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Somewhere around West Bend, several people have pieces of U.S. Navy Commander Wilma Roberts' life - her furniture, her china, her clothes, financial records, the family Bible, even the ceremonial sword from her son's graduation from a military academy. Nearly all Roberts' worldly possessions were auctioned off by a storage business last summer after a classic military snafu: Though Roberts, 48, was on active duty in Japan and Kuwait from July 2008 to July 2011, Navy officials stopped paying for her storage in 2010 and told the West Bend company it could sell off the goods - though the Navy...

COMBAT OUTPOST HANSON, Afghanistan — A turkey trot it was not. The U.S. Marines’ top general, James Amos, sprinted up and down the Helmand River Valley in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, visiting frontline Marines at nine remote outposts to share Thanksgiving and applaud their gains against the Taliban in a region where al-Qaida hatched the 9/11 plot a decade ago. Traveling mostly in an MV-22 Osprey, the hybrid that flies like an airplane and takes off and lands like a helicopter, Amos began shortly after daylight and finished 14 hours later — and, improbably, managed to confront just one turkey...

Despite a federal law requiring military ballots to mail by 9/18, military ballots across New York have not mailed as of today. The Justice Department has done nothing but talk about it. The 2010 debacle involving military ballots just became surreal. New York City and Westchester Country are but two of the several New York jurisdictions which admitted that they failed to mail military ballots. This fact should have been known on October 2, when the Justice Department should have marched into court seeking an immediate order that the ballots be sent — preferably by rapid express mail.Instead, a Justice...

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2010 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Roland Lueras left for a year-long deployment to Iraq on Father’s Day last year, missing his family’s usual gift-giving celebrations. Army Master Sgt. Donald Towers poses for a picture with his grandchildren, Jamie and Waylon, shortly before his deployment to Iraq in June 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But this weekend, it will be his 8-year-old son, Austin, who will receive the special gift: his father. Lueras is one of about 80 Army National Guard soldiers with the 203rd Military Police Battalion based in Athens, Ala., returning...

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 – Deployed servicemembers with children graduating from Department of Defense Education Activity-managed schools in Europe this month will be able to view a live broadcast of the ceremonies. An estimated 125 servicemembers deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations have children taking part in 14 graduation ceremonies, DoDEA officials in Wiesbaden, Germany, said. For the seventh consecutive year, DoDEA will provide a webcast of the graduation ceremonies to include congratulations videos from the U.S. European Command commander and each service component commander, as well as student messages and graduation announcements. The webcast will feature the graduation...

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va., April 20, 2010 – The Klein household was fairly typical: mom and dad worked, and their two rambunctious boys kept them busy the rest of the time. Mom was the snuggler, the reader of bedtime stories, the primary source of emotional support for the kids. Jim Klein, left, and his 9-year-old son, Joshua, type a message on Hallmark Channel's "Meet My Mom” virtual wall Facebook page. Hallmark Channel is celebrating Mother's Day on Facebook by creating an interactive page where viewers and deployed servicemembers can keep in touch with families by submitting photos, testimonials and...

FARGO, N.D., March 22, 2010 – A visit by North Dakota’s adjutant general to the emergency operations center yesterday set up for flood response at the North Dakota Air National Guard base here came with a surprise for one Guardsman. Army Master Sgt. Traver Silbernagel, left, and North Dakota Adjutant General Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk listen to Air Force Capt. Jennifer Silbernagel, on screen, a deployed North Dakota Air National Guard officer. The captain, based in the United Arab Emirates, witnessed her husband's surprise promotion via Skype. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp  (Click photo...

ARLINGTON, Va. – As humanitarian relief continues in Haiti, the Army National Guard stands ready to provide personnel and equipment to support the mission, senior Army Guard officials said today. "We stand by ready, willing and able to assist as soon as they sort out what the requirements are and what they want the Army Guard to fill," said Army Col. David Aycock, deputy chief of staff of operations for the Army Guard. Currently, a Puerto Rico Army National Guard unit is the only Army Guard unit participating in relief operations in Haiti. "The Puerto Rico Army National Guard with...

