The drones, launched by Houthi militants from areas they control in Yemen, were aimed at a “coalition vessel and a U.S. warship,” between 6 p.m. and 10:56 p.m. local time, according to a news release Thursday from Central Command in Tampa, Fla.
The Navy considered “these weapons… an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region,” according to the release. No injuries or damage were reported by U.S. or coalition ships.
The release did not identify any of the vessels involved in the attack.
U.S. and U.K. forces in the Red Sea have struck the Iranian-back Houthis at military targets in areas the group controls in Yemen and at missiles and drones launched at shipping in the Red Sea, a vital commercial waterway
Although more than 20 countries agreed in December to participate in a efforts to safeguard the Red Sea, a vital commercial waterway, not all have sent naval vessels to patrol the area.
On Wednesday, the Navy also downed four Houthi drones that targeted a Navy vessel that Central Command did not identify. Efforts by Stars and Stripes to reach the command by phone and email for further information on Wednesday and Thursday in Florida were unsuccessful.
U.S. Navy vessels have been targeted repeatedly by the Houthis, either by drones or by close-range ballistic missiles. The destroyer USS Laboon, part of the group escorting the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was unsuccessfully targeted March 12 by a missile; in January the destroyers USS Gravely in the Red Sea and the USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden were also targeted but downed both missiles.
The Houthis have claimed the missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping are acts of solidarity with Palestinians under attack by Israeli forces in Gaza. Some global shipping firms, including Danish container giant Maersk, have diverted their ships from the Red Sea and along a longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, instead.
“Regretfully, both our internal analysis, as well as insight we received from external sources, still indicates that the risk level in the region remains elevated,” the company said in a statement posted March 22 on its website.
It cited the attack March 6 on the True Confidence that killed three crew members, and the attack Feb. 19 on the Rubymar, a cargo ship that later sank with 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer aboard and now poses a navigation and environmental hazard.
]]>The office opened March 22 and is charged with implementation of the program and will coordinate health care services, permanent change of station order processing and family support services, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth announced Thursday.
Previously, the station assignment for these soldiers occurred within the human resources branch of their occupational specialty.
“The foundation of Army readiness depends on taking care of our soldiers and families,” Wormuth said in a statement. “Each Army family is unique, and the EFMP Central Office will provide tailored support for over 40,000 families enrolled in EFMP.”
The program is a mandatory enrollment program for any soldier who has a family member with a special need, such as a medical condition or physical or developmental disability or requires special education in school. Program staff then work with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordinated community support, housing, educational, medical and personnel services to enrolled families.
The Air Force conducted a similar restructuring of its EFMP into a central office more than a year ago.
Austin Carrigg, CEO of Exceptional Families of the Military, an advocacy organization, said he hopes the Army’s central office will be a place families can turn to when they can’t find care at the location to which they are moving or at the location where they are now stationed.
“That being said, at Exceptional Families of the Military, we have seen firsthand Air Force EFMP families continuing to struggle,” said Carrigg, who is an Army spouse with a child enrolled in the program. “The Army has been fairly tight-lipped about how families will access the Army [central EFMP office], and if there will be an appeal process that families can initiate without local command [or] installation approval. We need reliable access and more transparency with the process.”
The Army’s central office staff also will review complex cases referred to them from installations, according to the service, and will focus on advocacy for EFMP families at the Pentagon.
“EFMP-support agencies at the installation level are well postured to assist families, but when a support agency or family member needs additional assistance to find the right resources, the EFMP Central Office team members are there to help,” said Lt. Gen Kevin Vereen, deputy chief of staff for G-9, which advises the Army’s assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment.
The Army recommends families first work through their local family services office known as Army Community Service or military treatment facility professionals if they encounter problems. To escalate concerns, soldiers and families can contact the central office at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-dcs-g9.mbx.efmp@army.mil. All correspondence must include the local military treatment facility and military personnel division location.
]]>A newly released report by the VA Office of Inspector General points to functional problems with the automated system at the Columbus VA Medical Center, which failed to notify staff to reschedule an appointment with a veteran after he did not show up for his visit with a psychologist.
The lack of required follow-up communications with the veteran likely contributed to a drug-abuse relapse and overdose death, the March 21 report concluded.
The cause of death of the unnamed patient was described as an “accidental inhalant overdose.” The type of inhalant was not identified in the report.
Though the automated system had updated the veteran’s medical record to show he missed the mental health care appointment, a request for callbacks for rescheduling was “queued incorrectly,” the report states.
The veteran’s overdose death occurred seven weeks after he missed the mental health care appointment in the spring of 2022, according to the findings.
“We have fixed the technical issue, and the electronic health record management system now provides appropriate follow-up reminders to VA staff at all sites,” said Terrence Hayes, the VA press secretary.
In addition, the VA is reviewing its procedures for scheduling mental health appointments, Hayes said, and will ensure future practices are the same across all VA health facilities.
Under current policy, VA health facilities must make three attempts at telephone callbacks on separate days with a patient to reschedule a missed appointment, the report states.
A psychologist and medical assistant had both left phone messages on the same day to check on the welfare of the veteran, according to the report.
But no attempts were made to reschedule the appointment because of an error in the automated system.
“The [inspector general] found that the patient’s missed appointment, although updated to no-show status, was not routed to a request queue and, as a result, schedulers were not prompted to conduct required rescheduling efforts,” the report states.
He subsequently missed a primary care appointment the same week.
The report concluded lack of contact with the veteran to reschedule might have contributed to his “disengagement from mental health treatment,” drug abuse and overdose death.
The patient, who had been enrolled in VA health care since 2018, was previously hospitalized for depression, had experienced homelessness and was considered at “high risk” for suicide in 2020, according to the findings.
The veteran was not “flagged” as a high risk for suicide in 2022, the report said.
“This was a veteran who served this country and deserved the best health care,” Shereef Elnahal, the VA undersecretary for health, said Tuesday at a news conference. “The Columbus VA Medical Center has done a deep dive and has made significant changes to the processes to prevent this from happening again.”
The VA — with one exception — has delayed further adoption of the new electronic health record system at other facilities because of performance problems at the VA health care networks where it was introduced in 2021.
Those sites are in Columbus, Ohio, Walla Walla and Spokane, Wash., and Roseburg and White City, Ore.
The VA said its contractor, Oracle Cerner, is focused on fixing problems at those sites.
The new system, for example, has not automatically send appointment reminders to patients, as the original system did. In some cases, data migration from the old to the new system was incomplete.
But the VA did move ahead with installing the modernized electronic health record management system at the Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago in collaboration with the Defense Department.
The facility provides care to veterans and active-duty service members at a 300-bed hospital and VA outpatient clinics in the greater Chicago area. It is the only health care facility serving the Defense Department and VA patients.
The installation got underway in early March.
As a joint facility, the Chicago medical center and its community clinics have used multiple electronic health record systems, which created bottlenecks and were inefficient, the VA said.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the VA is monitoring the software performance at the Chicago sites to help determine whether it is ready for further deployment.
“At Lovell, we will be watching closely and be transparent when problems arise,” he said, before adopting the software at each of the VA’s 172 medical centers and affiliated outpatient clinics.
McDonough declined to estimate when the software rollout will resume.
“We will stay in reset until we are sure we are making the system work,” he said.
]]>Pvt. Javier Pantoja Tinoco pleaded not guilty to the charges on March 21 before military judge Col. Maureen Kohn, according to the Army’s online court docket. His trial with an enlisted jury panel is scheduled for April 9.
Pantoja Tinoco is assigned to the Regimental Engineer Squadron of 3rd Cavalry Regiment and is charged with possession of child pornography, arson, damaging military property, drunk and disorderly conduct, and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, according to the 1st Cavalry Division, which is the convening authority of the court-martial.
The arson incident occurred April 22, 2023, in a laundry room of a barracks building and damaged military property valued at more than $1,000, according to the soldier’s charge sheet. He is accused of “willfully and maliciously” setting fire to washing machines.
That same night, he also wrote racial slurs on the walls of the barracks that was specifically derogatory to Black people, according to court documents. He also wrote gang signs, though the court documents do not describe them in detail.
Pantoja Tinoco is also accused of knowingly and wrongfully possessing one or more videos of a minor, or what appears to be a minor, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to court documents.
He is not in pretrial confinement, according to court documents.
Officials at Fort Cavazos have said in the days following the incident that two soldiers who had “recently arrived” to the base were in custody. The 1st Cavalry Division said the second soldier is no longer in the military and would not provide further information about him.
]]>From the outskirts of Darmstadt, it runs for about 33 miles to the banks of the Neckar River at Heidelberg, with its famous castle.
On a recent sunny, early spring day, we drove the Bergstrasse from north to south, with stops along the way.
Leaving Darmstadt behind, we followed the signs to Malchen and Seeheim-Jugenheim along highway B3.
In Malchen, you might get a peek at the twin towers of Frankenstein castle on a hill behind the town. But between here and Seeheim, you’ll see orchards on both sides of the road — especially now in the spring, when the fruit trees bloom in vibrant shades of white, yellow and pink.
Emperor Joseph II supposedly remarked while visiting the Bergstrasse in the spring of 1764 that “... this is where Germany begins to become Italy.”
The region can thank the Odenwald for its mild climate and early blooming flora. The range, more hills than mountains, offers enough protection from the cold eastern winds for the Bergstrasse to have higher average annual temperatures than most of Germany.
Seeheim and Jugenheim, the two villages that make up the hyphenated municipality, are known for their high-priced real estate. But Seeheim has a 16th century town hall that is a fine example of half-timbered architecture of the period.
Zwingenberg was the first town on the Bergstrasse to be awarded the right to call itself a city. That happened in 1274. The medieval old town climbs the hillside along narrow cobblestone lanes to the 13th century Bergkirche, or mountain church.
From the north, Zwingenberg is the first town on the Bergstrasse with its old center dominated by half-timbered houses. It is also the first one along the way surrounded by vineyards.
The Bergstrasse is the second smallest wine region in Germany. Several of the wines produced here, while not well known internationally, are quite good.
Next stop on the road is the village of Auerbach, now a suburb of Bensheim.
Before you reach the town, you’ll see Auerbach Castle towering above it. Built in the 13th century, it offers an excellent view of the Odenwald, the Bergstrasse and the Rhine River valley.
The Fuerstenlager, the summer residence of the counts of Hesse-Darmstadt, is on the outskirts of town in the middle of a large park that is worth visiting.
Bensheim dates to 765 and the years have left much to see. Historical houses, beautiful fountains, a lively marketplace and a large pedestrian shopping area are among them. When the weather is warm people fill the outdoor cafes, and in the fall the town hosts a popular wine festival.
An acquaintance once remarked that there are only two times a year to visit the Bergstrasse — in spring when it’s in bloom and in the fall when the grapes are ripe.
Grapes have been ripening in the vineyards around Heppenheim ever since the Romans brought viticulture to the area about 2,000 years ago.
Highlights of Heppenheim are the Marktplatz (marketplace) and city hall, 18th century half-timbered houses and the market fountain topped by an 18th century Madonna, at least when it’s not being restored. Near the marketplace is the St. Peter’s Church, started in the 11th century, which is sometimes called the cathedral of the Bergstrasse.
Farther down the road, Weinheim has two castles watching over it. One is the newest on Bergstrasse, the other the second oldest.
Wachenburg was built early in the 20th century by local fraternities in memory of their members killed in the 1870-71 war against France.
Windeck was built, destroyed and rebuilt in the 12th century, then destroyed again in 1674. The ruins are owned by the city and can be visited either by driving up a winding road or hiking up a well-marked path.
If you are looking for a place for lunch, Weinheim’s restaurant-lined marketplace might be the place to find it. Afterward, check out the Schlosspark, which invites one to a nice post-lunch stroll past flower beds, ancient trees, a small lake and playgrounds for the kids.
Before leaving town, check out the Gerberbachviertel, the old tannery district.
An open stream flows where tanners once worked animal hides for leather. That is all gone, but the district, with its old houses, small squares and colorful flower boxes is worth the visit.
In Schriesheim, take a walk through the vineyards to Strahlenberg castle before the final jaunt down the Bergstrasse to Heidelberg.
On the QT
Times: Anytime, but the best time is between late March and October. Most of the towns have a Christmas market. The ones in Bensheim and Weinheim are most popular.
Getting there: The Bergstrasse runs along federal highway B3. Driving south, a good place to start is at Malchen or Seeheim-Jugenheim. Heading north, the Heidelberg district of Neuenheim is a good starting point. B3 often skirts past the town centers, so in towns, follow signs to Stadtmitte or Ortsmitte.
Parking: All the towns have free parking for an hour and sometimes two if you use a parking dial. Any longer and you’ll probably have to pay.
Bicycling: It’s mostly flat biking down; the tough spots are where the town centers are uphill from the highway (Heppenheim, Weinheim).
Hiking: Most of the towns have marked paths through the vineyards and orchards, and to the castles. One trail leads from Zwingenberg to Heppenheim, and every May 1, the vintners offer their wines at stands along the way.
Information: Online: diebergstrasse.de (in German). Bensheim, Heppenheim and Weinheim all have tourist information offices.
]]>About four years ago, a few of my German friends told me about XXL Restaurant Waldgeist Hofheim and its monstrous portions of food that would put most American eateries to shame.
I never had the opportunity to visit before leaving Germany, so when an old Army friend called me up for our first dinner together since moving back recently, I had the perfect place in mind.
About 20 minutes from Wiesbaden and tucked away in a wooded area, Waldgeist has a welcoming atmosphere, with its large wooden beams and rustic decor.
It was surprisingly busy for a Monday night. My friend and I were promptly seated in a cozy booth, surrounded by laughter, merriment and lively conversation.
When handed our menus, we immediately jumped to the XXXXXL section. We both laughed at options ranging from colossal hamburgers to steak that topped the scale at over two and a half pounds.
The massive portions didn’t stop with food; most of the beverages were offered in sizes up to 2 liters. That’s nearly a six pack of 12-ounce cans for you folks that don’t drink in metric.
My friend ordered the XXXXXL hamburger and a 1-liter drink. I was tempted by the 600-gram currywurst but felt it wasn’t quite big enough for the night’s festivities and opted for the kilogram (2.2-pound) schnitzel with peppercorn cream sauce and fries, along with a 2-liter cola.
Again, we couldn’t stop laughing as our waitress plopped down my mug of cola on top of three normal-sized coasters. It dwarfed my friend’s large drink and I struggled to lift the mug with one hand for a toast.
As we gawked at the foot-wide burger and the behemoth slabs of breaded pork, we began to think our food would be more gimmick than quality. Our skepticism melted away at the first bite.
The burger was well-seasoned and full of flavor. Though my friend said the burger patty was slightly dry, he complimented the proportional condiments and toppings that very easily included an entire sliced tomato.
My schnitzel, though not the best I’ve had in Germany, was crispy on the outside and delightfully tender and moist on the inside from start to finish, as I powered through the gastronomic battle. The fries certainly played second fiddle to the schnitzel but were perfectly crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and lightly salted, with no grease.
My only complaint was that there wasn’t nearly enough sauce to accompany the meat, but you can keep the sauce flowing for an additional few euros per bowl.
Try as I might, I wasn’t able to finish the entire entrée. I took about a half-pound of meat and fries home — perhaps the 2 liters of diet cola was enough spectacle for the night.
Bewildering my friend, I ordered a lovely, normally portioned slice of mandarin cheesecake for dessert while we reflected on a story told by our server earlier that evening.
About a year ago, an American named Randy took on the challenge of the Koenigsplatte, or King’s Plate. He set a new restaurant record by downing 3 kilograms (6.5 pounds) of schnitzel with fries. I still can’t conjure a mental image of what a mountain of meat that size possibly looked like.
For those bold enough to try, breaking the current record will earn you a free 67-euro meal.
Waldgeist also offers normal human sizes of meals for guests who want a traditional dining experience.
My waistline certainly can’t afford regular XXXXXL visits to Waldgeist, but I would gladly return for an office dinner or celebration with friends.
And wherever you are, King Randy, I tip my hat to you.
XXL Restaurant Waldgeist Hofheim
Address: Schlossstrasse 70, Hofheim am Taunus
Hours: Monday through Sunday, noon.-10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
Prices: 20-30 euros per person. XXXXXL Menu, 40-60 euros per person. Cash or PayPal only, no cards accepted.
Information: Phone: +49 6192 38 385; Online: derwaldgeist.de
]]>Jumping Go is in the heart of Sosabeol, a Pyeongtaek neighborhood with tons of restaurants, shops and fun activities. Its name suggests the place is all trampolines, and it has a few, but it’s more than that.
The indoor park takes up the entire fourth floor of a shopping complex. A life-size statue of a character from the “Transformer” film series will greet you as you enter; surrounding it are child-size bumper cars to get your young racer started.
When you arrive, you must exchange your shoes for sandals the venue provides. Lockers are available for your important items.
Jumping Go also offers virtual reality games, an arcade and a huge jungle gym.
While the kiddos are exploring those activities, parents may sample the snacks and coffee at the café.
A large trampoline area is broken into age-appropriate trampolines to keep the smaller children safe.
Jumping Go has everything you need for a great afternoon.
This park is a paradise for your little ones, so next time you feel housebound, give Jumping Go a try.
On the QT
Address: 120-66 Bijeon-dong, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do
Directions: A 30-minute drive from Osan Air Base and 25 minutes from Camp Humphreys.
Times: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays.
Costs: Children’s admission is 8,000 won for one hour, or $5.95, 13,000 won for two hours and 18,000 won for three hours. Adult admission is 3,000 won. Another 1,500 won every 10 minutes over the time limits.
Food: Snacks and drinks in the fourth-floor Jumping Go café; the building’s first floor has several restaurants.
Information: 031-654-8688
]]>The chef, also the owner, certainly knows his stew; he’s a former sumo wrestler. Chanko nabe is the traditional meal served at sumo training tables.
Daicha-an is an intimate venue. It has only four counter seats and three tables in a tatami room, so it’s often fully booked. Hungry visitors can make a reservation by phone.
The owner doesn’t speak English, but he was patient enough to work with our limited Japanese, bolstered by the few restaurant phrases we know — “Yoyaku dekimasuka?” (Can we make a reservation?) — and Google Translate on our mobile phones.
The cozy restaurant interior is lined with honey-colored wood paneling. Retro movie posters and prints depicting sumo wrestlers decorate the walls.
One framed photograph of a young, black-haired sumo wrestler above the bar seemed familiar — that certain look in the wrestler’s eyes. When the chef emerged from the kitchen with a large, steaming pot of chanko nabe, I realized why.
I gestured to the photograph and to our server. Without a word, he left and returned to our table with an album full of 4-by-6 photographs, the pictorial story of his career as a young sumo wrestler.
We paged through the album while enjoying the delicious chanko nabe. The miso-based soup had a protein-heavy mix of tender chicken and fish meatballs, chicken thighs, scallops and tofu as well as mushrooms, burdock roots and leeks. A drizzle of chili oil made each bite more addicting.
The price varies by serving size. A two-person serving is 3,000 yen, about $20; a six-person serving, the largest size offered, is 9,000 yen. At a little less than $10 per person, the hearty stew is a steal.
The chef returned a few more times to drop off yakitori skewers, such as bonjiri, salt-grilled chicken tail, and seseri, or chicken neck. Finally, he brought out thick udon noodles, my favorite, to help us soak up the rest of our stew.
Before we left, he came back to our table with a poster of sumo wrestler rankings as a gift. The names of the wrestlers get larger according to their increasing ranks.
“Which one are you?” I asked. “What’s your name?”
The former sumo wrestler turned chef looked surprised and paused while he composed a satisfactory answer.
“Dai-chan,” he said, with a shrug.
Daicha-an
Location: 564-3 Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1711
Hours: 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Closed on Mondays. Check website for additional closures.
Prices: 3,000 yen for a two-person serving of chanko nabe, and up to 9,000 yen for six. Izakaya-style dishes range from 260-750 yen for yakitori, 680 yen for fried food and 800-1,000 yen for sashimi.
Dress: Casual
Directions: A six-minute walk from the Yubatake in the center of Kusatsu Onsen, or 10 minutes from the Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal.
Information: Cash only. Reservations recommended. Online: main-daichaan.ssl-lolipop.jp; Phone: 027-988-8080.
]]>Belgium
SHAPE TRIPS AND TOURS: Call 06544-3884. Email shapetripsandtours1@gmail.com or visit www.shape2day.com.
Germany
ANSBACH OUTDOOR RECREATION: April 6, Zugspitze, ski, snowboard trip, $99-$139; April 11-14, Taste of Italy, $49 adults, $299 children ages 4-12, $199 children ages 3 and under; April 19-21, Keukenhof gardens and Amsterdam, $139 adults, $65 children ages 3-11, $35 children ages 2 and under. DSN 467-3225/CIV 09802-83-3225 or MWR Central DSN 467-1780 or CIV 09802-83-1780.
BAUMHOLDER OUTDOOR RECREATION: March 30, Phantasialand, theme park, $99 adults, $89 children ages 4-16, $49 children ages 3 and under; April 6, Berlin, $179 adults, $159 children; April 7, Oppenheim, wine walk, $69; April 13, Disneyland Paris, $129 adults, $119 children; April 13, Champagne tour (France) $149; April 20, Keukenhof Tulip gardens and parade, $129 adults, $119 children; April 27, Neuschwanstein castle, $149 adults, $119 children ages 7-17, $105 children ages 6 and under. DSN 485-7182 or CIV 06783-67182.
GRAFENWOEHR OUTDOOR RECREATION: April 6, Hintertux, ski and snowboard trip, $140 adults, $115 children ages 6-15; June 7-9, fishing course, $65 adults, $40 children ages 10-18. DSN 314 475-8529 or CIV 09641-83-8529
KAISERSLAUTERN OUTDOOR RECREATION: April 12-15, Prague weekend, $549 adults (single room), $469 adults (double room), $349 children ages 11 and under; May 23-27, Croatia, $1329-$1469, $269-$949 children; May 23-27, Memorial Day weekend in London, $1,049 adults (single room), $829 adults (double room); May 24, Normandy and Omaha Beach, $749 adults (single room), $599 adults; DSN 493-4117 or CIV 0631-34064117.
RTT TRAVEL RAMSTEIN: April 7, French spring magic, 89 euros adults, 79 euros children ages 3-11, 59 euros children ages 2 and under; April 9, Salzburg (Austria), 129 euros; CIV 06371-463650 or see www.RTTtravel.com.
RTT FLIGHT TOURS/RAMSTEIN: Call 06371-463650 or see www.RTTtravel.com.
SPANGDAHLEM INFORMATION, TICKETS AND TRAVEL: DSN: 452-6567 or CIV 06565-61-6567.
STUTTGART OUTDOOR RECREATION: April 4, spring bazaar; through April 30 (2024), Seasonal ski and snowboard rentals; May 11, MWR adventure tour: Hirschgrund Zipline, $120 adults, $105 children ages 12-16; May 18, MWR adventure tour: whitewater rafting, $200 DSN 431-2774 or CIV 0703-2774.
WIESBADEN OUTDOOR RECREATION: March 30, $169-$189; April 18-21, Wiesbaden, Spring bazaar, free; April 26-28, Amsterdam, $739 adults, $699 children ages 3-11, $539 children ages 2 and under; Through April 27, U.S. Forces German hunting course, $269; DSN 337-5760 or CIV 06117-055760; email usarmy.wiesbaden.imcom-eurospe.list.mwr-outdoor-recreation@mail.mil.
