How America Is Betraying The Iraqis Who Work For It

Unmarried loved ones have no standing, get nothing from Army

(NEWSER) - To the US Army bureaucracy, love means little without a marriage certificate—so the fiancée of a man killed in Iraq was left with nothing other than what his family was willing to part with. Now, the Washington Post reports, Kyle Harper, 27, is trying to forge a path very different from what she and Sgt. Michael Hullender had planned. More»

Number of diagnosed cases rises 46% to 14,000 last year

(NEWSER) - Post-traumatic stress disorder is surging among US troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. New cases rose by more than 46% to nearly 14,000 in 2007, reports Reuters. In the last five years, about 40,000 cases have been diagnosed, most of them in the Army. More»

Struck by roadside bomb, he endured 100+ surgeries

(NEWSER) - A Marine who endured burns on 97% of his body with good humor and hope has died during routine surgery, USA Today reports. Hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq, Sgt. Merlin German walked, talked, and even danced during his 3-year recovery. Undergoing more than 100 surgeries, he became a symbol of resilience and started a charity for burned kids called "Merlin's Miracles." More»

Tours of duty to be cut back to 12 months; Congress to hear troop cut proposals

(NEWSER) - American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are to have their combat tours cut from 15 months to 12 beginning late this summer. The White House plans a formal announcement next week, an insider told the AP. Tours were lengthened last year to boost troop levels in Iraq, and the Army has warned that the "unsustainable" extended deployments are wearing down its soldiers. More»

Budget woes aren't the only defense issue facing White House's next denizen

(NEWSER) - Has President Bush done irreparable damage to our armed forces? Not necessarily, Phillip Carter and Fred Kaplan write in Slate, offering a to-do list for the next president to tackle as he or she begins the process of fixing a military "in strange shambles."

1. Overhaul the budget: "We don't have the money to stay this course."