Battleland appreciates the simplicity of pie charts. Probably comes from always getting the smallest slice of pizza as a kid.
Here’s a nifty new one from the Pentagon inspector general’s semi-annual report. It details …
National
When Will Military Kids Matter Enough?
Less than a week after the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., conferees from the House and Senate met to discuss this year’s defense bill. Sadly, at least some of those conferees seem to have missed one of the larger points related to …
“These cuts, while significant and harmful to our collective mission as an agency, would not necessarily require immediate reductions in spending…I do not expect our day-to-day operations to change dramatically on or immediately after January 2, 2013, should sequestration occur.”
— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a message to the Pentagon on Thursday. Apparently the "doomsday" fiscal cliff is a gentler fiscal slope.
The Teacher as Hero: Mourning Victoria Soto
In death, the first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary became a hero. But before all that, she was daughter, sister and friend
“We absolutely cannot know for certain that fewer numbers of weapons will make us safer.”
— Senator Jon Kyl, speaking about nuclear weapons on the Senate floor Wednesday, as the Arizona Republican gave his farewell address after 18 years in the Senate, following eight years in the House. Time cited him as one of the nation’s 10 best senators in 2006.
A Christmas Story, But Not by Charles Dickens
It’s hardly a coincidence that this tale surfaces just before Christmas. It’s about a new book set in the European skies in 1943. Military historian Adam Makos, editor of Valor magazine, has written A Higher Call: An …
Young Marines, Learning Important Lessons Early
Private 1st Class Michaela Cantwell earned her way into boot camp by meeting application criteria and raising the necessary funds for a uniform and equipment. She cried after her first session. Not because it was too tough on …
“Don’t Drip, Or I’ll Shoot”
A U.S. solider trains a wary eye on a water pump in Farah province, Dec. 15.
Standing up for Servicewomen
Well. It’s about time:
Washington, D.C. – Congressional conferees have approved a repeal of a policy in place since 1981 that denied women in the military coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest. An effort led by
…
Air Force Blues
The amount of discussion you get on various military topics depends on how many folks are “read into” – aware of, and knowledgeable (usually) about – any given program or subject.
That’s why you hear so little debate …
“My `Right There’ Is Just a Little Farther Away”
Air Force Major Ethan McKenna is one of those war-fighters in the nation’s post-9/11 wars who spends his time way above the battlefield. That’s because he’s monitoring things five miles down from inside the back of an AWACS …
“Anybody Down There?”
Sgt. Nathan Fleshman of the 101st Airborne Division checks a cave for insurgents and weapons in Khost province, Nov. 30.
Debating a Return to the Draft: With Yourself
I graduated high school and entered college, and ROTC, in 1973 – the year we transitioned to the all-volunteer force (AVF).
Georgetown University was not exactly a hotbed of student activism, but as I recall ROTC was …