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Angelina Jolie put a smile on the faces of some wounded warriors she met with last week at Ramstein Air Base in Germany as they prepared to travel back to the U.S. for the first time since being injured. And they clearly put one on hers, too!

Tomorrow the W100 will begin with a 12 mile (19.4 km) ride in the heat of the day. A grueling 30 mile (48.3 km) ride will follow on Tuesday, with President Bush and the warriors finishing up the last 20 miles (32.3) on Wednesday. Stay tuned here for pictures from the trail, video of the ride and daily photo albums. Until then, get a sneak peek at some of the rough terrain and trails President Bush and 14 wounded warriors will be taking on over the next three days:Some of the trail is wide enough for vehicles and several bikes.Parts...

Dear Friends and Colleagues; An opportunity to help wounded warriors and their families presents itself today. Please consider sponsoring an effort by a young Soldier on behalf of Wounded Warriors of all military branches. Army Captain Michael Pariso, an acquaintance of mine currently stationed here at Fort Leonard Wood, has decided to give of himself in this cause by running a charity 5K event along with his daughter on behalf of the Fisher House Foundation (http://www.fisherhouse.org/). When a US Warrior is seriously wounded or injured and faces long term recovery and rehabilitation, they are sent to major military medical centers...

BASRA, Iraq – When the wounded warriors with Operation Proper Exit visited Basra, Iraq, Dec. 7, they received a warm welcome from soldiers on the base, from the ranks of private through major general. Another group, perhaps more unexpectedly, also welcomed them – Iraqi military leaders and civilians. Iraqi Air Force Brig. Gen. Sami Al Tamimy, the commander of the IAF’s 70th Squadron, hosted the group for lunch and spoke with the group of Americans who had been wounded in Iraq years before. “I would like to thank you for all the sacrifices that you’ve made to accomplish our wishes...

NASCAR fans have seen an Army car, a Navy car, an Air Force car, even a Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard cars. But when David Reutimann finished fifth earlier this year in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 00 was sporting a military logo who most in America were unfamiliar. The Armed Forces Foundation was the primary sponsor on the Michael Waltrip Racing car, and Reutimann was ecstatic he could bring a little attention to this relatively new charity. "I think the AFF has been under the radar, so to speak, unfortunately, for what they do,...

BOLLING AIR FORCE BASE, D.C., June 16, 2010 – When an airman is seriously injured, multiple agencies are ready to provide help. But if the servicemember is unable to actively engage those resources, the Air Force assigns a family liaison officer to help the family deal with the emotional and physical turmoil. Master Sgt. Robert D. Greenberg, an Air Force Honor Guard member here, recently served as the family liaison officer for Senior Airman Michael Malarsie's family. Malarsie was injured Jan. 3 in a roadside-bomb attack on his unit near Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was one of a two-man tactical...

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2010 – Several members of the Washington Redskins joined forces with the USO and the Wounded Warrior Project here yesterday at the ESPN Zone for a “Guitar Hero” video game showdown with soldiers stationed in Basra, Iraq. Soldiers play “Guitar Hero” against players at the ESPN Zone in Washington D.C., as part of the “Pro vs. GI Joe” video game competition, June 8, 2010, which pitted troops against Washington Redskins football players. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The event is known as “Pro vs....

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2010 – A military musician assigned to the U.S. Navy Band here teaches rowing to wounded warriors recovering at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Johnson spends almost every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon motivating wounded warriors at the center’s Mercy Hall. Four years ago, Chief Petty Officer Michel Curtis, also a member of the Navy Band, and Johnson, began rowing at the Capitol Rowing Club here as part of their physical training regimen. Capitol Rowing Club is a masters rowing club on the Anacostia River next to the Washington...

When the darkness and fog cleared on August 29, 1776, the mud soaked trenches were empty. General George Washington had slipped away during the night, living to fight another day. The Battle of Long Island was a clear British victory, but it was a lesson learned in the pursuit of liberty that the American conservative knows, and a lesson that Americans of every race, color and creed should know. So, on August 27, 1776, General Washington arrived in New York, overseeing the construction of new fortifications in Brooklyn Heights. The men found it hard to warm their food or keep...

SIERRA VISTA — The Cochise Area Network of Therapeutic Equestrian Resources, or CANTER, recently received a $3,280 grant from the Cochise Community Foundation. CANTER provides a variety of equine therapies and assisted activities designed to promote the independence of individuals with disabilities and improve their physical, mental and social well-being. The grant will be used to support CANTER’s Helping America’s National Defenders program, which provides equine therapies to active duty and retired military and their families as a way to assist combat veterans who are challenged with brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder. Through the program, injured veterans regain strength,...

