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July 1, 2008

Wounded Warrior job fair offers opportunities

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Cpl. Mark Marcoux set his sights on college long before he was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

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June 30, 2008

Bush signs Iraq and Afghanistan war-funding by Olivier Knox

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Monday signed into law a 162-billion-dollar spending bill funding the Afghanistan and Iraq wars well into 2009 -- roughly six months into his successor's term.

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Your new GI Bill An average of $80,000 for college — and it’s transferable to your spouse or kids

Lawmakers have approved some of the most significant improvements to the GI Bill since its inception during World War II, an expansion of benefits that will enable new generations of veterans — and for the first time, family members — to fully cover the costs of obtaining a college degree.

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June 13, 2008

Flag Day: Four Personal Perspectives

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2008 – Tomorrow the United States observes National Flag Day, an annual tribute to the American flag, the ideals it stands for and the sacrifices made to preserve them.

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Custom chopper is mobile memorial for veterans

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO — A former depot Marine has found a new way to honor his brothers in arms instead of only extending his thanks or by buying them drinks.

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May 26, 2008

The Wars We Choose to Ignore

Gen. John A. Logan was a Union officer, a fierce Republican partisan, an early advocate of the kind of volunteer army the United States now fights wars with. He is also one of the people credited with coming up with the holiday that we celebrate today. A statue in Logan Circle in Washington shows the general on horseback flanked by two female figures said to represent America at war and America at peace.

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May 23, 2008

Always faithful to his 'boys': Parade marshal embodies Marine Corps ideals

TOPSHAM — Everett Pope doesn't care how he's referred to during Monday's Brunswick-Topsham Memorial Day pa-rade, as long as he can ride through it in a rusty Hum-vee instead of a shiny convertible.

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May 22, 2008

Monument to Marines dedicated at development

A luxury housing development in Wailea is the site of a newly dedicated monument honoring the 4th Division Marines who trained on Maui during World War II before shipping out to battles in the Pacific.

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May 18, 2008

IRR Marines still have Corps rules to follow

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — You gave four to the Corps.

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May 15, 2008

First Victory on GI Bill Today

This afternoon, the House of Representatives made history. By an overwhelming margin, lawmakers passed the landmark new GI Bill which will make college affordable to the more than 1.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

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May 7, 2008

Historic GI Bill Vote Tomorrow

Historic Vote in House of Representatives Tomorrow on World War II-style GI Bill

Iraq Veterans Urge Lawmakers to Vote Yes on GI Bill Funding

NEW YORK -On Thursday, May 8, the House of Representatives will vote on a World War II-style GI Bill for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, strongly endorses this critical legislation. It was originally introduced in Congress by some of the Senate's own combat veterans, including Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE). The bill has the extraordinary bipartisan support of more than 330 Senators and Representatives and the endorsement of every major Veterans Service Organization from IAVA to the American Legion to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). The GI Bill is being voted on as an amendment to the war supplemental spending plan.

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May 5, 2008

Image abuse?

Time’s ‘green’ Iwo Jima cover sparks outrage among Marines

Donald Mates clearly recalls the moment, more than 63 years ago, when he stood at the foot of Mount Suribachi and looked up as his fellow Marines planted an American flag at Iwo Jima.

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May 4, 2008

New push to award Gabaldon the Medal of Honor

MIAMI — Armed and alone, Guy Gabaldon roamed Saipan’s caves and pillboxes, using his Japanese language skills to convince enemy soldiers and civilians to surrender during the hellish World War II island battle in the summer of 1944.

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May 1, 2008

VA trial ends with differing views of care

SAN FRANCISCO — A two-week trial that scrutinized the quality of health care for veterans concluded Wednesday with the judge questioning how much authority he had to order changes in the Department of Veterans Affairs, even if he found deficiencies.

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April 22, 2008

VA stalling on care, judge told at S.F. trial

(04-21) 17:30 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 120 veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq commit suicide every week while the government stalls in granting returning troops the mental health treatment and benefits to which they are entitled, veterans advocates told a federal judge Monday in San Francisco.

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February 9, 2008

Last original Iwo Jima flag-raiser dies at 82

REDDING, Calif. (Feb 9, 2008) -- Raymond Jacobs, believed to be the last surviving member of the group of Marines photographed during the original U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima during World War II, has died at age 82.

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February 8, 2008

Pentagon starts new benefits push

Defense officials and lawmakers are forging ahead on a plan that would allow all troops — not just a few in critical skills — to transfer unused GI Bill education benefits to family members.

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February 5, 2008

Iraq vet finds focus on field, in classroom

CRESCENT SPRINGS - At 22-years-old, Greg Dixon has his whole life in front of him. But already, the Iraq war veteran has achieved two life goals: He served his country as a U.S. Marine and is now playing college football at Thomas More College.

