This is from our courts reporter, Adam Lynn:

A 57-year-old Sumner man pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of making false claims of military medals and decorations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle reported. Steve A. Bennest is to be sentenced March 17. He faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors contended Bennest falsely stated on an application for veterans benefits that he had earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, among the highest decorations awarded to members of the military.

While Bennest served in the Army between 1969 and 1972, he earned neither medal, according to a news release.

Bennest is a former city of Pacific reserve police officer.

There's been some chatter about how the Stryker will perform in Afghanistan, when and if a brigade is deployed there ¹.

Meanwhile, the British newspaper The Guardian has a column about the long-term prospects of a British fighting force in Afghanistan. And while much of this certainly isn't new, it's always interesting to read about it from someone on the other side of the pond. From the story:

The British army wanted Stryker some five years ago. The procurement men tested it, and on Julie Burchill's famous dictum "if it ain't broke, break it", said the carrier isn't fit for purpose. It's about the best thing going, most soldiers in the field now admit. "It's performed brilliantly in Iraq," said one British army tank expert.

Yesterday we heard that the army is to soldier on with the controversial, and ageing "Snatch" Land Rover, designed for counter civil disturbance duties in Derry and Belfast.

So the Brits won't use them in Afghanistan. The Americans likely will at some point. The question that some folks are discussing is how the Stryker will perform in a radically different terrain.

^{1 - It's not totally uncharted territory. The 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment has used Strykers in Afghanistan, though officials have remained tight-lipped about it. And the Canadians have used the vehicle the Stryker evolved from in Afghanistan.}