EL PASO, Texas — It appears a shelter for unaccompanied migrant children at Fort Bliss could see its first arrivals on Tuesday. That’s according to Congressman Tony Gonzalez, whose Texas District 23 covers part of far east El Paso. He was briefed by Fort Bliss officials on Monday. I visited Fort Bliss to see the
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CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas — New images were made public of an unaccompanied migrant shelter run by the Department of Health and Human Services Wednesday. The video comes after criticism toward the Biden administration for not allowing the media inside to see firsthand the conditions of these migrant facilities. “I would say, we have nothing to
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EL PASO, Texas — Everybody has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in different ways. One community that is struggling more than ever is military and veteran families. The El Paso VA has seen an increase in referrals for mental health services throughout the pandemic. Like most, they’ve increased their tele-health services in order to
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Human remains were discovered Thursday off of Hondo Pass on Fort Bliss land, officials confirmed. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was at the scene examining the remains that were dug up. No further information about the discovery was immediately available. It marked the second finding of human remains in the
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UPDATE #2, March 18: Officials at Fort Bliss confirmed Thursday that a man shot and killed, allegedly by his teenage stepson, was a senior non-commissioned officer assigned to the 1st Armored Division Headquarters. Sgt. 1st Class Allan Edwards, 31, was a Tennessee native of Telford, who joined the U.S. Army in March 2008 and arrived
Continue ReadingFORT HOOD, Texas — The commander of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command told lawmakers on Tuesday that it is “not normal” that Fort Hood service members and families feel unsafe because of the level of crime there. “No, that is not normal for a family to feel unsafe on our military base,” Maj. Gen. Donna
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LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — After grieving the loss of her mother, a Las Cruces woman is anxious about her father’s safety in a Truth or Consequences state-operated home for veterans. “I feel guilty for putting them in there,” said Leslie Kelley. “I was scared about putting them in there, but my mom had just
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EL PASO, Texas — The El Paso chapter of Flags Across America is asking the community for help in raising funds for a new flag pole at the Old Glory Memorial in northeast El Paso. The original 180-foot flagpole was installed in 2003 but had to be taken down because of structural problems. The new
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC —The United States conducted a military airstrike Thursday in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to U.S. officials. The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bukamal that
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FORT BLISS, Texas — Fort Bliss is in the midst of implementing a new initiative that aims at improving the strength and cohesion of the post called Operation Ironclad. The initial focus is addressing sexual harassment and sexual assault within Fort Bliss. This comes just a couple of months after soldier Asia Graham died on
Continue ReadingExplosives are missing from the nation’s largest US Marine Corps base, according to military officials who said Tuesday an investigation is underway. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, California, notified the Morongo Basin Station of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department last week, but a department spokesperson told CNN
Continue ReadingThe Senate on Monday confirmed Denis McDonough as President Joe Biden’s secretary of Veterans Affairs, a vote that took place just before the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump gets into full swing. As a result, the McDonough confirmation could be the last confirmation vote for a Biden Cabinet official until after the
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FORT BLISS, Texas — A military investigation launched in the wake of a U.S. Army private at Fort Bliss who went missing found “no evidence of toxic leadership, maltreatment of soldiers, criminal activity or negligence in leadership performance,” officials said Friday. But the investigative report did acknowledge that soldiers were under “remarkable stress” over the
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EL PASO, Texas — The Benavidez-Patterson “All Airborne” Chapter of the of the 82nd Airborne Division Association has been issued a citation by the City of El Paso that could prove quite costly for the group. The local chapter, located at 2608 Fort Boulevard, has their members park in a dirt lot next to its building. The
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ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico — New Mexico is challenging a decision by a federal court to combine the state’s lawsuit over contamination at Holloman and Cannon U.S. Air Force bases with similar litigation brought by hundreds of other jurisdictions around the country. The New Mexico attorney general’s office and the state Environment Department announced they have filed a
Continue ReadingFORT BLISS, Texas — Nine of the 11 Fort Bliss soldiers sickened after drinking an industrial compound found in antifreeze – mistakenly believing it was alcohol – have been released from the hospital, U.S. Army officials said Monday. Lt. Col. Allie Payne, public affairs officer for the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, said one
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EL PASO, Texas – The El Paso VA Health Care System is looking back on the work done over the decades to help promote veterans’ health. It is all part of the national celebration recognizing 75 years of the Veterans Health Administration. Michael Amaral, a retired Army colonel and the director of the local VA,
Continue ReadingUPDATE #2: Officials with Fort Bliss and the William Beaumont Army Medical Center said at a briefing late Friday afternoon that eleven hospitalized Fort Bliss soldiers were poisoned from drinking automotive antifreeze that they mistook for alcohol. All of the soldiers remained hospitalized, but the two critically injured showed significant improvement and were upgraded to
Continue ReadingThe Pentagon and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are negotiating the final terms of an agreement that could see the military provide around 450,000 Covid-19 vaccinations a day. The figure is included in a draft agreement between the two agencies viewed by CNN that also calls for the deployment of 10,000 troops at 100 vaccination
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TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, New Mexico — A report from the New Mexico Department of Health says the State Veterans Home in Truth or Consequences violated virus safety rules and became a Covid-19 hot spot. The report detailing the safety violations, a copy of which was reviewed Thursday by ABC-7, was completed last month. According to
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WASHINGTON, DC — Female soldiers can let their hair down, and flash a little nail color under new rules being approved by the U.S. Army. But male soldiers will still have to shave. Army leaders announced that they are loosening restrictions on various grooming and hairstyle rules, as service leaders try to address longstanding complaints,
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden has signed an executive order revoking a Pentagon policy that largely barred transgender individuals from joining the military. The new order, which Biden signed during a meeting Monday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, overturns a ban ordered by President Donald Trump. It also immediately prohibits any service member from
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WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, New Mexico – After being canceled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the Borderland’s premier events is returning but with a radically different look. This year’s Bataan Memorial Death March is going virtual, and sign-ups have already begun. Participants will be able to march in their hometown or
Continue ReadingDiscussions are taking place about keeping thousands of National Guard troops in Washington until March because of concerns about potential unrest during the upcoming impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump and around President Joe Biden’s first joint address to Congress, two defense officials told CNN. The concerns stem from what defense officials say is
Continue ReadingNational Guardsman Sgt. Jacob Kohut spends his days fulfilling two duties: serving to protect the Capitol building and holding band class online as a commitment to his students’ education. “This is what a hero looks like,” wrote Canterbury Woods Elementary School, a school where Kohut teaches in Fairfax County, Virginia, in a post to social
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A series of miscommunications around an unprecedented security situation left National Guard troops searching for an adequate rest area Thursday night when they were moved from the Capitol into a nearby parking garage. Guard members ended up having to spend several hours Thursday night resting on the concrete in the parking garage before the mistake
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WASHINGTON, DC — Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation’s first Black secretary of defense. The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member; Avril Haines was confirmed on Wednesday as
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UPDATE: AUSTIN, Texas — Following word that National Guard units from across the nation had been banished to a parking garage near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday night ordered the return of Texas’ Guard troops to the state. I have instructed General Norris to order the return of the
Continue ReadingThree New York National Guard soldiers were killed Wednesday night when their helicopter crashed while on a routine training mission in upstate New York, according to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. The crash happened in Mendon, about 17 miles south of Rochester, the military and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Continue ReadingAs President Donald Trump prepares to leave Washington, D.C. for a post-presidential life in Florida, he has indicated that he wants an elaborate sendoff. A color guard, a military band and a red carpet are among the pomp and circumstance under consideration, an administration official told CNN. Another idea that’s being floated: a 21-gun salute.
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