For years, Eugene Morgan didn’t talk much about his experiences aboard the USS Indianapolis.

The Seattle man served aboard the Portland-class cruiser during World War II including on July 30, 1945, when the ship came under attack from a Japanese submarine and sank in the Pacific Ocean near the Marianas Islands.

Morgan was one of 317 survivors among the crew of almost 1,200. Eventually, as the anti-war sentiment waned in the decades following the Vietnam War, he began to share his story.

Nearly a decade ago, he shared it with his grandson, Jason Witty of Puyallup.

Witty joined the Navy after graduating from Puyallup High School 11 years ago. Today he’s a machinist mate 1st class.

Morgan died of a heart attack in June at age 87. Among his last wishes was to be buried at sea near the spot of the Indianapolis’ sinking.

His grandson fulfilled that request earlier this month.

=> Read more!

My colleague, Adam Lynn, was at U.S. District Court in Tacoma today and reported on the sentencing of Cedar Lanmon, an Army captain who pleaded guilty to one count of accepting illegal gratuities. Prosecutors say he accepted $25,000 from an Albanian entrepreneur hoping to land work for the military in Iraq.

From the story:

Lanmon declined an opportunity to speak before his sentencing, but in an 11-page letter submitted to the judge he attempted to explain his conduct.

Operating in a war zone and a foreign culture muddled his thinking, Lanmon wrote. In addition to getting involved in business dealings that risked his Army commission, he cheated on his wife with a civilian contractor, he wrote.

"Psychologists call it cognitive dissonance when actions fall short or are in contravention to a person's moral compass," Lanmon said in the letter. "Combat does funny things to your mind. The only way I found to operate effectively was to assume that I would be dead tomorrow."

His wife reported his business dealings to Army criminal investigators when Lanmon brought his then-pregnant girlfriend home with him from Iraq, according to court documents.

Lanmon wrote in his letter that he is ashamed of his actions.

"I feel I have shamed the very country that I fought (for) and vowed to defend," he said. "I have shamed the officers and mentors who over the years have put their trust and confidence in me. I have tarnished my family's name."

Find the rest of it here.

Another day brings more bad news about the viability of a negotiated security deal between the United States and Iraq. Both countries are working against a Dec. 31 deadline, when the United Nations mandate that authorizes American troops in Iraq is set to expire.

Some Iraqi lawmakers want changes to the agreement. Sticking points include the jurisdiction over American forces and a timeline for the withdrawal of all American troops.

"The window for any kind of discussions, negotiations is rapidly coming to a close," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has told Baghdad it would shut down military operations and other vital services on Jan. 1 if the deal isn't passed. Those other vital services, according to McClatchy's Baghdad bureau, include "activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas."

This – along with American presidential elections next week and Iraqi provincial elections in January – could drastically change I Corps’ mission when it takes over day-to-day operations in Iraq in the spring.

=> Read more!

There was no band. No speeches. The members of the Marine Corps Reserve unit based at Fort Lewis stepped off the bus and walked directly into the arms of their family members.

For Sgt. Arsenio Diga, that meant no wait in holding his 4-month old daughter, Jaynah, for the first time.

Diga and about 45 other Marines of the headquarters and service company of the 4th Landing Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group returned home after a seven-month deployment Thursday.

“It’s a bit overwhelming right now,” said Diga, a 25-year-old Renton native.

=> Read more!

Five large projection screens displayed a schedule, a map of Iraq, flowcharts and a live broadcast of MSNBC. Soldiers sat in front of computer monitors, typing constantly and receiving updates from around Iraq.

Over the public-address system, a voice announced news of a suicide bombing in Mosul, followed by an ambush by insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. The target: the mayor and police chief.

Thursday afternoon’s scenario at Fort Lewis was part of a two-week mission rehearsal exercise involving more than 900 local troops.

Next spring the soldiers of I Corps will go to Iraq to run day-to-day operations of the American military’s presence in the country. That responsibility has been rotated among the Army’s other three corps since the beginning of the war in 2003.

Two Stryker infantry brigades from Fort Lewis are expected to join their I Corps comrades in Iraq later in 2009.

=> Read more!

The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a series of job fairs across the country – including 12 in Washington – as part of its HireVetsFirst initiative.

“The qualities America’s service members are known for – discipline, strong work ethic, leadership and technical skills – are highly valued by employers,” Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao said in a release. “These job fairs are part of our effort to help America’s service men and women transition back to civilian life when their tours of duty end and are an excellent opportunity for employers looking for great workers.”

Here are the dates, times and locations:

Saturday: Yakima Readiness Center, 2501 Airport Lane, Yakima, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wednesday: AMVETS Post #1, 517 S. Tyler St., Tacoma, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesday: Olympia National Guard Armory, 515 Eastside St., Olympia, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Nov. 6: Spokane WorkSource, East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St., Spokane, 2-4:30 p.m.
Nov. 6: Walla Walla WorkSource, 1530 Stevens St., Walla Walla, 3-6 p.m.
Nov. 7: Lewis County WorkSource, 151 NE Hampe Way, Chehalis, noon-2:30 p.m.
Nov. 12: VFW Post 2995, 4330 148th Ave. N.E., Redmond, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Nov. 12: Cowlitz County WorkSource, Kelso, 9 a.m.-noon
Nov. 13: Best Western-Peppertree Omak Inn, 820 Koala Drive, Omak, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Nov. 13: NW Skagit WorkSource, 2005 East College Way, Mt. Vernon, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Nov. 13: Colville WorkSource, 956 S. Main, Suite B, Colville, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Nov. 13: WorkSource Vancouver, 5411 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Do you know a solider who craves bean sprouts with his MRE? What about an airman who pines for something that grows on a pine tree come dinnertime? A Marine who won’t eat marine animals? A friend in the Navy who loves navy beans?

