”’The president delivered this speech yesterday to the military based at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa Bay, Florida.”’

Over the last week the world has witnessed the skill and honor and resolve of our military in the course of battle. We have seen the character of this new generation of American Armed Forces. We’ve seen their daring against ruthless enemies and their decency to an oppressed people.

Millions of Americans are proud of our military, and so am I. I am honored to be the Commander-in-Chief. I appreciate very much General Peter Pace, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who has joined us from Washington, D.C. today. He is representative of the caliber of our generals. He’s one of the finest people I know. I’m proud you’re here, General Pace. Thank you for representing the Marine Corps so well, and all the fighting men and women.

I’m proud, also, to be here with Charles Holland, Commander of SOCOM, the Wing Commander of MacDill Air Force Base, Colonel Tanker Snyder. He told me that was his given name, Tanker. That’s a heck of a name, Tanker.

I want to thank members of the Florida congressional delegation who flew down with us today on Air Force One, starting with the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, a Floridian committed to making sure our military has what it takes to win war and, therefore, be able to keep the peace — the Chairman, Bill Young. As well, Congressman Jim Davis, Mike Bilirakis, Adam Putnam and Katherine Harris came down today. I know we’ve got some of the Mayors from the local area here, Rick Baker, Brian Aungst and my old buddy, Dick Greco, the Mayor of Tampa, Florida — for being here.

I want to thank everybody in uniform who is here today — thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your love of America. I appreciate the members of the United States Coast Guard who are here today. Our Coast Guard is deployed in the Middle East, at the same time it protects this homeland of ours. And you’re doing a fine job on behalf of the American people, all up and down the coastlines of this great country.

I want to thank members of the Florida Army National Guard who are here. And I suspect we might have a few veterans — as well as retired members of our military. I want to thank you all for your service, for setting such a clear example for future generations of those who wear our uniform. I think you’ll agree that our military is not letting you down when it comes to upholding the great tradition of peace through strength. One of the problems with being the President is you always end up being the last guy here. So I’m sorry I didn’t get to hear Toby Keith and Daryl Worley. But I want to thank you all for coming and providing your talents today in support of — support of our efforts to make the world a more peaceful place. I also want to thank Chaplain Stone. I appreciate your words of prayer for our men and women in uniform, especially for your prayers for the loved ones of American and British troops whose lives were lost.

People across this country are praying. They are praying that they hope those families and loved ones will find comfort and grace in their sorrow. We pray that God will bless and receive each of the fallen, and we thank God that liberty found such brave defenders.

At MacDill Air Force Base, I know you’re proud of a certain Army general who couldn’t who couldn’t be with us today on the account of some pressing business.

Tommy Franks has my respect, the respect of our military, and the thanks of the United States of America.

MacDill is the Command Center of our Special Operations Forces — the silent warriors who were first on the ground — were first on the ground there in Iraq. And here at CENTCOM, you coordinate the work of a grand coalition that is disarming a dangerous enemy and freeing a proud people.

Every nation in our coalition understands the terrible threat we face from weapons of mass destruction. Every nation represented here refuses to live in a future of fear, at the mercy of terrorists and tyrants. And every nation here today shares the same resolve: We will be relentless in our pursuit of victory.

Our military is making good progress in Iraq; yet this war is far from over. As they approach Baghdad, our fighting units are facing the most desperate elements of a doomed regime. We cannot know the duration of this war, but we are prepared for the battle ahead. We cannot predict the final day of the Iraqi regime, but I can assure you, and I assure the long-suffering people of Iraq, there will be a day of reckoning for the Iraqi regime, and that day is drawing near.

Many of you here today were also involved in the liberation of Afghanistan. The military demands are very different in Iraq. Yet our coalition is showing the same spirit, the same resolve — that spirit and resolve that destroyed the al Qaeda terror camps, that routed the Taliban and freed the people of Afghanistan.

In Iraq today, our military is focused and unwavering. We have an effective plan of battle and the flexibility to meet every challenge. Nothing — nothing — will divert us from our clear mission. We will press on through every hardship. We will overcome every danger. And we will prevail.

