Articles 1.27.2005

The New Haven Register, CT, and Hartford Courant report on the funeral services for SSG Thomas Vitagliano, of the 1-503rd, who was killed in Ramadi on 1.17.2005. SSG Vitagliano was engaged and had planned to leave the Army at the end of his enlistment. WTNH news has two video segments remembering his life and service.
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Embedded Stars & Stripes reporter Joseph Giordono has an article on a joint US-Iraqi patrol with the 1-503rd in Ramadi. On the patrol, U.S. soldiers introduced the Iraqi forces to citizens and emphasized their role in the country's future. A larger version of one of the pictures of an unnamed soldier is found on the Stars & Stripes main page.

Mr. Giordono has a second article reporting that soldiers in the 1-503rd detained 5 men in a pre-dawn raid. The raid, which lasted just over an hour, met no resistance. According to the article, "U.S. troops have been undertaking targeted raids in Ramadi in the days leading up to Sunday’s elections, hoping to disrupt insurgent cells before they have a chance to attack."
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Other articles from the region:
- Associated Press: Top U.S. Commander: Iraq Forces Not Ready
- Associated Press: Iraqi Expats Unlikely to Sway Election
- NY Times (via san Diego Union-Tribune): Many Iraqis may choose safety over right to vote
- NY Times (reg req'd): Anti-Vote Violence in Iraq Is Intensifying, Latest Data Shows
- LA Times (via Seattle Times): Lost in the shuffle, Sunni Arabs ponder their role in new order
- LA Times (via South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Insurgent force's size still unclear
- Boston Globe: Fear clouding election in Sunni areas
- Christian Science Monitor: Final drive to coax Sunnis to polls
- Christian Science Monitor: In US, patience over Iraq thins