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In America's hidden war in Syria, troops face peril on many fronts
"Remaining in spite of you," referencing an Islamic State slogan, is freshly spray-painted on a wall in Raqqa, Syria, on Oct. 21, 2018.<br>Alice Martins/For The Washington Post
"Remaining in spite of you," referencing an Islamic State slogan, is freshly spray-painted on a wall in Raqqa, Syria, on Oct. 21, 2018.<br>Alice Martins/For The Washington Post

The ruined, fearful city of Raqqa was once the Islamic State's capital, the showcase of its caliphate and a magnet for foreign fighters from around the globe. Now it lies at the heart of the United States' newest commitment to a Middle East war.

Bags of fentanyl seized.<br>TNS
Bags of fentanyl seized.<br>TNS

Weapon of mass destruction? Just 100 pounds of fentanyl could kill millions of people

Rolling up the trailer door revealed an empty hold. But just below a refrigeration unit, behind a plastic panel secured with mismatched bolts, Nebraska State Trooper Sam Mortensen found 42 brick-shaped packages full of fentanyl. The drug is so potent that the equivalent of a few grains of salt can be lethal.

Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy
Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy

Retired admiral was a ‘top shelf’ friend to ‘Fat Leonard,’ Navy says

A retired two-star admiral and former Trump administration nominee repeatedly solicited and accepted gifts from military contractor Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis and used his position to benefit Francis’ company, according to a letter of censure released Friday.

President Donald Trump answers questions while visiting Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, during Wreaths Across America Day.<br>Carolyn Kaster/AP
President Donald Trump answers questions while visiting Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, during Wreaths Across America Day.<br>Carolyn Kaster/AP

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Wreaths Across America, volunteers honor the nation's fallen

In a steady rain, President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday during one of hundreds of ceremonies nationwide in which holiday wreaths were laid to honor the sacrifices made by veterans and their families.

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Army Pfc. Joshua Mikeasky, 19, from Pennsylvania, was killed Thursday in a non-combat incident on Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. Mikeasky was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum in New York.<br>U.S. Army
Army Pfc. Joshua Mikeasky, 19, from Pennsylvania, was killed Thursday in a non-combat incident on Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. Mikeasky was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum in New York.<br>U.S. Army

Fort Drum soldier, 19, died in noncombat incident in Afghanistan

Army Pfc. Joshua Mikeasky died in the incident Thursday on the major U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan, the Pentagon said in a statement. Mikeasky was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum in New York.

<br>U.S. Air Force
<br>U.S. Air Force

Basic Allowance for Housing rates for 2019 are released; will increase an average of 2.55 percent

Basic Allowance for Housing rates will increase an average of 2.55 percent beginning on January 1, 2019, the Department of Defense announced late Friday afternoon.

Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo
Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo

Blood tests show residents near Colo. base have high levels of toxic chemicals from contaminated water

Many Security, Widefield and Fountain residents have extremely high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies compared with other Americans, apparently from drinking water contaminated by firefighting foam used for decades at Peterson Air Force Base, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Thursday.

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Sen. Richard Blumethal, D-Conn., poses a series of questions to U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Blumenthal told Coats that "the American people deserve to know whether or not the president directed his top intelligence officials to effectively counter this continuing act of war on our country."<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

Blumenthal: Those responsible for GI Bill benefit debacle will be held accountable

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Friday he expects there to be a congressional hearing early in the new Congress to "pin down" who is accountable for delays in education benefit payments to hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country.

See more U.S. news
The bronze statue of a comfort woman in front of the Japanese Embassy, Seoul<br>WikiMedia Commons

Japan and South Korea unable to patch up rift over 'comfort women'

Japan and South Korea were unable to mend a rift stemming from the issues of comfort women and lawsuits filed by former requisitioned workers when a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers met separately with South Korean President Moon Jae In and its South Korean counterpart on Friday.

See more Pacific news
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at meeting with cultural advisers in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. <br>AP

Putin says rap should be controlled in Russia, not banned

Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music.

See more Europe news
Demonstrators protest on Oct. 9, 2018, at the entrance of Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<br>Depo Photos/Zuma Press/TNS

Analysis

Khashoggi's friends are being watched. The US can do little about it

For years, Ali Al-Ahmed felt grateful to be in the United States, enjoying a safe life, much like his friend, the slain writer Jamal Khashoggi did. Now the dissident Saudi says he is "freaked out."

See more Middle East news
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Vincent Griffith, third from left, commander of Naval Supply Systems Command, Global Logistics Support, views Doraleh Container Terminal from the Port of Djibouti, during a tour of the port and nearby Camp Lemonnier. <br>Eric Dietrich/U.S. Navy

Could China squeeze the US out of its only permanent military base in Africa?

