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• Marines to face random blood-alcohol tests

  December 24, 2012 4:59 PM

  SAN DIEGO (AP) - Marines and sailors will be subject to random blood-alcohol tests twice a year in what is billed as the toughest anti-drinking policy in the U.S. military. The Los Angeles Times reports Monday that any Marine or sailor with a blood-alcohol level of 0.01 percent or higher... more »

• Major hurdles remain to end veteran homelessness

  November 11, 2012 12:59 PM

  CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) - Arthur Lute's arduous journey from his days as a U.S. Marine to his nights sleeping on the streets illustrates the challenge for the Obama administration to fulfill its promise to end homelessness among veterans by 2015. Lute has post-traumatic stress disorder from the 1983 bombing... more »

• Military investigating video of Marines urinating on Taliban bodies

  January 12, 2012 7:38 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The NATO-led security force in Afghanistan says the military personnel seen in a video apparently urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters are no longer in the country. The International Security Assistance Force has released a statement calling the actions in the video "inexplicable and not in... more »

• Want to fly with a Marine today?

  October 28, 2011 4:50 PM

  Two captains from the United States Marine Corps are in the Springs, giving interested individuals a taste of what it's like to be a pilot in the Marine Corps. The presentation includes a small information session followed by an in-flight experience in a small aircraft. The last session... more »

• Iraqi boy - "secret weapon" for US troops - shares story with News 5 Play Video

  October 27, 2011 6:44 PM

  What were you doing at 13 years old? It was probably very different from Jasim Ramadon. Seven years ago he was living in Iraq and his father was a Captain in Saddam Hussein's military -- telling him to kill Americans. Now Ramadon is 19 and lives in Colorado Springs; he... more »

• Iraqi boy - "secret weapon" for US troops - shares story with News 5 Play Video

  October 27, 2011 6:12 PM

  What were you doing at 13 years old? It was probably very different from Jasim Ramadon. Seven years ago he was living in Iraq and his father was a Captain in Saddam Hussein's military -- telling him to kill Americans. Now Ramadon is 19 and lives in Colorado Springs; he... more »

• Iraqi boy - "secret weapon" for US troops - shares story with News 5

  October 27, 2011 5:00 PM

  It made national news in 2004 when a 13-year-old Iraqi boy -- who, under the codename Steve-O, had helped Americans on missions -- was brought back to live in the United States. Jasim Ramadon describes a childhood that was surrounded by violence. His dad was a Captain in Saddam... more »

• Debt forcing defense cuts, but where?

  October 12, 2011 5:11 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - With a nation deep in debt and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the military knows it's in for painful spending cuts. But where? One potential target is the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the next generation, supersonic aircraft for the Air Force, Marines... more »

• Obama mourns 'soldier-statesman' Shalikashvili

  July 23, 2011 7:06 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says the United States has lost a "genuine soldier-statesman" with the death of Army Gen. John Shalikashvili. Shalikashvili was the first foreign-born chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Obama said Shalikashvili's "extraordinary life represented the promise of America and the limitless... more »

• Report: Morale low among troops in Afghanistan

  May 19, 2011 12:08 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - American soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan are suffering with the highest rates of psychological problems since 2005 and morale has plummeted. A report Thursday by the military services says the dramatic increase in fighting is one of the big factors affecting the mental health of forces... more »

• Five U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan

  July 6, 2010 8:37 AM

  Roadside bombs in Afghanistan have killed five U.S. service members in different parts of the country. NATO says two died in the west, two in the south and one in the east. The British Defense Ministry says one of its soldiers was killed in a blast during a vehicle... more »

• Red Cross helps our military heroes

  March 6, 2010 6:56 PM

  Deployment can be incredibly stressful and straining on Southern Colorado's military families. The Pikes Peak American Red Cross offered a free class on Saturday called "Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families" to address that very issue. The course, offered free of charge, was open to military... more »

• More marines to arrive; frustration grows

  January 18, 2010 9:34 AM

  Some 2,000 U.S. Marines are expected to arrive off the coast of Haiti's crumbled city of Port-Au-Prince today to help relief organizations get supplies to earthquake survivors. They'll also be reinforcing 1,000 U.S. troops on the ground. The troop increase and a request for more U.N. peacekeepers comes a day... more »

• 8 American civilians killed in Afghanistan

  December 30, 2009 2:13 PM

  All of the eight Americans killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan Wednesday were civilians, and no U.S. or NATO troops were injured in the blast, a U.S. defense official said. The attack took place at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province, in eastern Afghanistan, said the official,... more »

