Stars and Stripes

Afghan pilots learn air assault tactics from 101st

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:26:00 +0000

With Afghan troops increasingly leading combat operations on the ground, the Afghan Air Force's fledgling helicopter fleet based in Kabul has learned new techniques to support them from the air.

Does social media add fuel to servicemembers' degrading actions?

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Degrading hate speech against women remains ubiquitous in the military, despite efforts to address the sexual assault crisis.

Report: Combat troop discharges increase sharply

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:07:00 +0000

The number of soldiers discharged from the Army for misconduct has risen to its highest rate in recent times, and some are wounded combat troops who have lost their medical care and other veterans benefits because of other-than-honorable discharges, according to an investigation by the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Fundraising efforts to help amputee veterans get new homes to meet their needs

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:38:17 +0000

Retired Special Forces soldier John Masson and Marine Staff Sgt. Tom McRae lost their legs and left hands to bombs while fighting for their country. Now, the men need new homes designed for their needs as amputees, homes that will aid them in caring for themselves and raising their children.

Marine helps develop Female Engagement Team in Afghanistan

Sun, 19 May 2013 18:51:00 +0000

Sara Bryant knew going into the military was something she wanted to do, but what she did not know was the impact she would have on the role of female soldiers in the Marine Corps.

Decatur, Ill. ceremony honors Vietnam War veterans, those who didn't come home

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:32:53 +0000

Memories of war and those that were lost flooded the minds of Vollmer and other military veterans Saturday as a large crowd of veterans, friends and family members attended a Vietnam War remembrance ceremony in the Decatur Public Library parking lot and visited The Wall That Heals.

Nearly 1M veterans wait on VA to process disability claims

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:06:00 +0000

More than 900,000 wounded veterans are waiting an average of nine months apiece -- in many cases far longer -- for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to process their disability claims. Wounded U.S. Army veteran Mike Rujawitz, 54, is one of them.

VA researcher quits over burn pit studies

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:40:00 +0000

Steven Coughlin had enough. He packed up and left D.C. Coughlin was a research epidemiologist who was working on behalf of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. When he found the impact of burn pits on veterans was going to be left out of a study he was working on, he quit, packed his bags and moved out West.

People share stories, pray for fallen heroes at memorial at Cornerstone United Methodist Church

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:28:40 +0000

It's been six years since 4th Brigade Combat Team Maj. Larry J. Bauguess was killed by gunmen in a small Afghan-Pakistani border town.

Maj. Gen. Pittard sees promising future for Fort Bliss

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:18:00 +0000

Fort Bliss is well positioned to continue thriving even as the Army faces some serious challenges. The installation has a "robust" future ahead of it, said Fort Bliss and 1st Armored Division commander Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard.

Portsmouth NH based Marine think tank to move to Stratham

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:52:22 +0000

All the pieces are in place for a Portsmouth-based marine technology think tank to move its corporate headquarters to the former Great Bay Community College campus in Stratham, with plans to create 200 new jobs over the next two years.

Militaries' growing use of ground robots raises ethics concerns

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:26:00 +0000

Though unmanned drones in the sky have drawn a lot of attention, a newspaper investigation finds that ground-based droids — the real-world descendants of Hollywood sci-fi movies — are becoming smarter and deadlier, pushing the line at which ethical questions must be resolved.

Four women undergo warfare training in NC

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:54:13 +0000

Twenty-two men and four women participated in the Riverine Combat Skills course in Camp Lejeune that ended May 2 -- one of the first warfare training programs to integrate women since the secretary of defense lifted a ban on women in combat in January.

William White, Tuskegee Airmen successfully battled racism, America's enemies in WWII

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:33:00 +0000

William White says he and his fellow members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen fought two battles during World War II: one against America's enemies and another against racism. White is sure he and his mates helped win the former on the battlefield, while he clearly has won the latter in his heart.

Kenya police kill 'terror couple'

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:26:00 +0000

Police shot dead a couple suspected to be terrorists after they threw four grenades, wounding five officers in an overnight stand-off, a police official said Sunday.

At Hampton VA, caring for sexual assault victims is ongoing battle

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:57:15 +0000

Over two weeks, the Pentagon has suffered a string of embarrassments in its effort to show progress in curbing sexual assault within the ranks.

Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:08:00 +0000

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will seek increased military aid from India during a three-day visit starting Monday and will discuss recent cross-border clashes with Pakistan, India's archrival, an aide said.

Honeybees trained in Croatia to find land mines

Sun, 19 May 2013 11:04:15 +0000

Mirjana Filipovic is still haunted by the land mine blast that killed her boyfriend and blew off her left leg while on fishing trip nearly a decade ago. It happened in a field that was supposedly de-mined.

Students have flocked to the Navy's EOD school in recent years

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:57:00 +0000

Each year thousands of military members volunteer to become explosive ordnance disposal technicians, a highly sought-after specialty for today’s military. All of them train at the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal, tucked into a 730-acre triangle cut from Eglin Air Force Base’s reservation.

Syria's Assad dubious of US-Russia peace initiative

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:45:30 +0000

Syrian President Bashar Assad has expressed skepticism that a planned U.S.-Russian peace conference could help stop the bloodshed in his country, according to an interview published in an Argentine newspaper.