Army Pig-Shoot Angers Animal Rights Activists

Hilton's latest accessory angers perpetually pissed animal rights organization

(NEWSER) - PETA has found a new poster child for its ire: Paris Hilton, who recently adopted a $4,500 miniature piglet. Despite naming the animal “Princess Piglette,” TMZ notes, PETA claims the "wretched example" treats her pets like “disposable accessories”—“as disposable as her friends,” to be exact, Digital Spy reports. PETA notwithstanding, the most important question is clearly: How does Tinkerbell feel about this? More»

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»

Draft's end means a generation sans sense of service, camaraderie

(NEWSER) - On Memorial Day, former soldiers of all ages will be touching base with their brothers in arms, but as Michael Auslin writes in the Washington Post, real Old Army Buddies are on the verge of extinction. The men who willingly served during the drafts of the '50s and '60s came home with rich experiences and lifelong bonds that soldiers don't get today. 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»

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."