Eye on the Fleet - U.S. Navy Photo of the Day
The coastal patrol craft USS Chinook (PC 9) conducts maritime security operations in the near the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya oil terminal (KAAOT). Chinook is part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 158, which is specifically responsible for ensuring the security of 's KAAOT and Al Basra oil terminals in support of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1790. CTF-158 operates jointly with Iraqi Navy sailors and marines, trained by members of the Navy Transition Team based in nearby Umm Qasr. (Source: Navy News Service)
Coast Guard Suffers First Combat Death Since Vietnam
U.S. Coast Guard Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, 24, from Smithtown, N.Y., died from injuries sustained when a small boat exploded as he and six other coalition sailors attempted to board it near the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal Saturday. Injured was Boatswains Mate Third Class Joseph T. Ruggiero, 23, from Revere, Mass., who is recovering in a hospital in Kuwait. The two men were assigned to Law Enforcement Detachment 403 from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South in Miami, Fla., and were deployed to Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia at the time of the incident. Two Coast Guardsmen and five Navy sailors aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat were preparing to board a dhow that had approached the terminal when the explosion occurred. Two U.S.