About Stars and StripesStars and Stripes exists to provide independent news and information to the U.S. military community, comprised of active-duty, DoD civilians, contractors, and their families. Unique among the many Department of Defense authorized news outlets, only Stars and Stripes is guaranteed First Amendment privileges that are subject to Congressional oversight.*Stars and Stripes has published a newspaper continuously since World War II. Our unique military coverage first became available online in 1999. Today, in addition to Stripes.com, we publish five daily newspaper editions (Mideast, Europe, Japan, Korea and Okinawa), several weekly and monthly publications, and numerous special supplements. Average daily readers number about 420,000.

Stars and Stripes maintains news bureaus in Europe, Pacific and the Middle East to provide first-hand reporting on events in those theaters. In addition to news and sports, Stars and Stripes print editions contain all the elements of an American “hometown paper,” from "Dear Abby" to comics, horoscopes, and crossword puzzles. The Mideast edition is command-sponsored and distributed at no charge to forces stationed in war zones. The other editions are for sale on base in coin boxes and at military exchanges. Home delivery to subscribers is available in Belgium, England, Germany, Guam, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and Turkey. Other Stars and Stripes publications include Stripes GAMER (six issues a year), and special supplements focused on such topics as education, insurance, retirement planning, and travel. Welcome to Europe Guide is published three times annually; Destination Paradise is published for the Pacific community twice a year.

View our 2010 Supplement Calendar to see a list of upcoming publications.___________ PLEASE SET UP THE FOLLOWING AS A FOOTNOTE W/ SMALLER FONT______* Stars and Stripes is a Department of Defense-authorized daily newspaper distributed overseas for the U.S. military community. Editorially independent of interference from outside its own editorial chain-of-command, it provides commercially available U.S. and world news and objective staff-produced stories relevant to the military community in a balanced, fair, and accurate manner. By keeping its audience informed, Stars and Stripes enhances military readiness and better enables U.S. military personnel and their families stationed overseas to exercise their responsibilities of citizenship. (Source: Revised DoD Directive 5122.11)AwardsStars and Stripes holds its staff to high quality standards for its journalism. As a result, staffers routinely garner recognition for excellence.2010 National Headliner Awards o First Place: Public Service (Forcing Change)o Third Place: News Series (Coming Home: The Men of Triple Deuce) • 2009 George Polk Awards in Journalismo George Polk Award for Military Reporting ♣ Recipients: Charlie Reed, Leo Shane III and Kevin Baron• 2007 Military Reporters and Editors Awards o Overseas coverage (less than 100,000 circulation) ♣ Recipient: Monte Morin• 2006 Military Reporters and Editors Awards o Overseas coverage (less than 100,000 circulation) ♣ Recipients: Monte Morin, Joe Giordono ♣ Honorable mention: Nancy Montgomery o Photography (less than 100,000 circulation) ♣ Recipient: Fred Zimmerman• 2006 NAA ACME Award of Excellence o Youth Oriented Ad Series/Campaign: Stripes GAMER o Entertainment Promotions: Tales from the Crib• 2005 Military Reporters and Editors Awards o Overseas print coverage (less than 100,000 circulation) ♣ Recipient: Steve Liewer o Photography (less than 100,000 circulation) ♣ Recipient: Terry Boyd• Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Awardo First Amendment, Finalist 2003 • 2004 Excellence in Journalism Award (American Legion): Ground Truth Series • Distinguished Reporting Citation from the Military Reporters and Editors Association • 2004 Editor and Publisher Photo of the Year: Honorable MentionFacts & Figures for FY 2009Stars and Stripes:• Deployed 14 reporters who spent 1,085 man days in theater• Sent 7 circulation and advertising staffers downrange for 944 man-days• Printed and distributed over 9.5 million newspapers in Europe and Pacific• Printed and distributed nearly 25 million newspapers in contingency areas • Delivered 1.6 million downloads of our paper in PDF, averaging about 4,400 downloads per dayHistoryThe first Stars and Stripes was published briefly by Union troops during the Civil War. The predecessor of today’s paper appeared during World War I, then again in World War II.Since the last world war, Stars and Stripes newspaper has published continuously (1942 in Europe; 1945 in the Pacific). Stripes reporters have served right beside American soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen in Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, Bosnia and Kosovo. Reporters have been on assignment in the Middle East since 2001 and covered the military’s humanitarian efforts in the aftermath of the 2005 tsunami and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.Stars and Stripes prints five editions daily, sold at military facilities overseas. The Mideast edition is distributed at no cost to our servicemembers in contingency areas. The European edition differs from the Pacific editions substantially in order to better serve our readers in each theater. We publish wherever our troops go, so where we set up operations always depends on the deployment plans of the military. Currently, we publish different editions for Europe, Japan, Korea, Okinawa, and the Middle East.In May 2004 Stars and Stripes began offering its newspaper in a digital edition, available at www.stripes.com to anyone in the world with access to the Internet. Today all daily editions are available as PDF downloads at no cost.Stripes.com also provides a broad range of local information to the overseas military community, including travel, entertainment listings, and a free photo share service, in addition to useful services such as free classified advertising. On any given day, the total average daily audience for Stars and Stripes is about 430,000.Operating LocationsStars and Stripes maintains three offices: one each in Europe and Pacific and one in Washington, D.C. Each office has its own reporters and editors, as well as business and support staff. Web operations and newspaper layout are handled at our Central office in the National Press Building in Washington. Each day’s editions are transmitted by satellite to print sites in Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Kuwait, South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti and Kyrgyzstan.At the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Stars and Stripes began publishing a Mideast edition. Today over 70,000 copies per day are distributed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and other Gulf nations. In addition to American forces, the audience includes