Chad Garland

Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe, Maneuver Center of Excellence commanding general, presents the Soldier's Medal to Capt. Christopher D. Long at Fort Benning, Ga., May 7, 2021. Long tried to save the life of a soldier who was stabbed by her husband by pulling him off the victim and calling for emergency aid.<br>Patrick A. Albright/U.S. Army

Soldier’s Medal awarded to Army captain who subdued a soldier stabbing his own wife

An Army captain who pulled a knife-wielding attacker off his victim wishes he could have done more, though his actions earned him the Army’s highest medal for acts of noncombat bravery.

Peter Debbins, a former Army Green Beret, is shown here following his arrest in Alexandria, Va. Prosecutors are seeking a 17-year prison sentence for Debbins, who pleaded guilty last year to providing classified information to a Russian military intelligence agent for years.<br>ALEXANDRIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Prosecutors recommend 17-year sentence for former Green Beret convicted of spying for Russia

Federal prosecutors are seeking a 17-year prison sentence for a former Green Beret who pleaded guilty last year to providing classified information to Russian military intelligence for over a decade.

A 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, paratrooper receives a T-11 parachute onboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft bound for Estonia during Swift Response 21, May 7, 2021. <br>Alexander Burnett/82nd Airborne Division

Paratroopers jump into Estonia during ‘complex but awesome’ nighttime drill

Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division dropped into Estonia early Saturday during an exercise meant to test their ability to communicate and cooperate with each other and their allies.

Spc. Lauresa Bruce, of 75th Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Sill, Okla., conducts the Army Combat Fitness Test's maximum deadlift event during a training session on April 22, 2021.

<br>Dustin Biven/U.S. Army

Army approves fitness test exception for E-4s to keep up promotion potential

All corporals and specialists will have the option to take the Army Physical Fitness Test, a move meant to help them “stay on track for promotion” as the service transitions to the long-awaited combat fitness test.

An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper gets tested for COVID-19 at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 3, 2021. The testing is in preparation for Swift Response 21, a joint, multinational airborne exercise in Europe involving more than 7,000 paratroopers from 10 NATO nations.

<br>Alexander Burnett/U.S. Army

Jabbing and jumping: 82nd Airborne paratroopers get fully vaccinated ahead of Baltic jump

Before hundreds of 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers stand up, hook up and shuffle to the door for an airborne jump over Estonia, they sat down, rolled up their sleeves and got the coronavirus vaccination.

The Iraqi air force performs an F-16 ''elephant walk'' on Balad Air Base, Iraq, in December 2020. An uptick in attacks earlier this year forced U.S. contractors to leave the base where they had been supporting the Iraqi air force's Fighting Falcons.

<br>Jorge Reyes/U.S. Army Reserve

Iraq’s F-16 program stalls after US contractors evacuate Balad Air Base, report says

Increased threats and attacks by Iran-backed militias forced American contractors to evacuate Iraq’s Balad Air Base in March, where they were supporting Iraq’s F-16 program, a U.S. government report said this week.

U.S. and Turkish military forces conduct a joint ground patrol in northeast Syria in September 2019. Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson is facing charges stemming from a Aug. 17, 2020 incident when U.S.-led coalition and partner forces returned fire after an attack on their convoy near a Syrian military checkpoint.
<br> Alec Dionne/U.S. Army

82nd Airborne paratrooper faces charges related to gunfight at Syrian checkpoint

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson, the platoon sergeant on a patrol that came under fire in August near the northeastern Syrian town of Qamishli, is facing an Article 32 hearing later this month.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Rogers, 57th Rescue Squadron pararescueman, is seen here while deployed to Afghanistan in the winter of 2019. Rogers is scheduled to receive the 2021 Air Force Sergeants Association Pitsenbarger Award in July for treating seven people after an explosion at a Taliban weapons site.

<br>U.S. Air Force

Air Force pararescueman recalls ‘apocalyptic’ Afghanistan blast that killed Green Beret, wounded six others

A pararescueman who treated seven people at the scene recalls a 2019 blast.

