqi governments had left open the question of whether a smaller force of U.S. troops might stay.
In March 2003, thousands of 3rd Infantry soldiers rumbled in their tanks and Bradley armored vehicles across the Kuwaiti border into Iraq among the first wave of U.S. soldiers whose push to Baghdad would soon topple Saddam Hussein.
The Army would call on the division to return to Iraq three more times over the next eight years.
Sgt. 1st Class Jerry Trosper returned home to his wife, Nita, and their three sons at Fort Stewart almost exactly a year ago. It was the second time the 39-year-old soldier from Ripley, Tenn., had deployed to Iraq.
Trosper said Friday he's glad the Iraqi security forces will soon get a chance to be on their own and put to use the training they received from U.S. forces. While he's uncertain what Iraq's future will look like after the U.S. military departs, Trosper said he's certain the country is better off than it was under Saddam.
"I'm not going to necessarily say it's a victory, based on all the casualties we have," Trosper said. "But there's a sense of accomplishment. I know we made a difference in that country."
Other than the general's command battalion, none of the division's four combat brigades, including one based at Fort Benning in Columbus, were facing deployment orders.
Abrams, the division commander, said in a statement that his soldiers would be ready to deploy elsewhere if needed, though no such orders have been given.
"We are the Army's decisive force for any mission, anytime, anywhere," Abrams said.
The end of the Iraq war brings to a close a chapter of Fort Stewart's history that has kept its soldiers on a constant cycle of training for war and deploying overseas since the initial invasion.
Quintas said the division's soldiers should reflect on their service during those years as a job well done.
"We have invested a tremendous effort and sacrifice over an extended period to come to this conclusion," Quintas said. "These soldiers have a lot to be proud about."
Friday, October 21, 2011
Marco Rubio defends himself amid family exile saga
Marco Rubio defends himself amid family exile saga
Controversy erupted over whether Sen. Marco Rubio has exploited his Cuban family’s immigration story to advance his political ambitions. Rubio is outraged.
Related Content
Politifact: Rubio's original story false
By Marc Caputo
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
A Cuban couple’s journey to America more than 50 years ago became a media firestorm this week when their son, Sen. Marco Rubio, was challenged about whether he misused the story of their immigration and exile experience to promote his successful political career.
A Republican, Rubio acknowledged making a mistake on his official Senate website, which inaccurately said his parents "came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover" in 1959. His family actually came initially in 1956.
The Washington Post late Thursday accused him of repeatedly and publicly embellishing his parents’ story for political gain.
Rubio said the Post story was “outrageous” and left a false impression.
“I didn’t lie about the date. I wasn’t aware of it,” Rubio told The Miami Herald, noting his parents’ immigration from Cuba happened a half century ago and that he was basing his story on a family oral history.
“It’s irrelevant to the central narrative,” he said. “The date doesn’t really add anything. It doesn’t embellish anything. The date is less relevant than the experience, the experience of people who came here to make a better life and who could never go back.”
On Friday, Rubio penned a written response to the Post article that was published on Politico, the national political website.
The controversy took on a life of its own in the nation’s political echo chamber as the left and right picked sides over whether the vice presidential short-lister was a liar or a victim.
Beyond the typical conservative-liberal feud, the issue became a point of departure over immigration and just what constitutes a political “exile.” It also served as a stark reminder that any politician seeking higher office will have every word parsed in a nonstop news cycle fueled by blogs, Twitter and YouTube.
The political ruckus also put the heat on The Washington Post because the story —inspired by documents from a birther activist who claims Rubio can’t be vice president — became the subject of criticism among several national media outlets.
The first paragraph of the Washington Post report suggested Rubio himself said "he was the son of exiles, he told audiences, Cuban Americans forced off their beloved island after ’a thug,’ Fidel Castro, took power."
However, the story didn’t cite any speech in which Rubio actually made the remark.
To back up the allegation, the Post took excerpts from a 2006 address in the Florida House where Rubio said “in January of 1959 a thug named Fidel Castro took power in Cuba and countless Cubans were forced to flee. ... Today your children and grandchildren are the secretary of commerce of the United States and multiple members of Congress ...and soon, even speaker of the Florida House.”
In the speech, Rubio didn’t say that his parents fled the island nation and he wasn’t referring to just those who specifically fled Cuba after Castro took power. Instead, he specifically said he was talking about "a community of exiles." That is: He was talking about all the Cubans who live in Miami.
