US Army

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Army Suicides Climb; Rate Highest in 26 Years

99 active-duty soldiers took their own lives in 2006

(Newser) - American soldiers are killing themselves at the highest rate since the Persian Gulf War, the AP reports. Statistics out today show 99 active-duty soldiers committed suicide in 2006, both the highest single number and the highest rate per deployed since 1991. The problem was worst in Iraq, the most common...

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied
Army: New Republic
Scribe Lied
Aug 8, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied

But magazine stands by private's diary from Iraq

(Newser) - The military and the New Republic are at a standoff over the accuracy of a series of damaging diaries by an Army private in Iraq. Army investigators say they're fabricated, that no one in the unit corroborated his stories about petty cruelty among soldiers. But TNR Editor Franklin Foer told...

For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K
For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K
Aug 5, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

For Fast Recruits, a Fast $20K

"Quick Ship" bonus meant to remedy enlistee shortage

(Newser) - An understaffed Army is testing out a tidy bonus to entice enlistees who agree to ship out to basic training within 30 days of signing up. The Army will be offering the $20K "Quick Ship" bonus until September to try and reach an increasingly ambitious recruiting goal of 80,...

Foul-Mouthed Hit King Strikes Out with Kids

Rose chided by parents for vulgar tirade at baseball camp

(Newser) - All-time leading hitter Pete Rose may have dropped the ball at a local Army-sponsored baseball camp, the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. Instead of advice on hitting or sage life lessons, the former Red regaled 7 to 14-year-old kids with a profanity-laden rant that included a description of the time he "...

With Parent Away at War, Child Abuse Increases

Stressed women more likely to mistreat kids

(Newser) - Incidents of child abuse and neglect rise significantly when the Army's deployment of one spouse to war leaves the other worried at home, a study finds. An Army-funded report found female spouses four times more likely than males to mistreat their children; the Army has beefed up family-support services to...

Army Plans Group Services for Troops Killed in Iraq

Families, vets blast Wash. base's new policy

(Newser) - Overwhelmed by numbers, military bases are beginning to hold collective memorial services for service members killed in Iraq instead of individual services after each death. The Times visits Fort Lewis, which has floated the idea and met with resistance from families and veterans. The country's third-largest army base, outside Tacoma,...

Injured Veterans Sue US
Injured Veterans Sue US
Jul 24, 2007 4:53 AM CDT

Injured Veterans Sue US

Class action suit targets VA for 'shameful failures' in treatment

(Newser) - Two veterans groups representing troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are suing the US government for "shameful failures" in medical treatment, Reuters reports. The Department of Veterans Affairs is swamped with a backlog of 600,000 health claims and is "abandoning" soldiers returning home, the class-action...

Pentagon Destroys Surplus Goods
Pentagon Destroys
Surplus Goods
Jul 23, 2007 2:21 PM CDT

Pentagon Destroys Surplus Goods

Surplus dealers angry at scope of gear purge

(Newser) - The Pentagon is scrapping millions of dollars of gear it has traditionally resold to surplus dealers, Time reports. The army claims that sorting passels of helmets, boots, and sleeping bags is too onerous, while suppliers are concerned the move is the vestige of an effort to keep old jet parts...

Fear Rules Iraq, Briefers Tell Congress

Benchmarks not likely to be met, say Crocker, Petraeus

(Newser) - Iraq is gripped by widespread fear and is unlikely to fulfill political and security goals by the pivotal September assessment, US officials told lawmakers yesterday in a briefing from Baghdad. "One word I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq is 'fear,' " said ambassador Ryan...

Contractor Armies Thrive in Iraq
Contractor Armies Thrive in Iraq
Jul 18, 2007 5:49 AM CDT

Contractor Armies Thrive in Iraq

180,000 civilians working in legal limbo

(Newser) - A private army of occupation in Iraq—mechanics, construction workers, translators, bodyguards, and other civilian contractors—is increasing in numbers keeping pace with the troop surge, the Christian Science Monitor reports. As many as 180,000 private contractors in Iraq, most of them not US nationals, currently work in legal...

