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Plenty of former officers have criticized the Iraq War, but there's only been one active duty career soldier who's not only come out against the War but also refused to go and fight in it. (He said he would go to Afghanistan instead, but that the Iraq war is "illegal"). That soldier is Lt. Ehren Watada, 30, a junior Army officer from Hawaii who's become a poster child for the anti-war movement. He's also become persona non grata within the military and is facing a possible sentence of six years in prison. Our friend Tara McKelvey is the first journalist...

It was two years ago yesterday that 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, a 1996 Kalani High School graduate, declared publicly that he would not deploy to Iraq with his Stryker brigade combat team. Today, Watada is still in the Army working at a desk job at Fort Lewis, Wash., while his case is tied up in federal court. Ken Kagan, Watada's attorney, told the Star-Bulletin that federal judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma will probably take up the matter early this fall. In November, Settle ruled that no court-martial will be held for Watada pending the outcome of his claim that it...

The U.S. Army said Friday it will immediately repair barracks at eight facilities in the wake of inspection at bases worldwide. The inspections were done the last week of April and covered nearly 150,000 barracks rooms. They found that 45 repairs needed priority attention, including new heating and cooling equipment, repainting, mold removal and other work. Army Secretary Pete Geren has said that $248 million in emergency funds has been appropriated to fix problems found during the inspections. The Army on Friday identified eight installations that will get priority attention: Fort Polk, La.; Fort Gordon, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort...

NEWARK — The fourth annual American Muslim Voice peace convention brought many speakers of various backgrounds to provide a blueprint for protecting civil rights in the post-Sept. 11, 2001, era. Visitors at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark on Sunday evening cheered and listened to guest speakers, such as anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, Muslim convert Brandon Mayfield and Ron Takaki, an ethnic studies professor at University of California,Berkeley. The conventions theme was building a beloved community, which included topics such as Fighting for the American Constitution and America, One Nation under God? These topics were discussed by a group of panelists...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 15, 2007 – The 514th Medical Company from Fort Lewis, Wash., held the first event of a basic medical skills training series with four Iraqi soldiers Nov. 11 at Camp Liberty here. The Iraqi soldiers and their American counterparts, spent the day together reviewing proper techniques and procedures for safely moving a casualty from the point of injury to the transport vehicle and then on to the medical treatment facility safely and efficiently. The training also included each step of the basic trauma assessment that should be executed prior to casualty movement. Army Capt. Rodemil Fuentes, commander of...

Anti-war protests have returned to the Port of Olympia with the unloading of a military ship bearing Army gear from a Stryker Brigade that recently returned to nearby Fort Lewis from Iraq. According to an initial news release Sunday from Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, the group at first did not plan to try to block cargo from being sent from the port to the Army post ... Late Monday, however, after the arrival of 950-foot roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel, group leaders said a series of votes and discussions resulted in a change in strategy. "As long as the war in...

Emotional ceremony officially welcomes Stryker soldiers home The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division got their formal welcome home Thursday at Fort Lewis in an emotional ceremony that saw dozens of their wounded rejoin the ranks, and seven of their heroes decorated for valor – one of them posthumously. “I am as proud of these soldiers in front of you as anything I’ve been associated with in my life,” their commander, Col. Stephen Townsend, told several thousand friends and family members who attended Thursday’s celebration at Gray Army Airfield.“I know you all are just as proud of them.”Nearly...

FORT LEWIS, Wash., Aug. 30, 2007 – Members of the Fort Lewis community paid a somber tribute yesterday to two of their own killed in recent combat operations in Iraq. About 250 friends and family, fellow soldiers and community members gathered in the base’s Evergreen Chapel to honor Cpl. Shawn D. Hensel and Cpl. Willard M. Powell. Both soldiers were members of the 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s 4th Brigade, both hailed from the Hoosier state and both were buried Aug. 25 near their respective hometowns. Hensel, 20, of Logansport, Ind., was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry...

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — It was 3 o’clock on a January morning when a convoy of Stryker vehicles rolled out of this protected American base near the main Baghdad airport. The discovery of 27 bodies on a part of Haifa Street, a meandering road that also goes through the Green Zone or, as it is now called, International Zone, meant it was time to help the Iraqis take back what has been called one of Baghdad’s meanest and toughest areas, a place, according to news reports, even henchmen of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein avoided. Sgt. Holly Jensen of the...