Pennsylvania Air National Guard Airman 1st Class William Guilfoyle poses with John Gretton ''Jocko'' Willink, a retired Navy SEAL officer, at Biddle Air National Guard Base, Pa., April 19, 2021.

<br>William Guilfoyle

Retired SEAL Jocko Willink surprises guard members, tells them to relish adversity

Former Navy SEAL and podcaster John Gretton “Jocko” Willink made the impromptu visit to an air base in Pennsylvania after some soldiers ran into him making a promotional video.

Sgt. 1st Class Jedidia Powell earned the Soldier's Medal for repeatedly running into a burning house and helping two women and a dog to safety in November 2017.

<br>Screenshot/DVIDS

‘No big thing’: NCO earns Soldier's Medal after running into house fire to save woman and dog

Sgt. 1st Class Jedidia Powell was on duty in Portland one afternoon in late November 2017 when a state maintenance worker poked his head in the door and said a house was on fire down the street.

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross along with Cpl. Jonathan Yale for their bravery on April 22, 2008 in Ramadi, Iraq. Haerter and Yale stood their ground and stopped a truck carrying 2,000 pounds of explosives. The two Marines died in the blast, but it's estimated that their actions saved the lives of 50 Marines and more Iraqis.

<br>U.S. Marine Corps

Short film about Marines’ bravery in 2008 Ramadi attack is now free online

A short film about two Marines’ final acts of heroism to stop a truck bomb suicide attack in Iraq became free to view this week on the 13th anniversary of the incident, for which the two men earned Navy Cross medals.

Maj. Gen. William Cooley speaks in April 2019 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Cooley, the former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, will be the first Air Force general officer to face court-martial on a sexual assault charge, officials said.<br>Wesley Farnsworth/U.S. Air Force

Air Force to court-martial a general on sexual assault charge for the first time

Former Air Force Research Laboratory commander Maj. Gen. William Cooley is accused of making unwanted sexual advances by kissing and touching a civilian woman during an off-duty incident in Albuquerque, N.M.

U.S. soldiers with the 28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade test their minds and bodies at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, during an 18.6-mile timed march, aiming to earn the Norwegian Foot March Badge, April 17, 2021. The event required soldiers to march in their full uniform while wearing a rucksack weighing 25 pounds.

<br>U.S. Army

‘By far the hardest thing I have done’: Aviation soldiers march through Arabian Desert for Nordic skills badge

Some 100 U.S. soldiers in Kuwait grabbed their loaded rucksacks and marched through the desert in a bid to prove their mental and physical endurance was up to Nordic standards.

U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force Europe 21.1 ), Marine Forces Europe and Africa, conduct a platoon live-fire range in Blatind, Norway, March 22, 2021. The U.S. signed a revised defense cooperation agreement with Norway April 16, 2021, which will allow the U.S. to build facilities at four bases in the country.

<br> Patrick King/U.S. Marine Corps

US can build military facilities in Norway under new defense cooperation pact

The U.S. and Norway signed a revised defense cooperation agreement Friday that will allow the Americans to build facilities at three airfields and one naval base in the country.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Edmund Di Liscia in a photo from the GoFundMe website. Liscia was forced to shave his beard during boot camp but has since resisted doing so on religious grounds. A federal judge on April 15, 2021, temporarily halted Navy orders that Di Liscia shave this week for the first time in about two years.
<br>GoFundMe

Judge temporarily grants orthodox Jewish sailor's plea to keep his beard

The Navy can’t force an orthodox Jewish sailor aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to shave his beard, at least until the end of the month, a federal judge has decided.

An MQ-9 Reaper drone operated by the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing flies a training mission over central New York in 2016. Confusion over control levers led to the crash and loss of one of the unit's $6 million drones in June 2020, a recently released investigation report has found.