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment
Jul 9, 2007 8:22 AM CDT

Soldier Sues Over Fifth Deployment

Reservist takes Army to court over tour he says could cost him home, job

(Newser) - A 26-year-old sergeant is suing the army to prevent his fifth deployment to Iraq, claiming that the Army follows inconsistent policies in mobilizing reserves. The military wants reservist Erik Botta return to Iraq next week, the Miami Herald reports, but Botta is suing to stop the order he says will...

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
14 Troops Killed in 2 Days
Jun 21, 2007 12:49 PM CDT

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

5 soldiers dead after roadside bomb explosion; death toll hits 3,545

(Newser) - Fourteen American troops have been killed in Iraq over the past 2 days, bringing the US death toll to 3,545, with 68 fatalities in June. In the deadliest recent attack, five troops died today after a roadside bomb detonated under their vehicle in northeastern Iraq. Commanders attribute the worsening...

Rummy Fired General for Truthful Report on Abu Ghraib Prison

(Newser) - Shortly after the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq became public Major General Antonio M. Taguba was tasked by the Army with investigating and reporting on the situation. He found "Numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses were inflicted on several detainees . . . systemic and...

Militant Website Says It Has Video of Troop Abduction

Two GIs remain missing after ambush in Iraq

(Newser) - A militant Islamic website says it will release a video showing the capture last month of three American soldiers. The video shows the kidnapping as well as the ID cards of the two soldiers who are still missing, says an organization that monitors militant websites. The third soldier was later...

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality
Army Fights to Keep Up Quality
Jun 1, 2007 12:13 PM CDT

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality

Report shows dip in quality of new soldiers

(Newser) - The Army is attracting the lowest rate of high-quality recruits in a decade, the Boston Globe reports. Almost 40% of volunteers scored below-average on verbal and math scores in 2006, according to an analysis of Defense Department personnel statistics. Four years ago, that figure was 29%. The number of recruits...

US Posts Reward for Missing Troops
US Posts Reward for Missing Troops
May 16, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

US Posts Reward for Missing Troops

Search for kidnapped soldiers generates $200K offer, thousands of leaflets

(Newser) - The US military is offering a $200,000 reward for information regarding the whereabouts of three soldiers who were kidnapped following an ambush Saturday. Helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets over the southern region of Iraq where the attacks took place, beseeching Iraqis to call a hotline with information. Search operations...

Troops Bomb Ethics Test
Troops Bomb Ethics Test
May 5, 2007 8:00 PM CDT

Troops Bomb Ethics Test

Pentagon: troops are out of line with "soldier's rules"

(Newser) - U.S. troops in Iraq flunked a survey on battlefield ethics, according to a Pentagon report published yesterday. Of the 1,767 soldiers interviewed, more than one-third endorse torture, two-thirds would not turn in a team member for abusing civilians, and 10% admit to harassing civilians and vandalizing property—all...

Walter Reed Bars Baez
Walter Reed Bars Baez
May 2, 2007 3:45 PM CDT

Walter Reed Bars Baez

Army blames short notice for activist's exclusion from hospital

(Newser) - Patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center were treated to tunes by John Mellencamp last week, but not Joan Baez—hospital officials refused to let the legendary folk singer and antiwar activist join him. A spokesman told Rolling Stone the request to include Baez came too late. Said Mellencamp: "...

You Go to War With the Army You Need

Not the Army you have, says an active-duty Army officer

(Newser) - "America's generals have failed to prepare our armed forces for war and advise civilian authorities on the application of force to achieve the aims of policy," says Lt. Col. Paul Yingling. In an extraordinary article in Armed Forces Journal Yingling blames the military for not properly advising the...

Brother Decries 'Calculated Lies' On Pat's Death

Kevin Tillman, Jessica Lynch testify on military myth-making

(Newser) - The military created an "utter fiction" around Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death, the brother of the former NFL star told a congressional panel today. The Army used his death as an opportunity to bolster support for the war, Kevin Tillman said, calling early reports that Pat had been killed in...

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