Fort Lewis deserter arrested in crash that killed young boy Joshua Beadle is seen in this undated police booking photo. YouNewsTV™ Story Published: Aug 8, 2007 at 12:56 PM PDT Story Updated: Aug 8, 2007 at 5:06 PM PDT By KOMO Staff Watch the story WESTMINSTER, Colo. -- Investigators here say an Army soldier who deserted from Fort Lewis, Wash. is suspected of crashing into another vehicle and killing a 10-year-old boy. Westminster police arrested Joshua Beadle, 21, for investigation of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. Officials say Beadle ran a red light on Friday and slammed into...

BAQOUBA, Iraq –    Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Labrosse, a platoon sergeant in Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, scans rooftops in Baqouba, Iraq, for insurgent activity April 23. Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., began the clearing operation with Iraqi Army soldiers April 23 to rid the Tahrir neighborhood of insurgents. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment) Spc. Edwin Kane of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, and a soldier from 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, move...

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (Army News Service, Oct. 23, 2006) – In a show of support for troops, the man who coined the terms “kicked up” and “Bam!” held a book-signing event at the Post Exchange Oct. 12 as part of his current book tour. More than 3,500 people comprised the line that snaked around the building to have Chef Emeril Lagasse’s books signed, including his most recent release, “There’s a Chef in my World,” a children’s cookbook. “It’s more than a cookbook – it’s about reading, it’s about mathematics, it’s about weights and measures,” said Lagasse, who wrote the book...

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (Army News Service, Aug. 29, 2006) – A long wait is over for Stryker Mobile Gun System (MSG) crews of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. The 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry, received its complement of MGS vehicles last month after more than a year of waiting. They are the first vehicles to be fielded in the Army. “I think its going to give the infantry a whole new dimension of what they can do. Armor and infantry have kept each other at arm’s length for years and years," said Sgt. 1st Class David Cooper, an MGS platoon...

Shortly after returning from Iraq last year, Army Sgt. Ricky Clousing gathered a few belongings and sneaked out of Fort Bragg, leaving only a note quoting Martin Luther King. After six months spent seeing the "daily physical, psychological and emotional harassment of civilians," the 24-year-old said he was confused and disenchanted with the United States' role in the war.

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (Army News Service, July 10, 2006) – Charges were preferred July 6 against 1st Lt. Ehren Watada of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, for his refusal June 22 to accompany his unit to Iraq and for actions related to that refusal. The charges arose from an initial investigation conducted in the two weeks since the incident. According to Fort Lewis officials, Watada faces charges for three separate violations: missing movement, contempt toward officials and conduct unbecoming an officer. If found guilty on all charges, Watada faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, forfeiture of all...

SEATTLE - As thousands of Fort Lewis Army troops prepare to head back to Iraq, one of their officers is making a stand. A lieutenant says he is going to refuse to go, saying it's an unjust war. Anti-war groups are rallying to his defense. Lt. Ehren Watada of the Stryker Brigade writes, "I refuse to be silent any longer. I refuse to watch families torn apart, while the President tells us to ‘stay the course.’ I refuse to be party to an illegal and immoral war against people who did nothing to deserve our aggression. "I wanted to be...

All the major training is done. The vehicles will be loaded onto ships later this month at the Port of Olympia, and by the end of next month, the Army’s first Stryker brigade will be on its way back to Iraq. Nearly half the 4,000 soldiers in the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division were with the unit the first time it went over in November 2003. Their experience, and that of the two Stryker brigades that succeeded them, have informed preparations different from the last time, the Fort Lewis-based soldiers say. “Before, we went over thinking we knew what was...

Associated Press FORT LEWIS — After logging thousands of miles during their first two years in Iraq, the Army's Stryker vehicles are getting an overhaul before being sent back with soldiers. The eight-wheeled, armored vehicles are being worked on by mechanics from General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., which made the Strykers and has a $69 million Army contract to restore them. Maintenance is taking place at this post south of Seattle and at a company yard in Auburn. The Strykers arrived home by ship in late October. They were used for a year in Iraq by the 3rd Brigade, 2nd...

FORT LEWIS, Wa. (Army News Service, Aug. 12, 2005) - Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, have been rotating to Yakima Training Center this summer to train on the first Stryker Mortar Carrier version B, the latest variant of the Stryker to arrive for duty. Brigade units will field the MCV-B, essentially a Stryker with a 120mm mortar mounted in what would normally be the crew compartment, during the fall. “It allows us to be accurate more quickly, to fire fewer rounds to hit the target,” said Spc. Timothy French, a mortar vehicle commander with B Company, 1st Battalion,...

