Stars and Stripes News

NY senator: Assaults let military culture continue

Fri, 24 May 2013 03:46:59 +0000

Charges that an Army sergeant secretly photographed and videotaped women at West Point are part of a military-wide pattern of sexual misconduct, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Thursday.

Milestones for Guantanamo Bay detention center

Fri, 24 May 2013 02:44:00 +0000

President Barack Obama on Thursday reaffirmed his 2008 campaign promise to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terror suspects have been held since 2002, and begin the transfer of some prisoners to other countries.

Obama lifts ban on Guantanamo transfers to Yemen

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:24:00 +0000

President Barack Obama is lifting his self-imposed ban on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to Yemen, where a leadership upheaval has improved the country's security but not eliminated a terrorist organization trying to recruit jihadists.

Guilty plea in shooting of ICE agents in Mexico

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:49:40 +0000

An accused Mexican drug cartel member has pleaded guilty in the killing and wounding of two U.S. agents in Mexico.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:19:22 +0000

Lance Cpl. Austin Flemens, tall and striking in his U.S. Marine Corps uniform, was a magnet for the fifth-grade boys who surrounded him and fired off questions like gunshot.

McChrystal: 'It's about the team'

Thu, 23 May 2013 21:11:56 +0000

Stanley McChrystal has a few things to say about leadership. And after serving his country for nearly four decades, overseeing special operations in Iraq and commanding the NATO coalition in Afghanistan he has the experience to back it up.

Stryker brigade in Hawaii needs review, Army general says

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:28:20 +0000

The head of the U.S. Army in the Pacific said Hawaii is expected to keep its 22,500 active-duty soldiers as the Army downsizes, but it makes sense to re-evaluate whether the Stryker Brigade should keep its 320 armored vehicles or revert to a light infantry unit without Strykers.

Home to new tankers brings stability for McConnell AFB

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:26:34 +0000

McConnell Air Force Base’s future was solidified significantly Wednesday with the announcement that it would serve as home for the new refueling tankers.

Air Force Museum unveils plans for major expansion

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:25:00 +0000

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will relocate a one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft collection to a new $46 million gallery in 2015, giving hundreds of thousands of visitors a chance to see both historic and futuristic air and space planes now closed off in a hangar from museum visitors.

Missing Bradenton, Fla. soldier sought by family

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:18:57 +0000

Mason VanKuiken is one of many missing veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder to "ghost" themselves in Army parlance, which means to disappear without a trace.

Veteran, friend hope to skateboard from coast to coast for charity

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:17:27 +0000

This past week two skateboarding buddies competed in a 188-mile, three-day Chief Ladiga Silver Comet race in Atlanta. They considered it a good warm up for their cross-country trek later this month.

Mobile Army team shows Fort Drum soldiers how to lead fitness training for their units

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:13:56 +0000

It’s back to basics for several soldiers as the Army has sent a mobile team of Army and civilian instructors to show them how to lead the fitness routines of their own units.

Audio: Confusion reigned before destroyer Porter's collision

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:12:05 +0000

The guided-missile destroyer Porter had just cut across the path of an approaching supertanker, a risky nighttime maneuver in one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, when a sailor standing watch spotted an ominous red glow.

Swamp Apes group gives war veterans missions in the Everglades

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:08:46 +0000

Since 2009, Tom Rahill has been recruiting war veterans to volunteer with the Swamp Apes, clearing paddling and hiking trails in Everglades National Park and hunting for exotic Burmese pythons in the Everglades outside the park.

Service pays homage to mariners who died in WWII attack

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:07:22 +0000

The ships went down on April 8, 1942, a day Olaf Olsen remembers well because it made it clear just how serious World War II had become in the days before round-the-clock media coverage.

58 Future leaders encouraged to do the "right thing"

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:05:56 +0000

Fifty-eight future leaders in the United States military and Western Hemisphere countries were encouraged to do the right thing when no one else is looking Wednesday during a graduation at Fort Benning.

Search for missing revived by warming relations

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:03:00 +0000

As relations thaw between Myanmar and the U.S., JPAC renews search for the missing.

Does military culture foster environment of sex abuse?

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Nearly a decade into the Pentagon’s efforts to stop sexual assault and harassment in the military, some parts of the armed services still allow — and even encourage — the kind of anti-woman sentiment that directly contradicts the Defense Department’s oft-cited “zero tolerance” policy.

Injured servicemembers, vets compete in Valor Games

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:58:59 +0000

About 100 injured military veterans and those on active duty are competing against each other this week in the Valor Games Southeast in North Carolina.

Veteran with deep military roots looks to honor those who served

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:57:17 +0000

In the den of his Lathrop home, Carrol Clingan pulls from the wall a photocopied document, the honorable discharge of a kinsman who served in the National Guard of Ohio during the Civil War.