Ten thousand U.S. troops were deployed to secure distribution centers, protect aid shipments and - most importantly - get the airport up and working. Some Haitians reportedly said the presence of U.S. troops made them "fear for their sovereignty," but in one case where food aid was air-dropped, a mob-scene resulted and people were killed. Haitian sovereignty cannot be left to the care of machete-wielding gangs. Tales of a U.S. "invasion" to seize Haiti began to spread as soon as American boots were on the ground. Bolivia's socialist President Evo Morales called the U.S. relief effort "unjust, inhuman and opportunistic"...

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 24, 2009 – How do you plan Thanksgiving dinner for 180,000 people more than 6,000 miles away? If you’re a food buyer at the Defense Logistics Agency, you start by making a shopping list in April for meals to be served to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Providing superb meals to our U.S. troops is a critical mission of the Defense Logistics Agency, and one we put a great deal of effort into,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers commander of the DLA Philadelphia field activity, which provides all the food for U.S. military personnel worldwide,...

CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind., Aug. 20, 2009 – Many programs help military members’ families during a deployment, but what about their four-legged friends? Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet, a nonprofit volunteer group, arranges foster care for the pets of deploying servicemembers. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Guardian Angels for Soldiers' Pet, a nonprofit organization made up of all volunteers, locates foster homes for the pets of servicemembers who are deployed, training or experiencing an emergency or financial hardship. Linda Spurlin-Dominik, the group’s chief executive officer, said the group was formed in January 2005...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2009 – The best way to show deployed troops you care, says Cody Anderson, is to send them prepaid international phone cards so they can call home to their friends and loved ones. Today, Anderson, 54, of Mineral Bluff, Ga., is wrapping a four-and-a-half-week personal sojourn, walking back and forth from the U.S. Capitol to the White House to raise awareness about the troops and encourage people to donate phone cards for them. Yesterday, Anderson’s walking shoes were showing signs of his 1,000-mile personal walkathon as he plodded back and forth between the two national icons, passing...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2009 – This year, as it’s been for the last five, no high school senior graduating from a Department of Defense Education Activity school in Europe will look around wishing a parent could be there as the sound of “Pomp and Circumstance” fills the air. For the sixth year, DoDEA is providing webcasts of graduation ceremonies from 17 European schools. Two of those ceremonies occurred yesterday, another 12 will take place today, and the remaining three will happen tomorrow, June 7 and June 12. When the DoDEA graduation season is complete, about 125 parents deployed to...

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus recently presented a $12,636 check to American Recreational Military Services to help the troop-support group ship care packages overseas to deployed servicemembers. The check included a $10,000 donation and a portion of the circus’s four opening-night proceeds from performances in New Jersey and New York earlier this month. “We had been scrambling for months to cover costs as donor fatigue and the economic decline had cut into our donations,” Ronnie Micciulla, executive director at American Recreational Military Services, said. “The average cost for shipping an individual box...

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, March 24, 2009 – Army Reserve Lt. Col. Jeff Wallace has traded his judge’s gavel for a 9 mm pistol to take on his first deployment here. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Jeffrey M. Wallace, judge advocate general for 304th Sustainment Brigade, serves as circuit court judge for the state of Oregon. The 59-year-old is currently deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In Iraq, Wallace is the command judge advocate for the 304th Sustainment Brigade. As a civilian, he serves as a circuit court judge for the...

1/2/2009 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyz Republic (AFPN) -- "I knew I was unhealthy and had to make some changes, especially when I thought about my five-year-old looking up at me," said Senior Airman Jarvis Johnson. "Without changes, I wouldn't be around to see him and my daughters grow up." When you ask someone what they can accomplish in six months -- just 24 short weeks -- they may say something like, "I plan to finish a couple college courses," or maybe, "I'm going to read a couple books," or "Tour a little." Many may say they are going to...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Dec. 11, 2008 – Soldiers here are getting an education in personal finance that commanders say goes a long way in promoting battle readiness. The 10th Mountain Division is rolling out “Financial Peace University,” a 13-week program developed by Dave Ramsey, the best-selling author and commentator on personal finance, specifically for U.S. servicemembers. About 3,000 troops have taken the course each year since 2001, according to Ramsey. “It is important to offer this course to servicemembers, because sound financial principles are readiness issues,” said Army Chaplain (Capt.) Mike Jones, a battalion chaplain for the 10th Mountain Division,...