Italy
USO ROME: Daily: 8 a.m., Rome, 36 euros adults, 28 euros ages 2-8; 9:30 a.m., Borghese Gallery, 45 euros adults, 35 euros children; 3 p.m. daily, Love and Death in Rome: 2,700 Years of Scandals, 40 euros adults, 33 euros ages 5-17; daily: 10 a.m., Vatican museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, 65 euros adults, 46 euros ages 5-17; 9:30 a.m. daily, ancient city (Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill), 60 euros adults, 45 euros children ages 5-17; 7 p.m. daily, Rome at Twilight, 29 euros adults, 23 euros ages 5-17; 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily, Underground Rome, 46 euros adults, 38 euros ages 5-17; 2 p.m. daily, catacombs, 45 euros; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Arts and History Elite Walking Tour, 35 euros adults, 28 euros ages 2-12; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Rome by Night with dinner and music, 75 euros adults, 60 euros ages 2-12; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, Jewish Ghetto, Tiberina Island and Trastevere, 35 euros adults, 28 euros ages 2-12; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Baroque Rome and Caravaggio, 35 euros adults, 28 euros ages 2-12; Mondays, Florence (semi-private walking tour), 52 euros adults, 39 euros ages 5-17; call CIV 06-397-27419 or visit www.rome.uso.it.
Netherlands
SCHINNEN: (+31) (0) 46-443-7561 or DSN 360-7561 or email usarmy.schinnen.imcom-eurospe.list.schinnen-fc@mail.mil.
Spain
ROTA OUTDOOR RECREATION: March 30, Rota, mountain bike ride at La Via Verde; Rota, Paintball; April 13, Grazalema, hiking El Pinsapar; April 20, canyon descending; April 27, rock climbing; May 18, canyon descending; May 24, Almunecar, multi-adventure trip; June 1, Los Alcornocales, hiking Garganta del Capitin; June 8, canyon descending. DSN 727-3101 or CIV 095682-3101/3208.
ROTA ITT: March 29, Semana Santa (Holy Week Procession) in Sevilla; March 30, Granada, self-guided; March 31, Arcos, running of the bulls; April 6, Sanlucar de Barrameda, historical tour, $60 adults, $40 children ages 2-14; April 13, Castellar zoo, $40 adults, $30 children ages 2-14, free for children under 2; April 20, Sevilla, spring fair, $35. Tickets and Travel. DSN 727-3101/3208 or CIV 095682-3101/3208.
]]>Events are from the websites pollstar.com; eventim.de; and euroteam.info.
ALIN COEN
Germany: Bad Zwischenhain (Park der Gaerten) Sept. 14, Zwickau (Gasometer) Oct. 18.
DUSTER
U.K.: Manchester (Albert Hall) May 27, London (Electric Ballroom) May 28.
JASON ISBELL and the 400 UNIT
U.K.: London (Apollo) Nov. 25.
LIZZY MCALPINE
U.K.: London (Apollo) Oct. 24, 25.
LOUIS DUNFORD
U.K. : Glasgow (SWG3) Oct. 8.
NEIL FRANCES
U.K.: Manchester (Gorilla) Aug. 22.
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
Switzerland: Zurich (Hallenstadion) Oct. 22.
OSKA
Germany: Berlin (Privatclub) Oct. 6, Cologne (Jaki) Oct. 23, Munich (Strom) Oct. 31.
SUGABABES
York (Museum Gardens) July 21.
VANCE JOY
U.K.: London (OVO Arena) Oct. 1.
Special concerts and shows
BRISTOL SOUNDS 2024
U.K.: Bristol (Canons March Amphitheater) June 22-30.
CRAPFEST 2024
U.K.: Birkenhead (Future Yard) July 20
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2024
U.K.: Leicestershire (Donnington Park) June 14-16.
FOLKEFIELD FESTIVAL 2024
Germany: Gelsenkirchen (Amphitheater) Sept. 13-15.
GET TOGETHER FESTIVAL 2024
U.K.: Sheffield (various venues) May 18.
GUILFEST 2024
U.K.: Surrey (Stoke Park) June 29-30
HEAVYDAYS FESTIVAL 2024
Germany: Dischingen (Brauerei) May 10.
HEARTLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL
U.K.: Pitlochry (Recreation Ground) June 29-30.
KAKI SUMMER PARTY 2024
Germany: Kaltenkirchen (Festplatz) July 13.
LAZY BONES 2024
Germany: Hamburg (Markthalle) Oct. 28.
MISSION READY FESTIVAL
Germany: Geiselwind (Autohof) June 29.
N-JOY FESTIVAL 2024
Germany: Hannover (Expo Plaza) June 1.
PARKWAY DRIVE FESTIVAL
Germany: Dresden (Elbufer) July 6.
REBELLION FESTIVAL 2024
U.K.: Black Pool (Winter Garden) Aug. 1.
ROCK AM RING 2024
Germany: Nuerburg (Nuerburg Ring) June 7-9.
ROCK IM PARK 2024
Germany: Nürnberg (Zeppelinfeld) June 7-9.
SLAM DUNK FESTIVAL
U.K.: Hatfield (Park) May 25.
TAKEDOWN FESTIVAL 2024
U.K.: Portsmouth (Guildhall) April 13.
THE IRISH FOLK FESTIVAL 2024
U.K.: Mannheim (Capitol) Oct. 13.
WIRELESS 2024
U.K.: London (Finsbury Park) July 12-14
On-base shows and theater
Auditions
Stuttgart, Germany: Stuttgart Theatre Centre holds auditions for “I Love You, You Are Perfect, Now Change” at 7 p.m. April 8, 9, 10 at Bldg. 3320, Kelley Barracks; DSN (314) 421-3055, CIV +49 (0) 711-729-3055.
Shows
Grafenwoehr, Germany: Performing Arts Centre hosts Cosmic Bowling at 5 p.m. March 29; Family Bowling at noon, March 31. CIV +49(0)9641-83-6426, DSN (314)475-6426.
Kaiserslautern, Germany: KMC Onstage presents “Adventures of Mr. Toad” at 7 p.m. April 5, 12 and 2 p.m. April 6, 7, 13, 14; “Skies and KMC Onstage Youth Theater Classes” April 8-30 at Bldg. 3232, Kleber Kaserne. DSN 314-483-6626.
Stuttgart, Germany: Stuttgart Theatre Centre presents “I Love You, You Are Perfect, Now Change” at 7:30 p.m. May 15, 18, 19, 31, June 1, 7, and 8 and 3 p.m. June 2, 9. at Bldg. 3320, Kelley Barracks; DSN (314) 421-3055, CIV +49 (0) 711-729-3055.
Wiesbaden, Germany: Amelia Earhart Playhouse presents “Tuck Everlasting” at 7:30 p.m. April 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26, 2 p.m. April 7, 14, 21 at Konrad-Adenauer-Ring 39; Wiesbaden DSN (314)548-9812, CIV +49 (0)611-143-548-9812.
]]>Schlamp will be interred at Linwood Cemetery, and he will receive full military honors, according to a news release from U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
In September 1944, Schlamp, 28, was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division. The unit was attempting to secure terrain near Dornot, France, known as the “Horseshoe Woods” when it came under heavy German fire.
Company G was given the order to withdraw across the Moselle River, but many men were killed during the retreat. Schlamp was among those killed, but he could not be recovered because of the intense fighting. One year later, in September 1945, the War Department issued a “Finding of Death” because his body was unaccounted for.
Schlamp was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency on March 21, 2022, after his remains were exhumed from the Lorraine American Cemetery, Limey, France, in June 2021 for laboratory analysis.
His name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Epinal American Cemetery in Dinozé, France, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
As of May 2023, more than 81,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the total, approximately 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific region, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (such as ship losses and known aircraft water losses).
]]>Representatives of public works, city management, police and the municipal enforcement service, alongside leading businesses like Burger King, Rewe, and BackWerk, have agreed on a plan that includes round-the-clock cleanup and a renewed alcohol ban, officials said.
The new measures, initiated in mid-March, include intensified cleaning inside and adjacent to the mall, now also on Sunday mornings and holidays. The costs will be shared by the mall and neighboring businesses, officials said.
“Retailers, restaurants, mall operators and cityscape maintenance all agreed that cleanliness at the mall needs to be improved,” Kaiserslautern Mayor Manfred Schulz said. “Cleanliness is a prerequisite for a positive sense of security in the city.”
Officials also agreed to extend the alcohol ban in the downtown area, promising strict enforcement.
The agreement is for three years. City officials did not immediately say whether the initiative will include increased police patrols of the area.
Even with the new measures in place, a security guard at the shopping center was injured Monday in an attack by a group of teenagers, Westpfalz police reported. The four assailants fled, and police are investigating.
]]>The accident occurred around 7 a.m., leading to significant emergency response and closing the road to traffic for several hours.
The woman was driving her Mazda 3 towards Einsiedlerhof when, for reasons yet to be determined, she veered into oncoming traffic, resulting in a frontal collision with a truck, police said. The impact was so forceful that her vehicle was thrown into the fence of a nearby U.S. military installation, causing the driver to sustain critical injuries.
She was transported to a hospital by ambulance and an emergency helicopter was deployed to the scene, according to police.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Westpfalz police said.
]]>The crash occurred around 6:30 p.m. during routine training, and the two soldiers were treated at a local hospital, Colorado Springs news outlets reported, citing base officials.
Fort Carson officials did not immediately respond to a request for information on their condition Thursday. The helicopter was assigned to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
The Colorado crash comes on the heels of an incident at Joint Base-Lewis McChord, Wash., on Monday, when an Apache from the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade had what officials called an “aviation mishap” during routine training.
Last month, the Army National Guard grounded its helicopter fleet to review safety policies and procedures in the wake of crashes of AH-64D Apache helicopters Feb. 12 in Utah and Feb. 23 in Mississippi. Two aviators were killed in the crash near Booneville, Miss.
A 2020 Army safety review highlighted the Apache helicopter’s involvement in more than a quarter of the service’s rotary-wing mishaps from 2016 to 2020, pointing to human error as a primary cause.
This story will be updated.
]]>Thursday is Opening Day for Major League Baseball.
]]>Around 25 Japanese sailors and airmen in the five-day program that ends Friday are the first round of students to learn the inner workings of the Tomahawks and their control systems. The training at Yokosuka, homeport of the 7th Fleet, is one milestone before the U.S. begins delivering the 400 Tomahawk missiles promised to Japan as part of a $2.35 billion deal.
“When the Tomahawks are delivered, we don’t start the training then,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel told reporters aboard the McCampbell on Thursday. “We’re ahead of schedule because the delivery is going to be ahead of schedule.”
This week’s training is the first round, with additional rounds scheduled every two months, Emanuel said. Training will also likely continue after the missiles are delivered, he said.
“I expect the Japanese navy to do what our Navy officers do all the time, which is to be constantly training and upgrading skills,” he said the news conference.
Japan in 2022 announced plans to buy as many as 500 Tomahawks with delivery in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
In October, the country’s Defense Ministry expressed a desire to fast-track the purchase. The Pentagon on Nov. 17 agreed to the deal, which includes 400 cruise missiles, 14 weapons systems, software, technical support and associated equipment. The first deliveries are expected sometime in fiscal 2025.
The purchase is part of a massive investment Japan has made into its defense. Japan’s Cabinet in December approved its largest-ever defense budget, which amounts to 7.95 trillion yen, or about $55.9 billion.
That investment, Emanuel said, is “100% in weapons and equipment” and is not an investment in more personnel or an attempt to increase the size of the Japan Self-Defense Force.
Emanuel said he is focused on completing the impending deliveries and could not comment on possible further sales.
“Before we even talk about more, we have a responsibility to get the first 400 and we’re on schedule to do that,” he said.
On Thursday, Japanese sailors and airmen worked studiously with U.S. sailors from the Surface Combat Systems Training Command Western Pacific in the McCampbell’s combat information center, the tactical heart of the ship. There, they participated in a simulated missile strike mission, according to Cmdr. Mike Arnold, the training command officer in charge.
“This was the cruise missile commander’s course,” Arnold told Stars and Stripes on Thursday on the McCampbell. The training, he added, covered overall capabilities of the missile, how to deal with casualties, tactics and how to “manipulate and execute the weapons system itself.”
Personnel from another six or seven commands were also in the training, according to Capt. Justin Harts, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15.
“It gets to be sort of an alphabet soup of commands that are involved in any one of these operations,” he said. “And then there’s a whole host of commands in the States where the Japanese sailors are going to learn their individual jobs.”
The training is successfully increasing Japanese personnel’s capabilities with the missile and doing so “ensures a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region,” Cmdr. Yuhi Iwamori, spokesman for Japan’s Maritime Staff Office, told Stars and Stripes on Thursday.
]]>The U.S. Treasury Department is freezing all U.S. property belonging to Yu Pu Ung, Ri Tong Hyok, O In Chun, Han Chol Man, Jong Song Ho and Jon Yon Gun, according to a news release from the Office of Foreign Assets Control on Wednesday. The office did not specify how much the frozen assets are worth.
Yu, based in China, is the “linchpin” of North Korea’s illicit financing program, according to the Treasury Department.
Yu and Ri represented Tanchon Bank, the financial arm of the Korea Mining Development Corp., which the U.N. Security Council describes on its website as North Korea’s primary arms dealer and funded by North Korean IT workers employed abroad.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is sanctioning the same individuals and accused them of financing the North’s nuclear and missile program, according to a separate news release Thursday.
The combined effort reflects Washington and Seoul’s goal of curbing North Korea’s “efforts to generate revenue for its illicit and destabilizing activities,” Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the department’s release.
“The United States, along with our South Korean partners, will continue to take action to safeguard the international financial system and prevent [North Korea] from funding its illegal weapons programs,” Nelson said.
Allis LLC, a Russian company, and Pioneer Bencont Star Real Estate of the UAE were accused by the Treasury Department of funneling over $2.5 million to their parent company, the Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation Co. Under the sanctions, U.S. citizens and companies are prohibited from dealing with the two companies and their U.S.-based assets are frozen.
Chinyong, based in North Korea, funds its military through the salaries of IT employees working from Russia and Loas, according to the Treasury Department.
The sanctions follow the creation of a U.S.-South Korean task force targeting illicit oil transfers to North Korea.
The new Enhanced Disruption Task Force met for the first time Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to discuss blocking North Korea’s illegal procurement of refined petroleum, which is essential for the communist regime’s nuclear and missile programs, South Korea’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a news release Wednesday.
A 2017 U.N. Security Council resolution limits the communist regime’s imports of crude oil to 4 million barrels and refined oil to 500,000 barrels a year.
Despite this cap, however, North Korea is estimated to have imported over 1.5 million barrels of refined oil between January and September 2023, using methods like ship-to-ship transfers, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Russia and China are the primary sources of North Korea’s oil, according to the Security Council. The task force members during their meeting “expressed concern over the possibility that Russia may provide refined oil to North Korea as their relations become closer,” the ministry said.
“The two sides strongly urged Russia to faithfully implement the [U.N. Security Council] resolutions as it has declared that it would,” the release said.
]]>Drawing from the recently unveiled archives of the British War Department and rooted in historical events, the movie is an action-comedy about the inception of the world’s first special forces team, created during World War II by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
In the movie, this top-secret unit, an eclectic assembly of unconventional heroes, embarks on a bold operation against the Nazis, employing novel and decidedly “ungentlemanly” combat strategies.
Their groundbreaking tactics not only altered the trajectory of the war but also paved the way for the establishment of the British SAS and the contemporary framework of black ops warfare.
The show starts at 6 p.m. and is first-come, first-served. For more info, visit www.aafes.com.
]]>Visitors are invited to step back in time to an era of knights, jesters, and artisanal craftsmanship, as the festival promises a weekend filled with medieval merriment, including fire-eater performances, music and hearty fare, organizers said in a statement.
Special attractions for kids include a traditional wooden carousel, egg tapping competitions, dragon hunts, a fortune-telling stone wheel, and the “mouse roulette.”
Reenactors will populate the campsite, offering a glimpse into daily medieval life and answering any questions curious minds might have about the period.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission: Adults 8 euro, children and those in costume 5 euro.
]]>DeCA anticipates starting home delivery by midsummer, but only from its 178 stateside locations; delivery from overseas base commissaries is barred by regulatory constraints, said agency spokesman Keith Desbois to Stars and Stripes by email Wednesday.
“We are striving to anticipate our patrons’ needs and do what it takes to be their grocery provider of choice,” Desbois said.
DeCA is still soliciting bids on a contract to deliver groceries to the homes of eligible consumers, after which it will determine where it will roll out the delivery option, he said.
DeCA has been running a pilot program for nearly two years at Fort Belvoir and Norfolk Naval Station, both in Va.; Scott Air Force Base, Ill, Fort Liberty South, N.C., MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Lewis Main at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Naval Station San Diego, both in California.
So far, delivery customers at these pilot locations have logged nearly 28,000 transactions, averaging $128.70 per order, Desbois said.
Deliveries may be available to eligible commissary patrons within a 20-mile driving radius of the commissary, including off-base deliveries.
To order customers will use Commissary CLICK2GO delivery, which is available online or with an app. CLICK2GO delivery is an extension of the worldwide program that launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLICK2GO afforded customers the option to order and pick up their commissary orders curbside.
The CLICK2GO program has been profitable for DeCA, reaching $100 million in sales on Feb. 16, according to DeCA’s website.
DeCA plans to eventually deliver groceries to all stateside customers and locations, on and off base, in barracks, housing and offices, Desbois said.
Delivery prices will average $15.99 within 1-5 miles, $20.99 within 6-10 miles, $25.99 within 11-15 miles and $29.99 within 16-20 miles.
The delivery fee is determined by the service provider, not DeCA, and reflects vendor costs based on the driven radius from the commissary, Desbois said. “Going forward we anticipate delivery prices to be equivalent to current retail grocer delivery prices,” he said.
]]>The U.S. military teamed up with the FBI and the Smithsonian Institution to return 22 artworks and other items missing since World War II to Okinawa in January, according to a March 15 FBI statement.
The items, including paintings of Okinawan kings, scrolls, pottery and an ancient map, were found last year among a deceased World War II veteran’s belongings in Massachusetts, according to Geoffrey Kelly, an FBI special agent in Boston.
The FBI got on the case after a representative of the veteran’s family reported the items, Kelly said by phone Tuesday.
It turned out that some of the artifacts, likely taken by U.S. troops during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, were listed on the FBI’s National Stolen Art File, Kelly said.
“A lot of soldiers were treasure hunters and wanted to take souvenirs home,” he said. “It may have seemed to them as something they were entitled to do, but any items that were taken need to go back.”
Ryukyu jewels
The search is still on for other artifacts that went missing during the war, including the crown jewels of the old Ryukyu Kingdom, Kelly said. The kingdom ruled Okinawa for centuries before it was incorporated into Japan in 1879.
Some items believed to be taken with the crown jewels were discovered in 1953, also in Massachusetts, Kelly said.
Among those items was the Omoro Sochi — 22 volumes of ancient Okinawan poems and songs dating to the 12th century or beyond, according to a June 24, 1996, report in Stars and Stripes.
Those items, including books, a gold-encrusted headpiece, statues of gods, family altars and beads from a thousand-year-old necklace worn by a high priestess, were recovered by the U.S. Customs Service from a former Navy lieutenant who had acquired them on Okinawa.
The relics, along with the crown jewels, were buried and hidden in a cave near Shuri Castle on Okinawa by stewards of the royal family as U.S. forces bombed and shelled the island in 1945, Bokei Maehiro, a surviving steward, said in 1996.
On his return to the items’ hiding places, Maehiro “discovered although the area had not been bombed, the crown and other articles such as the Omoro Sochi, some historical files, were completely removed,” he wrote in 1953 requesting the U.S. civil government on Okinawa to search for the jewels.
In late 1946, Maehiro learned that American officers, with the help of several Japanese Americans, had looted the cave and spirited the treasures back to the U.S.
Modern monuments men
The FBI is confident the veteran who kept the recently returned Okinawan treasures didn’t take them from the island, since he didn’t serve in the Pacific, Kelly said.
The National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian helped the FBI package the items for transport to Japan, he said.
Video clips provided by the U.S. Consulate General on Okinawa show the artifacts being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster II at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., in January.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) escorted the artifacts during the trip.
The unit is the modern equivalent of troops depicted in the 2014 film, “The Monuments Men,” who recovered art looted by the Nazis in World War II, Kelly said.
“We care about Okinawan cultural heritage, and we want to support it,” Col. Andrew DeJesse, a unit member who traveled with the items to Okinawa, said in a Jan. 10 video provided by the consulate. “It’s the same exact action as what the monuments men of World War II did.”
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said the returned relics included portraits believed to depict Ryukyu kings, he said at a March 15 press conference.
“I think it is a great joy for the people of Okinawa that these treasures of Okinawa, which you can experience the Ryukyu Kingdom era, have returned,” he said.
The royal portraits may be the first ever discovered, an Okinawan cultural resources division official said by phone Tuesday. Japanese officials typically speak to the press on condition of anonymity.
“They will be culturally and artistically important resources,” he said.
The paintings won’t be publicly displayed until they are restored, a process that could take years, the official said.
“Since this case will serve as a model case, we hope this will lead to the discovery and return of valuable lost cultural properties, such as the undiscovered crown of the Ryukyu Kingdom,” he said.
]]>That includes $30 million for incentives, including a 50% discount on fees for the first children of development center employees, and $20 million to continue renovating and repairing those centers, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee website.
The fee discount is meant to lure qualified employees to those centers, where working parents – Department of Defense civilians and service members alike – send their children during the day. Child Development centers are open to infant and preschool children of eligible families.
At Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, the fee discount is lifting morale among the 42 staff members at the Yume Child Development Center, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Jordan Hayes, commander of the 374th Force Support Squadron.
“Many of our awesome teachers are benefiting from it,” Hayes said. “This incentive improves our ability to recruit and retain high-quality staff, provide significant cost savings on childcare, and recognize the invaluable contribution of our employees and the support their families give to military children.”
The DOD operates the largest employer-sponsored child care program in the United States, serving approximately 200,000 children of service members and DOD civilians at Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force facilities, according to a Congressional Research Service report in January.
The Air Force has been planning new Child Development center projects since August, according to an Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center news release that month.
New facilities are designated with $205 million at Joint Base San Antonio and Sheppard Air Force Base, both in Texas, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Another five centers are scheduled with $167 million between now and the next fiscal year. The Pentagon received nearly $2 billion in the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to maintain and improve barracks, Child Development centers and training ranges.
At the Yume center at Yokota work was already underway to replace its playgrounds before Biden signed the last-minute bill March 23 that forestalled a government shutdown. Prior funding paid for that work, Hayes said.
“Thanks to the efforts of base Civil Engineers, other projects also in the works include replacing the heating and air conditioning in the Youth Center and the Teen Center,” Hayes said.
“Any additional funding we receive for the improvement of our child development centers will go a long way to help us maintain and enhance our facilities, directly benefiting the children and families we serve,” he said.
]]>The four drones launched by Houthi militants were “engaged and destroyed” between 2 a.m. and 2:20 a.m. local time, according to a news release from Central Command that day.
The ship, which the command did not identify, downed the unmanned vehicles in self-defense, the release states. It did not state whether the drones were armed. Central Command reported no injuries or damages to U.S. or coalition crews or ships.
Emails and phone calls to Central Command, based in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday from Stars and Stripes were not immediately returned.
This is not the first time the Houthis have targeted a U.S. Navy vessel. The destroyer USS Laboon was unsuccessfully targeted March 12 by a close-range ballistic missile. The Laboon is one of the group accompanying the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea to stem Houthi attacks.
In January, Houthi missiles targeted the destroyers USS Gravely in the Red Sea and USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden. Both missiles were shot down by the destroyers.
Beginning this year, U.S. and U.K. forces in the Red Sea have struck the Iranian-back Houthis at military targets in areas the group controls in Yemen and at missiles and drones launched at shipping in the Red Sea, a vital commercial waterway.
The Houthis have claimed they act in solidarity with Palestinians under attack by Israeli forces in Gaza. The Houthi attacks have caused some global shippers to divert their cargo carriers to longer routes to avoid the area.
]]>The initial instructor pilots from the Portland-based wing were at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to fly training versions of the jet, which the Air Force said can exceed twice the speed of sound.
“The first two will arrive this summer,” said Lt. Col. Joel Thesing, the 142nd Wing’s safety officer who was among the pilots.