Three-day waiver allows military couple to finally be married

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:55:09 +0000

More than 7,500 miles and the Atlantic Ocean have separated Bianca Braun and Matthew Silva throughout the military couple's relationship.

Iraq veteran in Ohio gets a mortgage-free home

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:53:44 +0000

A wounded Cincinnati-area veteran received a free home Wednesday in an act of kindness that a woman and her company helped initiate.

Four-legged veteran was hero to many

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:52:24 +0000

Mitra Singh is planning a memorial service for a hero: her friend and companion Emir.

Nuclear weapons center commander: Cuts won't affect safety

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:50:36 +0000

Defense budget cuts are being felt at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, but they will not affect the safety, security or effectiveness of the Air Force’s nuclear weapons, the center’s two-star commander said Wednesday.

Dedicated honor guards provide special send-off for veterans at funerals

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:49:41 +0000

The veterans, most of them retirees, are paid in grateful hugs and thanks from family members and receive no special recognition. They are rarely acknowledged and often are expected to appear as if by magic at veterans' funerals.

Biden to cadets: Coast Guard faces growing demands

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:25:00 +0000

Vice President Joe Biden told graduating cadets Wednesday at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy that the nation will increasingly rely on the service for missions including more remote Arctic operations and fighting maritime crime alongside the U.S. Navy.

Congress clears bill on lying about medals

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:20:00 +0000

Lying about receiving a military medal could become a crime, under a bill headed to the president's desk.

More South Koreans support developing nuclear weapons

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:02:02 +0000

Perhaps it is merely basic human desire to keep up with the neighbors, but an increasing number of South Koreans are saying that they want nuclear weapons too.

Syrian conflict uprooting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:00 +0000

Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians - descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago - and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday.

Violence in Somalia scares investors, aid workers

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:29:19 +0000

A spate of attacks by Islamic insurgents in Somalia's capital is forcing investors, businessmen and aid workers to have second thoughts about expanding operations in Mogadishu.

Woman tried to reason with London attackers

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:33:46 +0000

A scout leader who may have prevented further violence has emerged as an unlikely hero in the apparent terror attack that left one man dead on the streets of London.

No postings yet for HIV-positive Marines, sailors since policy change

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:01:00 +0000

More than nine months have passed since the Navy decided to open up overseas and large-ship platform assignments to HIV-positive sailors and Marines, but not a single sailor has gotten such a posting.

Obama sees narrower terror threat, defends drones

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:32:00 +0000

In a lengthy address at the National Defense University, Obama defended his controversial drone-strikes program as a linchpin of the U.S. response to the evolving dangers. He also argued that changing threats require changes to the nation's counterterrorism policies.

Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:47:00 +0000

A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect.

Wounded troops get free Segways in annual ceremony honoring Memorial Day

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:29:00 +0000

For Army Sgt. Fioreamante Bernardo, the free Segway he received Wednesday from the charitable group Segs4Vets is more than a fun way to get around. For the triple amputee, it's "a crucial tool."

North Korea envoy awaits chat with China's leader

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:49:45 +0000

On a visit to repair ties with China and waiting to meet its leader, a North Korean envoy Thursday paid deference to its chief ally's hopes for renewed multinational nuclear talks. Chinese sate broadcaster CCTV quoted Choe Ryong Hae as saying North Korea "is willing to accept the suggestion of the Chinese side and launch dialogue with all relevant parties."

Assaults let military culture continue, senator says

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:42:32 +0000

A senator says repeated sexual assaults in the military allow a culture to continue.

5 die in Lebanon clash of Assad foes, backers

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine-gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving five people dead in what was described as some of the heaviest fighting there in years, officials said Thursday.

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:15:01 +0000

The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from Secretary of State John Kerry's 2-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Altus Air Force Base wins KC-46A training mission

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:03:02 +0000

Altus Air Force Base was named Wednesday as the training site for the new refueling tanker, which will give the southwest Oklahoma base a boost in construction and employment, according to lawmakers.

Pakistan arrested American who was killed by drone

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:08:29 +0000

An American citizen killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in 2011 was arrested by Pakistani authorities three years earlier but escaped after being released on bail, officials said Thursday.

26 killed in 2 simultaneous car bombs in Niger

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:53:00 +0000

Niger's defense minister announced that 20 Nigerien soldiers were killed and another 16 injured when a suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives inside a military installation in the city of Agadez on Thursday.

Nixon library hosts 40th reunion for Vietnam POWs

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

On Thursday, about 200 Vietnam War veterans, almost all of them former pilots, will reunite for a three-day celebration at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum that coincides with the 40th anniversary of a star-studded White House dinner hosted by President Nixon to honor their sacrifice.

Protests on Okinawa aren't always what they appear to be