Author: Dan Wolken
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Rice went from outskirts of series to contending for a championship
Buoyed by clearing their final hurdle, Fort Carson officials expect to move construction for its newest combat aviation brigade into high gear in the coming weeks. Construction contracts totaling $224.2 million will be awarded by the end of August, according to Fort Carson records — a down payment for the brigade as much of the…
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PPIR: In the driver’s seat
Victims of sexual assault have more difficulty getting benefits than veterans suffering other service-connected trauma disabilities, a former military officer told a House panel Wednesday. Only one in three claims for post-traumatic stress related to military sexual trauma are approved by the Veterans Affairs Department, compared to half of all other PTSD claims, said former…
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Pampling’s final round not good, but good enough to win
GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 18, 2012 – The U.S. Army considers itself a values-based organization, inculcating new recruits from the infancy of boot camp in its ethos: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Army Sgt. Colton Hurley never knew his mother, an Army combat medic who passed away when he was…
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International: Strolling away with lead
SAN ANTONIO — A female Air Force airman has testified that a basic training instructor sexually assaulted her in his office at a Texas base and told her to keep quiet. The woman told jurors at Staff Sgt. Luis Walker’s court-martial Tuesday that he ignored her pleas to stop while pulling her onto a bed…
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International: Aussie reign, much rain
Commandant Gen. Jim Amos can expect to receive a letter from some unhappy veterans calling on the Marine Corps to sever its ties with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The veterans committee of a union group, Unite Here, is not happy about the money the Corps has spent on sponsorship and partnered recruiting videos with the…
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A different water hazard for Goosen
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2012 – Frank Kendall describes his new job as all about supporting the new defense strategy and the budget that puts that strategy in place. “My job on the acquisition, technology and logistics side of the house is to execute in support of that strategy,” the new undersecretary of defense for the…
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Driver goes from worst to first to win at PPIR
WASHINGTON — Images from spy planes and sensors that detect wires that trigger explosives have helped to mitigate the No. 1 threat to U.S. troops in Afghanistan — roadside bombs — over the past year. The Pentagon has filled the skies over Afghanistan with high-tech sensors, and the effect has been measurable. From March through…
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Weather not kind to Busch leader, but it doesn’t matter
The military is falling short in providing equal health care for women on the battlefield even as public pressure grows to give them a broader role in combat, a task force led by female officers has concluded. “The health issues and uniform issues are areas that, if we are going to be expanding the role…
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Drivers want Nextel at PPIR
WASHINGTON, July 13, 2012 – Much has changed in the 20 years since the Defense Department ramped up its family support programs by providing policy and guidance from the Pentagon to installations. And that support is continuing, with many more programs and a broader reach, DOD’s senior official for family support said today. “I’d like…
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Some avid NASCAR fans travel from track to track
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, July 13, 2012 – Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Black moved back toward the mine clearance vehicle to watch from a safe distance as a team traced the wire of a suspected improvised explosive device back toward the road. Black’s military working dog, Lobo, was held on the end of a leash as…