• Army says morale down among troops in Afghanistan

  November 13, 2009 10:04 AM

  The army says morale has fallen among its forces in Afghanistan, where troops are seeing record violence in the 8-year-old war. A new battlefield survey taken several months ago found instances of depression, anxiety and other psychological problems about the same as in 2007 - but there was a significant... more »

• Celebrating our bravest

  November 11, 2009 7:39 PM

  Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day to celebrate the cease-fire in World War One. Later the holiday was changed to honor veterans of all wars. Today the tradition is living on in Southern Colorado. Today is a day to say thank you to our troops, past and present. ... more »

• 3 Americans die in Iraq

  November 9, 2009 11:19 AM

  Authorities say two American pilots have been killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq. Officials say the two died when their helicopter went down Sunday north of Baghdad. The military is also reporting that a Marine has died of noncombat-related injuries in a separate incident. Both incidents are under investigation. more »

• Soldiers accused in marriage scam for benefits

  October 27, 2009 11:14 AM

  Sgt. Jason Hawk and his bride met for the first time when he picked her up at a bus stop near his Army base a day before their wedding. Prosecutors say the speedy romance was echoed by a fast honeymoon: Ayna Ivanova returned to New York soon after. Two... more »

• Some military members will get thousands in bonuses

  October 23, 2009 2:16 PM

  If you're in the military, you could be in line for a nice bonus. The Defense Department announced Friday that it will make retroactive Stop Loss payments. Active, reserve and former service members who had their enlistment extended or retirement suspended due to Stop Loss are eligible for the... more »

• Congress moves to make military voting easier

  October 23, 2009 11:06 AM

  Congress is making it easier for members of the military and other Americans overseas to vote absentee. Those groups will have their home states provide ballots at least 45 days ahead of an election to ensure there's enough time to complete and return them. Once President Barack Obama signs the... more »

• Christmas shipping deadlines to troops less than 1 month away

  October 20, 2009 4:24 PM

  Even though we haven't carved jack-o-lanterns yet, it's almost time to get your overseas Christmas packages in the mail. The US Postal Service is reminding people that Nov. 13 is the deadline to mail packages parcel post to Iraq and Afghanistan to guarantee they'll get there before Christmas. You... more »

• Pentagon: recruiting last year best since 1973

  October 14, 2009 1:16 PM

  The Pentagon's personnel chief said Tuesday the military has completed its best recruiting year since 1973, meeting all its goals and bringing in a better educated group of young people. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps met goals for active duty and reserve recruiting during the budget... more »

• Better Late Than Never

  October 9, 2009 3:25 PM

  "The Purple Heart is good, but we should go beyond that," says Congressman Doug Lamborn of Colorado ’s 5 th Congressional District. Now it’s all the way to the Silver Star. It’s the military's third highest award and today it decorates the chest of... more »

• Biking for a Better Christmas

  October 4, 2009 9:00 PM

  Hundreds of bikers are already working to make sure kids don’t get left out this Christmas. The riders met at the Rocky Mountain Motor Cycle Museum in Colorado Springs for the 22 nd annual High Country Toy Run. The bikers teamed up with the Marine Corps to... more »

• Appeals court upholds dismissal of vaccine suit

  September 29, 2009 12:39 PM

  A federal appeals court has ruled that members of the military can be required to be vaccinated against anthrax. The U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld a lower court's decision dismissing a case brought by eight service members who challenged the Food and Drug Administration's determination that the vaccine... more »

• Five Americans killed un Afghanistan

  September 25, 2009 11:36 AM

  Six more American military have been killed in southern Afghanistan. There's no word on their home posts. The Department of Defense says four soldiers were killed in Zabul province yesterday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb. Another soldier was shot to death in an insurgent attack. Meanwhile, a... more »

• More U.S. troops headed for Afghanistan?

  September 15, 2009 3:50 PM

  More American troops likely will be needed to win the war in Afghanistan, the top U.S. military officer told skeptical Democrats on Tuesday as he cited a need to prove U.S. commitment in the battle-ravaged region. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate... more »

• Wounded troops mend as war coverage wanes

  September 14, 2009 11:37 AM

  A year after Capt. Sam Brown was set ablaze when a bomb blew up his Humvee in Afghanistan, the 25-year-old West Point graduate endures a steady schedule of painful surgery and stretching to break up knotty burn scars. He also has another routine: checking a Web site that counts... more »