In St. Louis, the first F-15EX bound for the Oregon wing rolled off the Boeing assembly line earlier this month. The Air Force has slated 18 F-15EX to be operational at the 142nd Wing by the end of 2025.
Thesing said the exterior profile of the aircraft resembles the F-15C jets now flown by the wing, but the new jets are nimbler to maneuver and the large-area display for avionics improves a pilot’s ability to process what was going on inside and outside the aircraft.
“It’s a generational leap,” he said.
Boeing said in February the top speed for the F-15EX is 2,225 miles per hour – more than Mach 2.7 at sea level.
“Yeah, it’s fast,” Boeing’s Rob Novotny, a former Air Force F-15 test pilot, said in an interview with Aviation Week.
The Air Force said in budget documents released last week that it wants to acquire 144 F-15EXs eventually to replace aging F-15C/D models from the 1990s in the active-duty force and Air National Guard inventories.
The Air Force has focused most of its purchasing priority on the F-35A Lightning II multipurpose fighter, which also comes in a F-35B version for the Marines and a F-35C version to operate off Navy aircraft carriers. Congress approved buying 51 F-35A jets in the 2024 budget approved last week. Lawmakers are now debating the 2025 budget, which could add another 42 F-35s to the service.
Thesing said the F-35EX is well suited for the interdiction role of the 142nd Wing.
“I look forward to when the focus can shift from how to fly the EX to how to employ it tactically,” he said.
]]>Army veteran Jason Moon, 33, contacted the South Bend Vet Center for behavioral health care in 2020. But workers failed to conduct an appropriate suicide risk assessment or provide timely care, which lead to his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home Oct. 15, 2020, while his wife and three of his five children were there, according to a complaint filed with the family’s wrongful death claim in 2022.
“My husband was failed by a system that exists solely to support the men and women who have served our country,” Moon’s wife, LaShanda Moon, said in a statement. “I have spent nearly three and a half years reliving the worst night of my life hundreds of times while trying to be the voice for my husband and the other 22 veterans who end their lives every single day, as I have demanded the VA take accountability and pleaded with them to make policy changes.”
Since the veteran’s death, VA has completed all eight actions recommended by an inspector general review of the facility that included an evaluation of Moon’s care, said Terrence Hayes, a VA spokesman. It also installed new leadership at the veterans center, strengthened oversight and implementation of suicide risk assessment and follow-up processes in alignment with national policy at centers across the nation.
“Moving forward, we will continue to work to make sure that this does not happen again,” Hayes said. “There is nothing more important to VA than providing high-quality mental health care to veterans — especially veterans in crisis — whenever and wherever they need it. We are incredibly saddened and heartbroken by the loss of any veteran who dies by suicide, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future.”
Jason Moon left the Army in 2017 as a chief warrant officer after serving two tours as a medical evacuation crew member during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the complaint. At the time of his death, Moon was in the Army National Guard and working toward becoming a Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
He suffered from nightmares and anxiety, which led to alcohol abuse, according to the complaint. His behavior became violent and unpredictable. LaShanda Moon said he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that had never been properly diagnosed.
Even with warning signs that he was likely going to harm himself, the veterans center placed Jason Moon in the care of an unlicensed intern, who was not properly supervised and only provided appointments by phone, according to the complaint. The intern failed to properly assess Moon and did not perform required suicide and lethality assessments. He also failed to collect records from an emergency room visit and admittance to an in-patient behavioral health facility, where Moon told staff that he felt hopeless and was thinking about suicide.
After the intern left the veterans center, a follow-up counselor did not return Moon’s messages and falsified records after his death to hide her own negligence and place the blame on the veteran, according to the complaint.
A VA inspector general report released in 2023 found the director of that center had informed his staff that categorizing a veteran’s risk of suicide as “intermediate” or “high” would negatively subject the veterans center to increased scrutiny from senior VA leaders. This led to staff rating the suicide risk as low for Moon, despite him reporting stressors that should have elevated it, according to the report.
“Money does not bring back a person. Nor does it replace a parent or spouse,” said Peter Bertling, attorney for the Moon family. “But it can provide support for their future and for their lives going forward. The case also exposed serious errors made by the South Bend Vet Center that we hope are rectified so no other veteran has to suffer like Mr. Moon did. He served his country in wartime and was owed so much better than the mental health care he received.”
]]>Referred to as precision retention, the program highlights overcrowded military occupational specialties, or MOSs, such as 19 Delta Cavalry Scout and 31 Bravo Military Police. The new guidance issued last week also includes incentive bonuses and promotion opportunities if soldiers consider reclassifying.
“These MOSs are not going away. There’s just going to be less of them,” said Sgt. Maj. Tobey Whitney, a senior Army career counselor. “So, we have to be very careful and very particular in making sure that we don’t have too many people reclassify.”
Whitney said any 19 Delta who are airborne qualified and serve at Fort Liberty, N.C., can reclassify to infantry 11 Bravo without having to attend any kind of formal training. The same is true if a soldier is a 19 Delta and wants to reclassify to 19 Charlie — a Bradley Fighting Vehicle crew member. A soldier could do so without having to attend any training at Fort Moore, Ga.
The Army in fiscal 2023 reclassified about 3,000 soldiers, said Sgt. Maj. Jonathan Uribe-Huitron, the senior enlisted soldier overseeing personnel policy.
Between the two specialty groups of cavalry scout and military police, Whitney said the service is looking at slightly more than 3,000 soldiers who will need to reclassify. This will not be executed in one year but over time.
“Over the past few weeks, just by getting the word out through the career counselors, over 100 soldiers from those MOSs have already requested reclassification and gone into something else,” he said.
The Army said last month that the service would slash the size of its force by about 24,000 troops as part of restructuring changes, as well as in response to recruiting shortfalls. About 3,000 of the cuts would come from special operations forces, but the plan adds about 7,500 troops in other critical missions, including air-defense and counter-drone units and five new task forces around the world with enhanced cyber, intelligence and long-range strike capabilities.
“We’re moving away from counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. We want to be postured for large-scale combat operations,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told reporters at the time. “So, we looked at where were there pieces of force structure that were probably more associated with counterinsurgency, for example, that we don’t need anymore.”
As part of the announcement, cavalry squadrons were expected to be included in the 10,000 posts cut as well as Stryker brigade combat teams, infantry brigade combat teams and security force assistance brigades.
The Army in the new guidance is also offering reclassification bonuses based on several factors that include a soldier’s years of service, rank and how many years for which the soldier plans to reenlist.
A specialist, or E-4, cavalry scout could make anywhere from $5,900 to $72,000 if the soldier switches to Patriot fire control operator, or 14E, according to the guidance.
In addition to offering reclassification bonuses, the guidance pointed out jobs as offering a greater chance of promotion to sergeant or staff sergeant. For corporals or specialists hoping to reenlist and be promoted to sergeant, options include High Mobility Artillery Rocket System crewman, electronic warfare specialist, counterintelligence agent and armor crewman.
Soldiers looking for another way to reach staff sergeant sooner should consider becoming a HIMARS crew member or M1 armor crewman, the guidance said.
]]>Meanwhile, Marine logisticians just off the shore move supplies onto land using autonomous boats to transport gear close to the coastal base and unmanned drones to deliver the equipment to troops on land.
Farther away, Air Force fighter jets patrol desert training ranges near Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas in search of enemy aircraft. And at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., Army special operators conduct secretive reconnaissance missions, quietly closing in on potential adversaries to gather intelligence.
These training operations across the western United States in recent weeks were linked together by top Army leaders working from a command center at Camp Pendleton, connecting those troops, their intelligence-gather sensors and their weapons to form a so-called “kill web,” as part of broad experiment to share targeting information and other data at breakneck speeds among all U.S. military services.
The experiment, known as Project Convergence, was the largest effort yet to pull the services together under a single command and control apparatus to choose the best weapon in the Pentagon’s arsenal to destroy a target quickly. Dubbed the Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, Pentagon leaders, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have called it the Defense Department’s top technology priority, and plan to spend some $1.4 billion on the program next year, according to its fiscal 2025 budget proposal.
Military leaders believe connecting all the military services sensors — from satellites in outer space to aircraft in the skies and from ships at sea to infantrymen on the front lines — in a communications network is the best way to fight, should U.S. troops find themselves in a conflict with near-peer rivals such as China or Russia, which have spent heavily in recent years on new military technology.
In one instance during the experiment this month, a Marine F-35 stealth fighter discovered an enemy target, relayed the information to an Air Force battle management node and an Army artillery battery blasted the target with a missile — all in seconds. That kind of success — rare in a military where the branches speak with jargon unique to their own troops and use weapons systems developed specifically for their branch — proves CJADC2 can work in future conflict, said Lt. Gen. Ross Coffman, the deputy commander for Army Futures Command, who helped lead the experiment.
“There’s no Army fight. There’s no Marine Corps fight,” Coffman said March 5 at Camp Pendleton as Project Convergence prepared to move its 2024 capstone experiment from a maritime fight at the Marine base to a desert operation at the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., some 150 miles northeast. “There’s a joint fight. … Each of our services are extremely capable. I would say the best in the world. When those five services come together in exercises like this, we form a fist, and that fist delivers an incredible punch.”
The experiment at Camp Pendleton and Fort Irwin from Feb. 23 through March 20, included two distinct focus areas, both aimed at transforming how the military fights.
The initial phase at Camp Pendleton focused on the ability to move massive amounts of data — the intelligence collected by military sensors — between the U.S. services and several allies, including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and linking together offensive and defensive firing capabilities.
The second phase at NTC focused on human-machine integration in combat formations — adding small airborne drones and ground robots into the Army’s front-line fighting units to expand firepower and reduce risk of harm to the troops closest to the enemy.
The Army launched Project Convergence in 2020 as a small experiment aimed at drastically reducing the time it takes to attack a target after identifying it on the battlefield. Futures Command worked to link various Army sensors across the battlefield — such as drones, radar systems and technology in soldiers’ hands — to command-and-control nodes outfitted with artificial intelligence designed to rapidly determine what the target was and what weapon would best eliminate it. Coffman, who also led the 2020 version of Project Convergence, touted at the time his team’s ability to cut targeting processes from tens of minutes to tens of seconds, in some cases.
In three subsequent iterations of Project Convergence, the Army has continued to shave time off its targeting processes, Coffman and other officials said. This year, processing times to find a target, verify it and strike it improved since the initial experiment in 2020 was held at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, said Alex Miller, who serves as the top technology adviser to Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff. Miller and Coffman declined to provide specifics about targeting timing in the experiment, citing concerns about revealing too much to adversaries.
“We did see things that took minutes of very human-central processing go down to seconds because the workflows were entirely automated,” Miller said. “So, what we did see is from a sensor to someone who could affect a target — two orders of magnitude reduction at times. And it was pretty awesome.”
The Army gradually expanded Project Convergence in recent years, adding other services to its second major experiment and several allied militaries later. This year, Project Convergence has grown to encompass a variety of experiments built into training exercises in the Indo-Pacific Command area of operations and the European theater, Coffman said. It will continue later this year with another exercise in INDOPACOM.
Coffman described the program going forward as a continuous “campaign of learning.” The experiments this month served as the capstones for Project Convergence in 2024, which the Army had planned to pour some $90 million into this year, according to service budget documents.
“We started very small, proving tech [in the initial Project Convergence] and now today we’re talking across services, we’re passing data across services, and proving that we can work together to protect through defensive fires and affect through offensive fires,” Coffman said.
The project used a Joint Track Management Capability data bridge built by the Missile Defense Agency to link all the services’ components together on a single network, he said. The bridge allowed the services and allies to pass data back and forth at rates the Pentagon had never attempted previously.
“This bridge absolutely allowed us to pass information from multiple sensors to multiple shooters, so that an Army sensor passed data to a shooter in every service, and the other services’ sensors passed data to all the other services,” Coffman said. “It worked magnificent. It was able to pass the amount of data that we have not seen before … ncreasing it tenfold, and it absolutely was able to pass that data and get it to the right shooter.”
Fighting at ‘machine speed’
Inside a military tent, Army Maj. John Donaho stands before a large projection of the expansive battlespace and military assets involved in the first phase of Project Convergence. The battlespace spreads out from Camp Pendleton, the experiment’s “nerve center,” as far east as Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, N.J., and as far west as Australia, said Donaho, who leads a Joint Modernization Command capabilities integrations team for Army Futures Command.
The massive battlespace was meant to represent the challenges presented by fighting a conflict in the Indo-Pacific Command area of operations, which spans nearly half the globe’s land area and the Pacific Ocean. The region is the Pentagon’s top security priority, highlighted by China, which is considered the top U.S. challenge as it expands its military and conducts increasingly destabilizing operations in the region, according to Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of INDOPACOM.
At Project Convergence, military leaders worked to ensure that a commander at Camp Pendleton had nearly real-time control of his forces across that huge swath of the globe — from artillery batteries in northern Australia and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., to Navy destroyers and littoral combat ships operating in waters between Hawaii and California, and aircraft flying throughout the region, Donaho said. The key is the automation brought by artificial intelligence and machine learning that allow any of those troops across the globe to relay information quickly to the commander who can then make a decision with that data, the major said.
There are multiple reasons why the Pentagon wants to hasten its targeting practices to allow commanders to make those decisions “at machine speed,” Donaho said. In some cases, targets might only present themselves for a small window of time.
“So, if something’s only there for 10 or 20 minutes, we don’t have time for 15 telephone operators along the way to pass that message up, get a decision, and then pass it all the way back down to the person who is then tasked to hit that red button to make the rocket go boom,” Donaho said March 5 at Camp Pendleton.
But Pentagon leaders also believe by speeding up the ability to share targeting information and other data between all services operating in a battlespace, it will also save them precious resources, including expensive missiles, which defense leaders fear would be at a premium in the early days of a conflict with a power competitor such as China.
Without a common operating picture among the services through a program such as CJADC2, the separate branches might end up “double targeting or triple targeting” an enemy asset that reveals itself, said Vice Adm. Michael Boyle, the commander of the San Diego-based 3rd Fleet. Boyle led the Navy’s contributions to Project Convergence.
“If we can’t connect ourselves together, we’re going to all build individual stovepipe plans,” Boyle told reporters March 5. “But if we can connect together, then we can draw from a single magazine across the joint force. We don’t have unlimited magazines … so this enables us to pick whatever magazine we need to pick from.”
The technology on display at Project Convergence was not limited to the efforts to connect sensors and shooters and share data across all the military services. Coffman said the Army has also used the platform to test the latest technology it hopes to bring to its formations in the coming years, including self-driving tactical vehicles, small drones and robots capable of firing machine guns or other weapons.
‘Machines before humans’
A four-legged robot resembling a dog marches through the streets of a small village built on NTC’s vast desert training grounds. The semi-autonomous ground drone, which weighs about 110 pounds, is built to provide a soldier with a new means of reconnaissance — “acting as their eyes and ears” on the ground, according to Army officials.
The robotic dog can run about three hours and span distances beyond 6 miles, according to its manufacturer Ghost Robotics. The robot can move through water, climb stairs and send live 360-degree imagery back to its operators. For troops serving on the frontlines, it offers them the ability to stay hidden as it searches potentially dangerous areas, officials said.
The Army has been experimenting with robotic dogs and other ground robots at Fort Moore, Ga., in recent months. But at Project Convergence, it used the new technology for the first time in a major combat training operation. During the experiment, soldiers from several units, including the 82nd Airborne Division, the 3rd Armored Corps and the 316th Cavalry Brigade, tested dozens of robotic and autonomous machines as they fought their way into NTC’s training grounds.
While soldiers have been using small aerial drones at NTC and in other training and combat environments for years, ground robotics have lagged behind their airborne counterparts, said Miller, the tech adviser to the Army chief of staff.
“We’ve learned that ground robotics is a super hard problem,” he said, comparing it to Tesla and other car manufacturers’ long-running quest to develop safe self-driving cars.
But Army officials believe ground robots, like small unmanned aerial systems, are critical to building a force that can survive in large scale combat operations against an enemy with similar firepower to U.S. forces.
In such an environment, Coffman said, it will be important that American troops make initial contact against enemy forces “with the machines before humans.”
“That is ground and air robots that can move forward to identify where the enemy is, and if something goes … terribly wrong and the enemy identifies [the robot], then they have shot, and now we know where they are and how we can [attack] them,” the general said. “Everyone on the battlefield can then move to a position of relative advantage, rather than anyone being shot” in that initial firefight.
The Army chose to move the training midway from Camp Pendleton to Fort Irwin to test its robots in its most demanding environment, where the desert routinely wreaks havoc on the soldiers who train there each month and their equipment.
If the robots and human soldiers can work together on NTC’s austere grounds, they can likely operate in most any environment to which they are sent, Coffman said.
George, the Army chief of Staff, said Project Convergence might help the Army hasten its pace at integrating some robots into its traditional combat units.
“This is a fast-moving train,” George told reporters. “It needs to be. We have a real sense of urgency to get after this.”
The Army will continue experimenting with robots as it moves forward into the next phase of Project Convergence, officials said. The service plans to conduct experiments under the Project Convergence umbrella in the summer during the Valiant Shield 2024 wargames in the INDOPACOM region. And the service requested some $73 million to continue Project Convergence in fiscal 2025.
“The lessons we’re learning are going to be applied in the next Pacific exercise, then in Europe. We’re stringing these lessons learned together with real exercises … so we can continually improve,” Coffman said. “It’s worth it. It’s worth every penny. The readiness of the joint force and the partnership with our allies is invaluable. When called upon, the women and men of this nation, women, men of other nations will fight side-by-side, preserve liberty, and the cost of this … experiment is worth every penny to ensure that can happen.”
]]>The Friday night massacre in Crocus City Hall, a sprawling shopping and entertainment venue on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, was the deadliest extremist attack on Russian soil in nearly two decades. At least four gunmen toting automatic rifles shot at thousands of concertgoers and set the venue on fire.
An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the violence, while U.S. intelligence said it had information confirming the group was responsible. French President Emmanuel Macron said France also has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.
The updated fatalities from Russia’s Emergencies Ministry didn’t state the number of wounded, but Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said earlier Wednesday that 80 people were in hospitals and another 205 had sought medical treatment from the attack.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, or the FSB, said it had arrested 11 people the day after the attack, including four suspected gunmen. The four men, identified as Tajik nationals, appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.
Russian officials, however, have insisted that Ukraine and the West had a role, claims that Kyiv vehemently denies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of trying to drum up fervor as his forces fight in Ukraine.
FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov has also alleged, without providing evidence, that Western spy agencies could have been involved. He repeated Putin’s claim that the four gunmen were trying to escape to Ukraine when they were arrested, casting it as proof of Kyiv’s alleged involvement.
But that assertion was undercut by Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, who said Tuesday that the suspects were headed for Ukraine because they feared tight controls on the Belarus border.
The Islamic State group, which lost much of its territory following Russia’s military action in Syria after 2015, has long targeted Russia. In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian jetliner over the Sinai desert, killing all 224 people aboard, most of them Russian vacationers returning from Egypt.
The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, also has claimed several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in the past years. It has recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.
The United States warned Moscow two weeks before the massacre about a possible imminent attack. Three days before the tragedy, Putin denounced the U.S. Embassy’s notice on March 7 urging Americans to avoid crowds in Moscow, including concerts, calling it an attempt to frighten Russians and “blackmail” the Kremlin before the Russian presidential election.
Bortnikov said Russia was thankful for the warning but described it as very general.
]]>The Sea Dog was able to safely moor at Fernandina Beach, Fla., with assistance from other Coast Guard vessels and a commercial towing vessel.
The Coast Guard reported “no injuries to personnel, no damage to other vessels in the area, no impediments to the navigable waterway and no reported environmental impacts as a result of the incident.” The incident is under investigation, the statement said.
The Sea Dog is an 87-foot marine protector-class cutter assigned to Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay in the Coast Guard’s District 7. The district is responsible for a 1.7 million mile area including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico and 34 foreign nations and territories, according to the Coast Guard.
]]>Dedicated leadership at the Pentagon and in each service is needed to oversee progress combatting the issue, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Tuesday.
The GAO asked service members how sleep deprivation affected their work and several said that slower reaction times could have led to deaths, injuries and millions of dollars in property damage.
“Sometimes when I’m driving, I find myself falling asleep and I have to catch myself,” said one respondent, who added that they feared they might kill someone due to lack of sleep. Rotary wing pilots, drone operators and aviation maintainers also reported fatigue interfering with their decision making.
U.S. service members have long complained of high operational tempos and sleep deprivation. Only about a third reported receiving seven or eight hours of sleep per night, according to periodic defense health surveys conducted between 2005 and 2018, the GAO report said. The majority reported sleeping six or fewer hours.
The Defense Department recommends at least seven hours per night for optimal performance and readiness.
“DOD recognizes that impairment from fatigue can be equivalent to the effects of alcohol intoxication and significantly increases the risk of physical injury,” the GAO report said.
Fatigue was identified as a factor in the June 2, 2016, crash of a Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet that killed Marine Corps Capt. Jeff Kuss at an airfield in Tennessee.
It was likewise identified by the National Transportation Safety Board as a contributing factor in the crash of the Navy destroyer USS John S. McCain on Aug. 21, 2017, which killed 10 sailors.
In response, Congress in 2022 ordered the GAO to undertake a “comprehensive review” of DOD efforts.
The report found that while there are many research projects across the services, the Pentagon hasn’t facilitated collaboration and lacks leadership in key areas.
The GAO recommended that the Pentagon create an office to act as a focal point for its fatigue-related efforts, and that the office should have the authority, staffing, resources and commitment to oversee service-level programs.
DOD also should set up time frames for follow-on actions, coordinate with stakeholders and identify those responsible for implementing the recommendations of past fatigue-related studies, the report said.
The GAO also recommended that service secretaries assign leadership to work with the newly formed DOD office.
]]>The corps’ Baltimore District activated its Emergency Operations Center to provide support to local, state and federal agencies following the bridge’s collapse when the container ship Dali slammed into a pillar at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. The corps will lead the effort to clear the federal channel, a Corps of Engineers news release said.
The corps is providing:
USACE also is poised to provide hydrographic and topographic surveying via the Catlett, a 61-foot survey vessel that actively supports the Baltimore District’s Navigation Branch. Additional vessels are prepared to join efforts as needed for waterway debris management.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” Baltimore District Commander Col. Estee Pinchasin said in the release. “Our Emergency Managers are closely monitoring the incident and coordinating with partner agencies for any potential support requests.”
At least eight people went into the water when the bridge collapsed Tuesday. Two were rescued, but six others — part of a construction crew that had been filling potholes on the bridge — were missing and presumed dead. A search for their bodies was underway Wednesday morning, according to Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo, the Associated Press reported.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday assisted local, state and federal agencies in the rescue mission, with response boat crews from Coast Guard Stations Curtis Bay and Annapolis deployed, a news release from the service said.
Federal and state officials said the crash appeared to be an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and ship traffic entering and leaving the Port of Baltimore was suspended indefinitely, AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
]]>Division commander Maj. Gen. Chris Norrie was among the speakers at the ceremony, which was held in the wake of the 80th anniversary of a string of battles between U.S. and allied troops and dug-in German forces trying to stop an advance on Rome.
“They fought for their Italian, Canadian and British allies with them, for their families so far away from them, and most importantly, for the liberation of Italy from the enemies of freedom,” Norrie said in a division statement Wednesday.
Three division soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle, according to the statement.
The new memorial is on the grounds of an Italian military monument and is one of many such sites in the mountainous area between Naples and Rome.
Nearby is one marking a cave that provided refuge to Audie Murphy, a former 3rd Infantry soldier who became one of the most celebrated American heroes of World War II and later a Hollywood icon.
Based at Fort Stewart, Ga., the division saw extensive action in the war, taking part in battles in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany.
The division’s soldiers have helped defend Europe in the present as well, including a recent nine-month rotation in Poland to shore up the eastern flank of NATO.
Both the division and the Society of the Third Infantry Division have maintained ties to former sites around the Continent where key battles took place decades ago.
The 1943 and 1944 skirmishes, which included the Battle of Mignano Pass, also notably marked the first time that Italian troops saw action against their former German allies.
