Washington, DC, Mar 06, 2013 — A major newspaper covering the military is reporting John McHugh may step down as Secretary of the Army.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Nov 19, 2012 — Marital fidelity is a sensitive subject for many in the military. Relationships are stressed by distance, frequent moves and the dangers of war. Gen. David Petraeus's admission that he had an extramarital affair has led some Fort Drum families to reflect on the difficulties of keeping their personal relationships whole - and their image among a public that often doesn't understand their culture.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Oct 11, 2012 — For the first time since Fort Drum's expansion after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, all of its three brigade combat teams are back home at the post.

After revolving deployments in two wars, the need for mental health services in the 10th Mountain Division is unprecedented, and complicated.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Mar 19, 2012 — Fort Drum recently notified several businesses that they will be put off limits to soldiers if they continue to sell synthetic marijuana, products marketed as "herbal incense" and sold under names like Spice and K2.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Mar 07, 2012 — President Obama has proposed a new mortgage relief program for membres of the military and veterans. Major lenders will review forecolusres or denials of re-financing. if wrongly foreclosed on, service members will be paid back their equity, and get extra compensation.

Service members are vulnerable to scams, bad deals, and complicated financing. Many are young and inexperienced in managing their finances -- and frequent moves can make them easy prey when they're feeling financial strain.

The problem is serious enough that an entire federal office is now devoted to protecting military families from financial fraud and abuse.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand brought Holly Petreaus, wife of CIA Director General David Petraeus, and head of to the new Office of Servicemember Affairs to Fort Drum last week. The office is part of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
About 200 people turned out to hear about the office's work.

Joanna Richards was there and has the story.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Jan 27, 2012 — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced yesterday that he wants Congress to authorize a new round of base closures that could help the Pentagon save more than 500 million dollars.

That news angered Congressman Bill Owens, whose district includes the Fort Drum Army base near Watertown. Martha Foley has details.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Oct 21, 2011 — A ceremony was held recently at Fort Drum to mark the deployment of the 10th Sustainment Brigade. The brigade is made up of units with many different specialties, so it deploys in pieces rather than as a brigade to support war efforts wherever the units' different skill sets are needed. Joanna Richards attended the ceremony and has the story.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Oct 13, 2011 — A Syracuse Air National Guard unit is about to begin operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9, out of Fort Drum. The 174th Fighter Wing already conducts MQ-9 flights in Afghanistan, flights which are controlled from an operations center at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse.

The partnership with Fort Drum will allow the unit to train Air Force and Air National Guard troops from around the country on flying the MQ-9. Joanna Richards went to an event last week at Fort Drum demonstrating the vehicle and has the story.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 30, 2011 — As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down and the federal government prioritizes reining in expenses, Fort Drum is anticipating a 10 to 15 percent cut in its budget in fiscal year 2012, which begins this October. To save money, the Army post is looking to cull its civilian workforce over the next year. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 23, 2011 — The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of dealing with gay service members officially ended this week. Now, gay soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen can serve openly without fear of being kicked out because of their sexuality. Around Fort Drum, some soldiers cheered the change, while others expected it to cause new problems. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article