Military

Navy to name ship for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

kate.wiltrout — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:24:43 -0500

The Navy said Friday that it would name a littoral combat ship for Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman shot in the head last January by a gunman outside a Tucson grocery store where she was meeting with members of the public.
Giffords resigned last month, saying she wanted to focus on recovering from the attack, which killed six people and wounded more than a dozen.

Eustis soldiers due home from Afghanistan

kate.wiltrout — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:33:00 -0500

After serving for a year in Afghanistan, about 200 soldiers from Fort Eustis are set to return Saturday.

The troops were assigned to the headquarters of the 7th Sustainment Brigade’s Special Troops Battalion and the brigade headquarters' command element, and were based out of Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan.

Life sentence for man in killing of U.S. airmen

Cindy.Clayton — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:21:37 -0500

FRANKFURT, Germany An Islamic extremist who admitted killing two U.S. airmen at Frankfurt airport last year has been convicted of murder.

The state court in Frankfurt found 22-year-old Arid Uka guilty Friday and sentenced him to life in prison for the March 2 attack on Afghanistan-bound servicemen as they boarded a bus at the airport.

Marine sergeant not guilty in hazing case

Cindy.Clayton — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:51:43 -0500

By Audrey McAvoy KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii A military jury on Thursday found a Marine sergeant not guilty after authorities charged him with hazing a lance corporal who later committed suicide in Afghanistan.

Veterans Affairs secretary salutes GI benefit

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:03:16 -0500

NORFOLK Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki made a quick stop in Norfolk on Thursday to visit a trade school that recently began accepting military veterans using the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Ambassador Crocker tired, but not impatient

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:47:06 -0500

NORFOLK The American ambassador to Afghanistan said Thursday that he can't say exactly when the United States can disentangle itself from the country, but he understands the frustration with the long conflict. "I know they're tired of war. I'm tired of it," Ryan Crocker said of Americans. He has been in Kabul since last year and served seven years as ambassador to Iraq and Pakistan.

Marines posed with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan

Cindy.Clayton — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:31:27 -0500

By Julie Watson SAN DIEGO The Marine Corps confirmed today that one of its scout sniper teams in Afghanistan posed for a photograph in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS.

Use of the SS symbol is not acceptable, and the Marine Corps has addressed the issue, Lt. Col. Stewart Upton said in a statement. However, he did not specify what action was taken.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs to visit Norfolk today

Cindy.Clayton — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:34 -0500

NORFOLK Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shineski will visit Norfolk today to talk about vocational training for veterans. Shineski will visit Tidewater Tech Trades school at 5301 E. Princess Anne Road in the afternoon, according to a news release from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Air Force trains flight attendants for VIP trips

Cindy.Clayton — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:49:46 -0500

By David Dishneau JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. Bret Baker welcomes customers aboard a Boeing 757 wearing a three-piece suit and a sparkling smile. His manner is all Friendly Skies but his pocket patch bears the seal of the Vice President of the United States, signaling that this is government business.

AP: Pentagon rules shift on women in combat

Cindy.Clayton — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:41:30 -0500

By Lolita C. Baldor WASHINGTON Pentagon rules are catching up a bit with reality after a decade when women in the U.S. military have served, fought and died on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today, the Pentagon is recommending to Congress that women be allowed to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.