Check out my colleague Kelly Kearsley's report on the state helping employers of deployed reservists and National Guardsmen.

From the story:

The new law allows employers to request relief from benefit charges for temporary employees whom they must then lay off when the permanent employee comes back from active military service, according to a news release from the state's Employment Security Department.

The measure goes into effect on July 26. The legislature passed the law this past session.

To avoid being charged for these benefits, employers must contact Employment Security and specify which layoffs are due to military members returning to work.

"We corrected a clear wrong," said Sen. Chris Marr, a Spokane Democrat who sponsored the legislation. "We should be encouraging employers to do what they can to support our servicemen and women, not saddling them with higher unemployment insurance costs for doing so. This new law removes that very obstacle and gets the state out of the way."

Army Rangers from Fort Lewis, along with military aviators from Kentucky and Florida, will join forces for two weeks of training exercises starting Monday. And their spokespeople warn neighbors that they might notice increased noise, low-flying aircraft, and more air traffic coming and going during that time.

The training is scheduled from July 13 to July 27 and involves fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The public may report any concerns to the Fort Lewis Community Relations hotline at 253-967-0852.

But in general, the Army has asked the surrounding community to understand the importance of this training for the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. A statement from Fort Lewis public affairs says, in part:

Tough, realistic training is critical to prepare Army Rangers for their mission to stand ready to deploy anywhere in the world and conduct high-intensity military operations at a moment's notice. This is scheduled training, conducted at regular intervals, to maintain individual soldier and unit readiness. ... Every measure to reduce the amount of noise associated with the training will be taken, and we appreciate the support of the local community.

We at The News Tribune wish we could check out the training and tell you more about it, but Fort Lewis officials say it won't be open for media coverage because of "operational security and safety reasons."

Some of the training will be held at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane.

U.S. flags have been lowered today at all state agency buildings in honor of an Aberdeen soldier who was killed last weekend in Afghanistan.

Gov. Chris Gregoire ordered the flags to be flown at half-staff for Pvt. Aaron Fairbairn, 21. He died in a bombing Saturday, which was the Fourth of July. He was assigned to an Army unit out of Fort Richardson, Alaska.

The flags will be at half-staff until sunset today or first thing Friday morning. The governor encourages others with flags to join in the recognition.

The Seattle Army Recruiting Battalion is teaming up with pro sports teams and the City of Lakewood to hold a two-day fitness expo at Fort Steilacoom Park this weekend as part of SummerFest 2009. And here’s the best part: It’s free.

Among the events offered: sports clinics hosted by players, coaches or reps from the Seahawks, Storm, Sounders, Thunderbirds and Rainiers; a dance and cheer clinic; a 5-kilometer fun run; informal "boot camp" fitness sessions; and fitness competitions with age-group medals.

Full press release after the jump:

=> Read more!

A reminder: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will speak at the University of Washington’s graduation ceremony this weekend.

More than 43,000 people are expected to be in attendance at Husky Stadium on Saturday for the ceremony. The event begins at 2 p.m.

If you can't make it, the ceremony will be broadcast on UWTV from 1:30-4:30 p.m. UWTV can be found on channel 27 throughout much of the Puget Sound region, and it's also streamed online.

Soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion are on Tacoma’s East Side this week to help build homes with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity.

Here’s the release from Habitat:

TACOMA – A unique partnership unfolds this week (Wed June 10-Friday June 12th), at Larabee Terrace (East T & Gregory Street) in Tacoma’s East Side as wounded, ill or injured Soldiers from Fort Lewis join with regular weekday volunteers from Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for low income, hard working Pierce County families.

"We are humbled and honored to be working with the Warrior Transition Battalion from Fort Lewis," says Maureen Fife, CEO of Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity. "Our goal at Habitat is to help families transition out of poverty housing, and alongside our brothers and sisters from Ft. Lewis we will move closer to providing decent, affordable homes for 12 families; while honoring the service of our brave men and women in the armed forces."

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Deion Branch crawled through dust on his stomach, jumped over a log and yelled at his Seattle Seahawks teammates to keep up. The wide receiver then bear-crawled up a small hill and broke into a sprint toward a 10-foot wall.

Before he pulled himself over, the eight-year veteran turned around and flashed a wide smile to his teammates.

"Come on fellas, let’s go!" he yelled.

The obstacle course at North Fort Lewis – complete with monkey bars, log runs, log-runs and leaping pits – is designed to whip soldiers into shape, but the Seahawks seemed to relish running it during a teambuilding exercise that allowed the pro players to interact and work out alongside soldiers.