It has been six days since the major ground war began. It’s been five days since the major air war began. And every day has brought us closer to our objective. At the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Special Forces helped to secure air fields and bridges and oil fields, to clear the way for our forces and to prevent sabotage and environmental catastrophe. Our pilots and Cruise missiles have struck vital military targets with lethal precision.

We’ve destroyed the base of a terrorist group in Northern Iraq that sought to attack America and Europe with deadly poisons. We have moved over 200 miles to the north, toward Iraq’s capital, in the last three days.

And the dictator’s major Republican Guard units are now under direct and intense attack.

Day by day, Saddam Hussein is losing his grip on Iraq; day by day, the Iraqi people are closer to freedom.

We are also taking every action we can to prevent the Iraqi regime from using its hidden weapons of mass destruction. We are attacking the command structure that could order the use of those weapons. Coalition troops have taken control of hundreds of square miles of territory to prevent the launch of missiles, and chemical or biological weapons.

Every victory in this campaign, and every sacrifice serves the purpose of defending innocent lives, in America and across the world, from the weapons of terror. We will not wait to meet this danger, with firefighters and police and doctors on the streets of our own cities. Instead, we are meeting the danger today with our Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines.

All the nations in our coalition are contributing to our steady progress. British ground forces have seized strategic towns and ports.

The Royal Air Force is striking targets throughout Iraq. The Royal Navy is taking command of coastal waters. The Australian military is providing naval gunfire support, and Special Forces, and fighter aircraft on missions deep in Iraq. Polish military forces have secured an Iraqi oil platform in the Persian Gulf.

A Danish submarine is monitoring Iraqi intelligence providing early warning. Czech, Slovak, Polish, and Romanian forces, soon to be joined by Ukrainian and Bulgarian forces, are forward deployed in the region, prepared to respond in the event of an attack of weapons of mass destruction anywhere in the region.

Spain is providing important logistical and humanitarian support. Coalition forces are skilled and courageous, and we are honored to have them by our side.

In the early stages of this war, the world is getting a clearer view of the Iraqi regime and the evil at its heart. In the ranks of that regime are men whose idea of courage is to brutalize unarmed prisoners. They wage attacks while posing as civilians. They use real civilians as human shields.

They pretend to surrender, then fire upon those who show them mercy. This band of war criminals has been put on notice: the day of Iraq’s liberation will also be a day of justice.

And in the early stages of this war, we have also seen the honor of the American military and our coalition. Protecting innocent civilians is a central commitment of our war plan. Our enemy in this war is the Iraqi regime, not the people who have suffered under it. As we bring justice to a dictator, today we started bringing humanitarian aid in large amounts to an oppressed land. We are treating Iraqi prisoners of war according the highest standards of law and decency. Coalition doctors are working to save the lives of the wounded, including Iraqi soldiers. One of our servicemen said this about the injured Iraqis he treated: “We can’t blame them for the mistreatment their government is doing to our soldiers. I’m all for treating them. That’s what we do. That’s our job.”

Our entire coalition has a job to do, and it will not end with the liberation of Iraq. We will help the Iraqi people to find the benefits and assume the duties of self-government. The form of those institutions will arise from Iraq’s own culture and its own choices. Yet, this much is certain: The 24 million people of Iraq have lived too long under a violent criminal gang calling itself a government. Iraqis are a good and gifted people. They deserve better than a life spent bowing before a dictator. The people of Iraq deserve to stand on their feet as free men and women — the citizens of a free country.

This goal of a free and peaceful Iraq unites our coalition. And this goal comes from the deepest convictions of America. The freedom you defend is the right of every person and the future of every nature. The liberty we prize is not American’s gift to the world; it is God’s gift to humanity.

The Army Special Forces define their mission in a motto, “To liberate the oppressed.” Generations of men and women in uniform have served and sacrificed in this cause. Now the call of history has come once again to all in our military and to all in our coalition. We are answering that call. We have no ambition in Iraq except the liberation of its people. We ask no reward except a durable peace. And we will accept no outcome short of complete and final success.

The path we are taking is not easy, and it may be long. Yet we know our destination. We will stay on the path — mile by mile — all the way to Baghdad, and all the way to victory.

Thank you, all. And may God bless America.