FORT CAMPBELL, KY (Clarksville Online- http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/10/31/casualty-notification-imposters-target-fort-campbell-families/) – On Thursday, October 30, a military family member reported two men pretending to be a casualty notification officer and chaplain visited her home and falsely notified her that her deployed Soldier had been killed. The man impersonating the notification officer was wearing a Class A “dress green” uniform and the other was wearing civilian clergy attire. There have been a few incidents of this nature in the past two months involving family members living off post, but Thursday’s incident occurred on post. The spouse did not allow the pair into her home and...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2008 – Microwavable popcorn, theater-style candy, sweetened powdered drink mix, a letter of support and a DVD are what deployed troops find when they open a “movie box” from Operation: Take a Soldier to the Movies. Troops show off movie boxes from Operation: Take a Soldier to the Movies. Each box contains microwavable popcorn, theater-style candy, sweetened powdered drink mix, a letter of support and a DVD. Photo courtesy of Operation: Take a Soldier to the Movies  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Bernie and Kathy Hintzke of Milwaukee started the project when their son, Adam,...

The rumor is that now that Sarah Palin has been nominated as a vp candidate her son will not have to serve in Iraq because of security concerns.

TRANSINNE, Belgium , Aug. 18, 2008 – With Joshua Mayo in the pilot seat and flight director Daniel Arvleo-Perez overseeing a mission control center hundreds of miles away, the space shuttle landed flawlessly. Not bad for a couple of teenagers. Chelsea Ryan, from Wiesbaden, Germany, reviews a checklist in preparation for a simulated space shuttle launch at the Euro Space Center, in Transinne, Belgium. Ryan was one of 24 participants in a space camp hosted by Installation Management Command Europe Region as part of its Camp A.R.M.Y. Challenge. U.S. Army photo by Ray Johnson, Installation Management Command Europe Region  (Click...

My wonderful husband (Ron) is in his last week of his fourth tour in Iraq with the USAF (he's a pilot with a special ops unit.) For some reason, I've just been very anxious / sleepless the last few nights worrying about his safety ... he is scheduled to come home in a week, by the way. * Please pray for his continued safety, for successful missions, and for his timely and hassle-free "out processing" * Please pray for his travel home, including connections and layovers. (He should be on military transport until he reaches the US East Coast, then...

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2008 – President Bush today directed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to shorten deployment lengths for U.S. soldiers in Iraq from 15 to 12 months, starting in August. Video Bush said he made the decision to reduce the strain on the force and because security improvements in Iraq have allowed for the withdrawal of all five surge combat brigades by the end of July. He also said that officials would ensure troops have at least a year at home between deployments. The change goes into affect Aug. 1 and will not affect those already deployed there....

3/20/2008 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- The Air Force deputy chief of chaplains traveled to Southwest Asia in March to meet Airmen and to speak at the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's annual National Prayer Breakfast. Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Cecil R. Richardson was the guest speaker during the breakfast, delivering a message on the United States national motto: 'In God we trust.' The National Prayer Breakfast is "an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate what it means when our Constitution says we can freely exercise our faith," said the chaplain, who assists the Air Force chief of chaplains in overseeing a corps...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan , Dec. 25, 2007 – Thousands of miles away from home, airmen in Afghanistan still found ways to celebrate the holiday season, all while providing continuous airpower and combat support for U.S. and Coalition forces throughout the country. While family and friends back home marked the holiday season with gifts and celebrations, deployed airmen in Afghanistan fueled, loaded, maintained and flew aircraft, while others carried out critical expeditionary combat support and reconstruction missions. That hard work was punctuated by time for brief holiday celebrations, special meals and church services. But the commitment of airmen to the mission...

