Early Retirement Could Be Bad Deal for Troops

Servicemembers who accept a 15-year retirement incentive approved by Congress this month stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of their retirement payments, according to early estimates.

Idea to take the ‘D’ out of PTSD being studied

The president of the American Psychiatric Association says he is “very open” to a request from the Army to come up with an alternative name for post-traumatic stress disorder so that troops returning from combat will feel less stigmatized and more encouraged to seek treatment.

Flexing muscle, Iraq detains US contractors in Baghdad

Iraqi authorities have detained a few hundred foreign contractors in recent weeks, The New York Times reports, citing industry officials. Many of those detained include Americans who work for the United States Embassy.

A Changed Way of War in Afghanistan’s Skies

INSIDE STRIKE FIGHTER VENGEANCE 13, over Kandahar Province, Afghanistan — Cmdr. Layne McDowell glanced over his left shoulder, through the canopy of a Navy F/A-18, to an Afghan canyon 9,000 feet below. An American infantry company was down there.

Utah baby is sign of changing times for VA hospital

It took a bit of persuasion for Caleb New to believe his wife ought to go to Salt Lake City’s VA hospital for, of all things, prenatal care.

Pakistan Taliban Leader Reported Dead in US Strike

ISLAMABAD — Intercepted militant radio communications indicate the leader of the Pakistani Taliban may have been killed in a recent U.S. drone strike, Pakistani intelligence officials said Sunday. A Taliban official denied that.

Panetta: Troops in Graphic Video Will be Punished

Marine Corps officials said Wednesday they’re investigating a graphic viral video circulating online that appears to show four Marines urinating on a trio of corpses in Afghanistan.

Video Depicting Urination On Corpses Won’t Derail Peace Talks, Taliban Says

Though experts are warning it will inflame anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan and hurt efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban, a video that appears to show four U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of three Afghan men will not affect efforts to begin such negotiations, a Taliban spokesman tells Reuters.

Group Targets Military’s ‘Religious Preference’

A support group for atheist servicemembers has launched a petition drive to have President Obama end the requirement that the services solicit the religious affiliation of personnel, including recruits.