While there have been other concerns with China in Djibouti, such as accusations that China used lasers against American pilots in Djibouti, American officials have recently expressed concern over a port that was once operated by an external company but has been taken over by the Djibouti government.

See more Africa news

theaters
Sen. Richard Blumethal, D-Conn., poses a series of questions to U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Blumenthal told Coats that "the American people deserve to know whether or not the president directed his top intelligence officials to effectively counter this continuing act of war on our country."<br>Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes

Blumenthal: Those responsible for GI Bill benefit debacle will be held accountable

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Friday he expects there to be a congressional hearing early in the new Congress to "pin down" who is accountable for delays in education benefit payments to hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country.

See more U.S. news
The bronze statue of a comfort woman in front of the Japanese Embassy, Seoul<br>WikiMedia Commons

Japan and South Korea unable to patch up rift over 'comfort women'

Japan and South Korea were unable to mend a rift stemming from the issues of comfort women and lawsuits filed by former requisitioned workers when a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers met separately with South Korean President Moon Jae In and its South Korean counterpart on Friday.

See more Pacific news
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at meeting with cultural advisers in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. <br>AP

Putin says rap should be controlled in Russia, not banned

Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music.

See more Europe news
Demonstrators protest on Oct. 9, 2018, at the entrance of Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<br>Depo Photos/Zuma Press/TNS

Analysis

Khashoggi's friends are being watched. The US can do little about it

For years, Ali Al-Ahmed felt grateful to be in the United States, enjoying a safe life, much like his friend, the slain writer Jamal Khashoggi did. Now the dissident Saudi says he is "freaked out."

See more Middle East news
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Vincent Griffith, third from left, commander of Naval Supply Systems Command, Global Logistics Support, views Doraleh Container Terminal from the Port of Djibouti, during a tour of the port and nearby Camp Lemonnier. <br>Eric Dietrich/U.S. Navy

Could China squeeze the US out of its only permanent military base in Africa?

While there have been other concerns with China in Djibouti, such as accusations that China used lasers against American pilots in Djibouti, American officials have recently expressed concern over a port that was once operated by an external company but has been taken over by the Djibouti government.

See more Africa news
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In his Broadway show, Bruce Springsteen, right, lavishes praise on Motifs frontman Walter Cichon, who was killed in Vietnam in 1968.<br>Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
In his Broadway show, Bruce Springsteen, right, lavishes praise on Motifs frontman Walter Cichon, who was killed in Vietnam in 1968.<br>Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Bruce Springsteen idolized these Jersey brothers – then one was killed in Vietnam

Halfway through Bruce Springsteen's solo act on Broadway, the Boss reminisces about two bar-band rockers he idolized in New Jersey in the 1960s. But the memories about a pair of little-known musicians takes a sorrowful turn: Walter was killed in 1968 in the Vietnam War, a disclosure that, following such loving tributes, prompted slight gasps in the audience.

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From left: Maj. James Brophy, Lt. Col. Kevin Herrmann, Staff Sgt. Maximo Flores, Cpl. Daniel Baker and Cpl. William Carter Ross were the five Marines who were declared dead after their KC-130J Hercules collided with an F/A-18 Hornet on Dec. 6, 2018.<br>AP/U.S. Marine Corps
From left: Maj. James Brophy, Lt. Col. Kevin Herrmann, Staff Sgt. Maximo Flores, Cpl. Daniel Baker and Cpl. William Carter Ross were the five Marines who were declared dead after their KC-130J Hercules collided with an F/A-18 Hornet on Dec. 6, 2018.<br>AP/U.S. Marine Corps

NY flags to be lowered to honor Marines killed in crash

Flags on all New York state government buildings will be lowered to half-staff in honor of a Hudson Valley Marine and five other Marines killed when two U.S. military planes collided off the coast of Japan last week.

See more Marine Corps news
Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy
Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy

Retired admiral was a ‘top shelf’ friend to ‘Fat Leonard,’ Navy says

A retired two-star admiral and former Trump administration nominee repeatedly solicited and accepted gifts from military contractor Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis and used his position to benefit Francis’ company, according to a letter of censure released Friday.

See more Navy news
The Coast Guard was searching for a passenger on Carnival Victory cruise who was reported overboard on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.<br>WSVN 7News
The Coast Guard was searching for a passenger on Carnival Victory cruise who was reported overboard on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.<br>WSVN 7News

Coast Guard searches for man who reportedly went overboard from Carnival cruise ship

The Coast Guard is on the search for a man who reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Victory cruise ship off the Florida Keys. A call from the cruise ship said a 26-year-old passenger went overboard 35 miles south of Islamorada.