<br>Eric Miller/Air National Guard

Gone in 65 seconds: Pilot error led to $6 million loss in military drone crash

A drone crashed at the end of a New York runway last year because the operators mixed up the levers on the control panel, an Air Force investigation report said.

Master Sgt. Michael Reimers, an airman at Nellis Air Force Base, pleaded guilty in federal court April 6, 2021, to selling methamphetamine and selling firearms without a license.

<br>U.S. Air Force

Nellis master sergeant who offered to sell AK-47 pleads guilty to drug and gun charges

Michael Reimers offered to sell several firearms in July through September 2019 — including an AK-47, a .25 caliber handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun — the Justice Department said.

Benjamin Alan Carpenter, dubbed ''Abu Hamza,'' was arrested in Knoxville, Tenn., on March 24, 2021, after a grand jury indicted him on charges of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State group.

<br>Justice Department

Knoxville man charged with aiding ISIS just a harmless nerd, his lawyer says

A Tennessee man translates and publishes pro-ISIS content and official ISIS media in English, the Justice Department said.

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Suez Canal, April 2, 2021. The canal was blocked for six days when a commercial ship ran aground last month.
<br>Cameron Pinske/U.S. Navy

US Navy carrier group transits Suez Canal for first time since container ship freed

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has sailed through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Sea.

Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris with wife Amanda, and children Brayden, Matehya and Makenna in England. An autopsy conducted by Italian authorities concluded that Morris’ death on Jan. 12, 2021, was due to COVID-19 complications, Aviano Air Base officials said.
<br>Courtesy Amanda Morris

Italian autopsy confirms first coronavirus-related death of a US airman in Europe; DOD inquiry still in progress

Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris, 36, died alone in his off-base home Jan. 12. He had tested positive for the coronavirus a week earlier, and his family immediately suspected it caused his death.

Almond trees in bloom March 23, 2021, line the German Wine Route on the northern edge of Bockenheim an der Weinstrasse, northeast of Kaiserslautern.

<br>Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes

Almond blossoms add flair to the German Wine Route, if you know where to look

The almond blossoms mark the awakening of nature each March and April. Villages usually celebrate with festivals featuring wine and almond-based culinary delights, which for obvious reasons are not happening this year.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft departs after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission in southwest Asia, Feb. 16, 2021. The U.S. has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in northern Iraq's mountains as the countr's security forces sweep for Islamic State group remnants.

<br> Trevor T. McBride/U.S. Air Force

Airstrikes ‘pummel’ ISIS in Iraq as US prepares for talks with Baghdad

Including Iraqi air force and army aviation operations, a total of 312 airstrikes have destroyed 120 enemy positions and killed 27 terrorists, Col. Wayne Marotto, a spokesman for the military coalition, said in a tweet.

Spc. Stephanie Bryant, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, prepares food during Taste Fest at Fort Hood, Texas, March 12, 2021.

<br>Kelvin Ringold/U.S. Army

‘Warrior Restaurants?' How the Army hopes to boost DFAC usage

In an effort to change how and what soldiers eat, the service has begun rebranding its dining facilities, modernizing them and upgrading their offerings to prioritize fresh or frozen ingredients over heavily processed foods.

Airman 1st Class Erland Injerd, who spent more than two weeks on the run last year after assaulting law enforcement personnel at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, was sentenced to 30 months confinement at a court-martial March 6.

<br>Abilene Police Department

Dyess airman who led police on 16-day manhunt sentenced to prison

Airman 1st Class Erland Injerd was given a dishonorable discharge and reduced in rank to airman basic during his court martial.

An ambulance is trapped in a frozen slough near Max, N.D., on Nov. 29, 2019. Tech. Sgt. Ryan Fontaine was recognized for helping save a 91-year-old woman who was trapped in the ambulance.

<br>Ward County Sherriff's Department

Airman honored for braving icy waters to rescue elderly woman from sinking ambulance

An airman teamed up with a passerby and an ambulance crew member for a 2019 rescue.