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) — Fatigue and sleep deprivation can take a toll quickly on soldiers in combat conditions, such as those being experienced in Iraq, but the U.S. military is well aware of this problem and has implemented programs to improve soldier performance using both nutrition and drugs, experts said Wednesday.

“There is a lot of focus on performance enhancing,” Janice Rosado, a civilian physical scientist at the Natick Soldier Center’s Combat Feeding Directorate in Natick, Mass., told United Press International.

“Whatever we can do to give the war fighter an edge, we will do,” said Rosado, who is involved with research focused on developing nutritional supplements, such as energy bars and drinks, that might improve soldier performance.

The Army “wants to give (soldiers) every edge they possibly can and if they can find a safe, effective way of doing that through a performance-enhancing bar or drink they would want to do that,” she said.

Two products close to being in a soldier’s standard gear are an energy bar known as HooAH! (named after the famous military call) and a sports drink known as ERGO, for Energy Rich Glucose Optimized Drink.

These products consist mainly of carbohydrates and would be included in something called a first strike ration, Rosado said. The ration is intended to be used “for the first few days of conflict where soldiers are on the move and do not have time to stop and eat,” she said.

“It would be carb-loaded because it would be just for a few days when you really just need to be able to have a lot of carbs for energy,” she said.

Rosado’s department has done studies in conjunction with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and found both HooAH! and ERGO increased physical performance, such as how far soldiers could go on a march, by 17 percent compared to soldiers who did not take the supplements.

The agencies plan to do further studies to determine if the products enhance cognitive performance, she said.

One factor that can impair cognitive performance significantly is lack of sleep, said David Dinges, chief of the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Sleep and Chronobiology and director of a research center for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research focused on developing drugs that can lessen the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation.

“Sleep deprivation impairs the brain, it impairs the ability to perform,” Dinges told UPI. “It can alter your ability to pay attention, you don’t respond as quickly … your ability to think quickly and accurately at the same time is slower.”

This can impact soldier performance and perhaps contribute to mistakes that lead to friendly fire incidents or other fatalities, he said.

One promising remedy may be a drug called modafinil that is approved for the treatment of excessive sleepiness in people with narcolepsy, Dinges said. His lab is “trying to understand whether that drug used in healthy people can promote cognitive capability but not have negative consequences.”

Dinges has conducted experiments with soldiers, in which they stayed awake for 88 hours or about 3.5 days, while taking modafinil. He could not divulge the details of the results because the study has not yet been published. However, he said, modafinil “looks promising.”

Although modafinil might not be the final solution for improving soldier performance under sleep deprivation conditions, Dinges said, “The potential for finding additional medicines that are very specifically targeting areas of brain that are involved in keeping you awake … is very, very good.”

“Over the next 10 years I think we’re going to see one or two things come along” that safely promote wakefulness, he said.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

Column:

CHICAGO, March 26 (UPI) — Fitch Ratings said the onset of hostilities in the Persian Gulf has significantly increased the financial risks facing the nation’s airports.

Fitch said its opinion reflected the likelihood of further erosion in the already depressed air travel market, the potential for additional Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings by the nation’s airlines, and an increased probability of the liquidation of at least one major domestic air carrier, all of which would further restrict the revenue generating capacity of the nation’s airports.

The past 18 months mark one of the most challenging periods American airports have encountered in their history.

The prolonged decline in passenger volume stemming from the weakened economy and the aftermath of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, has significantly affected non-aviation related revenue sources, particularly parking and car rental concessions.

“While airport managers continue to take action to reduce variable expenditures, the corresponding decline in revenues results in a greater share of fixed costs being passed to the airlines at a time when they can least afford them,” Fitch said.

“This reflects the cost-recovery model of most airport use and lease agreements, which allow airports to assess the airlines for expenses not covered by non-aviation sources. Furthermore, increased security requirements have challenged airports to adapt to more stringent operating conditions imposed by regulatory agencies and to absorb additional operating and capital costs.”

The Air Transport Association has projected that passenger volume will fall about 8 percent over the short term due to the current conflict based on actual travel patterns during the initial stages of the 1991 Gulf War.