Regardless of when his parents left Cuba, they were exiles because they stayed in the United States, specifically Miami, in a community where they soon felt they couldn’t go back to their homeland.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/21/2465750/rubio-defends-himself-amid-media.html?asset_id=Marco%20Rubio%3A%20%22The%20son%20of%20exiles.%22&asset_type=html_module#ixzz1bTGOFkwT
Controversy erupted over whether Sen. Marco Rubio has exploited his Cuban family’s immigration story to advance his political ambitions. Rubio is outraged.
Related Content
Politifact: Rubio's original story false
By Marc Caputo
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
A Cuban couple’s journey to America more than 50 years ago became a media firestorm this week when their son, Sen. Marco Rubio, was challenged about whether he misused the story of their immigration and exile experience to promote his successful political career.
A Republican, Rubio acknowledged making a mistake on his official Senate website, which inaccurately said his parents "came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover" in 1959. His family actually came initially in 1956.
The Washington Post late Thursday accused him of repeatedly and publicly embellishing his parents’ story for political gain.
Rubio said the Post story was “outrageous” and left a false impression.
“I didn’t lie about the date. I wasn’t aware of it,” Rubio told The Miami Herald, noting his parents’ immigration from Cuba happened a half century ago and that he was basing his story on a family oral history.
“It’s irrelevant to the central narrative,” he said. “The date doesn’t really add anything. It doesn’t embellish anything. The date is less relevant than the experience, the experience of people who came here to make a better life and who could never go back.”
On Friday, Rubio penned a written response to the Post article that was published on Politico, the national political website.
The controversy took on a life of its own in the nation’s political echo chamber as the left and right picked sides over whether the vice presidential short-lister was a liar or a victim.
Beyond the typical conservative-liberal feud, the issue became a point of departure over immigration and just what constitutes a political “exile.” It also served as a stark reminder that any politician seeking higher office will have every word parsed in a nonstop news cycle fueled by blogs, Twitter and YouTube.
The political ruckus also put the heat on The Washington Post because the story —inspired by documents from a birther activist who claims Rubio can’t be vice president — became the subject of criticism among several national media outlets.
The first paragraph of the Washington Post report suggested Rubio himself said "he was the son of exiles, he told audiences, Cuban Americans forced off their beloved island after ’a thug,’ Fidel Castro, took power."
However, the story didn’t cite any speech in which Rubio actually made the remark.
To back up the allegation, the Post took excerpts from a 2006 address in the Florida House where Rubio said “in January of 1959 a thug named Fidel Castro took power in Cuba and countless Cubans were forced to flee. ... Today your children and grandchildren are the secretary of commerce of the United States and multiple members of Congress ...and soon, even speaker of the Florida House.”
In the speech, Rubio didn’t say that his parents fled the island nation and he wasn’t referring to just those who specifically fled Cuba after Castro took power. Instead, he specifically said he was talking about "a community of exiles." That is: He was talking about all the Cubans who live in Miami.
Regardless of when his parents left Cuba, they were exiles because they stayed in the United States, specifically Miami, in a community where they soon felt they couldn’t go back to their homeland.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/21/2465750/rubio-defends-himself-amid-media.html?asset_id=Marco%20Rubio%3A%20%22The%20son%20of%20exiles.%22&asset_type=html_module#ixzz1bTGOFkwT
Pavilion celebrates Halloween with Hocus Pocus Pops
The Houston Symphony will perform “terrorific” music at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion during Hocus Pocus Pops at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28.
Tickets are $15 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free, courtesy of H-E-B. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 6 p.m.
Conductor Brett Mitchell casts a spell on the audience with chilling music and spooky sounds as the symphony plays The Ride of the Valkyries from “Die Walküre,” Toccata and Fugue, Funeral March of a Marionette, Psycho: A Narrative for String Orchestra, Suite from “Star Wars” and more.
Daddies, mummies and all the little ghosts and goblins are invited to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes for a chance to walk on stage during the concert. The first 100 children in costume to check in at Hocus Pocus Central in the Fidelity Investments Plaza can participate in the Goblin Parade that snakes across the stage during the symphony’s performance.
There also are pre-concert activities. Pulling into The Pavilion at 5:30 p.m. is the Great Pumpkin Express. Hop on for a ride around The Pavilion’s grounds. Starting at 6 p.m., costumed characters roam the grounds in the Fidelity Investments Plaza where little monsters can create their own spine-tingling music at The Pavilion Partners Instrument Petting Zoo and ignite their haunting imaginations creating lollipop ghosts at The Partners arts and crafts booth. Enjoy ghoulish activities by H-E-B, Houston Family Magazine, Woodforest National Bank, Fidelity Investments, Montgomery County Food Bank, YMCA’s Run Thru the Woods and Audi of America, official automobile of The Pavilion. Creep into the House of Blues Hospitality Tent for Radio Disney’s Graveyard Smash Dance Party featuring the Radio Disney Boo Crew from 6-7:15 p.m. for dancing, prizes, tricks and treats.