U.S. contractors and in some cases NATO troops. Research indicates that a copy of Stars and Stripes distributed downrange may be read by as many as seven different people. A Uniquely American NewspaperThe first paper named Stars and Stripes was produced by Union soldiers during the Civil War, in 1861. Using the facilities of a captured newspaper plant in Bloomfield, Mo., they ran off a one-page paper. That paper appeared only four times.Stars and Stripes was revived in World War I. The first edition appeared February 8, 1918, in Paris. The weekly was produced by an all-military staff to serve the doughboys of the American Expeditionary Force under General of the Armies John J. "Black Jack" Pershing.Some of its staff later became famous journalists, including Pvt. Harold Ross, who founded The New Yorker magazine, and Lt. Grantland Rice, who became the nation's first celebrated sports writer.The newspaper ceased printing after the war ended, when no one could imagine another conflict of that magnitude.But barely two decades later Europe was embroiled in a second world war and on April 18, 1942, Stars and Stripes had its second renaissance. A small group of servicemen started up a four-page weekly paper in a London print shop. Working in very tight quarters, the enterprising group quickly established an audience. Each copy sold for just tuppence (two English pence or about 5 cents), and in no time the paper was running eight pages and printing daily instead of weekly.Operations rapidly expanded, following GIs to the battlefront to bring them the news. During World War II, Stars and Stripes published as many as 32 separate editions, with page counts running as high as 24 pages per issue. At one time, there were as many as 25 publishing locations in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific.The Pacific edition was launched a week after VE day (Victory in Europe, May 8, 1945) and became the forerunner of the Pacific Stars and Stripes.Championed by the U.S. MilitaryThe first edition of Stars and Stripes published during World War II featured an interview with Gen. George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff. Marshall quoted Gen. John J. Pershing, World War I American Expeditionary Force (AEF) commander, who believed that Stripes had been a major factor in sustaining AEF morale."We have his (Pershing's) authority for the statement that no official control was ever exercised over the matter which went into Stars and Stripes," Marshall said. "It always was entirely for and by the soldier. This policy is to govern the conduct of the new publication."Putting out the newspaper in the midst of bombs and battles was no small feat and staffers were always on the move, setting up shop as close to the front as possible. The product of their efforts was in demand and circulation eventually reached over 1.2 million.Stars and Stripes also found a special champion and protector in Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander. Eisenhower enforced a hands-off policy in regard to Stars and Stripes, routinely defending the paper against whatever complaints and protest ensued.World War II ended, but the command wasn't ready to dismantle the newspaper.In the end, Stars and Stripes was instructed to continue publishing as long as U.S. troops remained abroad. Many changes have occurred since 1942—but the mission of providing independent news and information to the military community continues to be the primary purpose.As wartime military staff began returning to the States, the newspaper began replacing them with a full-time civilian staff of professional journalists and newspaper business people, augmented by a small contingent of military journalists and managers.Stripes reporters and photographers joined American troops in the field throughout the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. During the 1990s (Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort), Stripes’ dedicated staff of journalists and business specialists showed their camaraderie and support. The paper established a Middle East bureau for reporting on the war, and circulation of Stars and Stripes nearly doubled within weeks.When American troops deployed to Bosnia in 1995, Stars and Stripes was there to greet them. While delivering 12,000 papers to Bosnia, Stars and Stripes covered the civilians, servicemembers, families, and communities supporting deployed personnel as well as actions in the Bosnian region.From the very outset of the war in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), Stripes reporters were there to report first-hand. Initially printed in Europe and shipped in, by November 2004 print operations were set up in Kabul so Stripes could assure that forces received their newspapers more quickly and reliably. During the war in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), Stripes reporters have embedded with military units, as well as on Navy ships in the region. Staffers continue to report from Iraq. Today the Mideast edition that serves forces in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq and other countries in the region delivers about 70,000 copies per day throughout the war zones.Stars and Stripes TodayConsidered to be the “hometown newspaper” for servicemembers, government civilians and their families stationed overseas, Stars and Stripes offers the same type of national and international news, sports and opinion columns typically found in U.S. newspapers.Stripes provides news and information of interest and value about issues in servicemembers’ host countries, local communities and commands. Content includes stories filed by Stripes reporters and other respected sources such as the Associated Press, Knight-Ridder, Scripps-Howard, and the Washington Post.Stars and Stripes today has one of the widest distribution ranges of any newspaper in the world; it covers over 40 countries where there are U.S. bases, posts, servicemembers, ships, or embassies. In addition to our own print operation in Tokyo, editions are sent via satellite to 12 remote printing locations, including three in Europe (Germany, Italy and Spain). In Afghanistan, we print in Kabul and distribute newspapers daily to Kabul, Kandahar, Bagram, Camp Salerno and other bases. We also print in Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Djibouti, Qatar and Seoul, South Korea.Last updated May, 2010.Reprint PermissionsStories and photos by Stars and Stripes staffers are copyrighted, and may not be reprinted or used without permission. E-mail permission@stripes.osd.mil, and let us know what you need. Many of the images taken by our photographers are for sale through our photo store; to purchase an image, click here.We regret that we cannot grant reprint permission for wire service or other syndicated material, or provide copies of photos from those services. For Associated Press reprint information, click here; to purchase copies of AP photos, click here.