In response, the major airlines have already announced service reductions on international routes and minor changes in domestic service.

“The airlines may need to consider additional adjustments in domestic service should the war extend for a protracted period of time and passenger demand wane to a greater extent than expected,” Fitch said.

“This additional damper on travel volume only exacerbates the financial challenges facing airport managers, who now confront the prospect of additional budget reductions and further adjustments to their capital programs,” the rating agency said.

Fitch believes that the airport industry in general maintains its strong credit fundamentals including the essential role of air travel in the national economy, limited competition for passengers within local markets, flexible capital programs, and the cost-recovery provisions of most use and lease agreements that insulate airports from the short-term volatility of the airline industry.

Due to these strengths, as well as the diversity in the operating nature of U.S. airports, Fitch anticipates that the average rating for the industry as a whole will remain near its current A level and continues to view the default of a general airport bond as a remote possibility.

However, due to the current economic conditions, individual airports may experience deterioration in their operating and financial condition and, as a result, their credit ratings.

“Second-and third-tier connecting hubs appear to be at greatest risk in the current environment,” said Peter Stettler, director, Fitch Ratings.

“Their reliance on the transfer traffic from a particular airline makes them vulnerable to potential scheduling changes as airlines react to a rapidly shifting marketplace,” Stettler said.

Connecting hubs with a favorable geographic location, a sizeable origination and destination passenger base, low operating costs and strong yields stand a greater likelihood of sustaining passenger levels in the current environment.

Smaller origination and destination oriented airports might also experience service declines as airlines adjust schedules to reduce service on lower yielding routes and capture more lucrative markets.

Fitch said a prolonged war might result in an even greater decline in passenger levels, raising the possibility of additional bankruptcies among U.S. airlines.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTON, March 23 (UPI) — In the aftermath of what has become known as the First Gulf War Iraq’s Kurdish minority established an autonomous enclave in Northern Iraq. Many Kurds would like to use the upheaval of the Second Gulf War to go whole hog and create a breakaway independent Kurdish state.

Kurdish leaders deny that they harbor such aspirations, but their denials are regarded with a generous dose of skepticism, especially by the government of neighboring Turkey.

The idea that Iraq’s four million Kurds can put the clock back to the 12th century or beyond and set up a new Kurdistan on Turkey’s doorstep gives Ankara the jitters. The Turks fear that it could rekindle separatist passions among Turkey’s own 7 million-10 million strong Kurdish minority.

Which is why the only Islamic member of NATO was prepared to put its longstanding relationship with Washington in jeopardy by massing troops on the Turkey-Iraq border poised to go into Northern Iraq.

There were even unconfirmed reports that Turkey, brushing aside strong U.S. objections, has already begun moving its forces into the Kurdish enclave. This was denied in Ankara Saturday by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who said the issue was still under discussion with U.S. officials. “We will enter when and if conditions require it,” Gul declared.

Even so, it is widely accepted that between Friday and Saturday the Turks sent in around 1,500 troops into northern Iraq to join the 5,000 already based there with the consent of the Kurdish authorities to guard the approaches to Turkey, and to provide security for friendly Kurdish groups.

Ankara officials have talked of deploying 40,000 troops, so the small force mentioned in the reports is seen by analysts as a signal to Washington that no amount of talking is going to deter Turkey’ from stationing troops in Kurdish territory.

The issue undermined Washington’s efforts to use Turkey as a staging area for the purpose of opening a northern front in Iraq — and even of using Turkish air space for its raids on Baghdad. The haggling over Washington’s request to deploy 63,000 U.S. troops went back and forth for six weeks, sweetened by the offer of an aid package which grew — in stages as the Turks dug in their heels — to $15 billion.

On March 1, with more than 24 cargo ships waiting in the Bosphorus to unload the tanks, vehicles and other equipment belonging to the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division, the Turkish parliament, dominated by the pro-Islamic Justice and Action party, voted against the deal.

The Turkish government had sought from Washington — and obtained — assurances that Iraq’s integrity would be preserved when the war ended and Iraq’s oil resource would be shared by “all the people.” Preserving Iraq’s integrity is political lingo for preventing the Kurds from acquiring independence, and from taking over the rich oil fields in the north.

