Vol. II, Issue 47 Friday’s Online Edition June 27, 2008

victory timesonline

According to the 

National Science and 

Technology Council and 

Committee on Homeland 

and National Security, 

fingerprinting is one of 

the most reliable and 

convenient methods used 

to identify people because of the uniqueness 

of fingerprints and the 

ease of obtaining them.

Today coalition forces 

are using fingerprints, 

iris scans, and facial 

pictures, or biometrics, 

to identify insurgents.

Multi-National Corps 

– Iraq biometrics office 

hosted an Iraq Theater 

of Operations Biometrics Conference at Camp 

Victory, Baghdad, Iraq, 

to bring the biometrics 

community together.

The conference gave the 

members of the biometrics community a chance 

to network, and share 

tactics, techniques and 

procedures, said Lt Col 

Robert Huckabee, MNC-I 

biometrics staff officer.

“Insurgents don’t wear 

uniforms or name tags, 

so how do you identify them?” he asked.

According to Huckabee 

biometrics is the key.

Databases are formed by 

collecting fingerprints, iris 

Story by Marine 

Cpl. Frances L. Goch

MNC-I PAO

and facial scans at collection checkpoints. With this 

database, if an improvised 

explosive device is recovered and a fingerprint is 

found, then Coforces can 

compare that fingerprint to 

the ones in the database. If 

there is a match, then has 

a name and face so it can 

find, arrest and prosecute 

the maker of the IED and 

take him off the street.

“That is how you do it 

in a world where the bad 

guys look like everyone 

else; when they hide in 

plain sight,” said Huckabee.

So far the system has 

proven to be a valuable tool.

“Biometric capabilities 

are now being used to aggressively fight terrorism, 

and they offer the single 

most effective tool for 

identifying and tracking 

enemies,” said Dr. Myra 

Gray, Department of the 

Army, biometrics task force 

director. “Leveraging the 

full range of multimodal 

biometrics - finger and 

palm prints, iris patterns, 

facial geometry, voice 

patterns, and even DNA 

- we now have the ability 

to uncover suspects that 

hide in plain view, access 

forensic evidence linking 

suspects to past attacks, and 

track and neutralize terrorists before they strike.”

Biometrics is not only 

beneficial to Coalition 

forces and coalition forces, 

it helps protect the Iraqi 

people. By identifying, 

locating and capturing 

insurgents and criminals 

it removes them from 

the towns and neighborhoods and the Iraqi 

people do not have to 

fear being threatened or 

harmed by insurgents and 

criminals and can go about 

their everyday lives.

Gen. David Petraeus, 

Multi-National Forces 

– Iraq, commanding 

general, spoke of the 

impact of biometrics.

“Your systems and databases and the dedicated 

people who run them are 

helping to eliminate the 

ability of insurgents and 

criminals to remain anonymous, hidden amongst an 

otherwise law-abiding, 

peace-desiring population,” said Petraeus.

Sgt. Edward Dixon, Task Force Regular, acquires the retinal scan of an Iraqi man that wants to 

join the Sons of Iraq in the Sadr City district of Baghdad May 30. 

Photo by Tech Sgt. Cohen A. Young

Biometrics technology reveals true identities
Page 2 Victory Times June 20, 2008

feature

 

MNC-I Commanding General: Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III 

MNC-I Public Affairs Officer: Col. Billy J. Buckner 

MNC-I PA Sergeant Major: Sgt. Maj. Sharon Opeka

MNC-I Command Info Chief: Staff Sgt. Joy Pariante

Editor:Spc. Samuel J. Phillips

Staff: Staff Sgt. Jeremy D. Crisp, Cpl. Frances L. Goch, Pfc. Eric 

J. Martinez and Pfc. Eric J. Glassey

The Victory Times online welcomes columns, 

commentaries, articles and letters from our 

readers. Send submissionsor comments to 

joy.pariante@iraq.centcom.mil. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit for security, 

accuracy, propriety, policy, clarity and space.

The Victory Times Online is an authorized 

electronic publication for members of the 

Department of Defense. Contents of this 

electronic publication are not necessarily 

the official views of or endorsed by the 

U.S. Government or the Department of Defense. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Public Affairs 

Office of Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

Baghdad Bad Boys beat deployment blues

Story and photo by 

Pfc. Eric J. Glassey

13th Public Affairs 

Detachment

Bluegrass is a mixture of old-time 

music, blues, ragtime and jazz which no 

one person can claim to have invented. 