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February 4, 2008

1st responders trained to spot troubled vets

HOLYOKE, Mass. — For many returning troops, lifesaving combat instincts can complicate life at home: constant vigilance, agitation in confined places, bolting from loud noises and other behaviors that can be misinterpreted by police.

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January 26, 2008

Homes for Our Troops begins house in Alabama

IRVINGTON, Ala. — Two Black Hawk helicopters hovered and tipped rotors Friday in honor of Marine Sgt. Greg Edwards at a ceremony to start building a specially adapted home for the Edwards family.

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January 23, 2008

Corps involuntarily activates 870 IRR members

The Corps is reaching back into the Individual Ready Reserve this week to involuntary activate 870 Marines, most for duty in Iraq, service officials said.

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January 21, 2008

A new generation of homeless veterans emerges

LEEDS, Massachusetts — Peter Mohan traces the path from the Iraqi battlefield to this lifeless conference room, where he sits in a kilt and a Camp Kill Yourself T-shirt and calmly describes how he became a sad cliche: a homeless veteran.

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January 20, 2008

Man who keyed car gets day in court; so do Marines

Jay Grodner, the Chicago lawyer who keyed a Marine's car in anger because the car had military plates and a Marine insignia, finally got his day in court last week.

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January 17, 2008

Marines Want 870 IRR Members

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Marine Corps will send orders next week to about 870 members of the Individual Ready Reserve to go downrange in the fall, officials said.

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November 20, 2007

Two lives blurred together by a photo

The young marine lighted a cigarette and let it dangle. White smoke wafted around his helmet. His face was smeared with war paint. Blood trickled from his right ear and the bridge of his nose.

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November 12, 2007

Rescue operation aims to save a wounded warrior

Despite concerns of overstepping, Times photographer Luis Sinco feels compelled to help the Iraq vet he made famous.

James Blake Miller was in a world of pain, and I figured I should be by his side.

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November 1, 2007

Marine veteran will thank fellows via holiday lunch

When he celebrates the 232nd birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps this year, Bill Pastino will do something a little different --he's going to treat any Howard County veteran who shows up at his Ellicott City brew pub to lunch.

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October 17, 2007

Home from war, troops get much-needed vacation; Operation Welcome Homes gives free getaways in Door County

Door County was a nice change of scenery for Craig Nelson.

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Home from war, troops get much-needed vacation; Operation Welcome Homes gives free getaways in Door County

Door County was a nice change of scenery for Craig Nelson.

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October 8, 2007

Returning veterans are turning to the Internet to find work

THE WORDS WRITTEN BY one American military veteran seem to speak volumes for the thousands of others asking the same question these days: "Where do I go from here?"

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September 6, 2007

Pace Thanks World War II Marines for Setting Standard for Today’s Troops

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 6, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace last night thanked veterans of the storied 4th Marine Division who fought in Iwo Jima and other major World War II battles for setting the example for today’s troops and demonstrating why they’ll never fail in combat.

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August 24, 2007

Outward Bound program helps veterans heal their emotional scars

THE nine men who climbed to the summit of the Colorado mountain were combat veterans who had fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

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July 6, 2007

Possible cell phone fee waiver pleases vet

A recently discharged Army sergeant praises a Senate committee plan to waive cell phone cancellation fees for deployed service members, saying he could have avoided a lot of time and trouble if the policy had been in effect during his deployment to Iraq.

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July 3, 2007

Iwo Jima search latest in U.S. effort to account for all MIAs

IWO JIMA, Japan (AP) -- Major Sean Stinchon stands at the base of Hill 362A and scans a map drawn up by Navy Seabees in 1948 that is deeply creased and covered in reddish brown dirt. The map shows a labyrinth of caves and tunnels that runs through the brush-covered hill like the cross-section of an ant colony.

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June 21, 2007

Japan gives Iwo Jima pre-war name

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan has rechristened the island of Iwo Jima, site of one of World War II's most horrific battles, with its pre-war name in an attempt to rectify a misnomer proliferated for a half-century by such movies as Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima."

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Japan renames Iwo Jima, upsetting vets

TOKYO — Japan has returned to using the prewar name for the island of Iwo Jima — site of one of World War II’s most horrific battles — at the urging of its original inhabitants, who want to reclaim an identity they say has been hijacked by high-profile movies like Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima.”

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May 23, 2007

Dartmouth president helping put wounded veterans in college

When he first met James Wright, the president of Dartmouth College, two years ago, Samuel Crist was in a hospital bed at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, recuperating from gunshot wounds from a firefight in Falluja, Iraq.

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May 20, 2007

Eight Marines and one airman

It was a Fuentes affair.

