News stories tagged with "soldier"

(06/07/11) Thousands of soldiers will be back at Fort Drum over the next few months as they rotate out of Afghanistan.

The homecoming is welcome news for those soldiers and their families, but U.S. Congressman Bill Owens said any growth in the area could exacerbate area housing. Nora Flaherty reports. more

(10/22/08) In this election season, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have often been eclipsed by the sagging economy. But national security took center stage last night when Congressman John McHugh and challenger Mike Oot met for a debate in Plattsburgh, hosted by Mountain Lake PBS. The pair clashed repeatedly over the war's future, treatment of returning soldiers, and civil liberties. Brian Mann has our story.

NOTE: Last night's debate was hosted by Mountain Lake PBS. It will air in its entirety on October 30 at 8 pm.

(09/16/08) America's military has been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for seven years. The long campaign has brought new strains to soldiers and service-members. But the pressure is also growing on military families and children. Advocates are pushing for more financial support, better mental health programs, and better housing. Brian Mann was in Washington DC last week for a conference on the future of military families, hosted by National Public Radio. He spoke with Michele Joyner. She's a military spouse herself and works with the National Military Families Association.

(07/15/08) It's the same in every war. Soldiers send their love and thoughts back home. The only thing that changes is the "how." Commentator Renate Wildermuth recently came across "V-mail" from World War II.

(05/28/08) New Pentagon figures show 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003. But Army officials believe many more are keeping their illness secret. A study released last month by the Rand Corporation puts the number much higher. It found that 300,000 - one in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan -- suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or major depression. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker says officials are encouraging troops to get help, military or civilian. Fort Drum in Watertown has begun expanding its mental health programs. The VA is also scrambling to create new therapy methods to treat PTSD. In the May 19 issue of The New Yorker magazine, North Country writer Sue Halpern profiled one experimental new treatment called "Virtual Iraq."

Halpern told Brian Mann the story of one Marine named Travis Boyd who used the "virtual reality" computer simulation to heal from his wartime experience.

(06/05/03) Some Fort Drum soldiers returned from the Middle East recently, after being stationed on the northern border of Iraq. Kenneth Presley is a Brigade Targeting Officer with the Tenth Mountain Division.

(06/04/03) Hundreds of mourners packed a Buffalo church yesterday to honor a young soldier killed in the war with Iraq. Jody Tosti reports.

(12/19/02) Soldiers at Fort Drum, near Watertown, are preparing for possible war in Iraq. But the Army is also struggling with a more domestic issue. By the Pentagon's own estimate, thousands of military families across the country live in poverty. Despite recent salary increases, some enlisted men and women say they can't afford food and other basic needs. Brian Mann visited Fort Drum and sends this report.

(03/06/02) The soldiers and spouses at Fort Drum have been watching with increasing tension as reports of American casualties come in from the battlegrounds of Afghanistan. Martha Foley reports.