Salem-News.com Military articles Page 27

Sergeant Bergdahl: The Army`s Blunder

A round peg in a square hole. He told the medical staff, “Do not call me Sergeant”.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - I don’t care if you don’t like my title. Bowe Bergdahl was in the wrong place, wrong time, and in the wrong Army. He should have been in the Navy or Air Force, where his natural abilities could have been used and appreciated. It seems that he was somewhat of an intellectual. The infantry is the wrong place for such a person.

Iraq Now Open to U.S Airstrikes Against ISIS Jihadists

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which wants to establish an Islamic caliphate, or state, in the region.

(BAGHDAD, Iraq) - As radical Islamist militants surged through Iraq -- and threatened its capital -- U.S. President Barack Obama conceded the turbulent situation demanded significant assistance immediately and over the long-term for the Baghdad-based central government.

"It's going to need more help from us, and it's going to need more help from the international community," Obama said Thursday.

Iraq in State of Emergency After Militants Take Over Mosul

About 150,000 people are believed to have fled the city.

(MOSUL, Iraq) - Iraq's prime minister has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency after Islamist militants effectively took control of Mosul.

Nouri Maliki acknowledged "vital areas" of the country's second largest city had been seized. Overnight, hundreds of armed men seized local government's offices and police stations before taking control of the airport and the army's headquarters.

5 U.S. Troops Killed in Friendly Fire Air Strike

Security is being ramped up in Afghanistan ahead of Saturday's run-off vote to replace President Hamid Karzai.

(KABUL) - Five U.S. servicemen were killed in southern Afghanistan in a friendly-fire air strike during a security operation, Afghan police said on Tuesday. The International Security Assistance Force said the casualties occurred on Monday when the unit came into contact with enemy forces.

50,000 Veterans Contacted to Get Off Waiting Lists and Into Clinics

“It is our duty and our privilege to provide Veterans the care they have earned through their service and sacrifice,” said Acting Secretary Gibson. Contacted to Get Off Waiting Lists, Into Clinics

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday, released the results from its Nationwide Access Audit, along with facility level patient access data, medical center quality and efficiency data, and mental health provider survey data, for all Veterans health facilities.

Oregon Says Good Bye to 400 Troops Headed for Afghanistan

The battalion will provide security and support for military facilities in Kabul and southwestern Afghanistan.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - The Oregon Army National Guard bid farewell to Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, in a mobilization ceremony, on Saturday at the Salem Armory Auditorium, in Salem, Ore.

Approximately 400 Soldiers from the battalion, headquartered in Springfield, Ore., with companies also based in Corvallis, Gresham, and Hillsboro, will complete mobilization processing and training at Fort Hood, Texas prior to departure for Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Students, Staff Held Hostage as Gunmen Storm Iraqi University

The incident is now over and the hostages have been released, and the gunmen have run-off.

(RAMADI, Iraq) - After fighting their way past the guards, the militants managed to break into Anbar University in the provincial capital Ramadi overnight and planted bombs behind them to prevent security forces from advancing.

Security forces surrounded the university and exchanged fire with militants patrolling the rooftops with sniper rifles. Sources in Ramadi hospital said they had received the bodies of two people, one of them a student and the other a policeman.

On D-Day; Thousands Turn Out for New Oregon WWII Memoral

3,771 names line the stones walls of the memorial.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - On the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Europe, nearly 2,000 Oregon veterans and their families gathered at Willson Park in Salem for the dedication of the Oregon WWII Memorial.

According to the Historical Outreach Foundation, of the 152,000 Oregonians who served during WWII, an estimated 20,000 are still alive today and 3,772 are recorded as having paid the ultimate sacrifice during the war.

The two black granite walls bear the names of the more than 3,770 Oregonians who gave their lives while serving in combat.

To Honor 70th Anniversary of D-Day, Oregon Opens WWII Memorial

It is estimated that nearly one million WWII veterans are still living, including more than 17,000 in Oregon.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Today marks the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at Normandy. Fittingly, it is the day that the Greatest Generation will receive a long overdue honor at the dedication of the Oregon World War II Memorial on the grounds of the State Capitol at 1:30 p.m.

"We want our World War II veterans and those on the home front to be the first to see their memorial," said World War II Memorial Foundation chair, Lou Jaffe.

Oregon Soldiers Mobilize in Salem Before Heading for Afghanistan

Members of the unit were featured in the book The Devil's Sandbox, by author John. R. Bruning.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Some 400 soldiers with the Oregon Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team are scheduled to participate in a mobilization ceremony on Saturday in Salem.

The unit, headquartered in Springfield, Ore., with companies also based in Corvallis, Gresham, and Hillsboro,will provide security and support for military facilities in Kabul and southwestern Afghanistan.