Italy changed sides after longtime fascist leader Benito Mussolini was removed from power. Several high-ranking Italian officers based at commands in Rome or Naples attended the unveiling of the memorial.
]]>Wolfe was assigned to Company B, 149th Engineer Combat Battalion. On June 6, 1944, the Landing Craft Infantry (Large) 92 struck an underwater mine and burst into flames as it was steered toward Omaha Beach, France, according to a news release from the POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Wolfe was 20 years old.
He will receive a burial with full military honors. Greenlawn Funeral Home North, Springfield, Mo., will perform graveside services preceding the interment.
Wolfe was accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Aug. 21, 2023, after his remains were exhumed for laboratory analysis from Normandy American Cemetery, Normandy, France, in 2021.
As of May 2023, more than 81,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the total, approximately 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific region, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (such as ship losses and known aircraft water losses).
]]>Cloud, who was assigned to Company A, 744th Tank Battalion, was 24 when he went missing in action on July 26, 1944. His M5A1 Stuart light tank was struck by a shoulder-fired rocket while fighting German forces at Saint-Germain-d’Elle, France, according to a news release from the POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
He will receive a burial with full military honors.
Cloud was identified by the DPAA on Aug. 29, 2023, after his remains were exhumed for laboratory analysis from Normandy American Cemetery in France in April 2018.
As of May 2023, more than 81,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the total, approximately 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific region, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (such as ship losses and known aircraft water losses).
]]>Some 11,000 women served in Vietnam, with 90% of them working as volunteer nurses. The nature of warfare in Vietnam made it impossible to be safe “behind the front lines,” and eight women, all nurses, are among the more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Their names are: Capt. Elanor Grace Alexander, 2nd Lt. Pamela Dorothy Donovan, 2nd Lt. Carol Ann Elizabeth Drazba, Lt. Col. Annie Ruth Graham, 2nd Lt. Elizabeth Ann Jones, 1st Lt. Sharon Ann Lane, Capt. Mary Therese Klinker, and 1st Lt. Hedwig Diane Orlowski.
]]>A summit meeting of the kind Japan requested “is not a matter of concern” for Pyongyang any longer, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published Tuesday by the Korean Central News Agency. Tokyo had “no courage to change history … and take the first step for fresh [North Korea]-Japan relations,” she said, according to KCNA.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi acknowledged on Monday a KCNA report that Kishida had asked to meet with Kim “as soon as possible.”
The Japanese government had been reaching out to North Korea to resolve lingering issues, namely the communist regime’s abduction of Japanese citizens and its continued weapons tests, Hayashi said.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleges North Korea abducted 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. Then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 17, 2002, admitted and apologized for 13 abductions during the first Japan-North Korea summit with then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Five surviving abductees were returned to Japan one month after that summit. At a second summit May 22, 2004, in Pyongyang, the abductees’ North Korean family members were permitted to rejoin them in Japan.
North Korea has since claimed that all the abductees were returned to Japan and that the matter is settled.
So far this year, North Korea has test fired several ballistic missiles, including a solid-fueled intermediate-range missile from its eastern coast on Jan. 14.
The regime last fired several short-range ballistic missiles in succession on March 18, according to South Korea’s military. The Japanese Defense Ministry said it counted at least three missiles launched.
A long-range ballistic missile fired by North Korea toward the Sea of Japan, or the East Sea, on April 13 prompted Japan’s alert system to warn Hokkaido residents to seek shelter.
The topics being raised by Kishida are “unattainable issues which can never be settled,” according to Kim Yo Jong’s statement.
North Korea has “only clarified its stand that it would welcome Japan if it is ready to make a new start, not being obsessed by the past,” the statement added.
Kishida responded at a news conference Tuesday. “Japan would like to continue its efforts to resolve the outstanding issues with North Korea based on its existing policy,” according to a Mainichi Shimbun report that day.
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
]]>U.S. Army Pacific has taken to heart that ancient advice to develop a deep understanding of an adversary’s mindset with the launch of a course on the China Way of War.
The week-long course was piloted last fall, offered in Hawaii for the first time in February and will be pushed out across the Indo-Pacific region in coming months.
China and America are not enemies, of course, but they are deeply entwined in an economic, diplomatic and military competition. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has described China’s military as America’s “pacing challenge.”
“We wanted people within this command to think about how China thinks,” Michael Schaefer, director of training at Army Pacific, said March 7 at Fort Shafter.
As compelling as the course may seem, China Way of War covers a much wider gamut than outright combat.
“It doesn’t just look at war,” Schaefer said. “Really, the idea would be, how do we prevent war? That’s really what we’re getting after — understanding that when we do something, there may be a response from China.”
China is expected to have a fully modernized military by 2035, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s annual threat assessment published in February.
“In the South China Sea, Beijing will continue to use its growing military and other maritime capabilities to try to intimidate rival claimants and to signal it has control over contested areas,” the assessment states. “Similarly, China is pressing Japan over contested areas in the East China Sea.”
Strategic thinking
The China Way of War, open to uniformed and civilian personnel of all services, exposes participants to Chinese strategic thinking, providing them an understanding of how the Chinese army, officially the People’s Liberation Army or PLA, might think about and act on varying scenarios.
It was modeled after a similar Army course in Europe that focused on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Schaefer said.
Army Pacific contracted Booz Allen Hamilton to design and facilitate its course, which is based entirely on open-source material and uses no classified information, Schaefer said.
As inscrutable as China’s military might seem, its chain of command employs an organized metric in making decisions, he said.
Commanders in the U.S. armed forces use a defined “military decision-making process” in responding to defense scenarios, he said.
“China has the same thing,” he said. “So, China has a deliberate decision-making process — completely unclassified. And it’s taught to [our] students so that each day they go through the decision-making process, and then they talk about what they think China may be thinking.”
On day one of the course, each student is assigned a role in the Chinese military.
“And then each day, the students are given scenarios, and they have to respond with how they think — they’re now the PLA — China is going to respond,” he said.
For example, perhaps a high-level dignitary flies into the Indo-Pacific region on a junket to Taiwan, a self-governing island over which China has claims of sovereignty.
“What do you think is going to be the response?” Schaefer said.
Students talk through the scenario, offering the likely response by the Chinese entity they are portraying.
It is a reverse perspective considered too rarely in the U.S. armed forces, he said.
Blue on Red
“In the military, we’re always the blue force; we’re always friendly guys taking on the red forces, no matter who it might be,” he said.
“As an intelligence officer, it’s incredibly important to know what the enemy thinks, so that you can try and predict what the enemy will do and why they make the decisions that they do,” Maj. Louis Crist, 10th Support Group, U.S. Army Japan, a February class member at Schofield Barracks, said in a Feb. 14 Army news release.
That session also included guest speaker Brig. Gen. Patrick Teague, a senior defense official and defense attaché to China.
Classes are limited to about 30 students, including students from allied and partner nations.
Schaefer said the Army intends to offer China Way of War eight to 10 times a year, including sessions taught by a mobile training team at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, and in Alaska, Japan and South Korea.
]]>A police dive team on Monday night recovered the body of Cadet Havin Morris, 21, of Pleasanton, Calif., from the New River, a tidal estuary fronting the coastal city, according to an email from Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Casey Liening on Wednesday.
“At this time, his death appears to be an accidental drowning and no foul play is suspected,” Liening said.
Morris was reported missing Saturday and was last seen in downtown Fort Lauderdale, according to police. He was in Fort Lauderdale with three friends, according to a report Tuesday in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“Cadet Morris was a valued member of the Corps of Cadets, committed to serving his country as an Army Officer. The entire West Point Community offers our heartfelt condolences to the Morris family,” West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steve Gilland said in a statement posted on the academy website Tuesday.
Morris’ tactical officer Maj. Rebecca Gogue Morrison described the cadet as “a bright, resilient young man with a determination to succeed in all he did,” according to the West Point statement.
The Army Criminal Investigations Command is cooperating with police on the investigation, Gilland said in the release.
In March 2022, six male West Point cadets overdosed on fentanyl while in Fort Lauderdale for spring break. First responders used Narcan to counteract the powerful synthetic opioid and revive some of the cadets, according to media reports. Two went into cardiac arrest and were placed on ventilators, according to the Sun Sentinel.
]]>Tuberville, R-Ala., initiated his blockade of military nominations in February 2023 when the Pentagon announced its new policy guidelines that took effect in March. The Defense Department’s decision came after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022 declaring the constitutional right to abortion no longer exists. Many states have since passed laws outlawing abortions in most cases.
Some of the most restrictive states, including Texas and Louisiana, are home to major military installations, and there was concern over how the new laws would affect troops.
The senator’s effort lasted until December when he lifted his remaining holds, allowing the Senate to confirm more than 400 military nominations.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the Defense Department’s policy was used 12 times from June to December to cover reproductive services at a cost of $40,791.20. The travel conducted by service members does not mean it was specifically for an abortion. Troops could have used the policy for reproductive matters such as in vitro fertilization, ovarian stimulations and egg retrieval, Singh said.
“Basically, any type of non-covered reproductive health service that the department does not cover and is not available in [a service member’s] state,” she added.
For the privacy of individuals, Singh said the Pentagon will not release a breakdown of the 12 cases and the health care that troops traveled to receive.
Tuberville’s promotions blockade drew criticism, including from some Republicans. In December when he lifted the remaining holds, Tuberville said his decision to allow the confirmation of hundreds of lower-level nominees was inspired by Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Both had spent hours on the Senate floor attempting to approve nominees.
The senator at the time said he did not regret his blockade and described the outcome of his protest as a “draw.”
“They didn’t get what they wanted,” Tuberville said. “We didn’t get what I wanted.”
]]>The percentage of new patients seeing VA doctors increased by 11% compared with the same time a year ago, the VA said.
Since expanding the schedule for more health care appointments, 81% of participating VA medical centers reported an increase in new patients receiving medical services during those five months, the VA said.
The wait time for appointments also was down for many new patients. The percentage of new patients having to wait more than three weeks for their first medical appointment in the areas of primary and specialty care dropped by 12% during that time, the VA said.
A recent staff expansion by the Veterans Health Administration made it possible for the VA to increase hours for medical appointments at many clinics, according to the department.
However, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Tuesday during a news conference that the VA is planning a staff reduction, though it will be done largely through attrition. He said medical staff positions in the areas of primary care and specialty care services would not be affected.
The VA hired more than 60,000 employees in preparation for an increase in health care enrollment under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, also known as the PACT Act.
The PACT Act provides health care and disability benefits to qualifying veterans who developed medical conditions after service-related exposure to toxic substances, including burn pits, radiation and chemical defoliants.
Last year, more than 100,000 veterans enrolled for health care under provisions of the PACT Act.
McDonough also said the VA is “constantly considering” expanding PACT Act coverage for other locations where veterans could have been exposed to harmful substances while on active duty.
He advised veterans who believe they were exposed to hazardous substances in the U.S. or overseas to enroll in VA care and file a claim to establish a service connection.
“My message to veterans is if you feel like you were exposed to toxins, like lead or asbestos or another substance, let’s get you enrolled in VA care,” McDonough said.
]]>But Johnson, who was once homeless and has a history of mental health problems that require hospital care, said she was told last month that there is a backlog of veterans seeking appointments and she would have to take her place in line. The next available appointment was in June, she said.
“I am a 100% disabled veteran with two service ribbons. I had been living in my car for almost a year on the streets of Baltimore,” Johnson said.
Chronic staffing shortages at many VA facilities are causing long delays in services, including for psychiatric care. The VA Office of Inspector General in 2023 reported “severe shortages” for psychiatry staff at many VA health facilities.
Legislation introduced by Rep. Mark Cartwright, D-Penn., seeks to expedite the process for recruiting and hiring psychiatrists who have just completed their residency programs at a Veterans Health Administration facility.
The legislation aims to speed up the VA’s hiring process to fill critical shortages of psychiatrists at hospitals and clinics where positions have remained open for at least 35 days.
Cartwright said there is a “bureaucratic maze” for initiating the employment process for new psychiatrists. He said it is creating delays for new hires.
“We have a responsibility to do all we can to make sure the brave men and women who served get the care they need and deserve when they return,” he said. “This legislation simply speeds up the process for recruiting trained, talented mental health professionals into a career caring for the invisible wounds of our nation’s veterans.”
In Johnson’s case, she will have to wait four months to see a VA psychiatric nurse, she said.
The nurse works in consultation with a VA psychiatrist in diagnosing and managing treatment for patients such as Johnson. Psychiatric nurses help ease bottlenecks in providing mental health care. But the VA acknowledges that the staffing model is not enough to meet demand.
Johnson, 62, is a retired sergeant who said she experienced injuries to her back, hips, legs and a kidney during 12 years of service with deployments to Korea, Germany and Fort Hood, Texas. She retired in 1992. She also said she suffers from PTSD related to military service.
“I have a lot of problems with depression,” she said.
Almost one third of veterans within the VA health care system suffer from PTSD, which contributes to an individual’s risk of suicide, according to the VA. A veteran is 50% more likely to take his or her own life than a person who has never served in the military, the department said.
PTSD is a chronic mental health disorder that causes individuals to experience flashbacks, mood swings and extreme emotions when triggered by memories of traumatic events.
VA policy requires patients requesting or referred for mental health services receive an initial assessment within 24 hours and a full evaluation within 14 days.
Johnson said when she inquired about an appointment last month, there was no evaluation of her current mental health. She said she lived in her car until she had saved enough money from her monthly disability and pension checks for a down payment for an apartment.
Jon Retzer, assistant national legislative director for the Disabled American Veterans, said his organization supports Cartwright’s legislation for addressing hiring delays.
Retzer pointed to the 2023 inspector general’s report that showed nearly 75 of 139 VA health care facilities had a shortage of psychiatrists.
“This bill would allow the VA to directly hire psychiatrists who have completed residency at a VA facility, bypassing civil service or classification laws that can cause delays,” he said.
Psychiatrists still must meet educational requirements and credentials for employment, Retzer said.
“This bill could create a more efficient hiring process for psychiatrists trained by the VA, who are already culturally competent, to provide immediate clinical lifesaving services, including VA suicide prevention and lethal means safety counseling to veterans in need,” he said at a hearing last week of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s subpanel on health that examined several bills for improving medical services for veterans.
Residency programs represent a major source for hiring psychiatrists, said David Perry, chief officer of workforce management and consulting for the Veterans Health Administration.
But Perry could not provide numbers on how many psychiatrists are hired yearly through VA residency programs. He told House lawmakers that the VA believes Cartwright’s legislation is not needed.
“We have that authority now and have up to a year to identify psychiatrists in training and residency programs,” Perry said.
Yet the legislation has broad support from veterans organizations.
This bill has been endorsed by the American Veterans for Equal Rights, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Retired Enlisted Association, the Blinded Veterans Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“Being able to release my feelings to someone who understands my military background is important,” Johnson said about her psychiatric appointments. “When I am going through rough periods, my PTSD hits me a lot. It’s triggering. Not being able to make an appointment feels devastating. I do need to talk to someone sooner than June.”
]]>Col. Danzel Albertsen, commander of the 49th Maintenance Group, was relieved of duty Monday due to “loss of confidence in his ability to lead,” a statement from the service reads.
“This was a difficult decision to make, but one that is ultimately in the best interests of the unit,” said Col. Justin Spears, the 49th Wing commander.
Lt. Col. Kristen Torma, the deputy commander of the 49th Maintenance Group, will assume command of the unit effective immediately.
No other information regarding why Albertsen was relieved of duty was provided.
Under federal privacy law, military officials are not required to disclose the reasons for removing or reassigning personnel. Military officials often cite “a loss of confidence” when commanders are removed from their posts without providing any specifics that led to the decision.
Albertsen, a native of Saint Joseph, Mo., had been commander of the 49th Maintenance Group since June 2022. He oversaw the 49th Maintenance Group’s four squadrons and 2,100 maintenance personnel, according to his Air Force biography. The group was responsible for 82 F-16 fighter jets, 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones and 12 Ground Control Stations, totaling $2.5 billion in assets.
Albertsen enlisted in the Air Force in 1991 and spent 10 years as a maintenance crew chief. He was commissioned in 2001 through the service’s Officer Training School and has commanded squadrons. His awards and decorations include a Bronze Star and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.
]]>For the settlement, 98% of service members and veterans with claims had to agree to it. 3M, the Minnesota-based company that made the earplugs, announced Tuesday that 99% of claimants are on board.
3M denies liability but has agreed to the settlement, which will resolve all earplug-related claims in the federal multidistrict litigation and in Minnesota state court, according to the company. The case was one of the largest mass tort cases in U.S. history.
From 1999 to 2015, 3M and its subsidiary companies produced and sold the combat-arms earplug, which lawsuits have said slipped from the wearer’s ear, resulting in hearing loss and tinnitus, or a ringing of the ears.
Out of roughly 293,000 claims, more than 249,000 claimants have registered to participate in the settlement and more than 41,000 claims were dismissed, according to 3M. Final participation is expected to be about 99.9%.
“We are pleased that this settlement has received widespread acceptance from service members who experienced hearing damage from 3M’s defective earplugs,” said Bryan Aylstock, court-appointed lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “This result also rebukes the false premise that only contrived bankruptcies can provide defendants the finality they seek when their products injure people on a mass scale. As shown by the overwhelming positive response to this settlement program, a fair resolution through the civil justice system can provide both swift relief to victims and also give corporate defendants global peace.”
Prior to the settlement, some cases went to trial in federal court with mixed results. In most trials the jury sided with veterans with payouts between $880,000 to more than $50 million.
Under the agreement, 3M will pay the nearly 250,000 veterans up to $6 billion between 2023 and 2029, the company said. 3M and Aearo, its subsidiary responsible for the earplugs, have said each are working with insurance companies to offset a portion of the payments. However, that process is involved in a lawsuit filed in Delaware and arbitration proceedings.
Payouts will vary because each case is evaluated on a person’s medical records, according to a website dedicated to the settlement, which is being managed by the litigation management company BrownGreer. That website is www.combatarmssettlement.com.
If it were divided equally, payouts would be $24,000 per veteran.
]]>Federal agents believe that the unidentified patient at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center was killed by his roommate, Christopher Schweikart, who confessed to strangling the victim but gave conflicting reasons for why, according to court records.
The man was found dead March 16, according to a federal criminal complaint. Schweikart, 33, faces a first-degree murder charge and if found guilty could face up to life in prison or the death penalty.
“It is profoundly troubling that such a tragic event could occur within the walls of a facility meant to provide care and support to our nation’s veterans,” Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio and Rep. Brian Mast said in a Thursday letter to Denis McDonough, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The letter calls for a thorough investigation and leadership changes at the West Palm Beach VA hospital.
The victim was found next to a Bible with a handwritten inscription in black ink saying, “God, I have lived a good life, take me home,” according to an affidavit filed by an agent for the VA Inspector General.
But agents said the handwriting in the Bible matches Schweikart’s. A second Bible on his nightstand had similar handwriting and his name written inside, the affidavit said. Agents also found a black ink pen on Schweikart’s bed.
Surveillance videos do not show any other patient entering their shared room that night, the affidavit said.
Schweikart told two agents with the Department of Veterans Affairs that his roommate was talking about Vietnam and then entered their shared bathroom. Schweikart said this startled him, so he strangled his roommate, according to the affidavit.
He later told a nurse a similar but conflicting account of how he walked in on his roommate and surprised him before strangling him, the affidavit said.
Schweikart had his first appearance in federal court last week and was denied bail, court records show.
The VA medical center in West Palm Beach faced criticism in 2019 after a Veterans Affairs investigation found shortcomings in patient safety at the facility, including years of use of security cameras that didn’t work.
The 2019 report came after the suicide of an Army veteran, Brieux Dash, at the facility. In June 2023, Dash’s family reached a $5.75 million settlement with the U.S. government, The Washington Post reported.
]]>This move enables the German federal agency for real estate, which owns the decommissioned American military base, to actively pursue the sale and development on the open market.
Kaiserslautern remains in control of the urban development within the area through a zoning plan that aims to leverage the conversion of former military sites for commercial development to bolster Kaiserslautern’s economic landscape.
Currently, Kaiserslautern is conducting a traffic study to address connectivity concerns, while an environmental impact report is nearing completion, according to a statement.
The decision marks progress in the long-pending redevelopment of the former Quartermaster-Kaserne, due in part to challenges posed by soil contamination concerns.
]]>The same behavior was observed an hour earlier at the same location.
The witness was unable to track the man’s whereabouts afterward, but described him as approximately 20 to 30 years old, standing between 5’7” to 5’11” with short, light-colored hair, wearing a jogging pants and a black sweater.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact them at 0631 369-2620.
]]>SOCCER
Boys
American Overseas School of Rome 4, Marymount 2
Saturday at Rome
Halftime – Marymount 2-1. Goals – AOSR: Orlando Niolu 2, Riley Smith, Leone Maggi. Assists – AOSR: Edward Ferretto, Jacopo Giuffrida.
Girls
AOSR 1, Marymount 0
Saturday at Rome
Goals – Ariella Covalin.
]]>Scheduled for 2 p.m., the controlled detonation necessitates safety closures of roads, including nearby route B270, rail lines, and hiking trails in the vicinity, Westpfalz Police said.
Steinenschloss castle ruins will also be inaccessible during the demolition — but a small viewing area will be made accessible for hikers and onlookers.
]]>BASEBALL
Okinawa
Kadena 7, Uruma 0
Saturday at Kadena Air Base
W — Hajime Reed 5 IP (2 H, 3 BB, 4 SO). Batting — Panthers: Alexander Evans 3-3 (2B, 2 RBI), Kai Redden (3B, 3 RBI).
Uruma 9, Kadena 6
Saturday at Kadena Air Base
L — Drew Eaglin 3 IP (4 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 2 SO). Batting — Panthers: Ethan Ferch 3-3 (2B, 2 RBI), Josiah Stuits 2-4 (2B, 3 RBI).
Japan
St. Mary’s 11, Nile C. Kinnick 1
Friday at Tokyo
W — Rintaro Yamagami 5 IP CG (2 H, ER, 3 BB, 11 SO, WP); L — Arashi Blocton 0 IP (2 ER, 2 BB). Batting — Titans: Yamagami 3-3 (2B, 3B, 2 SB), Shota Kubota 3-4 (3 2B, 4 RBI), Munetada Suzuki 2-4 (2 RBI), Ty Tamagawa (2 RBI).
St. Mary’s 3, Kinnick 0
Friday at Tokyo
W — Suzuki 2 IP (3 H, BB, 6 SO); L — Hehn 2 IP (H, 2 SO, 3 WP, HBP).
SOCCER
Boys
Okinawa
Kadena 7, Shuri 0
Saturday at Kadena Air Base
First period — 1-0. Second period — 4-0. Goals — Tyler Smith 3 (14), Calvin Paguada (2), Allen Madlener (1), Gabriel Cedeno (1). Assists — Smith, Madlener, Tuck Renquist, Skylar Dluzeski.
]]>Read the reactions to the living conditions here.
]]>The upcoming launch may come as soon as early April, pending favorable weather conditions, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Jeon Ha Gyu said at a news briefing.
The launch will be South Korea’s second after it successfully placed a satellite into orbit Dec. 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.
That satellite is operating normally, and Seoul intends to place four more satellites into orbit by 2025 to better monitor North Korea, according to the South’s military.
North Korea intends to launch three satellites this year, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported in December. Of the three attempts by the communist regime last year to place a satellite into orbit, only the last, on Nov. 21, succeeded.
South Korea questions the capability of the North’s lone surveillance satellite. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik during a news conference Feb. 26 said “there are no signs” the North’s orbiting Malligyong-1 satellite is capable of transmitting images back to Pyongyang.
The North’s satellite launches are one catalyst for deteriorated relations between Seoul and Pyongyang. South Korea has repeatedly warned the North that technology used in its satellite launches violated U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting Pyongyang from testing ballistic missiles since 2006.
