KABUL, July 31–A bomb exploded near a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul Tuesday, killing an Afghan truck driver and wounding several people including three US soldiers.
The car bomb exploded as a convoy was passing near a US-run military base, Camp Phoenix, that is focused on training the fledgling Afghan national army.
Taliban, which have [...]

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BY Army News Service
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 30, 2007) - To ensure veterans with emotional crises have round-the-clock access to trained professionals, the Department of Veterans Affairs has opened a national suicide prevention hot line for veterans.
"Veterans need to know these VA professionals are literally a phone call away," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs [...]

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Erbil, 31 July (AKI) - The Iraqi army chief of staff, Babaker Zebari, has tendered his resignation to the prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, according to a report on Kurdish news portal Bayamunir. Zebari reportedly told the site that he had taken the decision "as a sign of protest at the attitude of the prime minister [...]

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 20,000 U.S. troops based in the United States will begin departing for Iraq in December as part of the regular rotation of combat forces there, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.
These Army and Marine Corps units are not related to the buildup of American troops announced by President Bush in January, Pentagon [...]

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Ronald Reagan understood a fundamental truth: Defense policy is foreign policy. The decision by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to remove the 2007 Defense Authorization Bill from Senate consideration last week demonstrates the Democratic leadership’s obsession with short-term political victories which have weakened America’s overall strategic position in the world. On Friday, the President [...]

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The military retirement pay system used to be easy to understand: You put in 20 years, and you got 50 percent of your base pay immediately upon retirement. You put in more than 20 years and you got 2.5 percent more for each year of active duty after 20 years (up to 75 percent). During [...]

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Depending upon their status, active duty members, retired members, members of the Guard/Reserves, family members, and certain veterans receive free or government subsidized medical and dental care. For the most part, this care falls under an overall program known as "Tricare." While the Tricare system may appear…read more

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Two prominent US political scholars just back from Iraq said Monday the US troop surge strategy was making strides in some areas, but warned the Iraqi government was making "zero" progress.
The findings by independent Brookings Institution analysts Michael O’Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack, who have recently criticized White House strategy, furthered enflamed the heated political debate [...]

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VA-DoD Disability Reforms
After months of negotiations, the DoD and VA are only weeks away from testing a plan to streamline and partially merge their separate disability rating processes. More
Deal of the Week: Military Discounts
AT&T understands your needs. Receive special device & rate plan discounts + $25 off your order. There’s always a free phone. [...]

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NNS070730-06. Kitty Hawk F/A-18C Aircraft Lost, Pilot Safely Recovered
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30871
NNS070730-04. Navy Makes Changes to Officer Joint Service Designation
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30866
NNS070730-02. Big E Wraps Cannes, France Port Visit
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30855
NNS070729-06. Community Outreach a Real Gem for CARAT
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30853
NNS070728-03. President of El Salvador, U.S. Ambassador Tour Comfort
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30854
NNS070730-15. JTFEX 07-2 Begins
– http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=30880
NNS070730-14. Blind [...]

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