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May 13, 2007

New York native serves Havelock; 'I pretty much found another family here,' says Wilson

HAVELOCK — When patrol officer LeChone Wilson bumps into a familiar face, he can often tell how long they have known him by the nickname they use.

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April 6, 2007

Marine Corps families around the nation to gather for combat deployment support conference

St. Louis, MO – April 6, 2007 - United States Marine Corps family members from around the country will gather in St. Louis at the MarineParents.com conference to learn about the Marine Corps, combat deployment, recovery from combat, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and ways to encourage awareness for Troop Support in their own communities. Attendance will range from new Marine families, families experiencing first, second or third combat deployments, and families who have experienced casualties of combat.

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March 23, 2007

Veterans Remember Iwo Jima

CAMP KINSER, OKINWA, Japan -- In the spirit of forgiveness and the celebration of an alliance between once bitter enemies, U.S. and Japanese veterans, their families, and political figures gathered on Iwo Jima for a commemoration of the 62nd anniversary of the battle for the island.

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March 6, 2007

Mural Artist Puts War Experience to Good Use

Mural artist and Vietnam War Veteran completes scenic murals for the exhibits in the new National Museum of the Marine Corps.

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March 4, 2007

Brannan trying to win a job, minus a finger

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) - One by one, more than 80 players seated on a back field of the Padres' spring training complex stood and gave their names and where they were last season.

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February 21, 2007

23-Year-Old Marine 'Picking His Battles' In Iowa House

State Representative Matt Windschitl, of Missouri Valley, says he's been 'doing things young' his whole life.

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November 29, 2006

Military healthcare comes to 'burbs'

The Navy opens a clinic in east San Diego County for service members and retirees.

SANTEE, CALIF. — Tucked in the corner of the expansive Santee Town Center shopping complex is the latest innovation in military healthcare: a fully staffed outpatient clinic for military members, their families and veterans.

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November 11, 2006

Vietnam veterans maintain online tribute to fallen heroes

Vietnam War veteran Ken Davis believes that he has an obligation to himself, the men who fought beside him more than 30 years ago and the families who lost loved ones during the war.

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November 10, 2006

Pizza chain targets vets

DETROIT - Just in time for Veterans Day, Mike Ilitch, Little Caesars founder, plans to launch a program that would make it easier for American veterans to open their own pizza businesses.

The Little Caesars Veterans Program offers a reduction on the franchise fee, credit on the first equipment order and financing. The offer is even better for disabled veterans, who would have the entire $20,000 franchise fee waived for their first store.

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November 6, 2006

Veterans Urged to Wear Military Medals on Veterans Day

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2006 – With National Veterans Awareness Week under way and the national Veterans Day observance on Nov. 11, the Veterans Affairs secretary is urging all veterans to show their pride by wearing their military medals.

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President, Senate Recognize National Veterans Awareness Week

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2006 – President Bush officially declared this week National Veterans Awareness Week and urged all Americans to honor veterans who “stepped forward when America needed them most.”

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November 2, 2006

Disabled Military Veterans to Get Memorial of Their Own

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2006 – The nation’s capital is awash with military-themed statues and memorials. Yet, there isn’t a memorial honoring the sacrifices of America’s disabled military veterans.

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October 2, 2006

Scars come home with soldiers

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series. Part one was published on Page A1 of Sunday's Transcript.

Surgeons at Bethesda Naval Hospital prepared to drill a hole in Lance Cpl. Bret McCauley's badly swollen head to relieve pressure on his brain when he unexpectedly awoke from a two-week coma

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Marine to fight terrorism in Africa

SURPRISE - When a French newspaper recently reported the possible death of Osama bin Laden, both French and Pakistani officials were quick to deny the claim. Surprise resident Antoinette Izzo laughs at the international stir - she knew better than to believe rumors.

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October 1, 2006

Medical techniques keep soldiers in battle

Editor’s notes: This is the first of a two part series. The second part will be published in Monday’s edition.

You hear the mortars going out, but you don’t know where they’ll land. This could be the last breath of your life.

Marine Lance Cpl. Bret McCauley of Kokomo, Ind., recalls crouching close to the ground, moving warily through a Sunni rebel neighborhood in Fallujah just before dusk.

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Stress disorder a familiar occurrence in war veterans

TERRE HAUTE— Vietnam War veteran Doug Herrmann can’t hear a helicopter without tensing up.
Fireworks shot off to honor troops on Independence Day remind him of flares fired in Saigon, the capital of Vietnam.
More than 35 years after he left the nation in Southeast Asia, Herrmann still is unable to completely shake his military service in Vietnam. While soldiers returning home from war in Iraq have suffered difficulty adjusting from the war experience, soldiers in many previous wars also suffered mental and emotional distress long after they came back home and tried