military

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Troops Fume Over Proposed Smoking Ban

'If I were forced to quit, I'd probably be unbearable,' says one

(Newser) - Since the days of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s signature corncob pipe, through the rationing of cigarettes during World War II, smoking has been ingrained part of military culture. But a new proposal to introduce a smoking ban in the armed forces is sparking fierce opposition, with some saying it could...

Army Probes Charges That Worker Spied on Protesters

Members say employee used alias to get names, email addresses

(Newser) - Officials are investigating charges by two anti-war groups that a civilian employee for the Army spent more than 2 years infiltrating their organizations under an assumed name, reports the New York Times. The groups, active near one of the nation’s largest military bases close to Tacoma, Wash., say criminal...

New GI Bill Gives Veterans Better Shot at College

Vastly expanded aid begins tomorrow

(Newser) - The new GI Bill, called the biggest veterans’ educational benefit program since 1944, takes effect tomorrow—and it’s poised to make a big difference, the Houston Chronicle reports. Some 90% of vets will receive two to three times more help paying for college, says one advocate. “This type...

Nigerian Troops Attack Militants' Mosque, Kill 100

Group blamed for wave of violence; leader escapes

(Newser) - Nigerian security forces killed more than 100 militants yesterday as they shelled then stormed the mosque and compound of an Islamist sect blamed for days of violence across northern Nigeria. The bodies of barefoot young men littered the streets of Maiduguri this morning as the army conducted a house-to-house manhunt...

Wedding Military Means Divorcing Manhattan
Wedding Military Means Divorcing Manhattan
OPINION

Wedding Military Means Divorcing Manhattan

High society is into service, Army wife says, but not armed forces

(Newser) - When her Manhattan colleagues found out Chloe Kamarck was marrying an Army officer, she got a lot of questions: “But why? So he supports the war? Is he a Republican?” This generation is into service—the recession has driven many to the Peace Corps, Teach for America, and the...

Rather Wins File Access in CBS Firing Suit

(Newser) - A judge has reinstated Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit against CBS and granted the former anchor access to thousands of pages of documents pertaining to his ouster following a network story he ran critical of former President George's Bush performance in the Texas Air National Guard. Rather's attorneys believe the...

Database Takes Scholars to Medieval Battlefields

Free searchable database includes facts on salary, health, knighthood

(Newser) - British researchers have posted records of some 250,000 medieval soldiers in a searchable online database, the BBC reports. Now, interested parties can easily learn about the lives of fighters in the Hundred Years’ War, including salary, health, and knighthood information—for free. The “remarkable” records, says one researcher,...

Service Members Join 'Neo-Nazi Facebook'

Activist group urges Congress to take a stand

(Newser) - White supremacists have their own social networking site—and dozens of military personnel are members, reports Stars and Stripes. “I love and will do anything to keep our master race marching,” says the newsaxon.org profile of one user who says he’s served in Iraq and Kuwait....

Pentagon Mulls Smoking Ban for Troops

Military smoking, especially common in combat, costly for VA

(Newser) - Pentagon health experts are pushing for the military to ban tobacco, a move that would upend a traditionally smoky culture, the USA Today reports. Tobacco use is rising among troops, many of whom turn to cigarettes to relieve combat zone stress, and that winds up costing the Pentagon and Veteran's...

Honduran Prez Recounts 'Brutal Kidnapping' in Coup

'Coup' triggered by Zelaya's insistence on unwanted constitutional referendum

(Newser) - Manuel Zelaya called upon the international community to “defend democracy” after the army forced him to leave Honduras in what the president called a “brutal kidnapping,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Zelaya said he awoke today facing the gun barrels of masked army officers who took him—...

WTF, DoD? Dumbest Military Tech Acronyms

(Newser) - Wired has been keeping track of the most ridiculous acronyms the military-industrial complex comes up with. Here’s the latest list of the "Most Awesomely Bad Military Acronyms" (MAMAs, of course):
  • Affordable Accurate Robot Guidance (AARG)
  • Integrated Precision Ordnance Delivery System (IPODS)
  • Multi-Sensor Aerospace-Ground Joint ISR Interoperability Coalition (MAJIIC)
...

Fallujah Video Game Sparks Vet Family Fury

(Newser) - A realistic video game featuring a historic Fallujah battle involving US forces in Iraq has incensed vets and their families, reports ABC News. Six Days in Fallujah is due out next year, and involves Marine consultants to ensure accuracy of the action. "It's upsetting," said a mom who...

Colbert Bringing Show to Baghdad

He's broadcasting four shows

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert is taking his show on the road—to Iraq. Next week, the Colbert Report will broadcast from Baghdad, where the host says he'll be "Bob Hoping" it, the AP reports. The four shows will be taped in front of 450 troops, and Colbert is taking it seriously....

Little Left for Fiancée of Fallen Soldier

Unmarried loved ones have no standing, get nothing from Army

(Newser) - To the US Army bureaucracy, love means little without a marriage certificate—so the fiancée of a man killed in Iraq was left with nothing other than what his family was willing to part with. Now, the Washington Post reports, Kyle Harper, 27, is trying to forge a path...

Remember the Meaning of Memorial Day
 Remember the 
 Meaning of 
 Memorial Day 
OPINION

Remember the Meaning of Memorial Day

Time to honor the 1.3 million fallen US troops

(Newser) - On a day of barbecues and baseball, “let's not forget the point of Memorial Day,” write William J. Bennett and John Cribb: to salute the sacrifices of the 1.3 million troops who have died for our country. “Through their sacrifice, the United States has liberated more...

Woman Won 'Male Rights' Fighting in Civil War

Soldier remained in her disguise for better jobs, voting rights

(Newser) - A veteran of 40 Civil War skirmishes and battles kept one secret under wraps: her breasts. Union Army soldier Albert Cashier was really Jennie Hodgers, one of hundreds of women who fought in the war. "The country needed men, and I wanted excitement," Hodgers said. She also benefited...

The Death of the 'Old Army Buddy'
The Death
of the 'Old
Army Buddy'
OPINION

The Death of the 'Old Army Buddy'

Draft's end means a generation sans sense of service, camaraderie

(Newser) - On Memorial Day, former soldiers of all ages will be touching base with their brothers in arms, but as Michael Auslin writes in the Washington Post, real Old Army Buddies are on the verge of extinction. The men who willingly served during the drafts of the '50s and '60s came...

Gates Praises Soldier in Pink Boxers

(Newser) - A US soldier who took up the fight against the Taliban sans pants and clad in “I Love NY” pink boxers got a vote of his support from the nation’s defense chief last night, reports Reuters. “Any soldier who goes into battle against the Taliban in pink...

iPods Give War a Soundtrack
 iPods Give War a Soundtrack 

iPods Give War a Soundtrack

Our playlists are for running; soldiers' are for shooting—or relaxing

(Newser) - Thanks to iPods, the Iraq war has a soundtrack—and it’s different for each soldier, writes Jonathan Pieslak in his new book, Sound Targets. “People can put nanos in their flak jackets and they are ready to go,” Pieslak tells the New York Post, and CDs are...

Accidents, Illness Kill Most Troops in Iraq

"Nonhostile" incidents pose greatest threat in recent months

(Newser) - Troops serving in Iraq in the past eight months were most likely to die from "nonhostile" causes such as illness or accidents, according to new statistics. The period marks the first time insurgents have not been responsible for the majority of troops deaths, reports the Boston Globe. While the...

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