PETA’s looking for you.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals just launched its first Sexiest Vegetarian Soldier contest. (Despite the name, it’s actually open to all members of the armed forces who “are defending the country and animals at the same time.”)

Here’s the pitch from PETA:

“Why is going vegetarian a smart military maneuver? For one thing, vegetarians are, on average, fitter and trimmer than their meat-eating counterparts, so if soldiers want to be lean, mean fighting machines, the best thing that they can do is keep meat off their plates.”

The winner will be named on the organization’s blog and receive a “vegan goodie basket” full of cookies, chocolate, a PETA T-shirt and, puzzlingly, jerky.

Click here to nominate someone. You’ve got until Nov. 26.

Marines from a Washington reserve unit are returning from a seven-month deployment to Iraq tomorrow. Friends and family will welcome them at a ceremony at the Marine Home Site Training Center at Fort Lewis.

The 45 Marines, all from Western Washington, serve with the Headquarters and Service Company of the 4th Landing Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group. They deployed to Anbar Province in April and worked as a provisional security company.

The headquarters company of the Washington National Guard’s 81st Brigade has arrived in Iraq.

The company will run day-to-day life at Camp Ramadi in central Iraq, said brigade spokesman Maj. Scott Taylor said.

Other units are expected to work convoy security.

“All is well and morale is high,” Taylor wrote in an e-mail. “Good things are happening and our focus is fulfilling our obligation to manage the life support for the tenants of Camp Ramadi, among other things.”

Taylor said the brigade is tasked with providing services like housing, making improvements to the base and force protection.

“The headquarters section is made up of a gifted group of soldiers who have a very diverse set of military skills as well as a very diverse set of civilian skills,” he write. “That is what makes the National Guard so unique and an asset for this type of mission. The civilian skills are proving to be just as valuable in this mission as well as the military ones.”

Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment is scheduled to serve in Mosul, The Olympian reported in August. And the unit might have already arrived, according to an Indiana newspaper.

The Evansville Courier & Press said the unit relieving the 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment of the Indiana National Guard in Iraq's third-largest city – described only as a unit from the Washington National Guard – was scheduled to arrive as early as Wednesday.

Taylor wouldn’t confirm the report and said he wasn’t prepared to release specifics on where units will be assigned.

The 3,400-person brigade will be split into several units and spread across northern Iraq, brigade commander Col. Ronald Kapral said in August before the unit left for additional training at Fort McCoy, Wis. The soldiers, about 2,400 of whom are from Washington, began arriving in Kuwait in early October.

At a media weekend at the Yakima Training Center in early August, Kapral said the unit would be in Kuwait until late October and would deploy to northern Iraq shortly after.

This is the 81st Brigade's second deployment to Iraq. During its first tour, in 2004-05, soldiers were primarily involved in force protection Balad and various assignments in Baghdad. Ten of the brigade’s members died during its first deployment.

Could a Washington National Guard battalion be heading to Mosul?

The 81st Brigade is in Kuwait, preparing to soon enter Iraq. Its commander, Col. Ronald Kapral, has previously said the unit will serve throughout northern Iraq, mostly working convoy security.

The Guard isn’t saying where troops will be stationed. But an article from the Evansville Courier & Press gives hint that at least a battalion of Washington soldiers could be heading to Mosul.

The article talks about the upcoming homecoming of the 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery, who are serving as part of a call-up of a brigade of Indiana National Guard soldiers. And while it doesn't specifically state the unit is from the 81st Brigade, that's the only Washington Guard unit preparing to serve in Iraq that could fit the void left by the Indiana soldiers.

From the story:

For some time, the coming-home date has fluctuating. Soldiers knew the Indiana National Guard was aiming for deployments of about a year, including training and demobilization, but Haywood said the end date changed frequently. At first it was mid-December, then late-November and then early November before the latest incarnation.

But with a replacement unit from the Washington National Guard expected to arrive on base as early as today, (Capt. Matthew) Haywood said the 163rd is confident about the most recent departure plan.

"I hope that we're close enough now that we've pretty much got it nailed down," he said. "I think that's the case."

A call to the Washington National Guard public affairs office was directed to the spokesman for the 81st Brigade, who couldn't immediately be reached. (I'll update this as soon as I hear anything.) But until then, keep in mind this hasn't been confirmed.

=> Read more!

Fort Lewis will conduct late-night firing tonight through Thursday night. They’ll be shooting off 155mm howitzers and using C4 at “numerous firing points on the installation.”

Want to complain? Call the Fort Lewis public affairs hotline at 253-967-0852.

Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, will give a speech and participate in a Q&A session next week before the City Club of Tacoma.

Wednesday’s session is titled “The New National Guard: The National Guard of the 21st Century,” and a press release said Lowenberg will discuss the transformation of the Cold War-era Guard to today’s organization.

Lowenberg is also scheduled to “highlight the metamorphosis that has led the National Guard into current partnerships with 63 countries to defend the nation and its interests all over the globe. Gen. Lowenberg will also discuss the many adjustments the troops and their families have had to make and address the Guard’s wide-ranging roles and responsibilities.”

It’s open to the public, but you must RSVP by Monday. If you’re interested, here’s the info:

What: City Club of Tacoma dinner meeting
Who: Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard
Where: Wheelock Student Center Rotunda, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner St., Tacoma
When: 6 p.m., Nov. 5
How much: $23 for members, $30 for guests. Includes dinner and parking.
RSVP: By Nov. 3 at 253-272-9561

My colleague Brent Champaco reports Lakewood is considering covering diminished salaries for city employees who are deployed to active military duty.

