Defensa
In US soldier’s death, a window into Afghan insider killings
2012/09/27
Spc. Mabry Anders, 21, had grown increasingly worried that he might not come home.
WASHINGTON/KABUL — In the weeks before his death, 21-year-old Mabry Anders had grown increasingly worried that he might not come home from Afghanistan. The Army specialist was battling insomnia and would send brief, worried messages back to his family. Read the rest of this entry »
Military hopes antidepressant nasal spray will prevent suicides
2012/08/28
The military is seeing unprecedented mental illness and suicide in its ranks, and is funding research to treat depression and prevent the most tragic of outcomes.
In July, a report released by the military found that mental health disorders in active-duty troops increased 65 percent since 2000. Of the more than 900,000 diagnoses, about 85 percent included cases of adjustment disorders, depression, alcohol abuse and anxiety. This month, the Army reported 38 suspected suicides among active-duty and reserve soldiers in July, the highest monthly number of suicides since record-keeping began a few years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
Afghan soldier kills 2 Americans; official disputes accidental claim
2012/08/27
An Afghan soldier shot and killed two American soldiers on Monday during a dispute in Laghman province in Afghanistan. The Afghan soldier was then shot and killed by U.S. forces.
"ISAF troops returned fire, killing the ANA (Afghan National Army) soldier who committed the attack,'' the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
US Army battling racists within its ranks
2012/08/21
Leaders instructed to look out for tattoos of lightning bolts, skulls, swastikas, other extremist symbols.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — They call it "rahowa" — short for racial holy war — and they are preparing for it by joining the ranks of the world's fiercest fighting machine, the U.S. military.
White supremacists, neo-Nazis and skinhead groups encourage followers to enlist in the Army and Marine Corps to acquire the skills to overthrow what some call the ZOG — the Zionist Occupation Government. Get in, get trained and get out to brace for the coming race war. Read the rest of this entry »
Monthly Army suicides reach all-time high in July with 38 suspected
2012/08/17
There were 38 suspected suicides among active-duty and reserve soldiers in July, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Army.
That figure outpaces the 24 active-duty and reserve suicides the Army reported for the month of June and is the highest monthly number of suicides since record-keeping began a few years ago. Read the rest of this entry »
Report: Ex-Navy sub commander Michael Ward II faked death to get out of affair with Virginia woman
2012/08/13
The former commander of a Navy submarine -- who was relieved of duty on Friday after only a week on the job -- reportedly tried to fake his own death to get out of an extramarital affair with a Virginia woman.
A Navy press release said Cmdr. Michael P. Ward II was relieved and demoted to an administrative job “due to lack of confidence in Ward's ability to command based upon allegations of personal misconduct.” Read the rest of this entry »
How big debt is threatening security clearances for thousands of troops
2012/08/13
Nearly 36,000 active-military members who hold security clearances have recently sought urgent financial advice or aid because heavy debts and delinquent bills threatened to void their classified status, according to a nonprofit that helps troops and veterans solve money problems.
“You can lose that security clearance if you have credit or debt issues,” said John E. Pickens III, executive director of VeteransPlus. “If you lose that clearance, you can become un-promotable or you can be taken from your assignment. And, ultimately, you can even receive a bad-conduct discharge. Read the rest of this entry »
Three US special ops troops killed, Afghan officials say
2012/08/10
Updated at 7:43 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan -- A man wearing an Afghan army uniform shot and killed three U.S. service members, the U.S. military command said Friday. Afghan officials said the victims were American special operations forces troops.
Reuters reported that an Afghan police commander opened fire on the service members after inviting them to a meeting to discuss security. A U.S. military official confirmed the three deaths and said another service member had been injured during the incident. Read the rest of this entry »
Senior Army leader killed, another wounded, by suicide bomber in Afghanistan
2012/08/10
A senior Army leader was killed and another badly wounded in a suicide bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, a senior U.S. military official told NBC News.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, the most senior enlisted soldier for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, was killed and Brigade CommanderCol. James J. Mingus was badly wounded. Read the rest of this entry »
Reuters sources: US sweetens proposal for return of Taliban prisoner Bowe Bergdahl
2012/08/08
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration, in a move aimed at reviving Afghan peace talks, has sweetened a proposed deal under which it would transfer Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in exchange for a U.S. soldier held by Taliban allies in Pakistan.
The revised proposal, a concession from an earlier U.S. offer, would alter the sequence of the move of five senior Taliban figures held for years at the U.S. military prison to the Gulf state of Qatar, sources familiar with the issue said. Read the rest of this entry »
