|
Latimes reporter stabbed Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5647327.htmhttp://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5647327.htm
War with Iraq
Posted on Wed, Apr. 16, 2003
War briefs from California
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Rioters in Iraq attacked a Los Angeles Times reporter, who was kicked and stabbed before a group of defenders in Mosul pulled him free of the mob.
In a first-person account published in Wednesday's Times, staff writer Paul Watson said a group helping an injured man asked him to take a picture of them.
"When I did, about 300 people rushed me, shouting, `American! American!'" Watson wrote. "As the mob approached, I saw that I had no escape. The only thing that kept them at bay - for several minutes anyway - was a group of about 20 people who tried to fend off my attackers."
The defenders urged the crowd to leave Watson alone.
"But the mob wanted blood, and I could see two men who had pulled out knives," Watson wrote. "After several minutes of struggling and stone-throwing, the mob knocked me to the ground and kicked me repeatedly in the head and back before stabbing me in the buttocks."
Watson said his defenders managed to drag him into a restaurant "and the mob smashed the windows and door before the owner was able to pull down the metal security shutter."
"Just then, U.S. troops opened fire and the mob gave up the chase. Two of my defenders, who were Arabs, brought me and my Kurdish translator to the Mosul governor's building, where the Americans had taken up positions," Watson said.
---
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - The families of military personnel deployed overseas got a shopping spree as part of a Los Angeles radio station's "Operation Hugs From Home" campaign.
When Lisa Leduc shops at the base commissary, mother of three usually carries a calculator to make sure she's got enough money. She's used to a tight budget: no name brands, no splurging on popular toys and regular 99-Cent Only store forays.
That all changed on Tuesday. The wife of Staff Sgt. Steven Leduc tossed those financial restrictions aside and, with other military spouses, they scooped up sundries and food courtesy of country music station KZLA.
The station began "Operation Hugs from Home" to bolster the spirits of service members sent overseas. It evolved into a plan to allow community members to help families left behind.
Inundated with donations, the station sent a big-rig with 35,000 pounds of items to Vandenberg. Pushing shopping carts through a massive warehouse, spouses left at home picked up free groceries.
"This is amazing. It's beyond words," said Mrs. Leduc, whose husband has been at Guantanamo Bay since November. "You're always stretching. This is stuff we'd never buy. It's just not in our budget."
KZLA promotions director Bonnie Marquez said the station's Southern California listeners overwhelmingly responded to the opportunity to help the troops and their families. The station held similar drives at Camp Pendleton and other bases.
---
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Crescenta Valley High School in suburban La Crescenta this week added another picture to its walls memorializing former students killed while serving their country.
Marine Lance Cpl. Donald John Cline Jr. was reported missing in action along with eight other Marines three weeks ago outside of Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. This week, the Defense Department announced that DNA tests had confirmed that Cline, 21, died in combat.
Born in Sierra Madre, Cline moved with his family to La Crescenta, where he attended Monte Vista Elementary, Rosemont Middle and Crescenta Valley High schools. While he was in high school, his family moved to Sparks, Nev.
Cline, who joined the Marine Corps after graduating, is survived by his wife, Tina, and 2-year-old son Dakota, and 7-month-old son Dylan.
"As young as he was, he was such a family man. I think he got more joy out of playing with the toys than the kids did," said Tamme Sweringen, Cline's mother-in-law.
At Crescenta Valley High School, the principal informed students of Cline's death in a special announcement. The student council is raising money for the family.
|
|