FORT HUACHUCA — The shadows of snow clouds steadily built and enveloped the Huachucas, but never quite managed to engulf hangar No. 3 at Libby Army Airfield late Monday afternoon. There was already enough precipitation flowing as the families, friends, a few pets, and comrades-in-arms gathered for two all-too-brief hours to say a goodbye with a kiss, hug or gentle touch that must last 15 months. “I gave him a present on his birthday,” said Chief Warrant Officer Ramona Hill, indicating little Wilson Hill, born on Oct. 25, held by his daddy with whom he will always share a birthday,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2007 – Many deployed servicemembers have received a morale boost thanks to computers donated by a Michigan-based organization. “We are a group of volunteers (who) rebuild laptop computers and supply them to deployed units for (morale, welfare and recreation), education and entertainment,” said James R. Payne, a Vietnam veteran who’s president of JDS Computer Donations. The group accepts laptops, which it refurbishes and donates to nonprofit groups, public schools, and most recently, to deployed servicemembers. Nearly 500 of the refurbished machines already have been sent overseas to help servicemembers keep in touch with their loved ones...

12/7/2007 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- More than 200 U.S. forces at this air base in Southwest Asia attended a memorial retreat in honor of the 2,340 killed and 1,143 wounded in the Dec. 7, 1941 attacks on U.S. military installations on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. "We have come here today to pay honor and homage to our nations' heroes, the fallen and survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor," said Brig. Gen Charles Lyon, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "Let us never forget there is a price to pay for freedom. It doesn't come free" "Dec. 7th, a day...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2007 – About 300 children and spouses of deployed servicemembers enjoyed free activities and programs Sept. 22 during “Deployed Family Fun Day” at a Coast Guard installation near Fort Belvoir, Va. A daughter of a deployed servicemember does the limbo during "Deployed Family Fun Day" held Sept. 22, 2007, at a Coast Guard installation near Fort Belvoir, Va. The day was full of fun activities for the children and informational programs for the parents. Courtesy photo by Cassie Camp  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “Our primary focus was toward the children who have a parent...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2007 – Turbocam International’s support of its deployed employees with technology to use in the field and a special supply fund has earned the company a place of honor alongside 14 other organizations being recognized today with Secretary of Defense Employer Freedom Awards. Since Sept. 11, 2001, three Turbocam employees have been called to serve overseas: Brian Barber, a New Hampshire Air National Guard crew chief on KC-135 Stratotankers; Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tom McGee, who served in 172nd Field Artillery in Iraq; and Army National Guard Cpl. Chris Wentworth, who served in 744th Transportation...

Army News video: The Van Doos are on their way to theatreVALCARTIER, Quebec - The commanders send off their troops with a few words of encouragement.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgian troops are preparing to battle an invasion of hairy caterpillars which can provoke allergic reactions in humans, authorities announced Friday. From Monday, a contingent of 24 soldiers will take part in the fight against the well-organised creepy-crawlies, called procession caterpillars because of their habit of marching in lines. They will join forces with firefighters, civil protection officers and private firms already doing battle against their tiny foes. For the last two weeks several communes in Limburg have been invaded, with pedestrians, cyclists, outside workers and school children among the victims. Authorities said that some 20 communes...

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – American military members serving in Iraq have an additional opportunity to share their experiences with the U.S. public, thanks to a new public outreach initiative, a senior U.S. military officer said today in Baghdad. “The ‘Share the Story’ initiative is a new program that’s designed to connect U.S. military personnel with organizations and groups like yours,” Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told stateside-based representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Reserve Officers’ Association and others during a telephone conference call. Military members of all ranks and service...