Maj. Gen. Michael Koscheski, U.S. Air Forces Central deputy commander, gets ready to elbow-bump Brig. Gen. Evan Pettus, 378th Air Expeditionary Wing commander, as he arrives at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, March 5, 2021. Military officials are urging continued vigilance against the coronavirus after a doctor said there was an uptick in infections in the region last month.
<br>Wes Wright/U.S. Air Force

DOD pushes more vaccines to CENTCOM after rise in coronavirus cases

Officials are urging “continued vigilance” as troops deployed to the Middle East await coronavirus vaccine shipments following what one doctor said was an uptick in infections last month.

A March 3, 2021, fire has forced the closure of the popular, veteran-owned Blackhorse Pub in Clarksville, Tenn., which was founded shortly after the Gulf War.

<br>Twitter/Clarksville Fire Rescue

'It was our spot': Popular Fort Campbell area pub ravaged by fire

Soldiers are mourning the closure of a popular veteran-owned pub near an Army base in Tennessee, after fire ravaged much of the building.

This Dec. 29, 2019, aerial file photo taken from a helicopter shows Ain al-Asad air base in the western Anbar desert, Iraq. <br>Nasser Nasser/AP

US civilian contractor dies in rocket attack on air base in Iraq

At least 10 rockets rained down on Asad Air Base in Anbar province housing U.S. and coalition forces in western Iraq, the Pentagon said.

Mathias Moretti creates a tattoo at the first shop on a U.S. military installation at American Tattoo Society on Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in September 2020. Three more AAFES locations on military bases will be getting tattoo shops.

<br>American Tattoo Society of Nellis/Facebook

More military exchange locations to get tattoo studios

American Tattoo Society, which opened its first on-base location at the Nellis Air Force Base exchange in September, expects to open a new shop at Fort Bliss in the coming months.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicole Atchley, with the 413th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, affirms her reenlistment oath, led by Col. Christian Pajak, 413th CSSB commander, Feb. 26, 2021, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Atchley chose to reenlist in front of a McDonald's because she makes a point of eating at one in every country she visits, the Army said.
<br>Juan Carlos Izquierdo/U.S. Army

Would you like fries with that? Soldier reenlists in front of overseas McDonald’s

An Army staff sergeant in Kuwait last week reenlisted against the backdrop of two widely recognized American symbols: the stars and stripes and the golden arches.

Marines with Weapons Training Battalion conduct the Annual Rifle Qualification train-the-trainer course on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Feb. 17, 2021. The ARQ is replacing Annual Rifle Training and aims to create a more operationally realistic training environment.

<br>Rachael A. Treon/U.S. Marine Corps

Marines aim for more variety, realism in new marksmanship course

Marines will soon take a new annual marksmanship test designed to more closely resemble battlefield shooting, but fewer may qualify as expert riflemen, at least at first.

Trainees with 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment do yoga as part of a pilot program, Dec. 8. 2020. The Army is evaluating whether a the program, incorporating yoga and mindfulness meditation, affected factors such as physical performance and stress management.

<br>Josephine Carlson/U.S. Army

Army tests fitness benefits of yoga and meditation in basic training

The Army is studying whether the warrior pose could make better warriors after putting hundreds of new recruits through daily yoga and meditation regimens in basic training.

This photo seized from an iCloud account belonging to Army Pvt. Ethan Melzer by the Justice Department displays personal effects, including paraphernalia associated with the extremist group Order of the Nine Angles. Melzer is seeking to have federal charges based on him conspiring with extremist groups to ambush his unit dismissed.

<br>Department of Justice

Soldier indicted for conspiring with neo-Nazi group seeks dismissal because grand jury wasn't racially diverse

A soldier indicted on federal charges of conspiring with neo-Nazis to ambush his own unit wants his case dismissed because the grand jury didn’t include enough Black and Hispanic members.

Marine Pvt. Francesco Baffa, a student with Alpha Company, Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry-West, aligns the optics on his rifle as part of the first week of the infantry course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 27, 2021.

