Stars & Stripes

Ceremony today repatriates remains of 10 US airmen downed in 1969

7 hours 21 min ago

One day in 1969, when Paul Clever was 6, he came home to find his mother crying as two Air Force officers stood by. After they left, his mother told him and his sister that their father, Sgt. Louis Clever, had been lost.

Survivor, rescuer reunite at Maine B-52 crash site

7 hours 29 min ago

After surviving a deadly B-52 bomber crash and a night on a frozen mountainside, Gerald Adler, injured and frostbitten, could recall only the red handlebar mustache of his rescuer. For the first time in 50 years, the retired Air Force captain came face-to-face with the mustachioed medic.

Quilt maker helps to keep troops, veterans covered

7 hours 45 min ago

Pat Wilson of Oakland, Calif., has organized a group of dedicated women intent on creating quilts for the Quilts of Valor Foundation. The national organization’s mission is to literally cover all combat servicemembers and veterans touched by war.

Air Force facing 'readiness crisis,' leaders say

8 hours 11 min ago

Spending cuts have forced a “readiness crisis” in the Air Force, grounding a dozen combat squadrons, cutting training and maintenance, and threatening modernization of an aging fleet, top Air Force leaders said Friday.

Marine injured in Afghanistan mission could be home for Memorial Day

8 hours 18 min ago

Nineteen-year-old Marine Pfc. Duncan Scott Mathis had been rescued after falling down a 50-foot well while on a pitch dark, night mission in Afghanistan. His legs, ankles and right arm were broken.

Teens create touching exhibit on local veterans at History Museum

8 hours 26 min ago

Ruth Ponciroli has lovingly saved her father’s diary from World War I along with his pocket-size prayer book, rosary and an ornate framed roster listing those like him who served in the 128th Field Artillery. Their names appear under the banner: “Defenders of Humanity.”

Gold Star mother supports military's role

8 hours 31 min ago

Debbie Hall had two children in the military in 2003, so she was not sure what kind of news awaited her when she was called home from a trip to the post office after work on a hot Monday in August.

WWII veteran to share military story on cable TV series

8 hours 33 min ago

For Peter Porreca of Uniontown, his military service in World War II was in Europe, where he led a charmed life, suffering only a noncombat injury.

Verdict reversal in Guatemala sparks criticism of genocide charge

8 hours 37 min ago

The overturning of former military dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt’s conviction on charges stemming from Guatemala’s brutal civil war has created a surprising consensus among critics on both the left and the right: Prosecutors badly overreached when they tried to pin accusations of genocide on the 86-year-old former president.

Hagel: Cadets must stamp out sex assault scourge

9 hours 12 min ago

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that they must stamp out the scourge of sexual assault in the military.

French soldier stabbed in throat outside Paris

9 hours 43 min ago

A French soldier was stabbed in the throat in a busy commercial district outside Paris on Saturday, and France's president said authorities are investigating any possible links with the recent slaying of a British soldier.

Sexual assault reports, and prosecutions, rise at Fort Hood

10 hours 47 min ago

Reports of sexual assault at Fort Hood, the nation’s busiest wartime deployment hub, have nearly doubled in recent months, with more than 200 such reports filed since October 2011, according to officials at the post.

Soldiers train to support, advise Afghan forces on taking lead in operations

10 hours 56 min ago

On a recent tour of the piece of southern Afghanistan that his squadron will inherit when it deploys this summer, Lt. Col. Eric Smith surveyed the remnants of past efforts against Taliban insurgents, from abandoned outposts to faded roads and former phase lines. While there, Smith’s armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb. The close call underlines the continued stakes in Afghanistan as Smith’s squadron and its parent unit, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, prepare to deploy to Kandahar province.

Two honored for heroic rescue on Mississippi River

11 hours 15 min ago

Next to the mighty Mississippi River, the U.S. Coast Guard bestowed its prestigious Gold Lifesaving Medal Friday on a man who saved five people from those treacherous waters.

Thirty-three dead in clash, bombing in Afghanistan

11 hours 19 min ago

At least 33 people, 29 of them Taliban militants, were killed and 18 others, including a NATO soldier, injured in two incidents in south-eastern Afghanistan in the last day, officials said Saturday.

Copter training prepares Hawaii Guard unit for deployment

11 hours 27 min ago

In a few months, members of the Hawaii Army National Guard's 171st Aviation Regiment will be touching down in Afghanistan and picking up troops and containers as the war ticks closer to its end-of-2014 deadline for U.S. combat forces. For now, they are deep into training.