ARLINGTON, Va., May 5, 2010 – Rolling Thunder motorcyclists joined Warrior Games athletes in a wreath-laying ceremony today at the Pentagon Memorial here to honor the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. Army Staff Sgt. Dean Issacs, a disabled soldier suffering from a spinal cord injury, lays a wreath at the Pentagon Memorial on May 5, 2010, in honor of the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. The ceremony was part of the inaugural Warrior Games celebration. The games, which will feature disabled veterans and wounded active duty athletes in Paralympics-style competition, are slated for May 10-14, 2010, in Colorado Springs, Colo....

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2010 – The maker of rugged Pelican cases, widely used in the military to protect weapons and computer gear, has launched a program to give custom cases for prosthetics to wounded warriors who have lost limbs. Left to right: Lyndon Faulkner, president and CEO of Pelican Products; retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. James King; and retired Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, Pelican Products board chairman, pose for a photo during an April 27, 2010, ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Fisher House in Washington, D.C., announcing the “Pelican for Patriots program. The Pelican Products company offers...

4/22/2010 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Under the charge of 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Top 3 organization affiliates, base members here helped ease the stress of other servicemembers while recuperating from injury or passing through on their way home to an emergency situation. During a two-week clothing drive, organization members collected more than $8,200 in money and clothing to support wounded warriors and servicemembers on emergency leave orders. "I couldn't be more pleased with the outcome of this project," said Master Sgt. Michelle McMeekin, the 379th Expeditionary Force Support Airman Readiness Center NCO and Top 3 lead on the clothing...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2010 – The Air Force’s Air Mobility Command has been able to continue providing airlift capabilities despite the cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano that has troubled air travel, a senior officer responsible for moving military personnel and equipment around the world said yesterday. “As soon as we saw the potential impact from the volcanic ash cloud forming, we initiated some discussion about possible consequences and courses of action,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Randy Kee, vice commander of the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., said during a "DoD Live" bloggers...

FORT DETRICK, Md., April 22, 2010 – From developing a new microprocessor-controlled prosthetic leg to a non-chafing socket device, the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center here is making big strides in advancing prosthetic science to improve wounded warriors’ quality of life. The center, tucked away at this western Maryland post, reaches out to a broad spectrum of researchers at universities, hospitals, and small businesses to promote next-generation, cutting-edge prosthetic technologies. “The objective is to help amputees and traumatically wounded servicemembers return to the highest level of functionality that they are capable of,” said Troy Turner, who manages the center’s...

Ilario Pantano is excited to announce that, after due consideration, he has joined the Alliance for Bonded Term Limits, and looks forward to promoting the issue in this election and in future elections. The catalyst for Pantano has been the increased exposure to the culture of D.C. that he has had over the recent weeks through the success of his current congressional campaign. By being invited into special programs to raise money for Republican candidates, he has seen the power of money in politics up close. Pantano observed, "When NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions introduced me to dozens of members at...

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq, March 29, 2010 – Separated by seven time zones, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, a deployed U.S. paratrooper and his stateside wife celebrated the strength and resilience of America’s wounded warriors with synchronized 50-mile runs March 20-21. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Bruch prepares to begin a 50-mile run to celebrate the strength and resilience of America’s wounded warriors, March 20, 2010, at Camp Ramadi, Iraq. Tammy Bruch, his wife and an Army reservist, ran 50 miles at Fort Bragg, N.C., at about the same time. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod  (Click photo...

MERCERSBURG, Pa., March 12, 2010 – Matthew Bilancia addresses the slopes like a man on a mission, cutting and edging his snowboard down the mountain with the confidence and passion of someone who’s been doing it all his life. Army Spc. Tonya Jacobs, injured in an on-the-job accident in Kuwait in 2008, laces up her ski boots for a wounded warrior adaptive sports session March 11, 2010, at Whitetail Ski Resort in Mercersburg, Pa. The USO of Metropolitan Washington and the Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports Foundation sponsored the event. DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden  (Click...

DETRICK, Md., Feb. 25, 2010 – Movie-goers have seen the concept play out time and time again on the big screen. Sinister Borg drones reconstitute missing digits and limbs before their eyes in the “Star Trek” series. Alien Jack Jeebs in “Men in Black” regrows his head after it’s damaged or blown off. The military is working to bring some of that science-fiction capability to wounded warriors so they can harness their own body’s power to regenerate itself and repair disabling and disfiguring battlefield injuries. The Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine is leading the charge with an ambitious program...

BAGHDAD - When eight combat veterans recently volunteered to return here, they knew they’d be interacting with troops, answering questions about their injuries, their experiences and their new lives as wounded warriors. They were ready. From Baghdad to Taji to Balad, Soldiers on the ground seemed to have the same question — what was the most frustrating part after they sustained their injuries. The answer was unanimous among the vets. Stay in contact with those who have been injured. "As Soldiers, we have such a bond. Whether we've been together for six months or five years, it's a brotherhood; whether...