Crawford, Texas (AHN) - Pressure mounted against anti-war protester and mother of fallen Army Spc. Casey Sheehan Friday from millions of bloggers as well as cable news and talk radio outlets began to rip her intentions as well as her motivations to shreds. Ms. Sheehan is camping out on the road that leads to President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch for the entire month of August where Bush makes an annual visit. The President continues his day-to-day business with daily briefings, trips to sign bills around the nation, and meets with organizations across the country while returning to the ranch by...

<p>The photo Cindy Sheehan did not want the world to see: President Bush plants a consoling kiss on the cheek of grieving antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan last year at Fort Lewis, Washington.</p> <p>Mrs. Sheehan is staging a protest vigil in Crawford, Texas demanding a second meeting with President Bush to demand an explanation for why her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq a year ago April.</p>

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (TRADOC News Service, Aug. 4. 2005) – The population of Fort Lewis grew by more than 8,000 people this summer as Army ROTC cadets, Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, and ROTC college staff members are participating in Operation Warrior Forge, also referred to as the Leader Development and Assessment Course. Every year, Warrior Forge helps the U.S. Army Cadet Command provide more than two-thirds of the Army’s new officers, invigorates the local economy – both on post and off – and provides added training for active-duty Army and Reserve units. More than 4,500 cadets from all...

AL-JAZIRAH DESERT, Iraq – Two young cavalry leaders rode hard through the western border country, pushing their Fort Lewis troops nearly 185 miles from Tal Afar to the Euphrates River, then back again. Their faces caked with dust stuck to a week’s worth of sweat, Capts. Keith Walters and Vince Maykovich watched the horizon unfold at 35 mph from the rear hatches of their Stryker. Their troop of 15 vehicles rumbled over scrubland and dry lake beds, slowing now and then to clamber across the wadis – narrow desert gorges where water flows during the rainy season. The longtime friends...

On a day of carnage, it was an intimate image: a soldier clutching a child in his arms. When Amy Bieger, mother of three boys, wife of an infantryman in Iraq, saw the picture on the Internet on Tuesday night, she stared at the little feet dangling in the nook of the man's arm, at the soldier's helmeted head pressed to the child's face. She stared and tears welled up. "I said 'Oh my God, it is one of our soldiers,'" Bieger, 34, said yesterday from her home outside the Fort Lewis, Wash., Army post. "Then I stared at the...

Pfc. Sam Huff decided at age 16 she would enlist in the Army. On Monday she was killed when a roadside bomb detonated next to her Humvee in Baghdad. Eighteen-year-old Pfc. Sam Huff was born with a man's name. But she was a consummate "girlie-girl," said her father, Robert Huff. She liked to wear false eyelashes and played flute in her high-school band. Last July, she joined the Army, the first step in a career she hoped would take her to the FBI. On April 18, Huff, an only child, became the 37th U.S. female to die in combat since...

Just mentioned on FNC: Dining facility on U.S. Base in Iraq hit by rocket attack- 10 dead Waiting for more info...

Two Stryker soldiers killed Insurgents ambush troops from mosque MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune Last updated: December 5th, 2004 03:04 AM (PST) Two Fort Lewis soldiers were killed Saturday in Mosul, Iraq, when insurgents attacked another Stryker patrol, once again firing from a mosque, a U.S. commander said. Stryker troops responding to the ambush routed and killed an undetermined number of the gunmen, said Col. Robert Brown, commander of the Fort Lewis-based 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. They found weapons and ammunition in the mosque and in a nearby hospital, he said. Four other Stryker soldiers were wounded and taken...

I just went and got a haircut. My barber is a very nice Thai lady whom I've been seeing for about ten years. Her son is in Iraq. He called to let her know he has been ordered to Mosul. Please put him on your prayer list. His name is PFC Peter T. Notkin, C Co 1/24 INF. He drives a Stryker armored vehicle. Please keep him and ALL our kids in prayer. His mother is very proud of him and terrified at the same time.

November 6, 2004 FLC faculty ask Bartel to reconsider By Mary Ann Lopez Herald Staff Writer The Fort Lewis College Faculty Senate passed a resolution this week seeking the reinstatement of part-time employee Maria Spero, who resigned after an off-campus incident involving a student. Bartel Tina Evans, Faculty Senate president, would not comment on the resolution adopted Wednesday except to say: "We are not as a faculty completely at odds with (xollege president) Dr. Bartel. We are in dialogue with him on this issue and just offering discussion. "The faculty resolution in no way condones physical violence to anybody," Evans...