But senior Turkish sources admit that they were not sure they could trust Washington to honor its commitment. One official told The Washington Post Friday, there was “a natural skepticism about whether events will turn out the way the United States is planning them to unfold. We want to be there when things go wrong, if they do.”

The fact that the Bush administration last week appointed a separate civilian administrator for the Kurdish area, to serve during the immediate post-Saddam period, feeds directly into Turkish suspicions that Washington may not be averse to seeing Iraq carved into separate ethnic territories.

Statements by some Kurdish leaders about taking control of the oil fields, and images of Kurdish protesters burning Turkish flags don’t help either.

There are obvious risks to Ankara in defying Washington, and potentially serious consequences to the North Atlantic alliance. The circumstances were different, but the U.S.-led liberation of Afghanistan from the Taliban is not so far off that the Turks would not recall Secretary of State Colin Powell publicly warning the Northern Alliance forces to halt their advance outside Kabul so that a more representative coalition of Afghan ethnic groups, including the majority Pashtun group, could be cobbled together to take over the city.

There was more than a hint of dire consequences in Powell’s admonitions, but the Northern Alliance just careened straight on into the city.

The United States returns the compliment by distrusting Turkish intentions. A senior European official in Washington said Friday, “Letting the Turks into northern Iraq is like opening the door to let the fox get among the chickens. There’s bound to be trouble sooner or later.”

The Kurdish enclave is actually two enclaves respectively run by the two main ethnic groups, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democrtic Party. Once bitter rivals, they now share a parliament and an administration. But below the surface the old enmity still simmers. One of the few things that unites them is their opposition to 40,000 Turkish troops settling down for a long stay in their midst.

There is a widespread conviction that the Turks will quit northern Iraq much more slowly than they enter it; and U.S. officials fear that the situation could lead to a wider war between the Kurds and the Turks that could go on longer than the war in Iraq itself.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

“Suzanne Gelb Image”

”Parenting Qualms – Why Does My Child Fight Me?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

I bet you hear from many parents wanting you to fix their rowdy kids, and here’s another one. My child just won’t cooperate, and no, he does not have ADHD and I don’t blame his teachers. It’s just that this kid rebels with everything I say. There must be an answer to point him in the right direction.

A: Thank you for your concern and yes, I do believe that challenges with human behavior often have a simple, practical solution that can help to point us in the right direction. When it comes to gaining cooperation from children, consequences applied firmly and fairly are essential.

Included below is a relevant excerpt from my article, “How to Teach a Child Positive Behavior,” published in the February/March 2003 issue of Hawaii Parent, The Magazine For Families, pp. 82-87.

“Choices and Consequences. As parents strive to raise a well-adjusted child, they must keep in mind that it is natural for a child to test limits and rebel. If a child routinely rebels, an age-appropriate consequence should follow. The child must be given a choice. For example, “if you choose not to tidy your room, you will not be able to watch your favorite television program until you do.” This fosters a sense of choice and consequence. As with discipline, consequences are not punitive. They are intended to motivate positive choice.”

Good luck with your parenting challenges.

”Single Parent – How Do I Handle Nightmares?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

My 9-year-old is well-adjusted but I am concerned that the Iraq war is affecting him, because he has started having nightmares. I know they talk about it at his school, but I am a single, working mom and when I’m home from work I am so tired, or I have so many chores there’s no time to talk to my son about this. Should I tell his teacher about his nightmares?

A: I can empathize with your busy schedule and the demands of single parenting. However, the influence that a parent can have over a child should not be underestimated, and time spent sharing with family members is invaluable. Let me share with you an except from my article, “Working Parents Prioritize Sharing with their Children,” in the March 2003 issue of “Small Business News”, p. 12.

“Parents should try to never be too busy to share their lives with their children and talk openly with them. This can take the form of family meetings, at breakfast or even before bedtime. This type of sharing can teach children that if they have fears or concerns it is all right to discuss them openly. Then their fear is likely to subside and they can feel important as a member of the family. Family talk and being open with each other are some of the most nurturing experiences a family can have.”

Thank you for reaching out.

”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’

”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”

”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com