The city already extends medical and dental benefits to deployed employees' dependents for up to two years. No city employees are deployed or preparing to deploy.

From the article:

Under the proposal, Lakewood would join four other local governments who cover or have covered an employee's lost salary if service overseas means a decrease in pay. The City of Tacoma covers the gap, and Pierce County does it for up to two years.

City staff will bring back more information to the City Council next week.
Councilman Ron Cronk requested that staff survey what private employers do for deployed workers, and Councilman Pad Finnigan also requested more information.

Philosophically, there are probably few communities that would oppose helping deployed employees in this way, Finnigan added, "I'd just like to see some data."

(Mayor Doug) Richardson, who is a brigadier general in the Army Reserve, said the large number of military veterans living in Lakewood would likely support the salary benefit.

"I find it very hard to believe they'd be up in arms that we're keeping families whole while they fight overseas," the mayor said.

A nonprofit organization and online shipping provider are teaming up to provide an easy way to send care packages to soldiers.

Operation Interdependence offers its Adopt-A-Box program. Each box ($30) has supplies for 50 troops and can contain a short note from the sender. Items include anything from beef jerky and candy to disposable cameras and toothbrushes.

Endicia, the shipping provider, is matching donations and paying for overseas delivery.

The goal is to reach almost every deployed service member around the world with something from home every month.

The Navy will commission a Virginia-class attack submarine, the USS New Hampshire, on Saturday in Maine.

And a Tacoma native, Cmdr. Mike Stevens, will be its inaugural commanding officer.

"This is a longtime dream for me," Stevens told seacoastonline.com "Submarines provide the best opportunity to command a ship at sea. When you're 4,000 miles out to sea, you really can't turn to anyone else for guidance. You have to rely on your own abilities, and that appeals to me. You have autonomy."

According to a Navy release, the 7,800-ton New Hampshire "will significantly contribute to the mission areas of anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; special operations forces; strike; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare."

Stevens will lead a crew of 134. The submarine is 337 feet long and can operate at depths greater than 800 feet.

UPDATE: I was looking for more info about Stevens, to no avail. And by the time I got the release, I couldn't reach anyone in Navy public affairs.

Singing before crowds is nothing new for Victor Trinidad.

He can thank his command of English for that.

Trinidad, a helicopter electrician at Fort Lewis, was born in New York but moved to Puerto Rico as a child. Few kids in his neighborhood could speak English, and he was the only one out of those who knew the words to the national anthem.

“So when they needed someone to sing it,” he said, “guess who they asked?”

That sparked a love of performing before a crowd for Trinidad, now a 27-year-old staff sergeant with the 4th Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. And his vocal skills are gaining attention in military circles.

=> Read more!

DVIDS posted a story about a Fort Lewis most people don't often read about: the 9th Financial Management Company.

The unit of 100 soldiers helped open a branch of the National Bank of Kuwait on the grounds of Camp Arifjan -- the first time a host-nation bank has operated on a military installation in Central Command's area of operations.

From the article:

Through the semi-permanent building, service members, contractors and civilians are afforded a new opportunity for banking. All will be able to conduct basic banking needs to include check cashing, wire transfers, foreign currency conversions and the ability to open and close bank accounts, along with expanded ATM service on the camp.

...

The establishment of the NBK branch here provides a model for finance operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan to encourage the civilian economy to use their own currency and banking system, allowing American forces to take dollars off the street, helping facilitate the transfer to the local economy.

About 150 members of the 8th Airlift Squadron, 62nd Airlift Wing will leave McChord Air Force Base on Monday for a four-month deployment in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It will deploy as the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which is tasked with planning and executing missions using C-17 Globemaster jets throughout U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility. The McChord airmen will operate from bases throughout Europe, Southwest Asia and the Middle East.

The 8th Airlift Squadron last deployed in July 2007. It will replace another McChord unit, the 4th Airlift Squadron, which is scheduled to return to home early next month.

“Our airmen are proud of our mission to support our fellow warriors as a deployed airlift squadron,” squadron commander Lt. Col. Albert Miller said in a release. “Every single day, we’ll be flying missions in direct support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, delivering troops and supplies and keeping convoys off the roads.”

Christopher Waiters was standing in the lobby of the Soldiers Field House at Fort Lewis when Gen. Peter Chiarelli entered. The two shook hands and chatted. Waiters thanked Chiarelli for flying in for the ceremony.

“Actually,” the Army’s vice chief of staff told the 26-year-old staff sergeant, “I’m the one who’s honored to be here today.”

Less than half an hour later, Waiters stood stone-faced before 1,500 people in the gymnasium as the four-star general awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for valor.

Waiters, a graduate of Timberline High School in Lacey, is only the 17th person to receive the award since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the first from Fort Lewis since the Vietnam War. The honor comes 17 months after he saved the lives of two soldiers and tried to rescue a third while serving as a member of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

The bleachers of the Field House were packed with people for the ceremony, and dozens more filled long rows of folding chairs. Waiters’ family members drove up from Lacey or flew from Germany for the event. He received two standing ovations. And after it was finished, hundreds gathered in two lines snaking across the gymnasium floor to congratulate him.

=> Read more!

The Army released a few photos of Staff Sgt. Christopher Waiters saving two other soldiers from a burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle on April 5, 2007 -- the actions that earned him a Distinguished Service Cross:

A soldier formerly based at Fort Lewis will receive the Distinguished Service Cross at a ceremony this afternoon. Not many of these awards -- the military's second-highest -- have been awarded. Just how do they stack up?

Here's a box we'll run with tomorrow's paper:

Medal of Honor: Awarded to “a person who, while a member of the Army, distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty.”