Father Tim Vakoc was severely injured in Iraq on May 29, when the Humvee he was driving back to his base at Mosul Airfield in Iraq detonated an explosive device. He continues to recover at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Vakoc is believed to be the first military chaplain wounded in Iraq. Vakoc suffered a severe brain injury and lost his right eye. He will most likely be permanantly paralyzed on the right side of his body. As of 9/22/04 he was in critical but stable condition.

The Bridge People Regulars of Outpost 122 - the folks out every weekend at the Camp Murray/Madigan Army Medical Center overpass at Interstate 5 - will have a 48-hour "Vigil for Victory" beginning at 6 p.m. today. The group is also trying to collect 1,000 "Letters for Liberty" - letters from citizens around the community to soldiers in Washington state-based units in Iraq, organizer Florence Dix said. She said the group is especially trying to reach area residents who don't have loved ones deployed with the military who might be looking for a way to support the troops. Dix said...

U.S. wants to begin moving Army corps HQ to Japan in Nov Monday, August 16, 2004 at 07:20 JST WASHINGTON — The United States has told Japan it wants to begin transferring the headquarters of the U.S. Army's I Corps from Fort Lewis, Washington, to Camp Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, in November, sources close to Japan-U.S. relations said Sunday. Tokyo appears cautious about the U.S. proposal, which involves completing the transfer by April 2006, especially as the Japanese government is already faced with strong opposition from local authorities where U.S. camps and bases involved in the global realignment plan are located....

When Sandra Denby received an unexpected call from Fort Lewis, Wash., two weeks ago, she was understandably nervous. For the military families who wake up each morning knowing a loved one is in harm's way, no news is normally good news. Denby's son, Spc. Brian Scott, 23, is an Army medic with the 401st Transportation Co. Based at Fort Lewis, Scott's unit has spent eight months in Iraq. But this call was good news. "The lady who called said she was calling to say my son was a hero," said Denby, who lives in Huntsville. "I told her, 'They're all...

FORT LEWIS, Wash. (AP) — The Army said Thursday it plans to transfer 3,900 troops from Fort Polk to Fort Lewis, Wash. to create another Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment are expected to arrive at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, during the next fiscal year, which runs from October 2004 to October 2005, said U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash. The move is part of the Army's transformation to a more mobile force and is centered around its new medium-weight Stryker vehicles. The Army's first two Stryker teams were based at Fort Lewis — one of...

NEW YORK -- In the first public appearance since his exoneration, a Muslim Army chaplain who had been suspected of espionage thanked supporters of civil liberties. James Yee was arrested last year in an investigation of suspected espionage at the U.S. military's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was imprisoned for 76 days before all charges against him were dropped. He appeared Friday night at a Chinatown benefit to raise money for his legal bills, although a gag order limited his ability to talk about the case. "I'm not here tonight to talk about my case but to thank...

While hundreds of protesters lined the streets outside, President Bush basked in applause at a Republican fund-raiser Thursday night, pressing many of the same ideas that won him the White House – but not Washington state – four years ago. Bush called for a renewal of tax cuts and a strong military, and defended his administration's handling of the war against Iraq, just one day after a federal 9-11 commission found no evidence of a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda terrorists in plotting the attacks. "I looked at the evidence, and I saw a threat in Iraq," Bush...

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Before cheering troops, President Bush got a strong endorsement on Iraq and a boost for his re-election campaign Friday from Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican courted by Democrat John Kerry to be his running mate. Bush seemed to relish keeping McCain, his one-time rival for the presidency, out of Kerry's corner. "Both candidates in this race are honored to be a friend of John McCain," Bush said at a campaign rally in Nevada. "Only one of us gets his vote. And I am proud that it is me." McCain issued dire warnings about the threat...

America Will 'Finish the Job' in Iraq, Bush Says By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 18, 2004 – The U.S. commander in chief today thanked service members and families for their sacrifice and support in the war against terrorism during a troop visit to Fort Lewis, Wash. President Bush said he was "very proud" and grateful for the efforts of American service members, noting some Fort Lewis soldiers had given their lives in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. "Our nation will never forget their sacrifice and their service," Bush declared, noting U.S. troops' stateside and overseas...

President Bush is about to speak to our troops. You can tell. These guys love him! WOW!