After the Malligyong-1 launch in November the South announced it would resume aerial reconnaissance operations previously banned under the Comprehensive Military Agreement, an inter-Korean accord designed to deescalate military tensions along the Korean Peninsula’s border.
North Korea responded by announcing it would scrap that agreement entirely and reinforce its troops stationed at the border with new weaponry.
On North Korea’s western coast, sections of the Sohae Satellite Launching Station’s tarmac were covered by a long material, possibly a tarp, in different configurations throughout this month, according to satellite images analyzed by 38 North, a Washington, D.C.-based North Korea monitoring group.
The group said on its website Monday that it was unclear what the changes signified but that “the pad likely remains ready to use when needed.”
]]>Jost, currently the commander of Joint Enabling Capabilities Command of U.S. Transportation Command, Norfolk, Va., would succeed Lt. Gen. Ricky Rupp, who steered USFJ through the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened activity across the region by China’s military.
The USFJ commander represents the U.S. military to the Japanese government and also leads 5th Air Force.
USFJ administers the status of forces agreement that spells out the rights and responsibilities of 66,000 Defense Department military personnel and civilian employees and 45,000 dependents in Japan. It also oversees military exercises between U.S. service branches and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
Jost’s nomination was announced the day after the Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported a DOD plan to restructure USFJ to strengthen its military planning capabilities and its ability to carry out military drills. The revamp is seen as the allies’ response to China’s growing military and its claims over Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are reportedly planning to announce the plan during their meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 10.
Jost’s nomination, which must be approved by the Senate, includes a promotion to lieutenant general. He is a 1994 graduate of the Air Force Academy with more than 2,700 flight hours, including in the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35A Lightning II multirole fighters.
According to his official Air Force biography posted online, Jost’s current responsibilities also include the Joint Planning Support Element at Norfolk and the Joint Communications Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. The Joint Enabling Capabilities Command helps stand up Joint Task Force headquarters in response to crises around the globe, his biography states.
In addition to service in Iraq and South Korea, Jost was stationed in Japan at Misawa Air Base from July 2011 to June 2012 as deputy commander of the 35th Operations Group and again from July 2012 to December 2012 as director of staff for the 35th Fighter Wing.
He has filled a succession of Pentagon staff roles since 2017, including operations division chief in the F-35 Integration Office, and director of that office from April 2018 to May 2019.
Rupp took command on Aug. 27, 2019, from Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, who called out North Korea, Russia and China as threats to regional security at the change of commander ceremony at Yokota Air Base, the airlift hub in western Tokyo where USFJ and 5th Air Force are headquartered.
]]>Soldiers of the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division and South Korean troops of the 5th Engineer Brigade assembled a ribbon bridge over the Imjin River near Paju-si, a city in Gyeonggi province, on March 20. Paju-si is within 5 miles of the heavily guarded border, although the exercise took place further away.
Cargo trucks and CH-47 Chinook helicopters delivered the bridge sections, which the engineers moved into place and assembled using small boats.
Once in place, the bridge provided a pathway across the river for armored transport vehicles, air defense systems and tanks, as part of the exercise.
]]>The fighter base in northeastern Japan closed its gates at 2:25 p.m. Monday while an explosive ordnance disposal team responded to the discovery near the Kamakita gate on the base’s northwest side, according to a post on Misawa’s official Facebook page that day.
The gates reopened 17 minutes later, according to a subsequent Facebook post.
In the meantime, EOD personnel identified the object as a training munition left over from a recent readiness training exercise, according to an unsigned email from a base spokesperson to Stars and Stripes on Monday.
Misawa Air Base uses props and inert munitions to practice procedures and enhance operational readiness in as realistic a manner as possible, the spokesperson said.
The 35th Civil Engineer Squadron, which includes the EOD technicians, most recently took part in the three-day Habu exercise in January, which brought technicians from air bases in Japan, Guam and South Korea to Misawa for training, according to a base news release Jan. 26.
This year Misawa for the first time hosted the large-scale Habu exercise, according to the release. EOD technicians worked in cold weather through several scenarios, testing their procedures for handling explosive devices, unexploded ordnance, grenades and booby traps, according to the release.
]]>Sgt. Kylie De La Roche, of the 498th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the Materiel Support Command-Korea, walked away with three silver medals and one gold medal after the event at the MacLaughlin Fitness Center on Fort Gregg-Adams, Va., from March 1 to 8.
De La Roche, a native of San Diego, won silver medals for pastry chef of the year, cold table for plated desserts and mini finger desserts. She took gold in the mobile kitchen trailer event, according to a March 19 news release from Maj. Javon Starnes, spokesman for the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, South Korea.
The Joint Culinary Training Exercise is the largest military culinary competition in North America and has been held every year since 1973, except for 1991 and 2003, during Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the Army Quartermaster Corps website.
De La Roche began competing on culinary teams in 2022, when she was encouraged by her mentor Master Sgt. Joshua Babcock to join the team at Fort Liberty, N.C., she told Stars and Stripes
In Virginia her biggest fan watched while De La Roche cooked up her wins. Sgt. De La Roche looked up during the competition to see her mother, Kenya De La Roche, seated in the audience.
“This year was the first year she came to see me compete. She flew to Virginia from California just to watch me,” Sgt. De La Roche said.
“It’s been a year since I’ve seen her. She’d heard about everything, but this was the first time she’d seen me in action,” the sergeant said.
Her mother’s presence helped De La Roche push past the nerves she said are part of the event.
“It was unique and nerve-wracking seeing everyone compete, seeing everyone’s pace and the team events. It was exciting and nervous at the same time,” De La Roche said.
The Daegu culinary team strategy for the competition was to divide and conquer, De La Roche said.
“Sgt. Derell Warfield, one of my teammates, assisted me with baking pastries even though his specialty was entrees,” she said. “This assistance helped me to prepare more efficiently.”
The Daegu team scored highest overall in the nutrition and student team categories; the Army won installation of the year, earning the most medals and top scores overall.
For the pastry chef of the year award, De La Roche made a strawberry coulis, a lemon-blueberry sorbet, a tuile, lime and basil cake with macerated berries, piped chocolate, pineapple curd, lime mousse, and coconut mousse. For the finger foods, she made pistachio truffles, chocolate Nutella cake, lemon-blueberry macarons and chocolate strawberry butterflies.
The third silver medal was for the four-plated dessert within the cold-plate category. The first plate was a chocolate-layered dome mousse with a tuile. The next was a cheesecake with a variety of macerated fruit. The third plate was a Neapolitan pyramid mousse served with vanilla bean ice cream on top of pistachios and mangoes. The fourth plate was a chocolate strawberry layered cake served with strawberry ice cream. The ice cream contained dragon fruit and diced kiwi.
For the gold medal, she made vanilla bean ice cream over crushed pistachios with a thin layer of white cake and a thin layer of caramel panna cotta. She served the dessert with a thin slice of bourbon pie filling rolled in phyllo dough.
]]>The Stratofortress bombers, assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing from Barksdale Air Force Base, were deployed to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia as part of the ongoing bomber task force missions by Pacific Air Forces.
“Bomber task force missions showcase our capability for rapid deployment in support of the combatant commander’s objectives,” Maj. Joshua Dawkins, director of operations for the 96th Bomb Squadron, said in an Air Force news release Friday.
The deployment allows the bombers to respond to “any potential crisis or challenge across the globe” at a time when the security environment “is more diverse and uncertain than at any other time in recent history.”
Diego Garcia was a key logistical hub during America’s 20-year military intervention in Afghanistan. Located centrally in the Indian Ocean, the island served as launch point for bombing missions during the conflict.
The island could play a larger role for the U.S. as tensions rise in the Middle East with Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip and an upsurge in missile strikes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships passing through the Gulf of Aden.
An undisclosed number of B-1B bombers and about 200 airmen deployed to Diego Garcia for a bomber task force mission in October 2021, the first time Lancers had operated there in more than 15 years.
Bombers are more routinely deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam for bomber task force missions.
Diego Garcia is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Under a lease with the U.K. that will expire in 2036, the U.S. operates Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia on the island.
The installation hosts units from the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Space Force, as well from the Royal Navy.
The island has been mired in controversy since the late 1960s when the British expelled the roughly 2,000 inhabitants of Diego Garcia to clear the way for construction of the joint U.K.-U.S. military base.
Most of those ousted inhabitants ended up in Mauritius and the Seychelles, where many have for decades petitioned to return to the island.
Mauritius maintains it has sovereignty over the entire British Indian Ocean Territory, which is made up of roughly 1,000 mostly tiny islands.
In late 2022, U.K. and Mauritius officials announced they were beginning negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues on the territory.
The London-based Telegraph newspaper reported in December that a plan to turn over territory to Mauritius had been scrapped after objections to the turnover by Grant Shapps, Britain’s defense secretary.
]]>Army Command Sgt. Maj. Robert M. Patterson and Col. Walter J. Marm Jr. participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Monday as part of a visit by MOH recipients to the cemetery to mark the day, according to a post on Arlington National Cemetery’s Facebook page.
March 25 is designated as National Medal of Honor Day. The annual day, first observed in 1991, “provides an opportunity for Medal of Honor Recipients and the public alike to pause and reflect on the importance of service and sacrifice,” according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
The date holds special significance, as the first Medal of Honor was presented to Army Pvt. Jacob Parrott on that day in 1863. Five other members of Andrews’ Raiders — a group of soldiers who carried out a plan by civilian scout and spy James J. Andrews to destroy the Western and Atlantic Railroad and cut off supplies and reinforcements to the Confederate Army — also would receive the Medal of Honor that day.
This year, Medal of Honor recipients spent several days participating in community outreach activities and events across the country, including a memorial service at the Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis and a visit to Fort Belvoir in partnership with the USO, according to the Medal of Honor Society.
]]>Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Elijah Riddle, 30, was found unresponsive in the berthing area of the Halsey on March 16 while the ship was underway in the Indian Ocean, according to the 7th Fleet, which is responsible for operations in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans. Efforts to revive Riddle were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead.
“A Special Psychiatric Rapid Intervention Team has been deployed to the ship, and grief and counseling services are being provided to our sailors,” the 7th Fleet said.
The statement did not provide further information about Riddle’s death, which is under investigation.
“Throughout his life, Elijah possessed an unwavering commitment to his loved ones,” his obituary reads. “His kindness knew no bounds, and he approached every interaction with empathy and compassion. Whether it was lending a helping hand or offering words of encouragement, Elijah’s presence had a remarkable impact on those fortunate enough to cross his path.”
The Halsey is part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which deployed to the Pacific in January. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is based out of San Diego.
Riddle is at least the second sailor in recent weeks to die aboard a Navy warship.
Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oriola Michael Aregbesola, 34, died Wednesday after being lost overboard in a noncombat-related incident aboard the USS Mason. The incident is under investigation, the Defense Department said Saturday.
The Navy in a statement did not say whether Aregbesola jumped or fell into the Red Sea.
The Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group. The group deployed from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in mid-October and are postured in and near the Red Sea to deter aggression from Iranian-backed Houthi militants determined to disrupt commercial shipping in the region.
]]>That now-famous cookie is bestowed daily by Capt. Chris Hill, the ship’s commanding officer, to unsuspecting sailors and chronicled on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the world to see.
It isn’t just a treat. It’s sweet recognition, tangible evidence that Hill and other commanding officers across 20 departments on the Eisenhower value and appreciate the sailors’ individual contributions, no matter their rank or rate.
“I want the world to see what these young folks are doing,” said Hill, whose X account, @ChowdahHill, has more than 66,200 followers. “It’s amazing.”
In other words, their jobs, no matter how seemingly unrelated to the F/A-18 Super Hornets and other aircraft that take off from the carrier day and night, are vital to the mission.
“If I’m going to create morale, I need to make sure that everyone feels loved and valued,” Hill said. “I need to make sure everybody has a mission of purpose.
“I need to create winning environments. This creates morale; morale leads to success.”
Building and maintaining that esprit de corps isn’t easy for any manager, military or otherwise, even in the best of circumstances. But the job is made harder by an unrelenting operational tempo, which has kept the Eisenhower at sea for nearly five months without a port call.
That’s not normal. Typically, carriers make port calls every 30 to 45 days to give sailors needed stress relief from their jobs.
But since Dec. 31, Eisenhower has launched about 100 flights daily, six to seven days a week for a variety of missions, such as intercepting Houthi missiles and drones, destroying the group’s military sites in Yemen or defending the ship.
The carrier, along with accompanying destroyers and other units, also is under threat of near-daily Houthi attacks. For example, the destroyer USS Laboon was targeted by a close-range ballistic missile attack on March 12.
There were no injuries, and the ship wasn’t damaged, U.S. Central Command said at the time.
While the Navy is built for this type of combat, sustaining those operations for months without a port call is unusual — and grueling, officials said.
Absent the diversion, Eisenhower officials have worked to improve the quality of sailors’ lives in other ways, notably with the addition of onboard Wi-Fi.
The capability allows the crew to talk more regularly with family and friends via WhatsApp or Facetime while allowing other internet access.
While many Navy ships offer internet, access can be limited. Outside a port call, sailors can find it challenging to send emails, post on social media or make a phone call to stay in touch with family and friends.
For Hill, the addition of Wi-Fi was a game changer. It offered an opportunity not only to shout out sailors for their accomplishments but also to connect with their families.
It also was a way to showcase to a wider audience the capabilities of crew members, many tasked with significant responsibilities, such as “running a nuclear power plant on an aircraft carrier in a combat zone,” Hill said.
Careful attention also is paid to ensuring that sailors are scheduled to get about eight hours of sleep daily. Emergencies, alert launches and other problems can sometimes interfere with that goal, Hill noted.
Getting adequate rest “is important because if you don’t get good sleep … your response time decreases, your mood decreases; it affects relationships; it starts to break down unit cohesion,” Hill said.
He added that a better strategy “is to take away the enemy’s sleep, not our own sleep.”
Servicewide, shipboard sailors on average get about 5.25 hours of sleep, well below the minimum 7.5 hours required by policy, according to a Government Accountability Office report released in October.
The report found that the Navy still hadn’t remedied high workloads caused by undercrewing and poor-quality mattresses, two of the biggest causes of sailor fatigue, Stars and Stripes reported at the time.
In addition to Wi-Fi, the ship holds hundreds of events, such as art sessions, bingo and a singing competition.
The ship also tries to set aside a day each week or every two weeks to allow sailors access to the deck so they can exercise or relax in the sun. Some crew members don’t see the sun for weeks, he said.
Those efforts are winning the confidence of sailors, who say they respect Hill’s leadership style. Navy officials asked reporters aboard the ship not to name the sailors other than senior leaders, because of concerns that they could be targeted by terrorist groups. In a pamphlet handed out to crew members and others who come aboard Eisenhower, Hill outlines his command philosophy.
“Toxicity leads to sailor attrition and weakens us in battle,” Hill wrote. “I cannot afford to lose a single sailor — every one of them matters to the mission.”
]]>U.S. troops have been on the ground supporting the Kosovo Force, or KFOR, ever since. And while the overall security situation has improved greatly over the years, there are concerns that renewed unrest could make it more dangerous for those deployed here.
Late last month, Texas Army National Guard soldiers handed over leadership of Regional Command East’s headquarters at Camp Bondsteel to the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Outgoing commander Col. Ross Walker of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team told Stars and Stripes that the command is “postured to handle anything right now.”
When asked whether he thought Kosovo had become a more dangerous deployment for troops, he said, “the short answer would be no,” adding that most Kosovars, regardless of their ethnicity, respect the peacekeepers’ presence.
Nevertheless, analysts and others in Kosovo are concerned that ongoing tensions could lead to further clashes and possibly spiral into a larger armed conflict, which peacekeepers could get dragged into.
Kosovo for many Serbians remains a part of their national identity, and a 1389 Serbian victory over the Ottoman Empire in Kosovo is a prominent part of nationalist folklore.
Most ethnic Serbs in Kosovo don’t accept Pristina’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia and still see Belgrade as their capital. They’ve been calling for more autonomy.
Last April, they refused to participate in local elections, and ethnic Albanians, who make up more than 90% of Kosovo’s population, won seats in several Serb-majority municipalities.
The results led to protests at government buildings. In May, ethnic Serbs attacked and injured dozens of KFOR soldiers protecting the buildings. No American soldiers were hurt, but three Hungarian troops were shot and one had his leg amputated.
Months later, a shootout in September between dozens of heavily armed Serbian nationalist militants and Kosovo special forces in the northern village of Banjska left an officer and three gunmen dead, in what’s been described as one of the most significant security incidents in the western Balkans in more than a decade.
Kosovo’s interior minister Xhelal Svecla told The Associated Press at the time that a large cache of weapons had been found and that the gunmen had planned to arm hundreds of people, with the intention of seceding.
Svecla accused Serbia of direct involvement, a claim Belgrade denied.
“There is still a lot that’s unclear about what exactly was happening there,” Marko Prelec, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said in a telephone interview. “And it’s still too soon to say that it’s over.”
Prelec believes there will be “a plausible threat” to safety and security in Kosovo for at least another year.
KFOR is the third security responder in Kosovo after the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law mission, respectively.
Kosovars generally respect NATO peacekeepers, as they don’t take a position on Kosovo’s independence, Prelec said, echoing Walker’s assessment.
A handful of countries supporting KFOR, including Greece and Romania, don’t recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty.
While ethnic Serbs may not be pro-NATO, many appear to see the international peacekeepers as filling a trust gap between their communities and Kosovo government forces.
On a patrol in late February, U.S. soldiers were warmly welcomed by people in Babush, an ethnic-Serbian enclave in Ferizaj municipality.
The soldiers were part of a liaison monitoring team. They go out, listen to residents’ concerns and try to help find solutions to problems. These problems are often non-political, like figuring out how to fix a building at risk of collapsing.
The monitoring teams complement KFOR squads that are focused on reacting quickly to potential violence.
First Lt. Joseph Mabry, who led the liaison team in Ferizaj, said community engagement can go a long way in maintaining peace.
“The ability for us to support the people here is what builds that sense of community and stability that will build a better future,” Mabry said.
But at the moment, Kosovo’s future looks uncertain.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Albin Kurti posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, which he said showed Serbian troops near a Kosovo border area and accused Belgrade of “waiting for the best possible opportunity to invade.”
Serbia’s Defense Ministry rejected the claim as disinformation.
The situation nearly a year after the KFOR troops were injured remains fragile, according to NATO, which says it will keep about 1,000 more peacekeepers in Kosovo indefinitely as a result.
The additional personnel “quadrupled KFOR’s presence in northern Kosovo and tripled the number of patrols,” NATO said in a statement following a Stars and Stripes query.
But after a quarter-century, some critics question whether peacekeeping is the most effective use of U.S. troops.
“It’s not a very good use of American taxpayers’ money, or the forces they raise, to have them sitting there doing community tasks,” said Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. “We need a military to do military things, not pretend that they are the Peace Corps.”
Today, the number of KFOR troops sits at a little over 4,600, including about 600 Americans.
Bandow believes European allies could cover the relatively modest number of U.S. troops and that now would be an appropriate time for NATO to hand over its longest-standing mission to the European Union.
But Marta Kepe, a senior defense analyst at Rand Corp., says the U.S. military has a strong symbolic value for Kosovo that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Opinion polls show the U.S. is the most trusted international actor in Kosovo, and Americans on the ground, including soldiers, have a unique position of trust, which could be useful as security concerns start to grow again 25 years into the mission.
“We have a high respect for KFOR,” teacher Ismet Balaj said during a visit by soldiers to his school in an ethnic Albanian village in Ferizaj. “Especially for American KFOR.”
]]>Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that two sappers with a chemical regiment died in Solarnia in the southern region of Silesia.
“In these tragic moments, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the soldiers,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The deaths follow another training tragedy among Polish soldiers earlier this month. In that case, a military tracked vehicle ran over two soldiers during a drill at a test range in the northwestern town of Drawsko Pomorskie. Both soldiers died.
]]>Attendees are expected to gather along Im Altenhof street and begin a protest march at 11:00 a.m., followed by a rally at the same location at 11:30 a.m.
Advocating for a world free of warfare, militarism and violence, organizers in a statement called for immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations, particularly in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East.
The demonstration also underscores opposition to armed drones, arms exports, nuclear weapons, and calls for the redirection of military expenditures towards civilian, social and humanitarian purposes, according to a statement by event organizers, including Peace Initiative Westpfalz and Women for Peace.
]]>Read the article and see additional photos here.
]]>The incident Saturday took place near Second Thomas Shoal and resulted in “significant damage” to a Philippine supply ship and injuries to Filipino personnel, according to a Saturday statement from the Philippines’ National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
Afterward, ambassadors from Europe and North America called for a peaceful resolution and restraint in a flurry of posts to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday and Sunday.
“Dangerous maneuvers and the repeated use of water cannons by Chinese vessels against Philippines vessels today endangered lives and pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability,” wrote David Hartman, Canada’s ambassador to the Philippines, in a Saturday post to X. “We urge the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.”
The U.S. also condemned China’s actions as “destabilizing to the region” and which shows “a clear disregard for international law,” according to a statement Saturday from the State Department.
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, in a post Saturday on X, said Beijing has repeatedly used similar actions to disrupt the Philippines’ lawful activities in the region.
Second Thomas Shoal, known in the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal and in China as Ren’ai Reef, is a flashpoint between the two countries since the Philippines intentionally grounded the World War II-era ship BRP Sierra Madre on the feature in 1999.
Similar incidents have taken place over the past decade, with recent episodes on March 5 and Aug. 5.
The U.S. is bound by treaty to defend the Philippines in the case of armed conflict, but the use of less lethal weapons like water cannons is likely to keep the issue “short of conflict,” according to Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
China “is aware of U.S. treaty obligations and is likely to avoid escalation and a major confrontation with the United States if it can help it,” he told Stars and Stripes by email Monday.
If deaths occur because of Chinese actions, however, then “all bets are off,” and “Philippine public sentiment and pressure may demand greater resolve” from the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Chong said.
In 2016, an international tribunal determined the shoal is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China continues to dispute the ruling.
On Saturday, numerous ambassadors to the Philippines, including German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke, Dutch Ambassador Marielle Geraedts and French Ambassador Marie Fontanel called on Beijing to respect that ruling.
“We oppose any threat or use of force contrary to international law and recall the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue. We also recall the decision rendered by the Arbitral Court on July 12, 2016,” Fontanel said in a Saturday post to X.
Beijing defended its actions. Wu Qian, spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said China’s response was “reasonable, lawful, professional and standard,” and that the incident was “entirely provoked by the Philippines,” the Chinese state-sponsored news agency China Military Online said Sunday.
]]>The government observes West Sea Defense Day on the fourth Friday of March to memorialize the 55 South Korean troops who were killed between 2002 and 2010 in the West Sea, also known as the Yellow Sea, near the Northern Limit Line, the unofficial maritime border dividing the Korean Peninsula.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs marked the occasion by commissioning a display of 55 lights shining skyward to honor the service members at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon city, roughly 80 miles south of Seoul.
Speaking at South Korea’s 2nd Fleet Command headquarters in Pyeongtaek city Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeoul said he expressed his “deepest sympathy” to the families and comrades of the sailors and marines who were killed in the Yellow Sea by North Korean forces.
“My government and I will remember and never forget the heroes of the West Sea,” Yoon said in a televised speech. “We once again commemorate the 55 proud heroes who defended the West Sea, who deeply engraved the spirit of freedom and patriotism in the hearts of the people.”
The first skirmish took place on June 29, 2002, when two North Korean patrol boats crossed the maritime border and opened fire on pursuing South Korean patrol boats. Six South Korean sailors and an estimated 30 North Koreans were killed in the fight, according to the South’s navy.
The second incident occurred on March 26, 2010, when the Pohang-class corvette Cheonan was hit and sunk by a North Korean torpedo, killing 46 sailors, according to an international investigation. A South Korean navy diver later drowned while searching for missing sailors from the Cheonan.
Eight months after the Cheonan’s sinking, North Korean forces fired roughly 170 artillery rounds at the South’s Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians on Nov. 23, 2010.