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2007 – Running a nonprofit organization can be strain on an individual’s time, space and resources. One home-front group’s leader says she relies on a specific form of aid through the tough times: divine intervention. Frankie Mayo, founder of Operation AC, said the fund-raising strategy for her troop-support group is prayer. “When God puts something on your heart to do, you just have to do it,” she said. “I pray at night before I go to bed about the issues that have come up, and the next morning God shows me what I’m supposed to do.”...

Maj. Danny Salter stands by while Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast chats with his sons, James, 5, left, and Will, 7. Salter and 27 others were honored during a welcome home ceremony Friday at Fitch Auditorium in Alvarado Hall. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) Herald/Review FORT HUACHUCA — Although there is a tendency to denigrate Iraqi soldiers, Maj. Danny B. Salter advises against doing that. After spending more than a year in Iraq as the operations officer for a Military Transition Team, Salter said the 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds willing to enlist in the Iraqi Army are stepping up to defend their nation. And...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 -- Soldiers and families can now communicate by video e-mail through the Army Knowledge Online intranet portal. On the first day, more than 3,500 video e-mails were transmitted. "Thank you, that's all I can say," Pvt. Brenden Teetsell of the 44th Signal Battalion e-mailed on Dec. 6. "Thank you for allowing me to see my family. Your technology helps boost not only my morale, but thousands of soldiers a day." AKO video messaging allows all deployed active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers to create video messages on a computer with a Web cam. The...

'Tis the season to share, and one local group that gives year-around, really goes all out this time of year. It calls itself TAMMS, Tucson Area Marine Moms. Cathy, who, like the other moms, prefers to use just her first name, picks up items off of a table. She explains, "I am packing up boxes to send out to the troops," to Tucson Marines deployed in Iraq. Cathy says, "Basically, I just go down the line and throw a little of this, a little of that. I've got to get some soap in there and some shampoo. I put some...

Renee' Willis-Williams Reflections: Why I Deployed to Afghanistan By Renee' Willis-Williams U.S. Army Corp of Engineers KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2006 — My story is like most people who come to Afghanistan; in some small way, I wanted to make a difference by aiding in the recovery of the Afghan National lives, with an emphasis on women’s health issues and the improvement of the infant mortality rate, which is one of the highest in the world - 147 deaths for every 1,000 live births. As a woman and a mother of twin 3-year old boys, John Thomas and Rodgers...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2006 -- Last week, a Brewster, Mass., teen marked a milestone in his support of U.S. troops deployed overseas. Dylan DeSilva, 13, of Brewster, Mass., has sent more than 1,000 care packages to deployed U.S. troops through his organization, Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA   '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Dylan DeSilva, 13, mailed off the 1,000th care package from his organization, “Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops.” The package went to a Marine first sergeant in Iraq who will distribute the various toiletries and snacks inside to...

FORT HOOD — With a rousing refrain of Garryowen and an old-fashioned cavalry charge on horseback, the 1st Cavalry Division sent its aviation brigade into the war zone of Iraq on Thursday. The 3,000 soldiers of the 1st Cavalry’s air brigade cased their unit flags and streamers during the hourlong ceremony on a Fort Hood parade ground, the last time the unit will muster until it arrives in Iraq in a few weeks. Portions of the 1st Cavalry Division are already in Iraq, and the rest of the 19,000-strong division will join them in Baghdad in the coming months, replacing...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 34 from Naval Coastal Warfare Group (NCWG) 1 deployed to Kuwait Aug. 22 and 24 to provide harbor and port security. They are tasked to protect ships carrying supplies for allied forces in Iraq. “This is my second time going over there, and it feels really good to help our troops get what they need to accomplish their mission,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Martin Garcia of NCWRON 34. NCW squadrons use sensor platforms to provide a technical picture of the ports and harbors as they patrol the harbors for...

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Reuters) - The wives of soldiers whose duty in Iraq was extended to add troop strength to Baghdad peppered U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with tough questions, some that he could not answer, at a closed-door meeting in Alaska on Saturday. Rumsfeld, who received a mixed reception from a crowd that offered more applause for the questions asked than the answers provided, praised the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He would not commit to a date for bringing those soldiers home, but told a 12-year-old girl in the audience, "I'd bet your daddy gets home before Christmas." He...