Today President Bush visited the troops at Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington State, he was introduced to the troops by Senator John McCain. Later, they traveled together on Air Force One to Reno Nevada to attend a fund raiser. Before boarding Air Force One, President Bush also delivered a short statement to the Press about the beheading of Paul M. Johnson, an American living and working in Saudi Arabia, by Al-Qaeda ENJOY YOUR VIST TO SANITY ISLAND

This morning President Bush met with his Cabinet in the White House and discussed the booming economic recovery and then answered questions from the press. Later he went to a hotel in Washington D.C. and addressed the National Federation of Independent Business 2004 Small Business Summit, and then boarded Air Force 1 for Spokane Washington for a fundraiser. First Lady Laura will be in Cleveland tomorrow.

OLYMPIA - President Bush will campaign for Republican Senate hopeful George Nethercutt in Spokane next week, and is expected to visit Fort Lewis the same day. The president's visit on June 17 was actually announced by state Democrats, who provided reporters the invitation on Nethercutt campaign letterhead. Nethercutt's campaign declined comment and referred calls to the White House, where a spokeswoman said Bush's schedule for that date isn't public yet.

FORT LEWIS -- A U.S. soldier accused of trying to help al-Qaida should be court-martialed, the officer overseeing a hearing in his case said Thursday. "These are serious criminal offenses that present a real and present danger to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq," Col. Patrick J. Reinert said. Reinert's recommendation will be passed on to the base commander at Fort Lewis, Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, who ultimately will decide whether Spc. Ryan G. Anderson will face a court-martial and whether he might face the death penalty. Anderson, 26, a Muslim convert and Fort Lewis-based guardsman, was arrested in February and...

  Troop Rotation to Iraq Continues, Units Assuming Control By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, March 31, 2004 – The largest rotation of U.S. forces since World War II continues in Iraq, Defense Department officials said today. In all more than 250,000 U.S. service members are affected. Planning for the rotation began months ago. New units worked with units in Iraq to learn their new missions and to plan the movement. In December, new units began flowing into the region, and in January, they began the relief-in-place process. Officials expect the rotation to continue through May, when 110,000 U.S....

Every Thursday, and some Saturdays, volunteers at Fort Lewis, Wash., lug sewing machines to the Army Community Service building so they can create quilts for children of those deployed in the war on terrorism. About 18 months ago, Marty Alexander, library technician, saw a sample of a cuddle quilt on TV. An avid quilter, Alexander said she went about making one. It took her four hours. Alexander said she thought if she could get an assembly line going, she'd be in business. She talked with Mary Herrera, chief of family services, Army Community Service. Donna Arias, a financial planner at...

<p>FORT LEWIS, Wash. — People in Spc. Ryan G. Anderson's (search) hometown of Everett, Wash., are having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that the National Guardsman has been accused of aiding anti-American terrorists.</p> <p>Anderson, 26, a convert to Islam, is being charged with aiding the enemy after U.S. officials discovered he allegedly tried to give military data to Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terror network. He was arrested Thursday.</p>

<p>The Army yesterday arrested a National Guardsman on suspicion that he attempted to give intelligence on the U.S. military to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network.</p> <p>The soldier, Spec. Ryan G. Anderson, was taken into custody at Fort Lewis, Wash., near Tacoma, where his tank unit was preparing to deploy to Iraq to fight insurgents, including al Qaeda operatives.</p>

U.S. military and Justice Department officials tell NBC News that a U.S. Army National Guardsman was taken into custody Thursday at Fort Lewis, Wash., and charged with attempting to pass intelligence information to the al-Qaida terrorist network. The officials said that Anderson was caught up in a sting operation conducted jointly by the Army, the Justice Department and the FBI. Anderson, however, is currently being held and charged only by the Army. Anderson is a Muslim, officials said.

A change made to the Stryker infantry vehicle has proven itself in combat. The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – also called Task Force Olympia after its Fort Lewis, Wash., home -- is replacing the 101st Airborne Division in this city. The Stryker, an eight-wheeled infantry transporter, is an armored vehicle designed to stop 124.5 mm rounds. Critics said the main threat in Iraq is rocket-propelled grenades, and that the vehicle would not provide protection from them. Army officials outfitted the Strykers with what the soldiers call a "cage." The slat armor put on the vehicles in Kuwait does look...

Problems with armor found on Stryker combat vehicle By Ray Rivera and Hal Bernton Seattle Times staff reporters Weeks before the Army's Stryker vehicle is scheduled to make its combat debut in Iraq, the Army has discovered manufacturing problems in some of its armor plating that could make it vulnerable to heavy machine-gun fire, according to Army officials familiar with the program. The extent of the problem is still unknown, but it's serious enough that Army officials have launched a crash program to test the plates at their Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. They are hopeful it won't delay deployment...