Distinguished Service Cross: Awarded to “a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguishes himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor.”

Silver Star: Awarded to “a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict.”

Bronze Star: Awarded to “any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the military of the United States after 6 December 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service.”

I’m working on a story about command-directed transfers, a process in which National Guardsmen are moved to deploying units to help shore up any shortage of troop numbers.

About 200-225 soldiers were assigned to the 81st Brigade of the Washington National Guard – which is in the process of deploying to Iraq – through the procedure.

A few soldiers and their family members aren't happy about that.

The brigade received its mobilization order in March. Its stop-loss policy didn’t go into effect until mid-May. Between those two dates, Guard spokesman Lt. Keith Kosik said, the numbers of available soldiers in the 81st fluctuated for many reasons, such as retirements and transfers in or out of the state.

“Once stop-loss goes into effect,” he said, “we got a better understanding of who we have, because at that point all retirement, interstate transfers, etc., are on hold.”

And about 10 percent don’t make it through pre-deployment training. More than 2,400 members of the brigade are from Washington, so the National Guard alerted 250-300 soldiers that they could be transferred to the 81st Brigade as a contingency.

About 200-225 were actually transferred to the unit before it arrived in Fort McCoy, said Master Sgt. Dave Largent, another Washington National Guard spokesman.

“We gave as much notice as we possibly could,” Kosik said. “We notified people as soon as we knew that we were going to have to do that.”

Do you know anyone affected by this? Want to share your opinions? Shoot me an e-mail at scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com.

The 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment held its redeployment and colors uncasing ceremony today at Fort Lewis. The 600 soldiers of the unit recently returned from a 15-month tour in Iraq.

The unit served as part of Task Force Redcatcher in northern Iraq. They flew OH-58 Kiowa Warriors, UH-60 Black Hawks and Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles.

They were spread throughout the northern region of the country, with the largest concentration of aircraft at the Mosul airfield.

It also had a presence in Tal Afar, Kirkuk, Tikrit and a base near the Syrian border.

The uncasing ceremony symbolizes a unit’s return to Fort Lewis and typically takes place after the entirety of the unit’s soldiers have returned from a deployment. Soldiers from the 4-6 Air Cav began returning in late August.

New Year's Eve is swiftly approaching.

That's when United Nations mandate that allows American troops in Iraq expires. Negotiators from both Iraq and the United States are working to hammer something out, but the "final draft" of a long-term security agreement isn't looking so final.

The draft agreement calls for a withdrawal of all American troops by the end of 2011. Combat forces will pull out of cities, villages and towns by June 30, 2009. If you want to read the agreement yourself, the Los Angeles Times has a copy on its Web site. The newspaper obtained the draft from the Iraqis and had it translated from Arabic to English.

Meanwhile, McClatchy Baghdad bureau chief Leila Fadel writes that the draft was downgraded from a final draft to work in progress after Shiite lawmakers objected to certain wordings.

The wording of the final draft – and what it means in real life – could have a major impact for what day-to-day life will like for the 13,000 or so soldiers from Fort Lewis and the Washington National Guard who are scheduled to serve in Iraq throughout next year.

Lots happened on the military beat yesterday -- in retrospect, not the wisest day to take off for your humble correspondent. But in case you missed anything, here’s what happened Tuesday:

● A soldier previously assigned to a Stryker brigade at Fort Lewis will be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest award for combat valor, at a ceremony Thursday. Spc. Christopher Waiters was the senior medic of his company of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division last April 5 when a Bradley exploded, trapping soldiers inside. Waiters fought two armed insurgents and then braved the flames to save two soldiers and recover the body of the third. It's the first time the Distinguished Service Cross will be awarded to a Fort Lewis soldier since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

● A federal judge ruled the Army can't retry Ehren Watada, the Fort Lewis-based war objector, on charges of missing his unit's deployment to Iraq and for denouncing President Bush and the war. Doing so, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled, would violate the constitutional protection against double jeopardy.

● Gov. Chris Gregoire and John Lee, the director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, visited a veterans retraining program run by the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry in Lacey. The union is helping retrain combat vets so they can transition back into civilian life.

● A Tacoma barber was found shot to death in a training area of Fort Lewis last week. Army investigators are asking the public's help to find out what happened to 56-year-old Vong Lam.

● The Pentagon announced a soldier from Washington died in Afghanistan on Monday. (The Department of Defense lists his hometown as Camano Island; Special Operations Command says he is from Seattle.) Capt. Robert D. Lindenau, 39, died when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle. He was serving with the 91st Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

If you want to read more about the family of Cpl. Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan -- the Stryker soldier whom Colin Powell referenced Sunday during his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama -- here's a story from the Gannett New Jersey news service.

From the story:

"There is a lot of sense in his words," Khan said. "There's nothing that is in your religious background that should ever prevent you from doing all that you are capable of, even if that is becoming president."

There was much pain that resurfaced.

"I walk (in) Arlington when I visit my son's gravesite and I see others buried there who are Muslims and Hindus," Khan said.

It’s an easy way for people who have supported the Army to receive thanks. Yet the Freedom Team Salute program is not having the success organizers hoped when the Pentagon launched it three years ago.

So program officials were at Fort Lewis – part of a tour of the Army’s 10 largest installations – last week to spark interest among active-duty soldiers in the program.

The program honors recipients – which can be a veteran, family member or other supporter – with a certificate of appreciation, personalized recognition letter, quarterly newsletter, lapel pin and decal. Nominators need to only submit the name and address for themselves and the honoree. The program costs nothing to honor someone; it’s funded through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Anyone can honor Army veterans or supporters; active-duty soldiers can also honor their spouses and parents.