<br>Andrew Cortez/U.S. Marine Corps

Marine Corps seeks to make 'smarter' infantry force with new course

The Marine Corps is ditching some of its formation marches and adding board games to a new, longer entry-level infantry training course aimed at creating Marines who can better think and act for themselves.

Tech. Sgt. Michael Wayne Morris, a maintainer at Aviano Air Base, Italy, died Jan. 12, 2021, after contracting the coronavirus. More than a month later, the Air Force has not released the cause of his death.

<br>Facebook

Family awaits answers more than a month after Aviano airman's death

The Air Force and the family of Tech. Sgt. Michael W. Morris still don’t know what caused his death last month while quarantining at home alone, hours after calling to wish his youngest daughter a happy 5th birthday.

Service members from the destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill board a stateless dhow off the coast of Somalia and interdict an illicit shipment of weapons and weapon components, Feb. 12, 2021.

<br>Louis Thompson Staats IV/U.S. Navy

US Navy destroyer intercepts weapons cache off Somali coast

Members of the Navy, Army and Coast Guard aboard the destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill seized weapons in international waters.

The Irbil International Airport in the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region is pictured here on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.<br>Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes

Contractor killed, nine injured in rocket attack on US base in Kurdistan’s capital

A civilian contractor was killed and a U.S. service member was injured when rockets fell on the airfield where U.S. and coalition forces are based in the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region Monday, the military said.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle on Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 2, 2021. The Marine Corps is fielding long-range precision weapons that can be fired from mobile platforms like the JLTV as the service divests its heavy armor units.

<br> Zachary Zephir/U.S. Marine Corps

Light vehicles with long-range punch give Marines a better tank killer, general says

Marine Corps experiments show lightweight vehicles mounted with long-range weapons can take out enemy tanks at a distance 15 to 20 times greater than a Marine tank could, Lt. Gen. Eric Smith said this week.

The service was established Dec. 20 with a force of 16,000 military and civilian personnel, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.<br>U.S. Space Force

Skywalkers, Wookies and FloatyBois: Here are the names Space Force rejected

About 380 possible names, from Aces to Zero-gees, were suggested for members of the Space Force.

An avocado chicken bowl with Mexican salsa from dean & david, featuring cilantro, tomatoes, sweet corn and greens with a base of quinoa and brown rice.<br>Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes

Dean & david in Kaiserslautern hits the spot for a light, quick afternoon bite

My go-to meal when ordering out is rarely much better than fast food, usually a burger. But a few times in January, when I tried to turn over a new leaf for the new year, I found myself craving something lighter or more exotic.

In this National Guard historic painting by H. Charles McBarron, soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment go into action near Sechault, France, on September 29, 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The unit was dubbed the Hellfighters by the Germans, and while the nickname has been used for more than 100 years, it was only officially recognized by the Army in September 2020.

<br>New York National Guard

Army makes 'Harlem Hellfighters' nickname official after more than a century

They called themselves the “Black Rattlers” and the French dubbed them “Men of Bronze,” but the Army now officially recognizes a historic Harlem unit by what the enemy called them in World War I — the “Hellfighters.”

Maj. Gen. Miguel Correa, right, presents the Silver Star Medal to Staff Sgt. James ''Jimmy" Moriarty's mother, Cynthia Moriarty, left, and sister, Becky Moriarty Davis, center, in Houston on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.

<br>Erin Powers

Fallen Green Beret is awarded Silver Star for actions during 2016 Jordan terror attack

On the day he would have celebrated his 32nd birthday, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Moriarty’s family accepted a Silver Star Medal awarded for the fallen Army Green Beret's courageous last stand in 2016.

Marine Corps Cpl. Thomas Wilson with 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, conducts close-quarters battle training at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, on Jan. 26, 2021. The Marine Corps wants an improved combat uniform with fire protection, without sacrificing the durability and comfort of the existing digital-pattern combat utility uniform.

