By HENRY BREWSTER, New York Times Reports from Baghdad after a coordinated attack by Al Qaeda on May 10 were grim. The bombing was the latest in a series of large-scale attacks by Sunni extremists that began last August after a long and uneasy period of relative peace in the capital. The news of this […]

By James Dao / The New York Times The act of killing is as fundamental to war as oxygen is to fire. Yet it is also the one thing many combat veterans avoid discussing when they return home, whether out of shame, guilt or a deep fear of being misunderstood. But a new study of […]

Military Experiment Seeks to Predict PTSD By Alicia Chang / Associated Press Two days before shipping off to war, Marine Pfc. Jesse Sheets sat inside a trailer in the Mojave Desert, his gaze fixed on a computer that flashed a rhythmic pulse of contrasting images. Smiling kids embracing a soldier. A dog sniffing blood oozing […]

Here’s some powerful testimony from SSG Eddie Black, a veteran of the Marine Corps (Desert Storm) and the Oregon National Guard (OIF2) about his return from combat. Eddie now gives free talks for veterans on PTSD. You can email him here.     “When I got back from Iraq, all I wanted to do was go […]

By Joel Brown / Argus Leader Being the father of a deployed soldier has been eye-opening. As a political conservative, I had grown accustomed to cheering for the USA in conflicts overseas. I had my own thoughts on Sept. 11, 2001, and supported the wars in two countries that have followed. I haven’t wavered as […]

About 3,500 troops participated in a deployment ceremony at Fort Riley on Thursday. The troops are headed to Northern Iraq over the next two weeks and will assist with security forces in Iraq. The deployment is planned for a year. Family members say electronic communication and support groups at Fort Riley helps them deal with […]

Soldiers in the Rhode Island National Guard will be deploying in increased numbers to Iraq and Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Robert Bray said the round of upcoming deployments will involve almost 800 soldiers. Besides Iraq and Afghanistan, some will be sent to Kuwait and the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The deployments will begin soon […]

Capt. Lacey Johnson likes the restaurants of Fayetteville and Spring Lake – she can tick off lots of favorites – but she loves the pet services that are available locally to take care of her calico cat. “I don’t have children,” she said. “The biggest thing for me is my pets.” The 25-year-old military intelligence […]

An Army reserve unit based in suburban Forest Park was set to deploy Monday for a year-long mission to Iraq. Members of the 318th Public Affairs Operations center gathered with their families for a pre-deployment event Sunday. This is the unit’s second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Troops will be at the press […]

By Rod Nordland / New York Times “Yes, we are in charge now,” said an Iraqi Army soldier, Sgt. Salman Fallah Jassim, as he led a mixed Iraqi and American patrol through the saw grass of a dried up irrigation canal, sweeping the ground in front of him with the long wand of a metal detector. […]