Yoon described the incidents as a “cruel provocation” by the North and called for the South’s people to “unite their hearts to encourage and support our military.”
Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs vice minister Lee Hee-wan, a retired navy captain, was aboard a South Korean patrol boat during the naval battle in June 2002. He was shot in both legs during the fight and his right leg was amputated.
“[West Sea Defense Day] is a day for the entire nation to cherish the noble sacrifices of the soldiers who defended the territorial waters of [South Korea], making it an exceptionally monumental day in the history of national defense,” Lee said in a written interview with Stars and Stripes on Friday.
Lee said he believed North Korea “will not abandon its provocations” but added there was a “clear answer” on how the South should respond.
“By standing united as a nation and showing a consistent front, we can demonstrate that we are neither intimidated nor shaken, thereby weakening the motivation behind North Korea’s provocations,” Lee said.
Lee said he often thinks about the South Korean sailors and marines killed in the last two decades and that it was his duty to support their surviving family members.
“When I think of the bereaved families of my comrades, my heart always aches,” he said. “The grief of losing a beloved son, husband, father may never fade no matter how much time passes but I want to say, ‘We, the surviving brothers and sisters in arms, will be here to support you.’”
]]>The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, which administers the Ben Eielson school, decided March 19 to close the school when classes end in May.
“I recognize the closing of Ben Eielson Jr/Sr High is incredibly hard news for impacted students, families, and staff,” Luke Meinert, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District superintendent, said in a news release Wednesday. “This wasn’t an easy choice for the school board and I know the deep sense of loss and uncertainty it may cause families and staff.”
Eielson Air Force Base commander Col. Paul Townsend expressed disappointment over the school board’s decision in a statement Thursday.
“I share your disappointment with the decision to close our school,” Townsend said in a news release. “We did our best as a community to influence the final decision but the inability of the district to find a solution to the budget shortfalls ultimately drove the closure decision.”
Ben Eielson is the second base school to close recently. The school district in 2022 shuttered Anderson Elementary School and moved its kindergarten and first grade to another base school, Crawford Elementary. The schools on Eielson Air Force Base are administered by the local school district, not the Department of Defense Education Activity.
The high school has 365 students and employs 44 faculty and staff, Ben Eielson’s school liaison program manager, Earnest Kincade, told Stars and Stripes by email March 8. Ben Eielson students would transfer to North Pole Middle School and High School.
Closing junior-senior high school, which includes grades six through 12, would save the school district $2 million a year and $13.9 million in needed facility repairs, according to an Alaska Public Media report last month.
The district is facing a budget deficit of between $16 million and $29 million, depending on how much funding it receives from the state and borough, Meinert said in a Feb. 7 news release. The school district receives approximately 60% of its funding from the state through a per student allocation that has not seen a meaningful increase since 2017, Meinert said.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed Senate Bill 140, which would have raised the base student allocation by 11.5%, or $680 per student, but would have left the school district with a $21 million deficit.
“After a thorough analysis and careful consideration, I have decided to veto Senate Bill 140,” Dunleavy said in a March 15 post on X, formerly Twitter. “Although I SUPPORT an increase to the BSA – there were no new approaches, other than enhanced funding, to increase educational outcomes.”
]]>The aim is to boost military planning and drills involving the allies, according to the newspaper, which did not reveal its sources. The two leaders will announce the plan during a meeting April 10 at the White House, the newspaper said.
U.S. Forces Japan, headquartered at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, referred queries Monday to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. A spokesman for the office, John Supple, by email to Stars and Stripes declined to comment on the newspaper’s report.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi during a Monday news conference said he is aware of the reports but declined to comment.
Discussions are underway between Japan and the United States about strengthening cooperation on command and control to improve their militaries’ readiness, training methods and ability to use each other’s equipment, Hayashi said.
Japan is working to create its own unified command capable of central, operational control over the three Self-Defense Forces – air, maritime and ground - by March 2025.
“I understand that nothing has been decided at this point regarding the structure of the U.S. side, including strengthening the functions of the U.S. Forces Japan Headquarters,” Hayashi said.
Japan has ramped up its military spending in recent years in response to a Chinese military build-up and a pledge by Chinese President Xi Jinping to reunify the democratic, self-governing island of Taiwan with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Restructuring the U.S. military command in Japan could result in a combined U.S.-Japanese headquarters, according to security experts.
That would put U.S. and Japanese officers together coordinating training, drills, patrols and plans related to Japan’s defense, Grant Newsham, a retired Marine colonel and senior researcher with the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo, said by email Monday.
“One wonders if the two sides will come up with an interim - and more immediate response - say, combining naval forces to a greater degree,” he said.
Alternatively, the two sides could try to perfect the concept before moving, which could mean a delay of five to 10 years, he said.
“One doesn’t really get a sense of urgency on either side -- and especially from the Pentagon,” he said. “Meanwhile, the PRC (China) and PLA (Chinese military) aren’t standing still.”
There has been talk for years about improving the U.S.-Japan alliance, Brad Glosserman, deputy director and visiting professor at the Center for Rule-Making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo, said by email Monday.
He said the Combined Forces Command, the command that unifies U.S. Forces Korea with the South Korean armed forces, is one model.
The Combined Forces Command is led by USFK commander Gen. Paul LaCamera, with a South Korean deputy commander, and would serve as the operational headquarters for all U.S. and South Korean forces in a conflict.
The push for a combined headquarters in Japan is shaped by concerns about the defense of Taiwan, added James Brown, an international affairs expert at Temple University’s Japan campus.
The two allies don’t need to amend their mutual defense treaty in order to restructure the U.S. command, he said by email the same day.
“An important change in that regard has already occurred with the reinterpretation of the (Japanese) constitution to permit collective self-defense,” he said. “Rather, this is about making organizational changes to enable the alliance to function more effectively in a crisis.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
]]>The Air Force Credentialing Opportunities On-Line, or AFCOOL, updated its program requirements for voluntary credentialing programs, Air Force spokeswoman Master Sgt. Deana Heitzman told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday.
“We removed rank requirements for those seeking leadership credentials,” Heitzman said. “However, the member must meet credentialing agency requirements and have approval to test.”
The programs and certifications are offered by outside, civilian agencies.
The program allows a maximum $4,500 per individual airmen or guardian to earn certifications related to their jobs or leadership and one certification unrelated to their primary job, according to the Air Force Virtual Education Center website. The changes were made Feb. 28, according to the Air Force e-publishing website.
One popular credential, Project Management Professional, or PMP, is an advanced level credential for professionals who lead and direct projects and demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, an understanding of technical processes and the business environment, according to the Air Force Virtual Education Center website.
“Previous policy restricted leadership credentials (which included PMP) to E-7 and above, but many Airmen and Guardians become leaders as early as E-5,” Heitzman said. “We also recognize leadership skills, training, and credentials provide value at any stage of a member’s career.”
Another program change means that service members within 180 days of separating or retiring are no longer required to pay out-of-pocket for credentials then wait to be reimbursed upon completion of the course, Heitzman said.
Sierra Rathbun got her PMP certification before separating from the Air Force in 2023.
“It’s not a golden ticket,” she told Stars and Stripes by Facebook messenger on Wednesday.
“I paired it with my [master of business administration] and it was a nice resume booster for future employers,” she said. “You need experience to pair with it and back it. Most military members though have the experience.”
In fiscal year 2022, the AFCOOL program enrolled 4,779; that number jumped in fiscal 2023 to 5,597, according to Heitzman.
The top four most popular certification programs for AFCOOL are Project Management Professional, Certified Associate of Project Management, Federal Aviation Administration Mechanic Certification with Airframe and Powerplant Rating and CompTIA Security+, Heitzman said.
The PMP, along with other leadership credentials such as the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, CompTIA Project+ and Resilience-Building Leadership Professional, are now available to all Airmen and Guardians, regardless of rank, she said.
“In addition, this policy change aligns with the Department’s mission to develop personnel and cultivate Mission Ready Airmen with diverse skillsets and capabilities,” Heitzman said.
]]>The section recently purchased two Packbots 525 and one Kobra to aid in recovery, removal and disposal of explosive ordnance, a Yuma Proving Ground news release announced.
The Packbot, the smaller of the two robots, can relay real-time audio, video and sensor data to an operator at safe distance and is controlled via a touchscreen-based tablet system, according to a fact sheet from manufacturer Teledyne FLIR. The Kobra can lift up to 330 pounds and reach up to 138 inches, according to Teledyne FLIR.
Each model has three or four cameras to provide different angles, and a camera that rotates back to serve as a backup camera, the release said.
Technicians with the section are all former military members who attended explosive ordnance disposal school, and the robots are the “Army standard” currently used in the field, a Yuma Proving Ground news release said.
“A lot of us used these in the military,” Ammunition Recovery Technician Brittan Forster said in the release. “At least the smaller one, the exact same one is utilized in the military so if you got out in the last five to ten years, nine times out of 10 you used that on a deployment or stateside training with your unit.”
Recovery teams can use tablets to view the high-definition color images from the robots’ cameras. The team lead is able to monitor the mission from another location and provide guidance if needed. The team has a Robot Operations Trailer that travels to test sites with a command center used to monitor the test site, according to the release.
“Each one of these will link to any one of robots, which is something new,” Ammunition Recovery Operations Chief Josh Laudermilk said. “The older robots had their individual systems, and they were big heavy and bulky. These are small easy to transport, ready to go.”
With these capabilities, the team can use the robots to lift items for inspection or to drag ammunition away to allow a safety buffer.
“We utilize the robots to move items to a safe disposal area, safe holding area, or remote disassembly area,” Laudermilk said. “We can also move explosive charges to the item and blow it in place if necessary.”
]]>On Friday, Frazier was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, according to a Marine Corps news release. The medal recognizes a sailor or Marine for noncombat heroic action, outstanding achievement or meritorious service.
In May 2022, Frazier, an intel instructor with Marine Corps Detachment Dam Neck, Va., was driving north on Interstate 64 when he spotted a man on a bridge who appeared ready to jump. Frazier pulled over and dialed 911.
Then he joined a woman already on the scene who was attempting to talk the man off the ledge.
“It was just one of those sixth-sense moments,” said Frazier, who soon recognized the man as a fellow Marine. “I made the initial report to first responders and engaged the situation after the woman was pushed away multiple times.”
Frazier grabbed the Marine’s left arm and leveraged his bodyweight backward to prevent him from jumping.
“I remember seeing the ocean,” Frazier recalled of the moment when they teetered close to the edge of the bridge, only the water below. Even though the man attempted to break free multiple times, Frazier brought him back from the ledge.
Frazier says he connected with the Marine by discussing military life and their shared experiences.
“I was a young Marine at one point in my career, too,” Frazier reflected. “We talked about hometowns and how his younger siblings needed him as a mentor.”
When first responders arrived, Frazier stayed involved, making sure his fellow Marine was safe.
Frazier attributes the successful encounter to the training, critical thinking skills and military leadership instilled in him by the Marine Corps.
Receiving the medal, Frazier said, gives him the chance to advocate for the importance of looking out for one another.
“As Marines, we need to hold the brotherhood and sisterhood principles in combat, to the garrison setting,” he said.
You are never alone. If you need help or just a friendly ear, Dial 988 and Press 1.
]]>The team of six is on a tight deadline and racing to make final adjustments and improvements for a world championship in robotics.
At the heart of their work is a small robot; it’s a complex amalgamation of metal frames, wheels and an intricate network of wires that seem to defy order but bring coordinated life into the construct.
Amid this organized chaos, team leader Deylan Acasio is the picture of concentration. Hunched over a laptop, he sends a flurry of commands to the robot.
With a final keystroke, a wheel atop the robot spins. It’s the launcher for a paper airplane, a critical element in their strategy to conquer the latest challenge set forth by the First Tech Challenge World Championships.
During regional qualifiers against 21 other teams, the Ramstein Royals Robotics team recently clinched a spot for the FTC World Championships in Houston slated for April 17-20.
The six-member team of Acasio, Gwyn Cedarholm, Julia Adkins, Michael Sorensen, Douglas Morris and Xander Sanchez, is poised to represent the school and community on an international stage, competing against what organizers boast are some of the best young minds from around the globe.
This year, the FTC has posed a daunting task for competitors: create robots capable of navigating a field of obstacles to collect, transport and stack small hexagonal donut discs, dubbed “pixels.”
These plastic pieces, which roughly fit in the palm of a hand, must be carried across a designated game area, maneuvering under bars or flipping a one-way gate, to be stacked on a near-vertical board on the other side.
Teams aim to arrange these pixels into mosaics or in specified collection areas for additional points.
But the challenge doesn’t end there. Once the stacking time is over, the robots must launch a paper airplane beyond a certain threshold, then clinch onto a raised bar to lift themselves off the ground.
This multifaceted challenge demands a robot that is not only fast and precise but also lightweight and compact. What started as sketches in a notebook six months ago is now a buzzing little vehicle that propelled the team to the international stage.
“We designed the robot to be faster (than in previous designs) in order to sprint across the field and get as many pixels in as possible,” Acasio said. “It’s really quite difficult to configure to do all these tasks well.”
Now his team is working to add enhanced vision and object detection capabilities to their robot to garner points for autonomous operation, Acasio said.
The robotics team has embraced these challenges with excitement and determination, said coach Alfredo Rios, a mathematics teacher and Air Force veteran who has been guiding the team for the last three years.
“This year is pretty much one of the hardest challenges we’ve seen, but it’s fun, a lot of fun,” Rios said.
Alongside fellow championship-bound team Wiesbaden, the Royals secured their ticket to the international competition with superior design, documentation and teamwork, which won the competition’s “inspire” award.
The competition’s structure adds another layer of complexity, testing their ability to work as a cohesive unit, as teams are paired with an “ally” for each match.
These alliances are formed without prior knowledge of who they will be paired with or how their ally’s robot functions. This unpredictability forces teams to design robots with versatility in mind.
“The competitors so far have been really nice, and we’re able to work with other teams to see and learn from what they’re doing,” Cedarholm said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to help out others and get help and see what might work with our design.”
All of the team members, ranging in age from 15 to 17, are interested in careers in science, technology and engineering, they say, although most don’t yet know where their academic journey is going to lead.
“Being in a group like this, where we can collaborate and problem solve is really helpful no matter where we go in life, I think,” Adkins said.
The upcoming journey to Houston represents a substantial financial undertaking. While the Department of Defense Education Activity covered much of the $4,000 robot construct, at DOD schools the students can’t represent sponsors the way students at other schools can in order to raise travel funds.
“What’s special about these guys is that they’ve done all of it on their own,” Rios said.
The team received support from private organizations on base, including the Ramstein enlisted spouses club, but still hopes for support from the military community on the way to the $12,000 the team will need to travel to the championships.
“We’re just really excited to go to internationals and to learn a lot over there while having some fun,” Adkins said. “And I hope that we can build the program here even stronger for the next year based on our experiences there.”
]]>It left a big impression on Sanders, a 12-year-old Ramstein student. Instead of trash-talking like the previous two contestants, Sanders stayed humble when asked how he thought he’d do against the outside linebacker.
“I was terrified from the start because he’s very strong, he’s big,” Sanders said afterward.
He took a contested pass on the first play near the goal line of the short, makeshift field around the 50-yard line. On the next play, he cut across the middle, surviving the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Judon trying to drag him away. It meant that Sanders had scored on the pro at the Matthew Judon Football ProCamp on Saturday.
“I beat an NFL player in a 1-v-1,” Sanders said of the story he can tell his classmates and others for life.
It’s one story among many to be told about meeting Judon, who came out for multiple events over the weekend in the largest U.S. overseas military community.
The four-time Pro Bowler, who has totaled 66.5 sacks in an NFL career that started in 2016 with the Baltimore Ravens before joining New England in 2021, was active during the camp, which had about 180 participants.
He took in drills with the kids, unsparingly at times. Judon bulldozed one player while defending a pass during one drill. He couldn’t hold back his excitement at having taken the brunt of a hit by the pro player, shouting it out to the other participants as he ran back in line.
On Friday, Judon was scheduled to meet with staff and patients at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the military’s largest overseas hospital.
And earlier Saturday, Judon signed autographs at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center in the Ramstein Air Base Main Exchange, where about 50 people showed up, most of whom were Patriots fans.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Anthony Salame traveled about 70 miles from Wiesbaden to Ramstein with his three sons — Jaxon, 11; Weston, 9; and Logan, 4 — just to see Judon.
“He’s, in my opinion, the best player on the Patriots,” Jaxon Salame said. “So, it’s pretty sick (to meet Judon).”
Anthony Salame, a Templeton, Mass., native, came wearing a Jerod Mayo jersey. The Patriots drafted Mayo in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he played in New England until his retirement after the 2015 season.
The jersey wasn’t lost on Judon, though. Mayo is his new boss, taking over from legendary coach Bill Belichick.
“We just talked quick. (Judon’s) excited for it,” Salame said of Mayo taking over. “Bill was instrumental for the Patriots, but Mayo was brought up by him, groomed to be the next coach.”
Kris Olympia also made the trek to Ramstein to see Judon.
An Army staff sergeant stationed in Baumholder, Germany, Olympia brought his children Khaiden, Kalani and Khailey to the signing event.
“This is their first time seeing a football player,” Olympia said. “I want them to keep watching more football as they grow older.”
]]>Wondering where to go to see spring blooms? Stripes has got you covered! Check our community pages for spring blooms near where you are stationed.
]]>But after three years, a VA doctor determined Elliott no longer qualified for the assistive mobility device and told her to use a wheelchair again.
“Forcing veterans to stay in wheelchairs when assistive mobility devices are available is not acceptable,” Elliott, 34, told lawmakers Thursday in support of the STAND Act during a hearing of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s subpanel on health.
The STAND Act, or the Spinal Trauma Access to New Devices Act, is legislation sponsored by Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general.
“We are systematically failing our veterans by not providing them with rapid access to this technology,” he said at the hearing.
The exoskeleton is available through a prescription at the VA, though Bergman and other lawmakers said veterans often are not informed about the devices by their doctors or evaluated for their eligibility to receive them.
Some lawmakers said reporting requirements and other paperwork that doctors must complete to offer and train patients on the device has discouraged some facilities from offering it.
The STAND Act would mandate annual physicals for paralyzed veterans that would include assessments to receive the exoskeleton, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“In my view, this bill is critical to codify what the VA already should be doing at annual medical assessments for veterans. I can tell you firsthand that they are not,” Elliott said.
VA regulations now allow for “powered exoskeletons” as a prescribed medical device that is “placed over a person’s paralyzed or weakened limbs for the purpose of providing ambulation,” according to the department’s clinical protocol issued in 2018.
But Bergman said the legislation is needed to ensure that qualifying veterans can access the devices through their VA providers. A companion bill was introduced Thursday by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Elliott was paralyzed in 2015 when a vehicle operated by a drunken driver ran a red light and hit the car that Elliott was driving near her Tennessee home.
She was a medically discharged veteran at the time, recovering from a broken right femur that she had suffered in basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, S.C., and preparing to re-enlist.
Roscoe Butler, associate legislative director for the nonprofit veterans group Paralyzed Veterans of America, testified in support of the bill.
He described exoskeletons as “life-changing options for improving functionality and independence.”
The computerized devices are wearable suits equipped with motorized joints, sensors and rechargeable batteries. They range in price from roughly $75,000 to $100,000 with veterans enrolled in VA health care receiving coverage for most of the cost.
Worn over clothes, the exoskeleton suit wraps around an individual’s legs, chest and back.
In Elliott’s case, she initially enrolled in a clinical trial in 2015 to try an exoskeleton. She traveled from her Tennessee home to participate in an eight-week trial at a VA facility in St. Louis, where she was fitted with the device and learned how to use it.
“I took the device home and used it everywhere,” she said.
But when she returned to the St. Louis facility in 2018 for a reassessment, her doctor informed her that she could no longer use the device, Elliott said.
“I was returned to my wheelchair and told to get used to it,” she told lawmakers.
Elliott testified that for the next four years, she – with the help of her father – worked to overturn the decision to take the exoskeleton device away from her.
“I engaged in local and regional battles to get the device back that transformed my life,” she said.
Elliott now advocates and speaks on the behalf of other paralyzed veterans. She said it often is a challenge for veterans who are paralyzed to receive physical exams in a timely manner at local and regional facilities.
In 2022, Elliott and her father traveled to a VA health clinic in Mississippi, where a VA physician agreed to evaluate and equip her with a new exoskeleton.
“It is appalling to me that Brittany Elliott was told to just get used to returning to her wheelchair,” said Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, a doctor and chairwoman of the House VA subcommittee on health.
Miller-Meeks said she has patients with paralysis and sees the potential and benefits with assistive mobility devices.
“Exoskeletons need to have much more serious consideration and use at the VA to help our veterans become ambulatory,” she said.
Butler said the STAND Act would require the VA to provide annual medical exams for paralyzed veterans. As it is now, access is inconsistent across the nation’s VA clinics and hospitals.
He said the annual check-ups are critical for identifying health problems -- such as urinary tract infections and pressure sores -- before they worsen and cause more serious problems.
“Some VA facilities do an excellent job but not all of them. There is room for improvement,” Butler said.
]]>Sgt. Brandon Livingston, 28, assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, was sentenced at court-martial on Friday to 33 months in prison and a reduction in pay grade to E-1.
Livingston also was acquitted of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice in the death of his 5-month-old son Kaleb on March 5, 2022.
The saga involving Livingston, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, began at around 1 a.m. on March 5, when emergency responders were called to his Vilseck home to treat his son, who was in distress, prosecutors said during the trial.
The boy was taken to a German clinic in the Bavarian city of Weiden, where he was treated for blunt force trauma to the head, a skull fracture and brain hemorrhaging. He died a short time later.
Doctors found evidence of rib and leg fractures that showed signs of healing, which pointed to a pattern of abuse, prosecutors said.
Both Livingston and his wife, Lilli, were arrested by U.S. military police, Oberpfalz police told Stars and Stripes previously.
German prosecutors accused Lilli Livingston, a German national, of failing to prevent the abuse. She was convicted last year of negligent homicide by omission and received a suspended sentence of one-and-a-half years of probation.
Lilli Livingston accused her husband of abusing the child at least three times in the couple’s home in the Amberg-Sulzbach district, Bavarian news site Onetz reported at the time.
The court-martial began March 11, with Judge Lt. Col. Thomas Hynes presiding.
Over the course of the trial, the prosecution tried to pinpoint the time of Kaleb’s injuries and place him in his father’s care, while the defense focused on Lilli Livingston’s actions.
The panel of officers and senior enlisted leaders deliberated for around five hours Thursday before finding the sergeant guilty of battery on a child under the age of 16, said Jason Treffry, a spokesman for the 7th Army Training Command.
Brandon Livingston entered the court for sentencing Friday in his service dress uniform. The prosecution telephoned a child abuse specialist that revisited Kaleb’s injuries, and then called Lilli Livingston to the stand.
“I can’t describe how much this hurts me,” she said as she broke down. “I’m shattered.”
The defense called an array of character witnesses from family to former soldiers that described the sergeant as peaceful and a good leader. Brandon Livingston later wept as he delivered a statement to the judge.
“I will miss you daily, Kaleb,” he said. “I know you’re looking down on us with your grandmother.”
Maj. Brett Erland, a member of the prosecution, criticized Brandon Livingston during sentencing arguments for exhibiting a lack of remorse.
“All along, he knew his child was in pain and he did it again,” he said.
Defense counsel Capt. Patrick Hitt declined to comment at the conclusion of the trial.
Brandon Livingston has 90 days to appeal, Treffry said. Any sentence over two years is automatically reviewed by the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
He will most likely serve his sentence at either the Joint Regional Confinement Facility or Disciplinary Barracks, both located at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Treffry said.