<br>David Staten/U.S. Marine Corps

Marine Corps looks to add fire protection to combat utility uniform

Marine Corps Systems Command is looking for a uniform that would combine the benefits of the flame-resistant organizational gear, known as FROG, with the durability and comfort of the existing digital-pattern combat utility uniform, and at a price point closer to the latter.

Staff Sgt. Timothy Luke Manchester<br>texas.gov

Soldier who died in Kuwait was Texas guardsman, Marine Corps veteran

Staff Sgt. Timothy Luke Manchester, 34, died Wednesday in a noncombat incident at Camp Arifjan, the Defense Department said in a statement.

Warrant Officer John Wirka, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), died from a non-combat related incident, Jan. 14, 2021.
<br>U.S. Army

Tributes pour in after Green Beret's noncombat death

Dozens of people paid homage online to Warrant Officer John Wirka, who died last week in a noncombat incident, and hundreds of people have raised more than $50,000 for the wife and young daughter he left behind.

U.S. Army Spc. Nick Giovannelli from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, fights the current as he crosses a river while on a dismount patrol mission near Forward Operation Base Baylough, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, on March 17, 2009. Giovanelli is suing to prevent retailers from selling Defense Department-released images of him.

<br>Adam Mancini/U.S. Army

Veteran sues retailers after finding image of him in Afghanistan for sale on posters

Army veteran Nicholas Giovannelli is suing to stop several companies from “exploiting his image for profit” after he found them selling posters featuring photos of him taken in Afghanistan many years ago.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kyle Deconnick, 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, shows U.S. Air Force Col. David C. Epperson, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, an M4 rifle once it has been cleaned using an ultrasonic weapons cleaner at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Nov. 9, 2020.
<br>Chanceler Nardone/U.S. Air Force

Spangdahlem Air Base’s rifle-cleaning system does ‘too good a job’ for the Army

A U.S. Air Force base in Germany has slashed the time and cost of a common chore after thousands of M4 rifles failed an inspection — but the Army says the cleaning method they used may do “too good a job.”

Tech. Sgt. Michael Wayne Morris, a maintainer at Aviano Air Base, Italy, died Jan. 12, 2021 from the coronavirus, his friends and family said in Facebook posts.

<br>Facebook

Aviano airman's death was from coronavirus, family and friends say

Tech. Sgt. Michael Morris, an airman based in Italy, died Tuesday.

Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, presents Lt. Col. Larry Wyatt, USSOCOM clinic director, with a Soldier’s Medal at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Dec. 22, 2020. Wyatt was awarded the medal for delivering lifesaving care to two people after a motorcycle collided with bicyclists April 7, 2019, despite being injured himself.

<br>Barry Loo/U.S. Air Force

Green Beret earns Soldier’s Medal for aiding retired Army Ranger

Lt. Col. Larry Wyatt, an Army physician assistant, earned the Soldier’s Medal for his bravery and decisiveness when he strapped a makeshift tourniquet on his own mangled arm and treated his badly wounded mentor after motorcyclists slammed into them at high speed.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Bermudez died in a vehicle accident in Kuwait, officials said. <br>U.S. Army

Soldier who died in Kuwait in vehicle accident was on first overseas deployment

Staff Sgt. Anthony Bermudez, 28, from Dallas, Texas, died after being injured in a vehicle accident in Kuwait.

Marines with Marine Barracks Washington prepare for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, Washington, D.C., Jan. 5, 2021. The Marines are wearing an unusual combination of a Vietnam-era field jacket in woodland camouflage with their khaki-and-olive green service dress uniforms.

<br>Tanner D. Lambert/U.S. Marine Corps

What kind of uniform is that? Marines drill for inauguration in unique style

The Marines preparing for Inauguration Day ceremonies wore black face masks, white gloves — and an unusual combination of a Vietnam-era field jacket in woodland camouflage with their khaki-and-olive green service dress uniforms.

'Highly driven' Marine silent drill platoon member shot and killed while home on leave

A 20-year-old Marine who was shot and killed while on leave in his Idaho hometown last week was a member of the service’s high profile silent drill platoon.