SIERRA VISTA — Seized with sorrow as she said goodbye to her four small children, Army Sgt. Alberta Cole resorted to a time-honored trick employed by parents everywhere. "The kids said, 'Mommy, you're crying.' And I said 'No, my eyes are just watering,' " said Cole, a 30-year-old single mom who left for Iraq on Tuesday, her youngest child's first birthday. Hundreds of loved ones waved and wept as members of Fort Huachuca's 86th Signal Battalion boarded a plane bound for Baghdad. Cole is one of 340 Southern Arizona soldiers scheduled to spend a year overseas. A neighbor is watching...

AL ASAD, Iraq (Aug. 21, 2006) -- Colds and broken bones take up many hours of each day while deployed for Navy Lt. Stacey R. Black, flight surgeon, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. For someone who has been driven her entire life, deploying to Iraq has been another stepping stone for her future plans. "I think it's important to think about what's ahead of me while I am in Iraq, because even though I am out here, life still goes on back in the states," said Black. "When we deploy, it...

FORT HUACHUCA — Dominic Inchausti was oblivious to the noise around him. The sobbing, the talking and other noises echoing in Hangar 3 at Libby Army Airfield did not bother him. Dominic was sound asleep, safe in the arms of his father, Sgt. Michael Inchausti. Dad caressed and kissed the precious bundle. It was his and his wife Sierra’s first born. Both mom and dad are from Phoenix. Throughout the hangar similar scenes could be seen as GIs — men and women — hugged their children, their spouses and other family members. As families gathered in groups, single soldiers talked...

8/16/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- The faces on posters that call attention to a number of worthwhile volunteer causes are often lost in the hustle of accomplishing the daily mission. However, the association of one poster to a deployed Airman at a recent drive in Southwest Asia put a face on the critical need for all to register as bone marrow donors. The base-wide campaign drew 685 new registrants to the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. It was held in memory of Cavion Holloway, the son of Staff Sgt. Danielle and Billy Holloway, who passed...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2006 – Three hundred one soldiers with an Alaska-based unit extended in Iraq will return to the combat zone to serve with their comrades in arms, Army officials announced yesterday. A total of 378 soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had returned to Alaska in June and July at the end of their scheduled 12-month tour in Iraq. But before the rest of the 4,000-soldier unit could redeploy, officials halted their return to bolster Iraqi and coalition forces in Baghdad. Now, 301 of those soldiers who made it back to Alaska will return to their...

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Army News Service, Aug. 8, 2006) – The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) delivered 500 Body Ventilation Systems to heat-stressed Soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait last month. The portable, lightweight ventilation system will help reduce heat-related injuries, and will undergo one of year assessments by such Soldiers as drivers, military police and machine gunners. Another 1,700 vests will be shipped and issued to Soldiers in similar units and duty positions in upcoming months. “The BVS project is another example of how the Army culture is changing in order to provide warfighter solutions in a timely manner,” said...

Pfc. Kenneth Dickerson, a 19-year-old Marine from Clive, Iowa, assigned to the Hawaii-based Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, hands out candy to two girls in Barwanah, Iraq, July 29, 2006. The 19-year-old U.S. Marine from Clive, Iowa, has spent the past four months of his deployment in Iraq teaching himself Arabic, and uses it to help his fellow Marines by serving as a translator during the unitÂ’s daily patrols through Barwanah, Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Roe F. Seigle U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Kenneth Dickerson Deployed Marine Teaches Himself Arabic By U.S. Marine Sgt. Roe...

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2006 – More than 115,000 kids have at least one parent deployed in the war on terrorism, and that doesn't include those children affected by routine deployments, according to an organization that supports military children. "War takes its toll on the servicemembers who fight in the field and on the families who wait and worry at home," according to a news release from "Salute Our Services." "In the course of their parents' service to our nation, these children also make many sacrifices." Missed birthdays, holidays and special events top that list of sacrifices, the release said....