“This has never been done before – something to just say thank you,” said Michael Nadonley, the soldier outreach manager for Freedom Team Salute.

The program was created in 2005, but Nadonley said it’s having trouble gaining traction among active-duty soldiers. More than 1.4 million people have been honored so far; about 1 million of those have been veterans. Less than 200,000 parents and less than 75,000 spouses have received the packets.

=> Read more!

Feroze Khan was working Sunday morning when the calls began. Friends and family members were watching Colin Powell’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when something unexpected happened.

The retired general and former secretary of state spoke of a moving photo of a mother grieving over her son’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery.

The deceased was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, a 20-year-old corporal who was deployed with a Fort Lewis-based Stryker brigade when he died last year.

Powell’s words caught Feroze Khan, Kareem’s father, by total surprise.

“I knew nothing about it at the time,” the New Jersey resident told The News Tribune on Monday. “But I’m quite grateful to Gen. Powell about what he said about my son. Now I’m sure a lot more people are aware of the sacrifice Kareem made.”

Powell appeared on the television program to formally endorse Democratic candidate Barack Obama for president.

Powell said he was concerned about the decision of some in the Republican Party to smear Obama by saying he was a Muslim. And, Powell asked anchor Tom Brokaw, should it matter if Obama or any other presidential candidate was a Muslim?

That’s when he mentioned a photo essay in an issue of the New Yorker last month. The final image was one of Elsheba Khan, Kareem’s mother.

=> Read more!

The new barracks building is still wrapped in white plastic. The walls and floors are exposed wood, and the building is months away from housing hundreds of Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers.

But the barracks – which measure almost 83,000 square feet – are being touted by some as a model for new construction at the growing post.

“We probably saved six months because we used modular construction,” said Bud Cooper, project manager for Alutiiq International Solution, the Alaska-based contractor that is constructing the barracks. “Look, I’m a taxpayer. If it’s possible, I want the federal government to get things done six months sooner.”

The barracks are part of a contract worth about $31 million, according to the Department of Defense. Both Cooper and Jim Packard, a project engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers, believe using modular construction could help reduce costs for large-scale projects.

But it’s not substantially cheaper yet.

“There is a savings, but there are additional costs – like transporting the modules up here (from Southern California),” Packard said. “There will probably be substantial savings once the bugs are kicked out of the system.”

=> Read more!

The lifestyle center at Fort Lewis is still attracting a lot of attention. It's a proposed 600,000-square-foot open-air shopping area, complete with fountains, sidewalk cafes and national-chain vendors.

I wrote about the Army & Air Force Exchange Service's plans for the center, and my colleague, columnist Dan Voelpel, offered his opinion.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce today posted the PowerPoint and video an AAFES official presented to the Military Affairs Committee earlier this month. Check it out here.

It's been up for a little while, but in case you've missed it, there's an official Web site for Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It's pretty chock-full of information -- like everything from how joint basing works to the effect on the proposed cross-base highway -- and worth a glance.

It also features videos, interactive maps and news articles.

Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base public affairs officials have been working on the month for more than three months. The neighboring installations will become a joint base in January 2010, as mandated by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

The Census Bureau is out with some statistics on the country’s veteran population. Check ’em out, by the numbers:

Total
23.6 million: Number of veterans in the United States

Gender
1.8 million: Number of female veterans
16 percent: Percentage of Gulf War veterans who were females

Race
18.8 million: Number of non-Hispanic white veterans
2.4 million: Number of black veterans
1.1 million: Number of Hispanic veterans
278,000: Number of Asian veterans
165,000: Number of American Indian or Alaska Native veterans
27,000: Number of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander veterans

Age
9.3 million: Number of veterans 65 or older
1.9 million: Number of veterans younger than 35

Era
2.9 million: Number of living veterans serving during World War II
3 million: Number of living veterans serving during the Korean War
7.9 million: Number of living Vietnam War-era veterans
358,000: Number of living veterans who served during both Vietnam and the Gulf War eras
315,000: Number of living veterans who served during both the Korean and Vietnam wars
69,000: Number of living veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War
33 percent: Percentage of living veterans who served during the Vietnam era

A symposium on veterans and transportation that organizers are billing as the first of its kind in the country is coming tomorrow to American Lake.

The meeting should attract veteran service organizations, federal and state officials and community and public transportation providers. According to a press release from the Community Transportation Association of America, the symposium has three goals: identify programs in Washington providing transportation to veterans, identify needs and gaps in transportation services and develop a veterans’ transportation demonstration project to improve access to necessary health care.

The symposium will be held at Building 9 of the VA’s American Lake Campus from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Veterans and members of the public are invited.

Project Homeless Connect runs on a simple concept: Make it easy to sign up for services and receive some immediate care, do it all in one place and more people will be helped. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is holding the second such event at the Tacoma Dome today.

Attendees can get medical checkups, have their hair cut and sign up for social services. And one room – marked by red and blue balloons taped to the wall – attracted dozens of people. It’s where veterans could sign up for programs offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Inside the room, volunteers and VA workers staffed table after table explaining the myriad benefits the country provides to its veterans. One 37-year-old man who didn’t want to give his name but was wearing a jacket with the scroll of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment said he’s been living off friends’ couches for a few months. He hadn’t signed up for VA benefits in the past because he worried it would be too much work.

“But that,” he said, nodding toward the room, “that was easy.”

Last year, the VA connected 91 people – about a fifth of everyone who attended the event – with federal programs, said Justin Schumacher of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. Forty had never previously been signed up for veterans’ benefits, he said.

I don’t have any official numbers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they exceed those based on what I saw today (albeit for a short while).