Col. Ann Brown, 459th Mission Support Group commander, pins the Bronze Star on Senior Master Sgt. Rick Johnson, 69th Aerial Port Squadron operations flight chief, during a ceremony Oct. 3rd, 2020, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Johnson was recently awarded the Bronze Star and Air Force Commendation Medal for his heroic efforts and meritorious achievement while deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

<br>Cierra Presentado/U.S. Air Force

'I did all I could do': NCO earns commendation for bravery in Camp Taji attack

Senior Master Sgt. Rick Johnson had deployed twice before to combat zones, but he never experienced the panic and confusion he saw in Iraq last March during a fatal rocket attack on Camp Taji.

Army Spc. Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, 27, of Hanford, Calif., was killed Wednesday, March 11, 2020, during a rocket attack in Iraq. He was with the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Air Cavalry Brigade out of Fort Hood, Texas.<br>U.S. Army

Remembering US troops who died in Iraq and Syria in 2020

The eight deaths last year bring to 99 the number of American troops who have died while taking part in the U.S.-led coalition battling ISIS since it began a little over six years ago.

Jerry Garcia plays during the Grateful Dead's European tour stop at the Walter Koebel Halle, in Ruesselsheim, Germany, Oct. 1981. Garcia joined the Army in April 1960, but received a general discharge just nine months later.

<br>Stars and Stripes

'Irresponsible, immature … completely lacking in soldierly qualities': Why the Army booted Jerry Garcia 60 years ago

Army recruit Jerome J. Garcia’s staunch resistance to the strictures of military life six decades ago got him discharged just months into his enlistment. Five years later, he founded the Grateful Dead.

Two Iraqis who were detained in June by Poland's counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence service, the Internal Security Agency, or ABW, were charged with helping to fund the Islamic State terrorist group in a court in Wroclaw, in western Poland, Dec. 14, 2020.<br>Poland Special Services

Poland charges two Iraqis with supporting ISIS fighter and bride from Germany

Polish authorities have charged two Iraqi citizens with financing the Islamic State, following a yearslong investigation into money transfers to a German man who went to Syria to join the terror group.

Fritz, a military working dog, and his handler Sgt. Michael Ramirez received Army Commendation Medals in December for discovering a cache of unexploded bombs in Syria.

<br>Inherent Resolve/Twitter

Army K9 and handler honored for discovering IED cache in Syria

Fritz, a 4.5-year-old military working dog who joined the kennels at Fort Carson, Colo., in September 2018, was awarded an Army Commendation Medal with “C” device for the achievement under combat conditions.

A vehicle burns after Marine Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Wetter rescued an 18-month-old child from it in Fallbrook, Calif., Dec. 7, 2020.

<br>Stephen Beard/U.S. Marine Corps

Marine helps save toddler’s life in California car fire

Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Wetter credited his infantry training with conditioning him to quickly respond when an 18-month-old was trapped in a burning car.

Sarah Lewis, 34 and pregnant, died at a Fayetteville, N.C., hospital from multiple gunshot wounds after being found at home with Staff Sgt. Keith Lewis, 31, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Dec. 20, 2020, police and Army reports said. Keith Lewis was a special operations medic based at Fort Bragg, N.C.<br>Facebook

Army special operations medic, pregnant wife dead after domestic dispute

Sarah Lewis, who had served in the Army until the birth of her first child, was due to have her fourth child on Christmas.

Sgt. 1st Class Levi Presley, a special operations soldier, died Dec. 12, 2020, in Florida, the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) said.

<br>U.S. Army

‘Angry, sad, heartbroken, numb’: Soldier's sudden death stuns family

A memorial for 34-year old Sgt. 1st Class Levi Presley was held Friday at Eglin Air Force Base.

The Army's Combat Cloth Face Covering will be a 2-ply cloth covering made of 57% cotton and 43% nylon. It will have a pliable nose bridge and drawstring with a barrel lock.