However, Bill Monroe is often referred 

to as the founding father of bluegrass 

music because the music was named 

after his band, “the Blue Grass Boys.”

On Victory Base Complex the local 

‘Blue Grass Boys’ go by another name, 

“Baghdad Bad Boys.” Although when 

they play during the Sunday morning 

service held at 8:30 a.m. at Hope Chapel 

they do not refer to themselves as such.

“Bluegrass music, for the most part, 

is very simple,” Chaplain Jeffrey Houston, chaplain, Multi-National Corps 

– Iraq, said. “You can enter a bluegrass 

group at any point, as a brand-new beginner or an accomplished picker.”

“We do it for the stress release and 

we have a good time,” Houston said. 

“Smiling and laughing is the best 

therapy there is,” Houston said. “We 

didn’t intend for it to be group therapy it just turned out that way.”

“It’s therapy,” said Chaplain Charles 

Hamlin, 716th Military Police Battalion. “I look forward to every Friday 

night and playing music with these 

guys. Music is good therapy.”

“It has been going on for several 

months now,” Houston said “We’ll just 

keep this up as long as we can.” 

The group which varies from 15 to 20 

people plays every Friday night at 9 p.m. 

at Building 24F, the Mini Chapel near the 

bus stop just north of Dodge City North.

Maj. Steve Howell, force generation officer, Multi-National Corps-Iraq , Lt. Col. Greg Rawlings, Force Management Division chief, MNCI, and Chaplain Mike Charles, 10th Mountain Division, jazz out while performing at the Joint Visitor Bureau June 24. The group welcomes 

everyone to practice and ‘pick’ at their Friday night jam sessions at Building 24F, the mini chapel, at 9 p.m.
Information

June 20, 2008 Victory Times Page 3

“No shirt, no shoes, no service”

“No shirt, no shoes, no service”

Standards of Dress and Appearance for all 

Multi-National Corps-Iraq Dining Facilities

-All U.S. military personnel will be in uniform, to include possession of their 

assigned weapon, in accordance with the regulations that govern their branches 

of service. Uniforms, to include the physical fitness uniform, are to be free of 

excessive sweat and debris.

-Civilian and coalition personnel are not allowed to wear clothing that is soiled 

or excessively sweaty, bathing suits, halter tops, short shorts, exercise tights, 

garments that expose the midriff or underarms, sheer or transparent garments 

or any garment with foul, provocative, racially inflammatory, sexist or tasteless 

words or drawings.

-No cell phones or cameras will be used within the dining facility and no bags 

of any form will be allowed into the dining facility.

-Proper hygiene is imperative to maintaining a healthy and ready force. As 

such, all military and civilian personnel will wash their hands at the wash 

stations prior to entering a dining facility.

-Personnel in violation of any of these regulations shall be denied access to the 

respective dining facility.

The point of contact for these regulations is Sgt. Maj. David W. Hankins, 

MNC-I C-4, at 822-2481 or david.hankins@iraq.centcom.mil.
Page 4 Victory Times Online June 13, 2008

U.S. news

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.- Authorities are investigating the death of a pregnant soldier whose body 

was found Saturday morning in a motel, police said.

Spc. Megan Lynn Touma, 23, was a dental specialist from Cold Springs, Ky., according to a statement 

from Fort Bragg, N.C., where Touma was assigned 

to the 19th Replacement Company.

SAN FRANCISCO- An electrical storm unleashed 

nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 

wildfires across Northern California. The “dry lightning” storm brought little rain but plenty of sparks 

to the state’s parched forests and grasslands. 

Such storms usually don’t arrive until late July or August and typically from southeast of California.

IOWA- A railroad bridge leading to a Tyson 

Foods Inc meat plant near Columbus Junction, 

Iowa, collapsed late Tuesday, sending a locomotive and its engineer into the Iowa River, said 

the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration and 

county sheriff’s office on Wednesday.

ALASKA - Shell Oil said on Friday it 

would delay its 2008 drilling plan in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea for a year because of an 

ongoing legal challenge filed by groups concerned about the potential impact on whales, 

walruses and other marine mammals.