Coolest Historical Reading Place
This picture was taken at Omaha Beach while on duty in Ste-Mere Eglise, France, June 6, 2006, 62 years after the invasion of the Normandy Beaches. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, 176,000 U.S. and Allied troops went ashore along a 40-mile stretch of the Normandy coastline with over 20,000 vehicles. During the invasion there were over 10,000 casualties, with over one third coming from Omaha alone. After seeing all the beaches, I believe if the 20,000 vehicles would have had lockers, big tires, and winches, the invasion would have only lasted a few minutes. Thanks for your continuous support of our troops!
MSG Sam Gillis
81st Regional Readiness Command
Birmingham, AL
Coolest Reading Place in the Motor Pool
Here's me and my buddies from SECFOR Maintenance enjoying your fun-filled magazine during routine maintenance on my truck in Afghanistan. Thanks.
Spc. Justin Hall
Operation Enduring Freedom
153rd CAV FLARNG
* GM Performance Parts has an all-new Web site-www.gmperformanceparts.com-with a new design, new parts photography, and tools that include a parts finder,a crate engine showcase, and downloadable product catalogs. A second phase of upgrades will include an engine configurator, which allows you to virtually build your dream engine, and also a dyno configurator, where you can test your parts combinations.
* American Racing Wheels has acquired Weld Wheel, giving American Racing deeper penetration into the truck wheel market. Weld's operations will be folded into American Racing's Southern California organization, but Weld wheels will continue to be manufactured in Kansas City and elsewhere under the Weld brand.
* A quartet of German manufacturers-Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen-are forming an alliance to promote diesel in the U.S. as a viable alternative to hybrid powertrains, reports Automotive News. All four will offer vehicles using the Bluetec emissions treatment system, several of which were on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. If Bluetec sounds familiar, it's also the system that will be used in Jeep's upcoming Grand Cherokee diesel.
* Look for the government's five-star crash-test ratings to start showing up on window stickers at your local dealership, thanks to a new law that went into effect in 2006. The rule applies to all passenger vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 or less. Pickups are exempt, since pickups don't technically have to have the Monroney window stickers, but the government expects truckmakers to voluntarily display the stars.
* First the good news: Congress approved and sent to President Bush compromise legislation that would designate 300,000 acres in Northern California's Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Napa counties as wilderness. Although OHV use is traditionally restricted in wilderness areas, a compromise supported by aftermarket trade association SEMA provides for approximately 79,000 acres to be set aside as recreation management areas for off-road vehicles. The measure also provides for the use of "cherry-stem" roads within the wilderness areas to allow continued motorized access to existing roads and trails. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law.
* Now the bad: A Federal court in California reinstated the so-called "roadless rule," issued by the Clinton Administration to prohibit development within 58.5 million acres of U.S. Forest Service lands. The court ruled that the replacement rule adopted by the Bush Administration in 2005 violated existing federal environmental and endangered species laws. Unlike the Clinton policy, which provided blanket protections for all designated roadless areas, the Bush Administration established a state-by-state process to allow governors to petition the Forest Service on which areas would remain "roadless" and which would be opened for development and recreational use. To date, California, Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia have submitted petitions to the Forest Service. The Bush policy is consistent with SEMA's position that state government and local communities should participate in forest management decisions. SEMA has also noted that the state petitioning process could be an opportunity to correct inaccurate roadless designations and include uninventoried routes well known to users and state officials but that do not appear on current USFS maps. U.S. Forest Service officials have indicated that they will continue to work with states in managing roadless areas; however, all parties should anticipate the legal fighting to continue. Given the conflicting opinions from the two different Federal courts, it is highly likely that the Supreme Court will have the final say on the matter.
* Responding to a U.S. Senate bill that would designate an additional 125,000 acres of wilderness around Mount Hood, SEMA sent a letter a letter to key Congressional members stating that additional public involvement was needed. SEMA also commented that the U.S. House has already approved a measure which would increase the Mount Hood Wilderness Area by 77,000 acres. Included in the SEMA-supported House bill were provisions for the conversion of old forest roads into new recreational trails and to provide for a revenue sharing system for the fees collected from recreation and land use.