<br>U.S. Army

Army 'expedited' rollout of camouflage masks arrives in less than a year

If it had taken the Army the typical 18 months to two years to roll out its official face mask, it would have been roasted on social media. It got roasted anyway this week for announcing it would be delivered in about half that time.

Golden fries and Boll Burger's signature sandwich, with a fried egg on top, on Dec. 8, 2020.<br>Chad Garland/Stars and Stripes

Boll Burger in Kaiserslautern beats fast-food competition with its simple menu options

There’s a storefront in downtown Kaiserslautern that I’ve seen go from a perpetually shuttered burrito shack, to a sausage shop that rarely showed signs of life, to a pizzeria that at least regularly opened its doors, to a burger joint now.

Sgt. 1st Class Levi Presley, a special operations soldier, died Dec. 12, 2020, in Florida, the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) said this week.<br>U.S. Army

Special operations soldier in Florida dies suddenly after illness

A special operations soldier and father of six died from “unforeseen medical complications” in Florida last week, the military said Tuesday.

Marine Corps Pfc. Jackson Blackburn, a tank crewman with 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, refuels an M1A1 Abrams tank at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 10, 2020. Marines in tank-related fields could qualify to leave the service up to one year early as the Corps sheds its heavy armor to reshape its forces.

<br>Reine Whitaker/U.S. Marine Corps

Marine Corps to let armor Marines out early as it prepares for a tankless future

Eligible enlisted armor Marines, senior armor staff noncommissioned officers, tank officers and main battle tank repairer/technicians may be approved to separate up to 365 days before the end of their expiration of active service.

Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, 26th Special Tactics Squadron combat controller, leads U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army service members as they perform memorial pushups following an Air Force Cross ceremony Dec. 10, 2020, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.<br>Michael Washburn/U.S. Air Force

Airman who protected fallen Green Beret during ISIS fight receives Air Force Cross

The actions Alaxey Germanovich were honored for came about a week into the mission, on April 8, 2017, when ambushed coalition forces fought a grueling 8-hour gun battle under machine gun and sniper fire from all sides, the award citation says.

Future soldier Kenny Oliver, right, poses with his recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Moe outside Arrowhead Recruiting Station in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 3, 2020. Oliver, who helped write and produce the 2011 hit "Sexy and I Know It," enlisted in the U.S. Army in late 2020 and will ship out to basic combat training on Dec. 28.

<br>Alun Thomas/U.S. Army

Army and he knows it: Arizonan set to go from DJ to GI

DJ Kenny Oliver, who co-wrote and co-produced tracks on LMFAO’s 2011 album, is joining the Army.

Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II, 37, was one of two men found dead Dec. 2, 2020, in a training area on Fort Bragg, N.C., the Army said in a statement.<br>U.S. Army

Soldier and veteran found dead at Fort Bragg had longtime ties to the base

Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II, 37, with U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, and Timothy Dumas, 44, an Army veteran from Pinehurst, N.C., were found Wednesday in a training area on Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville.

Lt. Gen. Randy A. George, commanding general, I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., presents the Soldier’s Medal to Sgt. Alexander Jabin, 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), on Dec. 1, 2020. Jabin was honored for rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle following a collision in March of 2019.

<br>Joshua Belser/U.S. Army

Soldier who risked his life to pull man from burning car gets award for bravery

Sgt. Alexander Jabin sprang into action last year when he heard a "bang" and looked outside his barracks to see figures running around flames.

Seaman Kate Kilroy stands aboard the USCGC Campbell off Greenland, Aug. 15, 2020. Kilroy served as a public affairs specialist covering Arctic operations.

<br>U.S. Coast Guard

A Coast Guardsman bought dinner for a stranger in Greenland; he turned out to be the prime minister

While the Coast Guard cutter Campbell was at port in Greenland’s capital city of Nuuk, Kate Kilroy visited a diner, where she saw a stranger sitting alone. She bought him a meal, just as she would have done in the small North Carolina town where she was raised.