For “monsterous” prizes, register to win one of two gift baskets provided by H-E-B and The Pavilion by bringing any H-E-B receipt from October 2011 to Hocus Pocus Pops. Receipts must be brought to Hocus Pocus Central in the Fidelity Investments Plaza prior to the performance (between 6 and 7:15 p.m.). The drawing takes place on the Main Stage before the concert.
Winners of the Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest will be announced. Out of 130 entries, a winner was chosen from each of six grade categories. Each grade category winner receives a $25 gift card to H-E-B, a $25 gift card to Amazon.com, four VIP tickets to the concert and will have the essay printed in the Hocus Pocus Pops program. One grand prize winner will be drawn at random from the six finalists and announced at Hocus Pocus Pops. The winner receives an Amazon Kindle, a $100 gift certificate to Market Street and will have the essay printed in The Courier and The Villager newspapers. Each participant in the contest is entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes. The Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest is sponsored by The Courier and The Villager and Simply Tutoring.
For more information about The Pavilion, visit www.woodlandscenter.org.
Tickets are $15 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free, courtesy of H-E-B. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 6 p.m.
Conductor Brett Mitchell casts a spell on the audience with chilling music and spooky sounds as the symphony plays The Ride of the Valkyries from “Die Walküre,” Toccata and Fugue, Funeral March of a Marionette, Psycho: A Narrative for String Orchestra, Suite from “Star Wars” and more.
Daddies, mummies and all the little ghosts and goblins are invited to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes for a chance to walk on stage during the concert. The first 100 children in costume to check in at Hocus Pocus Central in the Fidelity Investments Plaza can participate in the Goblin Parade that snakes across the stage during the symphony’s performance.
There also are pre-concert activities. Pulling into The Pavilion at 5:30 p.m. is the Great Pumpkin Express. Hop on for a ride around The Pavilion’s grounds. Starting at 6 p.m., costumed characters roam the grounds in the Fidelity Investments Plaza where little monsters can create their own spine-tingling music at The Pavilion Partners Instrument Petting Zoo and ignite their haunting imaginations creating lollipop ghosts at The Partners arts and crafts booth. Enjoy ghoulish activities by H-E-B, Houston Family Magazine, Woodforest National Bank, Fidelity Investments, Montgomery County Food Bank, YMCA’s Run Thru the Woods and Audi of America, official automobile of The Pavilion. Creep into the House of Blues Hospitality Tent for Radio Disney’s Graveyard Smash Dance Party featuring the Radio Disney Boo Crew from 6-7:15 p.m. for dancing, prizes, tricks and treats.
For “monsterous” prizes, register to win one of two gift baskets provided by H-E-B and The Pavilion by bringing any H-E-B receipt from October 2011 to Hocus Pocus Pops. Receipts must be brought to Hocus Pocus Central in the Fidelity Investments Plaza prior to the performance (between 6 and 7:15 p.m.). The drawing takes place on the Main Stage before the concert.
Winners of the Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest will be announced. Out of 130 entries, a winner was chosen from each of six grade categories. Each grade category winner receives a $25 gift card to H-E-B, a $25 gift card to Amazon.com, four VIP tickets to the concert and will have the essay printed in the Hocus Pocus Pops program. One grand prize winner will be drawn at random from the six finalists and announced at Hocus Pocus Pops. The winner receives an Amazon Kindle, a $100 gift certificate to Market Street and will have the essay printed in The Courier and The Villager newspapers. Each participant in the contest is entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes. The Hocus Pocus Pops “Spooktacular” Essay Contest is sponsored by The Courier and The Villager and Simply Tutoring.
For more information about The Pavilion, visit www.woodlandscenter.org.
Business Leaders Connect Billings to the Bakken
BILLINGS - Activity at the Bakken Oil Formation is causing growth in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana. Williston, N.D. is being described as having the nation's fastest growing economy, and local businesses are meeting Thursday hoping to get into the action.
"When you double the size of a town, you don't just need oil workers, you need dentists and doctors and nurses and teachers and pretty much everything," said Williston Economic Development Executive Director Tom Rolfstad. "And it's happening very rapidly, so that's even more challenging to try to keep up."
Rolfstad is meeting with Billings business leaders to encourage them to bring their businesses and workers to the Bakken area.
"This could be a good thing for Billings and a good thing for us," Rolfstad said. "A win-win situation."