Photographer Janet Jensen snapped some really good photos at yesterday's homecoming ceremony for units from the 62nd Medical Brigade. Too many shots, actually, to get in the paper. So make sure to check out her slideshow from the ceremony.

The Army Reserve has compiled this video of recovering toxic tires from Saltwater State Park. Interesting stuff if you get a few minutes.

It’s a common cliché that when a soldier goes to war, life is put on hold.

But that’s not exactly true. Life continues, but the soldier misses much of it. And perhaps no one was more aware of that Tuesday than Spc. David Singleton. When he and other members of the 62nd Medical Brigade returned to Fort Lewis after a 15-month tour in Iraq, the 29-year-old Federal Way resident was greeted by, among others, his daughter, Leanna.

Singleton had never seen or held his 4-month old daughter until then.

“It’s breathtaking. Just breathtaking,” Singleton said. “It’s my first child. I didn’t get to come home to see her when she was born. It’s just breathtaking. I can’t really explain it.”

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Fire up CBC tonight if you're interested in the future of Afghanistan's most volatile region. Canada, which has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province, is holding federal elections today, and the future of our neighbor's mission there could be influenced by tonight's outcome.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party deflated Afghanistan as a campaign issue by announcing earlier this year that the country would withdraw all forces by 2011. That was a step beyond what Liberal Party, with the second-most number of MPs, was calling for: withdrawal from Kandahar by 2011, when the country's parliamentary mandated mission ends.

But the two other opposition parties, the New Democrats and the Bloc Québécois, have pushed for a near-immediate withdrawal from the NATO-led mission. And since neither the Conservatives or the Liberals are expected to win a majority (and will thus have to work with another party to form a government), there could be pressure to limit the size of the country's contribution.

The United States has about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan. Another 5,300 or so will join that number over the next few months as a Marine Corps battalion and the Army's 3rd Battalion, 10th Mountain Division are scheduled to deploy. But the NATO commander has asked for 10,000 troops, and the issue has become a political one here.

NATO can't exactly abandon Kandahar – the historic home of the Taliban – in 2011 or sooner. So who will fill the vacuum once Canada leaves? Hint: It probably won't be Norway.

As Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base take small, subtle steps toward reorganizing as a joint base, many soldiers, airmen and their families are logically asking: "What does this mean for me?"

As it turns out, there are some nice perks that come with joint basing. Like a free membership at any of the five Pierce County YMCA centers.

The YMCA of Tacoma-Pierce County announced Monday that up to 900 local military families are eligible for memberships at no cost starting this month.

In most military communities, the benefit is limited to families with a service member who is deployed for at least six months. The idea is to provide family-strengthening activities, wellness programs, respite child care and other services to these households at a time when they need it most.

“Families are the most affected when a loved one gets deployed, so we are deeply committed to providing them with support in spirit, mind and body," local YMCA Executive Vice President Michael Ketcham said in a news release.

That's great news for 81st Brigade National Guardsmen headed to the Mideast now, and a pair of Stryker infantry brigades likely headed to Iraq next year. Not so great for McChord personnel, whose deployments typically last 120 days.

Fortunately, the door is open even wider at a handful of military bases, including Lewis and McChord, that are being brought together under the Joint Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) umbrella. Active-duty service members and their families at these joint bases may be eligible for a free YMCA membership, regardless of deployment status.

The Department of Defense is underwriting the fees through a new “Outreach Initiative,” developed between the DOD and the Armed Services YMCA. It's in response to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, which contains extra provisions for military family readiness.

Ketcham said about 1,600 individual soldiers already have enjoyed free membership at local YMCAs for the past few years. This expands it to entire families.

Those who are interested should take their completed DOD/YMCA eligibility form, their military ID and their deployment orders (if applicable) to their nearest participating YMCA.

In Pierce County, all the Y facilities (Tacoma, Lakewood, Puyallup and Gig Harbor) are participating.

My colleague, wire editor Kathleen George, sent me this article from the Washington Post. The newspaper reports that, as the security situation improves in Iraq, Western media outlets are beginning to pull correspondents out of the country.

Of course, this is good in the sense that the country is getting much safer. But bad because there will be less information during this crucial time.

Some of the Post's findings:

● Embeds with U.S. troops dropped from 219 in September 2007 to 39 last month.

● Only four newspapers staff full-time Baghdad bureaus.

● CBS and NBC no longer have a year-round presence in Iraq.

● The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post published 858 front-page stories from Iraq in 2003. It dropped to 379 last year and to only 138 through the first nine months of this year.

Ouch. There are a bunch of reasons: Stateside stories like the election and the economy are pushing Iraq off the front page. And newspapers aren't exactly awash with extra cash these days. Still, I don't think too many people want to see Iraq coverage go the way of Afghanistan: A few outlets have one or maybe two guys on the ground, their stories destined to run somewhere way inside the paper or deep into a broadcast.

UPDATE: The McClatchy Co., The News Tribune's parent company, still maintains its Baghdad bureau and hasn't pulled anyone out. Our sister papers are continuing embeds, too.

Army Times has an article discussing funding for ongoing modernization programs of several programs, including the Stryker. (The story has info about improvements to the Bradley and information about the Future Combat Systems program.)

Among the variants to the Stryker is a prototype built with a trailer and crane to recover damaged vehicles -- even if a Stryker is "catastrophically destroyed." Another plan the Army wants full funding for is a nuclear, chemical and biological reconnaissance variant. And one upgrade apparently already being implemented is a Stryker with “an armor kit along the lower sides of the vehicles designed to stop deadly shaped charges such as explosively formed penetrates.”

