WASHINGTON, DC — The five members of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee testified Wednesday in front of a U.S. House subcommittee. The testimony came after the Army a day prior announced that 14 senior leaders and enlisted personnel at Fort Hood were either fired or suspended following the independent panel’s review of the command climate and
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC — The Democratic-controlled U.S. House on Tuesday evening approved a wide-ranging defense policy bill, even as President Donald Trump renewed his threat to veto the bill unless lawmakers clamp down on social media companies he claims were biased against him during the election. Trump tweeted Tuesday that he will veto “the very weak National
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EL PASO, Texas – At least 70 members of an Oregon National Guard unit have tested positive for Covid-19 since returning to Fort Bliss from a deployment to Kosovo, according to New Mexico’s congressional delegation. Ten soldiers from the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, based out of Oregon, originally tested positive on Dec. 4, but
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FORT HOOD, Texas — Army leaders are firing or suspending 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas, and ordering policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults and harassment. Two general officers are among those being removed from
Continue ReadingThe Pentagon has drafted a list of the groups that it will provide the coronavirus vaccine to first, prioritizing health care workers and then “critical national capabilities,” which will include the country’s nuclear forces, elite military units and senior Pentagon leaders, according to two defense officials familiar with the list. Officials have said that the
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LOS ANGELES, California — Chuck Yeager, the groundbreaking test pilot with “the right stuff” who first broke the sound barrier, has died at age 97, according to ABC affiliate KABC in Los Angeles. His death was first announced on Yeager’s Twitter page by his wife Victoria Yeager. “It is w/ profound sorrow, I must tell
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EL PASO, Texas – The annual holiday concert performed by Fort Bliss’ 1st Armored Division Band will have a totally different look this year. The band will be presenting a virtual concert at 7 p.m. Friday. You can view the concert by clicking here. In the past, the band, considered one of the best in
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WASHINGTON, DC — President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star U.S. Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense. That’s according to four people familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn’t been formally announced. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Austin would be the first Black
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(Editor’s note: Scroll down to the end of this article to find information on how to donate to the legion.) LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – After 101 years of welcoming and championing the veterans of Las Cruces, the pandemic may force American Legion Post 10 to close. “The way things are going, we won’t be
Continue ReadingIn what’s believed to be a first, no survivors or veterans of World War II attended the annual Pearl Harbor Day event in Hawaii due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. December 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, commemorating the day when Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, bringing the
Continue ReadingThe severed head of a 21-year-old soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, washed ashore near Cape Lookout National Seashore, an autopsy of the soldier shows. Enrique Roman-Martinez, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, was last seen May 22 at a campsite on South Core Banks, one of the islands that make up Cape Lookout
Continue Reading FORT HOOD, Texas — Multiple senior Army officers and enlisted personnel are expected to face disciplinary action that could result in reprimands, re-assignment or some being relieved of duty when the Army secretary unveils the results of a major independent review of leadership at Fort Hood on Tuesday, according to two defense officials. The probe
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A member of the Defense Business Board has resigned in protest at the Trump White House’s recent purge of the board’s membership, replacing members with arch Trump loyalists and campaign staffers. “The abrupt termination of more than half of the Defense Business Board and their replacement with political partisans has now put the nation’s safety
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FORT BLISS, Texas – Fort Bliss has extended its public health emergency order by another 30 days. Fort Bliss issued its last public health order on Nov. 6 in response to rising Covid-19 cases in El Paso and surrounding communities. Existing restrictions and health protection measures will remain in place, Brig. Gen. Sean Bernabe announced.