See more Coast Guard news
Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo
Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo

Blood tests show residents near Colo. base have high levels of toxic chemicals from contaminated water

Many Security, Widefield and Fountain residents have extremely high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies compared with other Americans, apparently from drinking water contaminated by firefighting foam used for decades at Peterson Air Force Base, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Thursday.

See more Air Force news
Sen. Charles Schumer, center, and CEO of Byrne Dairy Carl Byrne, right, attend a news conference Friday at Byrne Dairy in East Syracuse.<br>SYDNEY SCHAEFER/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES
Sen. Charles Schumer, center, and CEO of Byrne Dairy Carl Byrne, right, attend a news conference Friday at Byrne Dairy in East Syracuse.<br>SYDNEY SCHAEFER/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

New military procurement threatening local dairies' direct sales to base is 'dumb,' senator says

A new proposal from the Defense Commissary Agency to use centralized warehouses in Virginia or Maryland for goods instead of selling direct from dairies to military facilities is less efficient and threatens local, mid-sized dairies, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "I think when I present to the top staff of the military they'll see how dumb it is."

See more Army news

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From left: Maj. James Brophy, Lt. Col. Kevin Herrmann, Staff Sgt. Maximo Flores, Cpl. Daniel Baker and Cpl. William Carter Ross were the five Marines who were declared dead after their KC-130J Hercules collided with an F/A-18 Hornet on Dec. 6, 2018.<br>AP/U.S. Marine Corps
From left: Maj. James Brophy, Lt. Col. Kevin Herrmann, Staff Sgt. Maximo Flores, Cpl. Daniel Baker and Cpl. William Carter Ross were the five Marines who were declared dead after their KC-130J Hercules collided with an F/A-18 Hornet on Dec. 6, 2018.<br>AP/U.S. Marine Corps

NY flags to be lowered to honor Marines killed in crash

Flags on all New York state government buildings will be lowered to half-staff in honor of a Hudson Valley Marine and five other Marines killed when two U.S. military planes collided off the coast of Japan last week.

See more Marine Corps news
Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy
Rear Adm. Mark C. Montgomery retired from the military in October 2017. <br>U.S. Navy

Retired admiral was a ‘top shelf’ friend to ‘Fat Leonard,’ Navy says

A retired two-star admiral and former Trump administration nominee repeatedly solicited and accepted gifts from military contractor Leonard Glenn “Fat Leonard” Francis and used his position to benefit Francis’ company, according to a letter of censure released Friday.

See more Navy news
The Coast Guard was searching for a passenger on Carnival Victory cruise who was reported overboard on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.<br>WSVN 7News
The Coast Guard was searching for a passenger on Carnival Victory cruise who was reported overboard on Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.<br>WSVN 7News

Coast Guard searches for man who reportedly went overboard from Carnival cruise ship

The Coast Guard is on the search for a man who reportedly went overboard from the Carnival Victory cruise ship off the Florida Keys. A call from the cruise ship said a 26-year-old passenger went overboard 35 miles south of Islamorada.

See more Coast Guard news
Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo
Kuwaiti firefighters spray foam on a fire March 24, 2015 during a firefighting drill. A researcher at the University of Colorado has proposed a study of southern El Paso County residents to measure their exposure to toxic chemicals from years of similar drills at Peterson Air Force Base.<br>Leon Cook/U.S. Army photo

Blood tests show residents near Colo. base have high levels of toxic chemicals from contaminated water

Many Security, Widefield and Fountain residents have extremely high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies compared with other Americans, apparently from drinking water contaminated by firefighting foam used for decades at Peterson Air Force Base, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Thursday.

See more Air Force news
Sen. Charles Schumer, center, and CEO of Byrne Dairy Carl Byrne, right, attend a news conference Friday at Byrne Dairy in East Syracuse.<br>SYDNEY SCHAEFER/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES
Sen. Charles Schumer, center, and CEO of Byrne Dairy Carl Byrne, right, attend a news conference Friday at Byrne Dairy in East Syracuse.<br>SYDNEY SCHAEFER/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

New military procurement threatening local dairies' direct sales to base is 'dumb,' senator says

A new proposal from the Defense Commissary Agency to use centralized warehouses in Virginia or Maryland for goods instead of selling direct from dairies to military facilities is less efficient and threatens local, mid-sized dairies, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "I think when I present to the top staff of the military they'll see how dumb it is."

See more Army news
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Nathan Pine is the Air Force Academy's new athletic director. <br>U.S. Air Force photo

Air Force Academy names new athletic director

Air Force's new athletic director has one thing in common with the old one: ties to West Point.

Sports
Nathan Pine is the Air Force Academy's new athletic director. <br>U.S. Air Force photo

Air Force Academy names new athletic director

Air Force's new athletic director has one thing in common with the old one: ties to West Point.