“The Stryker modernization program will allow you to put more weight on the system. There is a hull protection kit, an armor package, that is being put on selective Strykers right now. It is on the lower part of the side. EFPs impact around the tire area,” the newspaper quotes U.S. Army Col. Christopher Lockhart, the capabilities manager for the Stryker for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Here’s an interesting piece about “the biggest untold mortgage crisis”: military families facing foreclosure.

The piece says “one recent study” – if anyone knows what this study is, lemme know – states that foreclosure rates in military towns are four times the national average. (Again, without seeing the study, I don’t know if that’s talking about the small communities immediately abutting some more remote installations, or if it takes into account urbanized bases and posts like Fort Lewis and McChord.)

Either way, here’s the explanation why:

Military families were targeted as customers during the boom in subprime lending. Their frequent moves, overseas stints, and low pay meant they were likely to have weak credit ratings. The initial low rates and easy terms of these loans made them more attractive than the traditional route of taking out a Veterans Administration (VA) loan. In fact, at the peak of the U.S. subprime lending, the number of new VA loans fell to their lowest level in 12 years.

But, the piece says, the federal Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act was specifically created to protect the troops from losing their homes. The law itself isn't new -- President Bush signed it into law in 2003 -- but I'm sure it's receiving much more attention because of the recent economic crisis.

So I'll throw the question out to y'all: Have you or someone you know found relief under SCRA? I'd like to do a localized version of this story. Shoot me an e-mail at scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com.

And if you want to know more specifics about the law, click below:

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The Department of Veterans Affairs is calling it a community living center. Most people would call it a nursing home.

Dr. Douglas Lane, a clinical psychologist at the VA's American Lake facility, has a different take.

"The facility is understood to be a residence," he said at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony, "where veterans in need of extended, palliative or hospice care can receive the very best medical assistance in an environment that is homelike."

The $32 million, 79,000-square-foot facility should open in about 18 months. It will include 83 beds, including a 19-bed unit for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

“It’s about giving back to those who gave so much through their military service,” said Stan Johnson, the director of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

Speakers at Friday’s ceremony – attended by about 150 people – stressed that the facility wouldn’t just be another nursing home. The center is designed around one “main street” corridor, off which several “neighborhoods” branch. Almost every room will have a window with a view of the exterior or the courtyard.

“We went to a great length to make this more home-like, not institutional,” project architect Brian Ko said.

And the building could become the first in the VA to be LEED Silver certified for sustainability, Johnson said.

Other steps are being taken to help reduce overhead airplane noise for the residents inside and to help the exterior of the building blend into its surroundings.

“Over the course of your career, you have few projects that are truly close to your heart,” architect Brian Fitzgerald said. “This is one of those projects. One that our whole office can be proud of.”

It’s the hot trend in urban planning: An open-air shopping and dining center aimed at attracting customers both on cars and on foot. Outdoor fountains and sidewalk cafes contribute to a sense of community.

And developers want to bring it to Fort Lewis.

The organization that runs post exchanges and base exchanges at military installations across the world plans to develop a "lifestyle center" that mixes mid- to high-end retail and causal-dining restaurants linked together with wide sidewalks and outdoor fountains. Developers are also considering adding a roller-skating rink, health club, furniture store and bowling alley to the area.

The center is scheduled to open by summer 2012.

“This will be more than just a big-box PX next to the commissary,” Joseph Giuffreda, vice president of strategic partnerships for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, told a meeting of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce earlier this week.

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Stars and Stripes has a quick brief about the Fort Lewis-based 62nd Medical Brigade passing control to Fort Bragg’s 44th Medical Command at a ceremony Friday at Camp Victory in Baghdad.

That means the 62nd’s 15-month tour is just days from ending. Word is that they’ll return to Washington on Tuesday morning. We’ll be there for the homecoming.

So what has the 62nd been doing while it's away? According to Stripes, it has "served a 15-month tour during which it provided medical care to 'more than 320,000 U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces and more than 120,000 civilian contractors,' officials said.

"In addition, brigade members helped train more than 1,400 Iraqi medical personnel," the newspaper continued.

Since the 62nd deployed, of course, the Army has switched to 12-month deployments.

Got a loved one in the med brigade? Got anything special planned? We'd love to hear from you about it.

UPDATE: The Fort Lewis public affairs office just put out a press release confirming that the 62nd Medical Brigade will be back Tuesday. A ceremony is planned for 7 a.m. at the Sheridan Fitness Center.

More info from the release:

While deployed to Iraq since the summer of 2007, the unit achieved a 98 percent survival rate for patients entering a TF62 facility, an 80 percent battle injury return to duty rate, and treated over 106,000 dental patients; equivalent to over $9.6M in care. They also partnered with the Iraqi Ministry of Health to improve the healthcare system; trained over 800 Iraqi Healthcare Providers & Staff during professional engagements.

Staff Sgt. Donald Gray fires his weapon while participating in the Short Range Marksmanship training program. Gray is one of more than 300 Kansas National Guard soldiers from the 287th Sustainment Brigade. Gray is at Fort Lewis training for an upcoming deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Lui Kit Wong/The News Tribune)

Staff Sgt. Gregory Strite, far right, demonstrates Short Range Marksmanship to a group of Kansas National Guard Soldiers. More than 300 Kansas National Guard Soldiers from the 287th Sustainment Brigade, headquartered in Wichita, Kan., is at Fort Lewis training for an upcoming deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Lui Kit Wong/The News Tribune)

The Peninsula Daily News has an interesting piece about a squabble between the Navy and Jefferson County residents over an expanded undersea warfare test range in the Hood Canal.

Residents worry that expanded range would limit recreational and commercial water access.

From the article, the proposed changes are:

● The Dabob Bay Range Complex on Hood Canal -- comprised of the north and south military operating areas near Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and the area in Dabob Bay -- would increase from about 32.7 square nautical miles to 45.7 square nautical miles, and the number of days used per year would remain the same, at 200.