"I wanted the full experience, and I think we got it," free safety Brian Russell said. "It’s impressive. They train ’em hard here."

The Seahawks’ visit to the Army post was designed to help build camaraderie and reach out to the community. Shortly after arriving in the morning, the players broke into groups of about five players and visited specific units or schools on Fort Lewis. After lunch at the 593rd Sustainment Brigade dining facility, they ran the obstacle course and several implements of the nearby confidence course, like shimmying across a rope suspended more than 30 feet above the ground.

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The middle-of-the-night phone calls from deployed parents, a new school almost every year and making friends at the parent's new duty station can be difficult for the children of service members.

Multiple deployments don't make the sting of a missing parent any easier, and counselors at some schools just can't understand what military kids are going through, a panel of 10 children told a gathering of about 200 health-care professionals Thursday.

The discussion was part of the Military Child and Adolescent Summit, a three-day meeting at Tacoma's Hotel Murano of military and civilian health-care officials whose care focuses on children of service members.

The children, ranging from 5 to 16 years old, spoke about life with a parent in the service. Here are some selected questions and answers from the hourlong discussion:

Q: What's it like to be a kid when a parent deploys?

Tiana Douglas, an 11-year-old Navy daughter from Spanaway: "It's hard and it's not cool. I don't like it because (others) don't really understand what it's like to have your parents go."

Bria White, a 15-year-old Army daughter from Puyallup: "You get really sad and start missing your parents. It's hard just talking to them on the phone and not being able to see them or hug them."

=> Read more!

A monument memorializing Medal of Honor winners from Pierce County will be dedicated during a Memorial Day observance at Tacoma’s War Memorial Park on Saturday.

The Tacoma Historical Society and American Legion are co-hosting the event, which begins at 2 p.m. at the park near the intersection of 6th Avenue and MacArthur Street.

Eight Pierce County residents have received the Medal of Honor, all but one from service in World War II, according to a release from the Historical Society. The eighth name, Maj. Patrick H. Brady, was honored for actions in the Vietnam War.

A month or so ago, we blogged about Gig Harbor's brand-new St. Anthony Hospital and how military families, retirees and their survivors might want to keep driving past it for a while, except in case of emergency.

Now we're told that St. Anthony is officially part of the TRICARE network, so you can receive care there using your military medical entitlement.

“We are pleased that St. Anthony Hospital has been accepted as a TRICARE network provider, and we look forward to providing the highest quality care to our military families,” said Carole Peet, the chief operating officer at St. Anthony, in a statement.

The hospital opened on March 17 and joined up with TRICARE the first week of May.

The delay was the result of paperwork requirements, according to a hospital spokesman.

Sometimes the little guy wins one.

In this case, the little guy is 1-year-old Aiden Lopez of Lakewood. The son of a Fort Lewis engineer was recently diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome, an inherited condition that affects the body's ability to break down certain proteins and sugars.

The disease is fatal, and there’s only one prospective treatment for him: A bone-marrow transplant using umbilical stem cells that costs about $700,000 performed at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. Aiden’s parents, Sgt. Gilberto and Penny Lopez, discovered the treatment online when doctors told them no treatment or cure for Aiden or his 5-year-old sister, Hannah, was available.

(Hannah also has Sanfillipo syndrome, but the disease has progressed too far for the treatment. She has developmental disabilities and will likely only live into her teens.)

TriWest Healthcare Alliance, which operates the military medical insurance program TRICARE in the western United States, twice denied the Lopez’s request for Aiden’s treatment. When I talked to her last week, Penny was visibly upset as she thumbed through stacks of paperwork from insurance providers, doctors and the office of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, which helped expedite the appeals process.

=> Read more!

The public is invited to Fort Lewis on Saturday for the post’s annual Armed Forces Day celebration.

Festivities kick off at 9 a.m. with a 5-kilometer "mud run" obstacle-course race.

An hour later, the parade grounds open and include attractions like historical military reenactments, vehicle displays, live music, climbing wall, pony rides, a 10-kilometer Volksmarch, an Army vs. Air Force soccer game, a parachutist drop, craft and food vendors and an amateur singing competition.

If you don't have a car pass, enter Fort Lewis at the DuPont gate off Exit 119 on Interstate 5. Drivers must have a valid license, registration and proof of insurance. Everyone 16 or older must show photo ID.