By Oren Liebermann, CNN The pilot of a US F-35 jet ejected as his jet crashed on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in the South China Sea injuring seven, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement Monday. The pilot was conducting routine flight operations when the crash happened. They safely
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HOUSTON, Texas – The family of Venessa Guillén gathered in Houston Thursday to celebrate the passage of the federal and state legislation to combat sexual assault in the armed forces. Guillén was a Fort Hood Army specialist who disappeared in April 2020. Her remains were found along the Leon River in late June that year.
Continue ReadingBy Jeremy Herb, CNN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly pushed back Thursday on US President Joe Biden’s comments that a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine would prompt a lesser response than a full-scale invasion, in an implicit rebuke of Biden’s comments. “We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions
Continue ReadingBy Oren Liebermann and Ellie Kaufman, CNN The US military released videos Wednesday of the botched August 29 drone strike in Kabul that killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children. The newly released videos show the view from above Kabul as the military tracked a white Toyota Corolla through parts of the city, believing that
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EL PASO, Texas – Betty White, a well-known animal lover, died on December 31, 2021, just two weeks shy of her 100th birthday. Jennifer Demings and her family, who are stationed at Fort Bliss, held a doggy treat fundraiser Monday. Today would have been the legendary comedian Betty White’s 100th birthday. Demings and her family
Continue ReadingBy Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley tested positive for Covid-19 Sunday and “is experiencing very minor symptoms,” Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said in a statement Monday. Milley “is working remotely and isolating himself from contact with others,” Butler said, and “can perform all
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EL PASO, Texas– A man who survived some of the most violent battles American soldiers have ever seen such as Normandy, The Battle of the Bulge and Operation Market Garden, was remembered during a gathering Saturday as a father, a soldier, a hero. LTC Bob Chisolm, 96, died in his El Paso home on January
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By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Marine Corps has approved its first two COVID-19 vaccine exemptions based on religious reasons, something no other military service has done so far. The Marines say the two exemptions are the first to be approved by the Corps in 10 years. The Marines said
Continue ReadingBy Amanda Jackson, CNN Angelina Gonsalves received an unexpected, yet cherished, delivery from the US Postal Service last month — a letter her late husband wrote to his mother while deployed overseas in 1945. The letter was written by Sgt. John Gonsalves, a 22-year-old Army soldier stationed in Germany. He was writing to check in
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Reports that Texas National Guard soldiers deployed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s highly touted border security mission are experiencing pay delays and poor working conditions — and that some have recently died by suicide — are drawing concern from state lawmakers. Over the past three months, the Army Times has chronicled habitual pay problems for soldiers
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FORT BLISS, Texas — An Arkansas man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexually abusing two minor children at homes located at Fort Bliss. Federal officials say 50-year-old Carl Monroe Gordon abused the children during Christmas of 2018 and in July of 2019. According to testimony during the trial, Gordon abused one of
Continue ReadingBy Lauren M. Johnson, CNN The oldest known living US World War II veteran died Wednesday at 112, the National WWII Museum said. Lawrence Brooks was drafted into the US Army at 31 and spent World War II in the predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion, which was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines,
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EL PASO, Texas– LTC Bob Chisolm fought the fight. Over and over and over again. He survived some of the most violent battles American soldiers have ever seen: Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Market Garden. Tuesday, Chisolm fought his final battle. He died in his home in El Paso. A park in Central
Continue Reading WASHINGTON, DC — Commanders will no longer be involved in military sexual harassment or sexual assault investigations under a new federal law named for a murdered Fort Hood soldier that goes into effect on Jan. 1. Provisions of the “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act” were included in the $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act that was signed
Continue ReadingCNN By Priscilla Alvarez, Kylie Atwood and Ellie Kaufman, CNN Aminullah Hotaki flew out of Afghanistan on September 21 with his wife and 5-year-old son. They landed in the United Arab Emirates where they expected to stay for a short period of time before coming to the United States. Now, three months later, he is