● The Quinault Underwater Tracking Range between Pacific Beach in Grays Harbor County and Kalaloch in West Jefferson County would increase from about 48 square nautical miles to 1,840 under the preferred alternative to the full size of a current military air space on nautical charts.

● The Keyport range site would increase from 1.7 square miles to 3.7 square miles, and the average use would increase by five days, to 60 days per year.

Check out the article if you get a chance. Lots of good context in there.

The U.S. Postal Service is offering a discount on flat-rate Priority Mail boxes to overseas military personnel this holiday season.

The largest flat-rate box costs $12.95 to domestic addresses and APO/FPO addresses. But the Post Office dropped the rate to $10.95 for the overseas military addresses.

Less than $11 to ship a box across the globe? That ain’t a bad deal.

Click below to read the full press release, including how to order a free Military Care Kit.

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The road from Kansas to Iraq goes through Fort Lewis.

Members of the 191st Infantry Brigade, Division West, is training 300 soldiers from the Kansas National Guard’s 287th Sustainment Brigade before it deploys to Iraq.

Lewis’ 191st is a mix of active, reserve and Guard soldiers who help train Reserve and Guard units before deployment. The drills include learning how to escape from a Humvee if it rolls over, short-range marksmanship and combat lifesaving courses.

The 191st has trained more than 35,000 Reservists since Sept. 11, 2001.

We’re planning on having a photographer at Lewis today to snap some shots of training. And we’ll post ‘em this afternoon.

Remember that close call two Fort Lewis soldiers had in April in Utah? The troops from the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division narrowly avoided serious injury after an F-16 opened fire on a rental SUV they were driving at the Utah Test and Training Range.

An investigation ruled the pilot failed "to positively identify the intended target.” Five 20mm runs hit the SUV, including one about a foot behind the driver’s side door.

The Salt Lake Tribune has pored over dozens of interviews related to the investigation. And “the report sheds light on a world little appreciated outside military circles, where even in the relative safety of a training exercise, the difference between life and death is measured in inches, in seconds, and in trust,” the paper reports.

Check it out. It’s good readin’.

It could get loud tonight and tomorrow.

Fort Lewis issued a late-night firing announcement today. Soldiers have been detonating C-4 and performing demolitions on post. It began yesterday and will continue through tomorrow night.

Another round of firing is on tap for next week: Soldiers will fire 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortars throughout the day and night from Sunday to Wednesday.

Got complaints or questions? The public affairs office’s line is 253-967-0852.

A post office in Cleveland, Ga., now bears the name of a Fort Lewis Stryker soldier killed in Iraq in 2007.

Sgt. Jason Robert Harkins was killed on May 6 in Baqouba with give other soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and a Russian photojournalist when a bomb exploded under their Stryker.

The explosion flipped the 20-ton vehicle upside down, and then soldiers came under fire from a nearby mosque. Harkins, 25, and his wife lived in Lakewood at the time of his death. It was his second deployment.

Friends, family members, community leaders and politicians attended the renaming ceremony on Sunday, The Gainesville Times reports. Harkins' mother, Nancy Fritchey, wore her Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star, the newspaper reported.

Harkins received a posthumous Silver Star for his actions March 17 in Baqouba. Despite being wounded in the ambush, he organized a quick perimeter to outgun attackers and helped evacuate three wounded soldiers. He died less than two months later.

Renaming a post office requires Congressional approval. Rep. Nathan Deal introduced the measure, which passed the House in February and the Senate in April. President Bush signed the bill into law on May 7.

The Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus, Ga., has a profile of Col. Tom Macdonald, Fort Benning's new garrison commander.

As the first few paragraphs of the story say, Macdonald spent some of the most influential years of his childhood in the South Sound, attending Lakes High School in Lakewood.

Sgt. Sam Beard returned from his deployment with the Washington National Guard in July Command to a celebration at Fort Lewis highlighted with jubilant families and a speech by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

On Sunday, Beard and about 250 others from the 66th Theater Aviation Command returned Sunday to the post to celebrate the end of the deployment – part of the Guard’s Freedom Salute campaign, which publicly celebrates the achievements of soldiers deployed into combat zones.

“That first return ceremony is really more for the troops,” Beard’s wife, Patty, said. “This one is for the families.”

And more than 1,000 people filled the cavernous interior of Army Aviation Support Facility to celebrate. A band played patriotic songs as soldiers and their families shared punch and cake. Screens played videos and displayed photos.

The units served primarily in Iraq, performing air assault operations and support missions around the country. Every soldier returned from the yearlong deployment.

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When holding memorial ceremonies for its fallen soldiers, Fort Lewis does not distinguish between those who were killed by the enemy in combat and those who died in accidents while deployed. Nor should they.

Nor should we in the news media. That's why I feel badly that the News Tribune missed Wednesday's ceremony in honor of Pfc. Leonard J. Gulczynski, a 19-year-old from Carol Stream, Ill. who died in Baghdad on Sept. 17. His death was reported on our front page when we learned of it last month, as the deaths of local soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan always are. But we traditionally cover the local Army post farewell ceremony, too.

Gulczynski was a heavy construction equipment operator who belonged to Fort Lewis' 555th Engineer Brigade, known as the Triple Nickel. The Department of Defense continues to say simply that he died from wounds sustained in a "vehicle incident." Gulczynski's hometown paper, the Daily Herald of suburban Chicago, went a little further to say he was ejected from a Humvee after it crashed into a another vehicle.

Family, friends and community gathered a week ago back in Gulczynski's hometown. You can read the Daily Herald's coverage of that memorial, and learn more about the soldier, by clicking here.