Tallahassee Democrat from Tallahassee, Florida • Page 1

102nd year. No. 351. Dec. 17, 2007 50 Cents TOWNSEND BUYS ARC, ADDS RECOVERY OPTIONS ID SUNDAY STROLL Freshour, left, hits four 3-pointers; FSU rips Alabama St.

Sports 1C Local 3A Promoting democracy since 1905 Beiocmf A TT TT A TT TT MMm 1LUJLLU Monday, December 17,2007 50 Cents Tallahasseecom GOODBYE PRESENT Family gives Blake festive send-off before his tour in Afghanistan jMKilWMliJ DAY 2 OF A SPECIAL REPORT U.S. troops aim to improve young lives Woman's autopsy may be done today Officials not sure if body is Dunlap's ByTabithaYang DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER An autopsy on the body of a woman found Saturday in the Apalachicola National Forest should be completed by today, according to the Leon County Sheriffs Office. Investigators can't saywhether it's the body of Cheryl 1 a the missing Crawford- ville worn-1 3i km Nt'Jj i- 1 11111 -iXLZiS--i, nJSN- Above, students of Damerjog Elementary School In Djibouti pose for the cameras as U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Lemonler Interrupt their class to hand out free school supplies. Below, Sgt.

Aaron Foster of the U.S. Marines adjusts the straps on a brand new backpack during a mission to distribute school supplies at Damerjog Elementary School in Djibouti. MILITARY WORKS TO WIN HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT THIS PROJECT I "3 For two weeks in Sep tember, reporter Julian Pecquet accompanied an, LCSO Dunlap spokesman Rob Reisinger said. The Rev. Henry Jones of River of Life Church, where Dunlap regularly went, said he and the congregation have been praying diligently for her.

"We have hope and we are praying that the Lord will bring her back to us," Jones said Sunday. At the same time, he acknowledges that the body could very well be Dunlap's. "The likelihood that it's someone else isn't high." Hunters called 911 Saturday after discovering the body about 11 a. m. on a forest road near Bloxham Cutoff Road in southern Leon County, said Maj.

Mike Wood. The body had "been there some time," Wood said. There was evidence of decomposition, but Wood would not speculate on the exact time of death. He described the woman as white, but he couldn't say what clothes she was wearing or whether any objects were found nearby. Investigators notified Dunlap's family about the discovery.

"This is a tragedy regardless," Wood said Saturday. Dunlap, who worked as a nurse at Florida State University, has been missing since Dec. 1. Her car was found two days later with a flat tire on the south shoulder of U.S. 319 in Leon County.

Anyone with information on Saturday's discovery or information on Dunlap is asked to call the Leon County Sheriffs Office at 922-3300. Big Bend troops on their missions to win hearts and minds in DJIBOUTI, East Africa Djibouti's Damerjog Elementary School doesn't have air conditioning, but its rusty ceiling fans offered some respite as the temperature rose past 110 degrees on a September morning. The blue and white single-story school buildings, arranged around a dusty courtyard, are inscribed with messages in French Djibouti was a colony until 1977 that exhort students to "respect the pretty buildings" and "not shove (their) way in line." But it was hard for students to keep calm when a dozen Marines from Camp Lemonier, Africa and lived at the U.S. base that houses military operations in the area. He witnessed firsthand Africa's extreme poverty and talked to critics of U.S.

policies to produce this three-day special report. America's mili STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JULIAN PECQUET tary base, came to hand out 550 packages of paper, pencils and I Fighting ithout guns JVt I Big fk'nd rciiai'nts bailie terror in Africa other supplies. The children's excitement grew, especially at the sight of new backpacks: Some have to walk more than an hour to school. Capt. Christopher Crim, a liaison to village elders who carries an English-Somali dictionary to help him communicate, said the mission was part of the Marines' "dual mission" in Djibouti.

While the Marines in his unit are charged with protecting the base, they're also encouraged to volunteer on hearts-and-minds missions. "Our mission is security at Camp Lemonier, and everything that we do is supporting that mission," Crim said. "Patrols don't have too much interaction with the people, so what we do is help improve their daily lives so they believe their security and our security are of like interests." That approach mirrors the U.S. mission in Africa: Winning over the population, especially young Muslims, so that instead of breeding grounds for extremism their countries will become allies in America's war on terror. The U.S.

Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa serves a 13-country region from its base at Camp Lemonier. It's a mission dozens of people from across the Big Bend and North Florida have been engaged in since 2002. Reservists from Tallahassee's Marine Reserve Center guarded the camp in 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. And 14 people with a Civil Affairs team from Pensacola are now offering veterinary and medical assistance. Other troops work on school construction and well projects.

"I personally did a lot of stuff with Please see IMPROVE, 8A CONTACT US Visit our Web site and click on Fighting without guns to view more stories, photo galleries, graphics, videos and documents. Videos: Life at the U.S. base medical clinic in Djibouti. Photo galleries: Life at Camp LemonierMedical clinicPoverty in Nairobi, Kenya. Blogs: Reporter and Navy reservist's blog entries.

ADVEfrnSIM 599-2331, 599-2225 NEWS Iff MHUCK 850599-2233 MAIN NUMBER 850-599-2100 CIRCUUTMft 800-999-2271 TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT 102nd yea; No. 351, Dec. 17, 2007 50 Cents A Gannett iwwspapw CoprrtgM20O7 INSIDE? Graphic highlighting U.S. base layout and regional demographics Profile of a sailor who died in Yemen Get a home delivery subscription for yourself, give tho End as a gift! Some restrictions apply, call for details. TaUahasseecoml.