]]>Theme parks are open: It may still be jacket weather, but that’s never stopped a European amusement park from opening (if indeed it even did close for the winter season). A word of warning to parents — many kids throughout Europe are also out of school at this time, so waiting times to get on rides might not be as short as one might wish. Legoland in Günzburg, which is already open daily, offers new this season a 4D movie titled “Alien Invasion.” Holiday Park in Hassloch opens its doors for the season on March 23; from that date through April 1, thousands of chocolate eggs will be hidden throughout the park. Europa-Park in Rust will also be open daily as of March 23; there, a new multi-launch coaster, the Voltron Nevera, awaits its first riders. Phantasialand in Brühl, near Cologne, throws its doors open for the 2024 season on March 28.
Fun fairs are up and running: Many beloved fun fests offering the usual assortment of scary rides, traditional foods, market stalls, games of chance and perhaps even a beer tent for the grown-ups reappear for a spring session. German cities in which spring volkfests are up and running or will be soon include the Dippemess in Frankfurt (now through April 14); the Rheinfrühling in Mainz (March 23-April 7, closed Good Friday); the Fruehjahrsmesse in Speyer (March 28-April 14) and the Frühlingsfest in Nuremberg (March 30-April 14). At Nuremberg’s event, the Easter bunny will be on hand to greet visitors at the Bayernstrasse entrance starting at 2 p.m. March 30-April 1.
Open-air museums welcome visitors: For an outing that combines fun, discovery and learning about times gone by, step into one of Germany’s open-air museums, show villages created from real old homes from the region. Such places include the Rheinland-Pfälzische Freilichtmuseum in Bad Sobernheim; here, young visitors can enjoy a hunt for Easter Egg goodie bags from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. March 31 if their parents call and register them in advance. Hessenpark in Neu-Anspach offers an Easter program full of arts and crafts projects from March-April 1. The Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof in Gutach Schwarzwaldbahn will open its doors for the season on March 24; this beloved Black Forest destination offers an Easter vacation program filled with hands-on activities through April 7.
A special-edition Easter market awaits: Spring décor and tasty treats greet visitors to Nuremberg’s Easter Market, which runs daily through April 1. This year the market marks its 600th anniversary with an event recalling its first edition back in 1424, when royal regalia including the crown and scepter were displayed to the people for the first time. From 1 p.m.-4 p.m. on March 23 and March 30, a larger-than-life costumed bunny will be on hand for photo ops. Online: tinyurl.com/mrxzceu5
Italy’s cultural heritage is on display: Those presently calling Italy home have the chance to learn more about the buildings and institutions in their midst during the annual event titled Giornate FAI di Primavera, or FAI Spring Days. Over the weekend of March 23-24, more than 750 sites across Italy will welcome guests with tours and special programs, oftentimes at reduced or free entry. The FAI website’s interactive map of Italy helps prospective visitors find the participating institutions in their area. Online: tinyurl.com/57s9ud6h
New Year in Tuscany comes around a second time: If 2024 didn’t start off optimally, at least two communities in Italy offer the chance to fast-forward into 2025. Florence, Italy, celebrates il Capodanno Fiorentino, or Florentine New Year, on March 25 with a historical costume parade. The date, which falls nine months prior to the birth of Jesus, corresponds to the time when the church celebrates the announcement of the incarnation of the Virgin Mary. In the Middle Ages, this date was adopted by the city as the beginning of its civil calendar. Online: tinyurl.com/mt8spp9t
The city of Pisa also celebrates its traditional New Year on March 25 for the same reason. Here, festivities stretching over three days include Medieval-themed spectacles on the Piazza dei Cavalieri from 9:30 p.m. March 23 and from 4:30 p.m. March 24, as well as historical parades which set out from 3:15 p.m. March 24 and from 11 a.m. March 25. Online: tinyurl.com/y8mszws6
Folklore comes to the fore in Mons: The city of Mons in Belgium celebrates its annual Ducasse of Messines March 23-24. The event is a present-day reincarnation of a religious festival that first took place more than 400 years ago. Highlights of this folkloric event include a flea market on March 23 and a flower market on March 24. Parades of giant effigies and other folkloric objects take place from 2 p.m. both days. Online: tinyurl.com/2tjsphxk
]]>Investigations by the Pentagon Inspector General’s office found that the weapons at the Army’s Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar weren’t stored in accordance with approved limits on net explosive weight, according to two separate reports released Thursday.
The NEW limits refer to the amount of explosive material that can be held at each storage facility and are based on factors such as facility design and condition, and their proximity to other munitions and buildings.
Camp Arifjan exceeded the amount of munitions allowed at one site, increasing the risk of a chain of explosions that could extend to living areas and workspaces, according to the IG. At Al Udeid, some officials didn’t know what the NEW limits were for certain structures.
“[When] officials do not manage munitions storage in accordance with approved NEW limits, it increases the risk of serious injury, loss of life and damage to property,” the IG said, adding that improper security also can lead to weapons loss and theft.
Most of the storage concerns at Al Udeid — the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East — were related to NEW limits. Officials there otherwise generally adhered to safety and security protocol, the IG found.
The concerns at Camp Arifjan were more extensive.
Soldiers and contractors at the base in some cases worked without approved site plans, which establish limits and distances between sites that are needed to protect against a chain reaction explosion.
Problems linked to lightning protection and potentially flammable weeds near storage areas on the base also were identified.
Thursday’s reports are the first of four aimed at reviewing munitions storage within U.S. Central Command. The Pentagon stores munitions across CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East and central Asia.
As of last March, more than 20 million munitions valued at more than $1.8 billion were being stored at Al Udeid, according to the IG, which did not provide the figures for Camp Arifjan.
The reports made several recommendations at both bases and most have been resolved. However, the IG is still calling on officials at Camp Arifjan to ensure appropriate units conduct annual inspections of munition storage facilities, and for officials at Al Udeid to review NEW limits for their facilities at least once every quarter.
]]>The 286-134 vote for the legislation, which is part of a $1.2 trillion package to fund the federal government through September, came as lawmakers raced to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight. Funding could briefly lapse over the weekend as the Senate takes up the bill but it is not expected to cause any major disruptions, including to service members’ pay.
House lawmakers rushed to pass the legislation after months of stopgap funding measures that kept the Pentagon’s spending frozen in place since the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. The bill provides a $27 billion funding increase to the Defense Department from last year.
“Today is zero hour. We’re out of time,” said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Appropriation Committee’s defense subcommittee. “I can go through a long list of vital programs and funding included in this bill — the wins for our troops, the historic funding for innovation… the time is short, and the stakes have never been higher.”
Congress was supposed to approve full-year funding for the government by the end of September but the process was delayed by nearly six months due to partisan bickering over spending amounts and policies.
The Republican-led House last year approved a defense appropriations bill that had no chance of passing in the Democrat-controlled Senate. It included controversial provisions to reduce Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1 and restrict funding for transgender troops’ medical care and the Pentagon’s abortion access policies.
None of those measures made it into the final legislation, though Republicans touted cuts to climate-related funding and a $50 million cut to the Pentagon’s diversity and inclusion programs. They also successfully blocked the Pentagon from spending money to repeal the 2022 law that ended the military’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.
Both parties found common ground on military pay, arguing boosting compensation was critical for solving persistent recruiting challenges affecting most of the services.
The bill fully funds the 5.2% pay raise service members received in January while also providing $43 million more than the White House requested for monthly economic hardship bonuses for junior enlisted service members through the end of 2024.
The legislation also allocates $80 million more than requested for enlistment bonuses and $30 million more than requested for recruiting and advertising efforts.
“The military services are in the midst of one of the greatest recruiting crises since the creation of the all-volunteer force,” lawmakers wrote in a report accompanying the defense bill. “While there is no apparent single cause for this recruiting crisis, the combination of a diminishing pool of qualified applicants and persistently low propensity to serve in our armed forces are leading contributors.”
To address the latter, lawmakers said the Defense Department needed to work with Congress to “provide legislative options for addressing this crisis to include, but not [be] limited to, increases to junior enlisted basic military pay, as well as other ways to incentivize new recruits and prepare them for duty.”
Members of Congress attempted to hike pay for junior enlisted troops by more than 30% last year but were told to hold off until the Defense Department completed a quadrennial review of military pay by the end of December.
In the meantime, lawmakers are mandating the defense secretary brief them on the progress of the review within a month of the funding bill’s enactment into law. They are also directing the Defense Department to conduct an independent survey to better understand recruitment failures by the services.
“The nation needs America’s youth to strongly consider uniformed service,” lawmakers wrote. “Exquisite weaponry and strategic concepts are of limited value unless they are operated by a fully manned, ready, and motivated force.”
The bill provides several other incentives to attract and retain service members, including nearly $30 million for housing allowances and about $8 million for an allowance that offsets meal costs. Lawmakers are also providing $10 million more than requested for a pilot program to address the inability of some military families to have enough food.
shkolnikova.svetlana@stripes.com
Twitter: @svetashko
]]>SOCCER
Boys
Japan
Nile C. Kinnick 3, Christian Academy Japan 3
Friday at Tokyo
Halftime — Knights 2-0. Goals — Red Devils: Cameron Giddens 2 (2), Nick Moore (8); Knights: Simon Nakamura, Takatoshi Kanemura, William Arjmandpour. Assists — Red Devils: Leon Awesso, Luis Galloway.
Girls
Japan
Kinnick 6, St. Maur 0
Friday at Yokosuka Naval Base
Halftime — 4-0. Goals — Bree Withers 2 (13), Jaylah Petty (10), Giovanna Kennedy (9), Scarlet Seiders (7), Julia Angelinas (2). Assists — Kennedy 2, Withers, Victoria Justice.
Zama 1, CAJ 1
Thursday at Camp Zama
Halftime — Knights 1-0. Goal — Trojans: Avery Pilch (7).
]]>SHAPE 7, Wiesbaden 3
Thursday at Le Mons
Pitching – Wiesbaden: Tyler Truesdell 4 IP (0 ER, 11 K, 3 BB); SHAPE: Will Bush 6 IP (0 ER, 16 K, 1 BB). Batting – Wiesbaden: Logan Hernandez (2B), Jonah Harvey (2 R); SHAPE: Bush 2-2. (2 R), Josh Spires (2 R),
Wiesbaden 10, SHAPE 0
Thursday at Le Mons
Pitching – SHAPE: Derek Hansens 3.1 IP (4 ER, 1 K); Wiesbaden: Jack Lehr 5 IP (12 K, 1 BB). Batting – Wiesbaden: Harvey 3-3 (2 R, 2 RBI), Truesdell 2-2 (2B, 4 SB), Lehr (2 R), Jace Ballard (2 R), C. Varela (2 R).
SOCCER
Boys
Stuttgart 2, SHAPE 0
Thursday at Stuttgart
Goals – Stuttgart: Ben Scrivens, Itzak Sandoval. Assists – Stuttgart: Ryan Stevenson, Dominic Tondre. Saves – SHAPE: Garrett Duval 6; Stuttgart: Caleb Fox 5.
Girls
Stuttgart 8, SHAPE 1
Thursday at Stuttgart
Goals – SHAPE: Flavia Taveri; Stuttgart: Leeba Curlin 3, Eva Eaton 3, Jamilah Ali, Sienna Ingle. Saves – SHAPE: Sofia Tryon 23.
SOFTBALL
Wiesbaden 30, SHAPE 13
Thursday at Le Mons
Pitching – Wiesbaden: Kyra Cole; SHAPE: Paula Knapp. Batting – Wiesbaden: London Howell (2B, 3 RBI), Lyann Cortes (2B, 2 RBI), Roni Massey (3 RBI), Valerie Fisher (3 RBI), Delaney Hodges (3 RBI), Jeanice Smith (2 RBI); SHAPE: Bella Smith (2B, 3 RBI), Emory Teta (2 RBI), Kayla Mckinney (2 RBI)
Wiesbaden 25, SHAPE 22
Thursday at Le Mons
Pitching – SHAPE: Olivia McLeod; Wiesbaden: Fisher. Batting – SHAPE: Teta (2B, 2 RBI), Smith (3 RBI), Bailee Kautz (2 RBI), Mckinney (2 RBI), Colie Meyer (2 RBI), Juliette Laforest (2 RBI); Wiesbaden: Cole (4 RBI), Emily Wiggins (4 RBI), Katherine Mayfield (2 RBI).
]]>The pallets, which can weigh between 1,200 and 2,000 pounds, didn’t cause any damage after falling during an airdrop mission involving two U.S. C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes Thursday, CENTCOM said.
U.S. officials said they are basing their assessment on video they took of the airdrop.
“The footage shows the parachutes not fully deploying and the bundles landing in the water,” said Maj. Ryan DeCamp, a spokesman for Air Forces Central, in an emailed statement Friday.
The statement did not include answers regarding the cause of the malfunctions and whether any changes will be made to prevent similar incidents in the future.
An earlier incident in which a parachute malfunctioned March 8 killed five Palestinians and wounded several others, CNN reported. A CENTCOM statement at the time said the errant airdrop wasn’t a U.S. operation.
Thursday’s mission involved two C-17 cargo planes flying from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to Gaza. The five pallets with faulty parachutes were part of some 80 bundles of food and water.
The pallets of food loaded onto cargo planes at Al Udeid weigh 1,200 pounds with a parachute, and the ones carrying water bottles weigh more than a ton. Troops put low-velocity parachutes on them that are 64 feet in diameter and are supposed to slow the bundles.
The U.S. and other countries in the Middle East, Europe and Asia have been airdropping pallets of food and water to Palestinians in Gaza since early March.
More than 2 million people in Gaza are estimated to be displaced by the war that began Oct. 7, when a Hamas terrorist attack killed 1,200 people in Israel.
Gaza health authorities estimate the number of dead in the territory at more than 30,000 people, a figure that does not distinguish between bystanders and combatants.
]]>
That’s because the 7,000 sailors of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group are successfully frustrating the militant group’s efforts to terrorize ships in the Red Sea, said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander of the group.
Miguez and others aboard Eisenhower acknowledged the Houthi fighters have been savvy in adapting their efforts with swarm drone attacks and upgraded ballistic missile capabilities. They also recognize Iran’s determination to continue arming them.
But near daily strikes made by F/A-18 Super Hornets and the group’s destroyer squadron against Houthi drones, missiles and other capabilities have eroded the group’s maneuverability, effectively reducing their activity, he said.
For example, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower went on a shipwide alert Wednesday morning, quickly launching two Super Hornets within four minutes of each other after learning the Houthis appeared to be preparing to use attack drones on unspecified targets.
An E-2 Hawkeye command and control aircraft and two refueling tankers soon followed.
U.S. Central Command subsequently announced a coalition aircraft had destroyed one aerial drone and that CENTCOM had destroyed one surface drone launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The action is among U.S. and coalition efforts that have allowed more than 2,000 ships, many under military escort, to come through the Red Sea safely since January, Miguez said.
He also acknowledged at least a 20% drop off in shipping through the vital waterway compared to recent years.
“My job is to keep the Houthis up at night and I routinely do that,” Miguez said. “We make sure we apply pressure all the time.”
Miguez added he sleeps well knowing the ship’s crew is protecting him and other sailors.
The Eisenhower and its escorts arrived in the Middle East on Nov. 4, ordered there by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of a U.S. effort to keep the Israel-Hamas war from broadening within the region.
About two weeks later, the Houthis began targeting ships in the Red Sea, putting the strike group in what the Navy deems an “active weapons engagement zone.”
As a result, the strike group, which includes the destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason along with the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, ultimately saw the unprecedented use of anti-ship ballistic missiles in combat against a commercial ship on Dec. 30, the White House said in a statement Jan. 3.
Those two missiles were shot down by Gravely. The destroyer USS Laboon also responded. A day later, the same commercial vessel was attacked by four Houthi fast boats.
Helicopters from the Eisenhower responded to the ship’s distress call, coming under fire from the boats. The helicopters returned fire, sinking three vessels and killing their crews. The fourth boat fled, the White House statement said.
It was a moment of reckoning for the 5,000 sailors aboard Eisenhower, said Capt. Chris Hill, commander of the aircraft carrier. Another 2,000 service members are assigned to other ships and units in the strike group.
“For us, witnessing that visually was somewhat of a wake-up call for the entire ship,” Hill said. “This is real and it’s going to get busy, and it’s been busy ever since.”
Since then, Eisenhower has launched about 100 Super Hornets, Hawkeyes, EA-18G Growlers and other aircraft day and night to help put the squeeze on the Houthi militants. Those flights typically take place over a span of 12 to 14 hours, six to seven days per week, said Capt. Marvin Scott, commander of Carrier Air Wing Three.
Some planes are on dynamic targeting missions used to identify Houthi movements that indicate the potential launch of drones or missiles. The goal is to eliminate them before they become an immediate threat, Scott said.
Other flights are for patrol, reconnaissance, defensive and other missions, he said.
It’s a grueling pace that has kept Eisenhower at sea for nearly five months without the usual port calls for sightseeing, eating a meal off ship or just getting a much-needed break from the job.
The pace isn’t typical. It’s also vastly different from the group’s original plans.
Sailors had prepared for deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, which would include port calls in Europe and along the Mediterranean. That vision changed quickly in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
While a normal deployment could see a similar surge, sustaining it for months without giving sailors a break in port is remarkable, Scott said.
A sailor talked about the unrelenting tempo while having breakfast in a ship mess hall.
It would be easy to get mad about it but everyone aboard is going through the same thing, said the sailor, who added everyone aboard was committed to the mission.
Navy officials asked reporters aboard the ship not to name the sailors other than senior leaders, due to concerns that they could be targeted by terror groups.
The sailors also are bearing the stress of being in the crosshairs of the Houthis, who have focused attacks on U.S. destroyers as often as two times per week, said Capt. David Wroe, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 22.
The Houthis have said they will continue attacking ships connected to Israel until there is a cease-fire in Gaza. U.S. officials have pointed out the group has fired indiscriminately on military and civilian ships with no apparent Israeli connection.
The attacks can come in the form of a drone heading toward or operating in the vicinity of a ship or a missile launch.
For example, Houthi missiles targeted the Laboon at least three times since January, the latest a close-range ballistic missile attack on March 12. The missile didn’t hit the destroyer and no one was injured, CENTCOM said. The destroyer USS Carney also faced at least one Houthi missile attack.
The closest comparison of American sailors coming under fire for months at a time goes back to World War II, Wroe said.
Nothing in Wroe’s 25-year career as a surface warfare officer, which has included multiple deployments to the Middle East, compares to what the strike group is experiencing now, he said.
“This isn’t small scale stuff,” said Wroe, noting Houthi ballistic missiles were responsible for sinking one commercial ship, damaging others and killing at least three sailors on another merchant vessel.
Sailors “are under threat of getting attacked with minutes of notice, six out of seven days a week,” Wroe said. “They have seconds to respond.”
Despite that stress and hardship, sailors are determined to continue until the threat in the Red Sea is gone and ships can travel in safety.
“We have to be perfect,” said Capt. Colin Price, executive officer of the Eisenhower. “It’s a zero-fail mission.”
]]>The decision came after a survey among the city’s youth garnered 854 favoring the skate park over 784 votes for a basketball court.
Pavement and ramp construction are pending a lease agreement for the space and equipment rentals, city officials said.
“Our aim is to offer a new area for the youth in the downtown area for their use,” Mayor Beate Kimmel said in a statement. “We hope to see the first skateboards rolling in the next few months.”
The skate park, which is part of a broader statewide funding initiative to invigorate city centers after the coronavirus pandemic, is planned to be in place for six months after opening.
]]>Yet while that may suggest the two sets are yinning and yanging their way in concert, the perfect precursor to these 12 songs is actually her magnum opus, 2009’s “The Fall.” Whereas that sad, lonely effort proved to be a perfect soundtrack to the autumn and winter months during which it was released, “Visions” feels ideal for the spring and summer seasons, serving as a welcome smile for someone who doesn’t do much of it. Her First Lady of Gen Z Alt Rock aura is still there and the music is equally as fuzzy as the tracks that make her better moments better than others’ best, but the doom and gloom that sprinkles some of her most memorable albums are traded in for more expansive, almost existential thinking.
Or, for that matter, the desire to dance.
Case in point: The aptly titled “I Just Wanna Dance.” Jangly in nature and low-key in energy, it sums up the entirely of “Visions” as a more-fun-than-you-think collection, complete with embedded horns and Southern Funk organ riffs. Plus, it’s mindless. Jones, to her credit, vocally does little more than repeat the track’s title, occasionally noting how she doesn’t want to either talk or laugh about “it” as a precursor. Whatever “it” is, this song makes it sound like “it” was never needed in the first place.
That evolution begins from the start here. “All This Time” is a hopefully yearning R&B jaunt lush with backing harmonies and simple drums that could transport listeners to the best parts of ‘70s soul, complete with obligatory falsetto. Single “Paradise” follows that same template with a poppier edge that evokes “Last Time I Saw Him”- era Diana Ross. Jones’s piano playing is scrumptious on it as she trades in virtuosity for taste.
Actually, that’s probably the set’s secret ingredient: While Jones can hang with the best of today’s pop pianists, she’s actually better when she focuses on The Song rather than The Talent. “On My Way” is a fruitful left turn that embodies the dreamy aesthetics the singer was going for when she sat down to write the album (word has it that most of the ideas painting these songs came to Jones in the middle of the night as she was sleeping). “Running,” meanwhile, is simple and charming with the way Jones leans heavily on the call-and-response attack to vocals. And then there’s “Queen Of The Sea,” which is the type of garage blues that has become her signature in recent years.
It adds up to an impressive second outing for the singer and producer Leon Michels, who came over from working with the late Sharon Jones to initially begin collaborating with Norah on her 2021 Christmas album, “I Dream Of Christmas.” That holiday set marked a fuzzy, blurry change in sound for the songstress and those values only increase with each spin here. It makes the future exciting because while “Visions” is a welcome collection, it leaves the feeling that these two have only scratched the surface of what they can do together.
“You get lost, you get found,” Jones sings on the memorable final track, “That’s Life,” before ending the stanza with the regressing, “You break up, you break down.” Turns out, in the case of Norah Jones, sometimes breaking down can lead to seeing clearer than perhaps even she ever thought possible.
]]>The troops returned to the Gazaliyah district after a two-week absence, afraid of seeing the Sunni area in a deteriorated state, but were pleasantly surprised with cleaner streets and two new parks. But they acknowledged that the road to a safe and secure neighborhood with reliable services was still some ways away.
Read the full article on Gazaliyah here.
]]>The event is aimed at protesting the policies of Germany’s “traffic light” coalition government, the organizers said on TikTok.
This demonstration follows a nationwide series of farmer protests that saw more than 1,000 participants during a January protest drive through the city.
The rally at Messeplatz is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., featuring speeches followed by a protest convoy drive through the city.
A procession of around 50 vehicles is expected from Rockenhausen via route 401 and planners expect 300 to 500 participants with about 200 to 300 vehicles, including tractors, trucks, and cars, to take part in the demonstration, Westpfalz Police reported.
The approximately 4 miles-long route through Kaiserslautern leads from the Messeplatz via Hilgardring in the direction of Mainzer Strasse, via Ludwigstrasse and Maxstrasse to Pfaffplatz, from there via Rudolf-Breitscheid-Strasse, Logenstrasse, Eisenbahnstrasse, Karl-Marx-Strasse, Fischerstrasse and Barbarossaring back to the Messeplatz, Police said.
]]>An Osprey of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force took off from Camp Kisarazu, southeast of Tokyo, following maintenance and other safety measures, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a news conference.
“As preparations were completed, I have been told that a Ground Self-Defense Force Osprey hovered within the facility at Camp Kisarazu from around 11:40 today and then flew in the airspace around Kisarazu airfield,” Hayashi said Thursday.
Japan grounded its 14 Ospreys following the Nov. 29 crash of an Air Force Osprey off the southern Japanese coast, killing all eight crew members aboard. It was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.
Hayashi said Japan’s other Ospreys will return to the air in stages, starting with those that have undergone the necessary safety measures.
Japan, the only country outside the U.S. whose military operates the tiltrotor aircraft, took delivery of its first Ospreys in May 2020. The revolutionary aircraft type is manufactured by U.S. contractor Bell Boeing.