Experts with the U.S. Geological Survey said the Bakken Oil Formation is the largest continuous oil resource in the lower 48 states. Rolfstad said it reaches 13,000 feet below the surface and spans 100 miles around Williston.
Business leaders are making efforts to market the Yellowstone Valley as an energy hub for the Bakken.
"The Bakken area is ripe for business. There's so much of a need for outside entities to come in," said Jeremy Vannatta with the Big Sky Economic Development Authority. "If they're a welder, if they're a manufacturer, they paint vehicles, whatever it may be, how can we get tied into that area and really help Billings businesses and Yellowstone County grow."
No one can say exactly how many jobs the Bakken Oil Formation will create, but Rolfstad said he expects long-term economic growth and sustainability.
"While oil has kind of been branded as a boom, bust business, we just celebrated 60 years of oil in North Dakota, and I fully expect 60 years from now we'll be celebrating 120 years of oil. So I think it will be a part of the economy for a very long time."
Rolfstad said some Billings businesses are already expanding to the Bakken area, but he sees more opportunities for growth.
Thursday's conference is being held at the Crowne Plaza with a series of free seminars starting at 8:30 a.m.
"When you double the size of a town, you don't just need oil workers, you need dentists and doctors and nurses and teachers and pretty much everything," said Williston Economic Development Executive Director Tom Rolfstad. "And it's happening very rapidly, so that's even more challenging to try to keep up."
Rolfstad is meeting with Billings business leaders to encourage them to bring their businesses and workers to the Bakken area.
"This could be a good thing for Billings and a good thing for us," Rolfstad said. "A win-win situation."
Experts with the U.S. Geological Survey said the Bakken Oil Formation is the largest continuous oil resource in the lower 48 states. Rolfstad said it reaches 13,000 feet below the surface and spans 100 miles around Williston.
Business leaders are making efforts to market the Yellowstone Valley as an energy hub for the Bakken.
"The Bakken area is ripe for business. There's so much of a need for outside entities to come in," said Jeremy Vannatta with the Big Sky Economic Development Authority. "If they're a welder, if they're a manufacturer, they paint vehicles, whatever it may be, how can we get tied into that area and really help Billings businesses and Yellowstone County grow."
No one can say exactly how many jobs the Bakken Oil Formation will create, but Rolfstad said he expects long-term economic growth and sustainability.
"While oil has kind of been branded as a boom, bust business, we just celebrated 60 years of oil in North Dakota, and I fully expect 60 years from now we'll be celebrating 120 years of oil. So I think it will be a part of the economy for a very long time."
Rolfstad said some Billings businesses are already expanding to the Bakken area, but he sees more opportunities for growth.
Thursday's conference is being held at the Crowne Plaza with a series of free seminars starting at 8:30 a.m.
Olin Kreutz not 'feeling it,' leaves Saints
Saints center Olin Kreutz has left the team because he has lost his passion for the game of football, leaving a hole in middle of New Orleans' offensive line.
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"He loves the games," said his agent, Mark Bartelstein. "He has to love the game. He just hasn't been feeling it."
The Saints will place Kreutz on the left-team list and then eventually release him. By doing that, the team will be able to get out of the guaranteed portion of his contract. Kreutz has been battling a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
"He called me on Monday and Tuesday and said, 'I don't know if I can keep on doing this,' " Bartelstein said on "The Waddle and Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. "Went in and talked to (coach) Sean Payton and (general manager) Mickey Loomis and expressed it to them. They tried to talk him out of it. They wanted him to stay and he actually thought he was going to give it another whirl and called yesterday and said, 'I just know, it's not in my heart. I'm not going to keep collecting a check if I know deep inside me I can't bring what I need to bring to play every week.' "
This has been a tumultuous year for the 34-year-old center, who played the first 13 seasons of his career with the Chicago Bears but could not come to terms on a contract this offseason. Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowl performer, had said he was willing to take a pay cut to stay in Chicago, but negotiations became public and messy and Kreutz finally signed a one-year deal with the Saints.
"I think there's probably some correlation to [how things went down with the Bears]," Bartelstein said. "It hurt him a lot the way it went down with the Bears. He wanted to finish his career with the Bears, so I think there's a part of it. But how much, it's hard to say."
Bartelstein said that Kreutz will not retire immediately.
"We're not going to file anything right now," he said. "I just never think it makes sense to do that right away. He's going to step back and spend time with his family. My guess is I'm not sure he'll play again, but we'll see. The Saints made it clear that if he changed his mind, they'd love to have him come back. But knowing Olin and the way he handles himself, I don't think that's going to happen. But we'll see."
Senior writer John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
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