Continue ReadingPresident Donald Trump’s threat Tuesday to veto an annual defense bill unless Congress removes legal protections for social media companies drew swift, sharp bipartisan pushback from lawmakers who charged Trump was using leverage over the troops to settle personal scores. Trump’s ultimatum and the fiery opposition it provoked sets up a showdown between Congress and
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The deaths of two U.S. service members whose bodies were found last week in separate incidents at a military base in San Antonio are being investigated, officials said Tuesday. Officials with Joint Base San Antonio said while both deaths are still under investigation, foul play is not suspected. Both individuals were found
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SAN DIEGO, California — The US Navy has decided to de-commission and scrap the USS Bonhomme Richard after a damage assessment found that restoring the ship would cost billions of dollars. The amphibious assault ship was in port in San Diego in July so that it could be upgraded to accommodate the new Marine Corps
Continue ReadingActing Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller made an unannounced visit to Somalia Friday, the first by an American defense secretary and the last stop in a four country swing on his first trip abroad since being installed as part of President Donald Trump’s post-election purge of top Pentagon officials. Miller was only on the ground
Continue ReadingThe US military reported a record high number of coronavirus cases on Tuesday with 1,314 new cases, according to Defense Department statistics. There are currently about 25,000 active Covid-19 cases in the ranks, and another 44,390 service members have recovered from the virus, according to the Pentagon. The number of military cases has grown over
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC — Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Tuesday announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the decision fulfills President Donald Trump’s pledge to bring forces home even as Republicans and U.S. allies warn against a rash withdrawal. The new plan will accelerate troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan
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EL PASO, Texas — Three separate teams of 20 military medical providers with the U.S. Air Force have now been in the Borderland for over a week providing support for fatigued medical staff. 1st Lt. Ian Krug, a critical care nurse who is also an active-duty soldier with the Air Force, deployed to El Paso
Continue ReadingAt least 24 veterans have died of Covid-19 and more than 80 have been infected since an outbreak last month at Kentucky’s Thomson-Hood Veterans Center, the state’s governor said Friday. Of the total 86 infections in the Wilmore facility, 48 veterans have now recovered, five are in the hospital and nine are being treated within
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EL PASO, Texas – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is teaming up with William Beaumont Army Medical Center to open a 16-bed mobile intensive care unit on the campus of the Army hospital and the El Paso VA in central El Paso. The VA has transported the mobile ICU from Florida to El Paso
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Eight military members of a peacekeeping force in Egypt, including six Americans, were killed when a helicopter crashed in the southern Sinai Peninsula, the coalition force announced Thursday. One American survived the crash, which happened in the vicinity of Sharm el-Sheikh, the coalition said in a statement. The names of those involved are being withheld
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EL PASO, Texas — It has been two months since former navy veteran Frank De La Cruz was allowed to come home to El Paso after being deported and spending about 20 years in Juárez due to several drunk driving violations. It has been a whirlwind eight weeks for De La Cruz as he works
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EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Community College is keeping its registration services open for the spring semester while honoring veterans Wednesday on Veterans Day. EPCC says it will continue registration using distance technology. Campuses will observe Veterans Day on Wednesday and classes will resume on Thursday. An appointment is preferred for virtual registration, but
Continue ReadingWASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump has fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a stunning and unprecedented move at a time of national uncertainty about the outcome of Trump’s bid for a second term. The move could be seen as unsettling for the Pentagon and a source of concern for international allies and partners. It is
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EL PASO, Texas — The U.S. Department of Defense is deploying 60 medical personnel from the U.S. Air Force to El Paso facilities as hospitalizations rose to record levels yet again due to a huge ongoing spike in coronavirus infections. First word of the deployment came Friday morning from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Officials said
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FORT BLISS, Texas — U.S. Army officials at Fort Bliss on Thursday night announced that only essential services would be allowed to remain in operation due the severe Covid-19 outbreak plaquing the Borderland. The word from Fort Bliss came just hours after El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego ordered the shutdown of all non-essential businesses
Continue Reading HOUSTON, Texas — Months after the remains of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen were found in Texas, her family says there are still many things they don’t know about her killing. The latest episode of “Red Table Talk: The Estefans” features Guillen’s mother and sisters in conversation with Grammy-winning music legend Gloria Estefan, her daughter and
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