The Marines, Air Force and Navy returned their Ospreys to flight status after Naval Air Systems Command lifted a three-month flight ban on March 8. The Marines on Okinawa were first to report an actual flight in Japan by hovering an Osprey at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on March 14.
“The MV-22 Osprey is back to full flying operation,” Maj. Rob Martins, spokesman for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing on Okinawa, told Stars and Stripes by phone Friday.
At Yokota, a spokesman for the 374th Airlift Wing declined to comment on when the Ospreys there may resume flight.
“Due to operational security concerns, we do not comment on specific aircraft movements,” Master Sgt. Nathan Allen said by email Friday. “The timing for the 21st Special Operations Squadron to resume flight operations is based on operational requirements unique to the unit’s mission profile. Any decision to return to flight will fully implement all necessary maintenance, safety, and any necessary procedural changes.”
Allen said the resumption of Osprey flights by U.S. forces in Japan will be closely coordinated between the governments of Japan and the United States.
The loss of the Osprey crew — call sign Gundam 22 — and the return of Osprey pilots and crews to the skies over Japan is treated with sensitivity, Allen said.
“However, it’s important to emphasize that the safety of operators and the effectiveness of operations are top priorities,” he said. “Every step towards resuming CV-22 flights has been done with the diligence necessary to ensure that the return to flight operations is conducted with the utmost regard for the safety of aircrew members and surrounding communities.”
An Air Force investigation into the fatal crash just off Yakushima, an island south of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, found “a material failure of a V-22 component.”
The Defense Department has yet to identify the failed component or release a report of the accident investigation.
The Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a fixed-wing plane, had been plagued by a problem called hard clutch engagement that can result in catastrophic loss of control.
Japanese communities have expressed concerns about the Osprey’s safety.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki met Thursday with the III Marine Expeditionary Force commander, Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, to say he is concerned about the resumption of Marine Osprey flights, public broadcaster NHK reported that day.
Turner told Tamaki he is sure that Ospreys can operate safely on Okinawa, NHK reported.
Stars and Stripes reporter Jonathan Snyder contributed to this report.
]]>The station, on a hill overlooking Seoul, will close May 1 as part of a plan to return sections of the base to the South Korean government, according to an Army and Air Force Exchange Service news release Tuesday.
The gas station reported average monthly revenue of $70,000 between 2021 and 2022, AAFES spokesman Chris Ward said in an email Thursday. The monthly average fell to $50,000 the following year “and has experienced even further significant declines” in 2024, he said.
Six of eight pumps still in service sat idle for more than two hours Wednesday afternoon. The only cars in the lot were parked there by drivers who exited the base through a nearby pedestrian gate.
Jerry Chandler, an anti-terrorism program manager at Yongsan and a four-year South Korea resident, said he is disappointed by the station’s looming closure.
Chandler — one of the roughly 500 service members, Defense Department civilians and U.S. embassy staff who still live or work at Yongsan — said he and his wife fill up their two cars with premium gas “all the time” at the station.
“Now I have to buy Korean premium gas at almost ($8.33 per gallon),” he said Wednesday at the Dragon Hill Lodge, the base hotel that serves U.S. government personnel and military retirees. “It’s quite an inconvenience.”
The price of regular unleaded at off-base station near Yongsan was about $6.16 a gallon on Wednesday.
Gas station workers “will be given priority consideration” for reassignment in accordance with U.S. Forces Korea regulations on South Korean employees, Ward said. Equipment from the station will be disposed of or repurposed for the Directorate of Public Works.
Yongsan previously served as the headquarters for USFK, U.N. Command, Combined Forces Command, Eighth Army and the 2nd Infantry Division.
In 2004, the U.S. military began moving its troops from Yongsan to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek and Daegu Garrison in Daegu, about 40 and 140 miles south of Seoul, respectively.
The $11 billion relocation project, mostly paid by the South Korean government, was meant to consolidate U.S. forces and return the garrison property occupied by the military since the 1950-53 Korean War.
In 2022, Combined Forces Command became the last major command to move its headquarters to Humphreys.
Yongsan’s commissary was shuttered in June.
]]>Navy families enjoy Navy RV parks for recreation and leisure travel, but may also choose that option for up to a year while waiting for base housing to become available during a change of duty station, Destiny Sibert, a spokeswoman for Navy Installations Command Headquarters, told Stars and Stripes via email Friday.
The new policy, which took effect March 8, also permits active-duty members and their families to stay in an RV park for the duration of their tours of duty, based on space availability, without having to request an extension.
“This policy change is one more initiative among many that we hope will reduce stressors that come with a military lifestyle by providing active-duty families more flexibility and make it easier to enjoy their Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation Program benefits,” Sibert said.
Previously, Navy MWR RV parks required visitors to renew their reservations every 30 days. The new policy permits them to extend another 180 days if space is available.
After that, patrons may extend their existing reservation up to one year from their arrival date, pending availability and with approval from the installation commander.
The 30-day limit promotes “fair and equitable opportunity for leisure travel,” while the new, extended-stay policy supports active-duty members and their families who prefer to stay in Navy RV parks long-term.
One of those long-term RV dwellers is Chief Petty Officer Wes Alexander, stationed at Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, Calif. He has been living in a 400-square-foot RV with his wife and three children.
“We decided to RV full time because the housing market here is insane,” Alexander told Stars and Stripes via Facebook Messenger on Tuesday. “Even though we are 2 hours from Los Angeles the home rent prices are usually above BAH (Basic Housing Allowance) levels.”
Alexander, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., plans to live in the 42-foot, two-bedroom RV with two full baths until he retires in 2027.
“There are many pros (of the new policy) for full time families like us, because moving is a major hassle,” he said. “It takes about 4-6 hours to move about 10 miles to the next base plus about 2 days prior we start the cleaning and packing process. Being stationary makes it feel more at home and is less stressful.”
The Navy’s Recreational Lodging Program operates 46 sites with more than 2,530 RV spaces. Navy RV parks average about 46,000 reservations per year, amounting to more than 550,000 in total and an overall occupancy rate of 62%, Sibert said.
]]>Stewart entered the plea before military judge Col. Matthew Stoffel during a hearing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph – the base where he once commanded the 19th Air Force, which trains all aircrews for the service.
A previous request filed by Stewart to retire in lieu of court-martial was not addressed, as his chain of command has not made any movement on it, Stoffel said. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall will have final approval on the retirement request, and attorneys at Air Force headquarters have determined the court-martial process will proceed while he makes the decision.
Instead, lawyers for the Air Force and for Stewart argued for roughly three hours over what evidence can be admitted at trial, including the records of discipline Stewart doled out to soldiers under his command for the same actions he is charged with. Other evidence debated included text messages, images and conversations Stewart had with the alleged victim, her husband and another general officer.
The two-star general is charged with two counts of sexual assault for actions that occurred April 14, 2023, at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, according to Air Education Training Command and court documents. He also faces charges of dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer and adultery.
Col. Brian Thompson, the military judge who presided over a preliminary hearing in October, recommended the sexual assault charge not be referred to a court-martial because of a lack of evidence from Air Force prosecutors, according to Jeffrey Addicott, an attorney for Stewart. Instead, Thompson recommended the sexual assault charge be dropped, and the other minor offenses be handled with administrative punishment.
Evidence presented at October’s preliminary hearing described a sexual encounter between Stewart and a subordinate officer that occurred during travel to Altus Air Force Base. Stewart, the alleged victim and two other military personnel were drinking alcohol on April 13-14. Once Stewart and the woman were alone, they had sex. Prosecutors argued the woman used “social cues” and tried to “politely discourage” Stewart because he was her senior officer and had power over her. Defense attorneys have argued the encounter was consensual.
Later April 14, Stewart participated in a training flight and sent a photo of himself in the aircraft to the woman. The flight occurred within 12 hours of drinking alcoholic beverages, which is not permitted, and what led to the charge of dereliction of duty.
Lt. Gen. Brian Robinson, convening authority and commander of Air Education Training Command, chose to move forward with formal changes against Stewart in December after reviewing Thompson’s report.
Stewart, a career fighter pilot who served in Afghanistan, is only the second general officer in the service’s history to face a court-martial, according to the Air Force. Maj. Gen. William Cooley was convicted of abusive sexual contact in a court-martial in 2022 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He was sentenced to a reprimand and a forfeiture of nearly $55,000.
Stewart took command of the 19th Air Force in August 2022, according to his online biography. He was fired from the position last May as the Air Force investigated the allegations.
]]>Two counterfeit designers — 100-year-old Bernie Bluestein of Hoffman Estates, Ill., and 100-year-old Seymour Nussenbaum of Monroe Township, N.J. — as well as a demolition specialist, 99-year-old John Christman of Leesburg, N.J., accepted Congress’ highest award on behalf of the 1,300 men who comprised two clandestine units tasked with fooling Hitler’s forces and their allies.
Collectively known as the Ghost Army, the units harnessed their imaginations and artistic talents to stage more than 20 full-scale deception campaigns, featuring inflatable tanks, trucks and airplanes, prerecorded tracks of troops in action, fake radio transmissions and other masquerading tactics.
“The soldiers recruited for the Ghost Army were not only men of muscle, they were also men of the mind,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “They were creative, original thinkers who used engineering, art, architecture and advertising to wage battle with the enemy. Their weapons were unconventional, but their patriotism was unquestionable.”
The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops carried out ruses close to the front, including in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany, while the 200-member 3133rd Signal Service Company pulled off two illusions in Italy.
Their deceptive warfare saved an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 American lives.
But that accomplishment, and the Ghost Army’s very existence, remained shrouded in secrecy for decades. The Army waited 30 years after World War II to write a report detailing the group’s exploits and only declassified the document in 1996.
Part of the delay was by design, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Whether the men of the Ghost Army knew it or not, they had developed top secret ways to help preserve peace through the ensuing Cold War.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held up the Army’s declassified report to the audience gathered for the medal ceremony at the Capitol Visitor Center’s Emancipation Hall. He pointed to a particularly striking sentence on page 51: “Rarely, if ever, has there existed a group of such few men, which had so great an influence on the outcome of a major military campaign.”
The Ghost Army’s most impressive deception operation, and its final performance on the battlefields of Europe, came in March 1945. During the critical Rhine River campaign to advance into Germany, the group posed as two Ninth Army divisions — a 40,000-man force — and set up 10 miles south of where the actual divisions were to cross the river.
To impersonate the much bigger force, the Ghost Army inflated hundreds of dummy vehicles, sent out misleading radio messages about the movements of American troops and used loudspeakers to blare sounds of soldiers building pontoon boats.
The charade tricked the Germans into firing on the 23rd’s divisions while the Ninth Army made the river crossing with nominal resistance and minimal casualties. Four members of the Ghost Army died over the course of the war.
“When our troops were near, this group made the enemy believe we were far away and when we were small, they made the enemy believe we were much larger,” Johnson said.
The presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal marked the culmination of a nine-year grassroots lobbying effort by volunteers with the nonprofit Ghost Army Legacy Project to give the Ghost Army its due. More than two-thirds of both congressional chambers co-sponsored legislation to award the medal, and President Joe Biden authorized it in 2022.
Rick Beyer, the president of the project’s board, said the Ghost Army veterans he spoke to downplayed the impact they had on the war and shied away from being called heroes, believing such praise should be reserved for the infantry men and tankers who bore the brunt of fighting.
“When the Ghost Army soldiers were landing at Omaha Beach, when they were setting up inflatables in the rain, near the front line in Brest, when they were freezing in the snows outside of Bastogne or drawing fire on the Gothic Line in Italy, they would have been shocked by the idea that 80 years later, a grateful nation would honor them in this way,” he said.
Bluestein, who specialized in fake signs and vehicle stencils, said Thursday that he was “very proud and happy” to receive the medal and expressed gratitude for the yearslong effort to “let the world know we did exist.”
But he also lamented afterward that it was a “pity” so few of his comrades were alive to enjoy the honor with him. There are seven known surviving members of the Ghost Army.
Many of the group’s members were recruited from art schools, advertising agencies and communications companies and went on to have successful careers in creative fields after the war. Some of the most well-known former members include fashion designer Bill Blass and painter Ellsworth Kelly.
The Ghost Army’s legacy continues to be felt within the U.S. Army and beyond, said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. Ukrainians have notably used decoys resembling advanced U.S. rocket systems to trick Russian forces into firing on dummy targets.
Wormuth noted that modern technology has changed the art of subterfuge but said the techniques employed by the Ghost Army are still being passed on to American troops serving today.
“We teach our Army planners that the cornerstone of what we now call military deception operations is the story,” she said. “And the Ghost Army were master storytellers.”
]]>That happened recently when I journeyed to Heiligenmoschel, Germany, for a planet walk, a special type of educational trail with a solar system theme. This one is about a half-hour’s drive north of Kaiserslautern.
My trek began at the outer planets, and each step took me closer to the sun, at the top of a hill called the Reiserberg.
The 4-mile path takes about an hour to complete and goes up 524 feet. Stations along the route are named for planets and spaced at intervals scaled in proportion to the actual distance between celestial bodies.
I parked next to a restaurant in a former school. From there, I followed cute little signs attached to fenceposts, each emblazoned with a symbol of Saturn and an arrow pointing me to the planet walk.
I passed by a small parking area at the start of the hike and pretended that the big “P” on the sign stood for Pluto, which isn’t included because it’s not considered a planet anymore.
From the Neptune station, I could see the North Palatinate Uplands around me and Heiligenmoschel below. A sign listed facts about the planet, noting that it was discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, has 14 moons and is four times the size of Earth in terms of diameter.
As I would discover, this is the treatment each planet gets at the Heiligenmoschel pathway, and I found the presentation rather underwhelming. Showing representations of the solar system members at scale, as other planet walks such as the one in Washington, D.C. do, would have been more impressive.
At Uranus and Saturn, the signboards with their collection of facts citing NASA and Wikipedia held my interest for a minute or two, after a long trek to find them.
Another long hike through farm fields led me to Jupiter. The path becomes a gravel road as it nears the inner planets.
Even though I visited in March, I noticed that there’s very little shade, which could be a problem in the summer. But then again, space travel has always been treacherous.
Upon arrival at Jupiter, I saw a strange Stonehenge-like structure in the distance on the top of the hill, a set of obelisks rising mysteriously. The nature of the structure would be revealed to me at the end of the walk.
I made my way to the inner planets and then climbed the hill to reach the sun station, where I encountered a sundial. The walkable sculpture is made up of 12 obelisks surrounding a metal rod stretching diagonally toward the sky.
The Reiserberg sundial sculpture opened in 2021. Into each obelisk is carved the coat of arms of one of the surrounding communities. Nearby benches afford hikers a much-appreciated rest and a chance to take in the bucolic surroundings.
Each step of the route impresses upon you the immensity of the universe, the minuteness of Earth and the modesty of humanity’s ventures into the cosmic void.
But on the downhill walk, my musings turned more mundane. Instead of the solar system, I was considering what my options were for dinner in Heiligenmoschel.
Directions: The Neptune station on the planet walk shows up as Planetenweg-Neptun on Google Maps at Bergstrasse in Heiligenmoschel, Germany. Another option is to park near the Alt Schul Gaststaette restaurant, where there is street parking, and then follow signs to the pathway.
Hours: Trails are open 24 hours year-round.
Cost: Free
Information: www.otterbach-otterberg.de/tourismus-freizeit/sonnenuhr/
]]>The venue is inside the Asakusa Rockza Building in Asakusa, a historical Tokyo neighborhood popular with tourists for its unique blend of traditional and modern cultures.
The restaurant seats 76 around the dohyo, a 15-foot-diameter circle of partially buried rice-straw bales in which a sumo bout occurs.
Seats are 16,000 yen — about $108 — per adult and $81 for kids younger than 12. I booked a ringside VIP ticket for 20,000 yen. The next highest level, the V-VIP ticket, costs $406 and puts you in a sofa seat facing the dohyo center.
But first, dinner. The club serves chankonabe or “chanko,” a Japanese stew commonly eaten by wrestlers. It is a combination of four stocks, or dashi: free-range chicken, bonito, kelp and shiitake mushrooms.
The stew is served in a chafing dish, with a candle to keep it warm, and comes with a choice of tea, juice, beer or sake.
The meal includes edamame, inarizushi sushi and rice covered in a fried tofu skin that’s been cooked with chicken in a sweet soy sauce.
A tasty, filling vegetarian option is available with miso stock and tofu.
The show starts with a master of ceremonies who explains, in English and Japanese, the history of sumo wrestlers and how the meal is connected to them.
For instance, the wrestlers eat chicken rather than the flesh of any other animal before a tournament because they should always be on two legs like a chicken, not on all fours.
Before the sumo demonstration, a woman performs a traditional Japanese fan dance to traditional music.
Before the main event, the wrestlers, who are sumo students and former professionals, are introduced, along with an explanation of rules and basic moves. Rules include no punching, no hair pulling and no kicking, all of which the wrestlers demonstrate in a humorous fashion.
To win a sumo bout, a wrestler must force the opponent from the dohyo or to touch the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet.
After the demonstrations, three rounds of actual sumo wrestling begin. Audience members are encouraged by the master of ceremonies to root for their favorites, and some onlookers even play a small role. Before one round, I helped a wrestler throw salt into the ring.
This tradition springs from Shintoism, Japan’s oldest religion, and is meant to purify the ring by dispersing evil spirits.
When the matches conclude, up to six audience volunteers — wearing inflatable sumo suits — may combat the wrestler of their choice.
The event ends with complimentary photos with the wrestlers that are printed as souvenirs. I also took home an Asakusa Sumo Club bag, with the logo on the front, a wooden box and a tea towel.
Asakusa Sumo Club
Location: 2-10-12-1F Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo 111-0032
Hours: Open daily, noon to 10 p.m.
Prices: 16,000 yen to 20,000 yen, depending on where you sit.
Dress: Casual
Directions: A less than 10-minute walk from Tawaramachi Station on the Ginza Line.
Information: Online: asakusa-sumo.com
]]>More than 4,000 sailors and Marines assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group — which includes Bataan, Carter Hall and USS Mesa Verde — and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit returned to Hampton Roads on Thursday following an extended eight-month deployment to the 2nd, 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.
The Bataan returned to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk. Carter Hall returned to its homeport at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.
“It is great to be home,” said Amphibious Squadron 8 commodore Capt. Martin Robertson. “I’m proud of the sailors and Marines of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group who return home today knowing that for 8½ months, they were the nation’s rapid response force.”
The Mesa Verde, which dropped off Marines and sailors with the 26th MEU at bases in North Carolina over the weekend, is expected back at its home port, Naval Station Norfolk, “in the coming days,” a U.S. 2nd Fleet statement said.
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group departed from Norfolk on July 10 on a deployment that began with Iran’s attempted seizures of commercial ships and continued amid the Middle East’s expanding upheaval. Since December, the group had been in the Mediterranean to help keep the Israel-Hamas war from expanding.
“These young men and women were called into action from the start to help stop the spread of wildfires in Southern Europe, to deter Iran from seizing U.S.-flagged merchant vessels in the Middle East, and they reacted swiftly at the onset of the crisis in the Bab-El Mandeb to ensure merchant shipping access to the Red Sea,” Robertson said. “Your sons and daughters stood ready to assist American citizens in countries impacted by the Israel-Hamas conflict, and their efforts directly prevented the conflict from expanding to other nations in the region.”
While in the Mediterranean, the Bataan ARG participated in several exercises and made multiple port calls, including at least four to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete. In August, Bataan and Carter Hall, along with about 3,000 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East as part of a Defense Department push to counter Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf.
“It’s been a challenging deployment, but we have accomplished a lot, and I am extremely proud of the hard work and resilience of every member of the Bataan team,” said Capt. Paul Burkhart, Bataan’s commanding officer.
Stars and Stripes reporter Alison Bath contributed to this report.
]]>As indicated by the name, Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof specializes in the softball-sized buns, which can also be found at German fairs, farmers markets and some bakeries.
But what elevates the wares at Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof is the care put into the cooking.
Each bite balanced softness and crunchiness. The tops were subtly sweet, light and fluffy, while the crust on the bottom was salty and savory but not oily.
The co-worker who told me about Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof raved about the crust, which indeed became my favorite part.
Other dampfnudel I’ve tried left me lukewarm. They were often too doughy, damp or salty to justify their cost in carbohydrates. Some had jam in the middle, making them too sweet.
The buns at Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof come with a vanilla dipping sauce, which I thought tasted like ice cream yet managed to avoid overdoing it on the sweetness. Wine dipping sauces also are available.
The eatery is popular with hikers heading through the nearby Mehlinger Heide nature walk. I could see the appeal after a long haul. Eat them in a covered lounge with the wicker seats and low tables, or bask in the sunshine if you’re lucky (this is Germany) in the beer hall section.
Perhaps I’ll give that a try in the summer, when the heather blooms in the nearby Mehlinger Heide.
I paired my dampfnudel with the eatery’s creamy potato soup, a combination of savory and slightly sweet that satisfied me. The friendly, English-speaking staff at Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof provided quick service.
In addition to its namesake treat, the eatery offers the local delicacy of liver meatballs with sauerkraut, as well as salads and charcuterie boards. There was also a wine bar with local varieties, although I didn’t partake.
Even without the hike, I found dampfnudel fulfillment in Mehlingen. And if that happens to come with a side of blooming heather, so much the better.
Pfaelzer Dampfnudelhof
Address: An d. Heide 15, Mehlingen, Germany. The dampfnudel hut is near the Mehlinger Heide, a popular nature walk, and next to a flammkuchen eatery. There is a parking lot and street parking nearby.
Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, noon-6 p.m. The eatery closes in the winter.
Prices: One dampfnudel costs 3 euros. Vanilla or wine sauces add 1.80 euros. A combo dampfnudel plus potato soup meal is 8.50 euros. In the summer there are salads that range from 10 to 12 euros each, as well as a charcuterie board for 28.50 euros.
Information: +49 1514 0400823, pfaelzer-dampfnudelhof.de
]]>Some of these venues, commonly called room cafes, permit their customers to play with exotic pets, while others provide high-end gaming computers so consummate gamers can get their fix. Whatever their specialty, these businesses create an alternative space where people may relax by themselves or with friends.
White Castle in Suwon city, about 13 miles north of Osan Air Base, is typical of multirooms, or room cafes, designed for groups of people to gather in a small, private room to watch TV or play board games and video games.
These cafes are particularly popular among South Korean teens because they allow them to socialize with friends, away from their parents’ watchful gaze at home.
White Castle guests are greeted with a touch-screen kiosk where they can see which of its 34 rooms are available to rent. The fee for each person is 10,000 won, or about $7.49, and there is a two-guest minimum requirement.
There is no maximum party size or time limit in White Castle; however, if all rooms are in use, guests may be booted from their rooms based on the time they arrived.
After selecting a room and entering how many people are in the party through the kiosk, guests are required to take off their shoes and place them inside a locker that corresponds to their room number.
The business provides slippers for customers who wish to briefly step outside.
The rooms are small — about the size of a large closet — and are furnished with a table, television, pillows and blankets. A fire extinguisher, flashlight and fire alarm are inside.
The small TV can play hundreds of pre-installed movies on a server and has ports where customers may connect a video game console or a laptop.
The walls are relatively thin, meaning guests can often hear the voices of others or the sound of board game pieces clattering on the floor.
Amenities inside the communal room include a variety of unlimited snacks, ice cream, coffee, soda and instant ramen. There is also a shelf containing dozens of board games.
No Jung-hoon, an 11th-grade student in Suwon, said he and his friends frequent White Castle and other multirooms in the area.
“I typically come here to play board games with friends, especially when it’s cold outside,” No said during a recent visit to White Castle. “Here, we can lounge around and play with friends, like at a PC cafe.”
Smoking and drinking alcohol are prohibited. Guests may have food delivered to the building; however, they must properly dispose of their trash at the front door.
On the QT
Directions: Room cafes can be found across South Korea.
Times: Vary by location, but many are open from morning to late evening.
Costs: Typically about 10,000 won per person.
Food: Amenities often include unlimited snacks, such as drinks and instant ramen.
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