Continue ReadingBy Barbara Starr and Devan Cole, CNN Richard Marcinko, a legendary military figure known for leading SEAL Team Six when the covert special operations unit was in its infancy, died Saturday, according to his son and the National Navy SEAL Museum. He was 81. “Last night, Christmas evening, we lost a hero, who’s also known
Continue ReadingPOOL By Donald Judd, CNN President Joe Biden thanked service members stationed across the globe for their service in a Christmas Day virtual meeting from the White House. “The holidays really bring into sharp focus, being apart is — it’s just part of the job, but it’s the hard part of the job, and it’s
Continue ReadingBy LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials are issuing detailed new rules prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after a number of current and former service members took part in the riot at
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MCALLEN, Texas — A report Wednesday from Army Times details problems that plagued the National Guard in patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. Among the Army Times’ findings, when troops weren’t on duty, they were mostly at hotels and remote locations. Incidents of alcohol and drug abuse became so persistent senior leaders issued breathalyzers and
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ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – An MQ-9 Reaper aircraft crashed on a runway during takeoff Monday morning at Holloman Air Force Base, military officials said. The crash involving the remotely-piloted aircraft happened just before 8 a.m. First-responders indicated there were no reports of injuries. Air Force commanders said there was no impact to other base operations and
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FORT BLISS, Texas – Military police took into custody a person who claimed to have a bomb in their vehicle Friday as they approached a gate at Fort Bliss, officials said. The bomb threat was made about 3:45 a.m. at the Cassidy Gate Access Control Point. A U.S. Army bomb squad examined the vehicle, with
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EL PASO, Texas – Eric and David Esqueda are twins. Both are native El Pasoans and both attended Silva Health Magnet High School. But that’s where the similarities end. Eric is attending the U.S. Naval Academy while David is at West Point. They appeared together Monday on ABC-7 at Four. The twins have an older
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — After months since their arrival in the United States, the resettlement process will soon begin for the Afghan refugees. Evacuees who have been temporarily staying in military bases throughout the country will be relocating in this region as early as next week. Pastor George Miller from El Calvario United Methodist
Continue ReadingBy Caroll Alvarado, CNN One pilot is dead and two others are injured following an aircraft accident at Laughlin Air Force Base in southwestern Texas on Friday morning, according to a base social media post. The accident occurred on the runaway around 10 a.m. and involved two T-38C Talon trainer aircraft, officials said in a
Continue ReadingBy Oren Liebermann and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN With less than one month until the Army’s deadline to vaccinate its active-duty force, the service will begin barring soldiers who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 without an exemption from reenlistment, promotions, and other “favorable personnel actions.” In a memo dated November 16, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth
Continue ReadingBy David Williams, CNN Jerry and Mal Deener had always wondered what their dad Harry did in the Army during World War II. The New Jersey brothers, now in their 70s, knew he drove a Jeep in Europe and was badly wounded in combat, but that’s about it. “We knew very little because he wouldn’t
Continue ReadingBy Jamie Crawford, National Security Producer The Pentagon said it would respond to Oklahoma’s Republican governor after the state’s National Guard indicated it would thwart a Defense Department mandate that troops be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Department said it was “aware” of a memo issued this week by the Oklahoma National Guard’s recently installed adjutant
Continue ReadingBy Noah Sheidlower and Radhika Marya, CNN This Veterans Day, restaurants, businesses and entertainment venues are offering freebies and deals for America’s active military personnel and veterans. Although many of these deals are available only on-site, there are a handful valid online this year and others that can be saved and used at a later
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EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — There are many veterans working at Las Palmas Medical Center and that includes Erika Warren. After serving her country, Warren now serves in the labor and delivery unit. “When I got out, I became a paramedic. My mom’s a nurse and my mother-in-law’s a nurse, so I went and became
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EL PASO, Texas — As El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego handed over a beautiful glass plaque, the new Veteran of the Year award winner was chosen. Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer David Garcia, who spent 20 years of his life dedicated to providing safety and freedom for all Americans, was given the new
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