Every time Hayden Powell sits down to apply for a job, she has to relive an experience she went through over two decades ago, when she was discharged from the military because of her sexual orientation. Read More
It’s been over 70 years since the end of the Korean War. Although it’s known as the “Forgotten War,” the people who were in it aren’t all gone. One of them is 90-year-old Richard Larsen of Clarkston. NWPB’s Rachel Sun spoke with Larsen about his time in Korea.Read More
For over a year, a group of Active Duty and National Guard Green Berets formerly known as Team 11 have been helping their Afghan co-workers leave the war torn country. Members of the National Mine Reduction Group and their families are seeking refugee status. Read More
A judge ruled against a decision to allow the Navy to use Washington State Parks for covert training. Deception Pass State Park had been on the list of potential training […]Read More
The story of some Native American Scouts and their complicated reasons for working with the United States government. Read More
In an accompanying statement, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh acknowledged that when the draft was originally enacted, women were not eligible for combat roles, a situation that has dramatically changed in modern times.Read More
In the military, commanders who are not lawyers get to choose which serious criminal cases go to trial. That means leaders who are pilots, infantry officers and hold other positions can be tasked with making weighty legal decisions with little to no experience.Read More
BY DUSTIN JONES Ralph “AK” Angkiangco enlisted in the Navy in April 2008 one year after graduating high school. He was an 18-year-old kid uncertain about what he wanted in […]Read More
The newest changes mean women can keep their hair either a bun, single ponytail, two braids or a single braid; locks, braids, twists or cornrows can come together in one or two braids or a ponytail; and braids or a ponytail can go as far down as the bottom of the shoulder blades.Read More
Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr. will be honored at the White House on Friday and awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of "conspicuous gallantry" during the Korean War. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will be in town to conduct diplomacy talks with President Biden, will attend the ceremony.Read More
A special Pentagon panel is recommending a seismic shift in how the U.S. military handles sexual assault cases, saying independent judge advocates, not commanding officers, should decide whether to pursue legal charges in such cases.Read More
President Biden will withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that prompted America's involvement in its longest war, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday.Read More
The new regulations provide "access to the military in one's self-identified gender provided all appropriate standards are met," the Defense Department said in a statement, and "provide a path for those in service for medical treatment, gender transition, and recognition in one's self-identified gender."Read More
Department of Defense investigators have identified the remains of U.S. Army chaplain and Catholic priest Emil Kapaun among the unknown Korean War soldiers buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.Read More
The U.S. launched airstrikes in Syria on Thursday targeting Iranian-backed militia groups in the first known offensive military operation carried out by the Biden administration.Read More
Brig. Gen. Mark Quander is taking a new leadership role at the prestigious military school of West Point at a time that the spotlight has returned to the problem of extremism in the military.Read More
As the Pentagon wrestles with concerns over right-wing extremism among service members, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has signed a memo directing commanding officers and supervisors to institute a one-day stand-down within the next 60 days to address extremism within the nation's armed forces.Read More
The permits would expand the five parks previously used for Navy SEAL training to 16 or 17. The Navy had requested access to 28 state parks as a way to diversify its training sites. Officials had said a small number of sites can become too familiar to trainees overtime.Read More
President Biden on Monday repealed a controversial Trump-era ban on transgender people serving in the U.S. military. Biden signed an executive order on the issue as he met in the Oval Office with new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and Vice President Harris.Read More
Russia says it "chased off" a U.S. Navy ship in contested territory in the Sea of Japan, according to the Defense Ministry in Moscow.Read More
You’ve seen the movies: Navy SEALs slowly emerge from the water and walk up a beach. In real life, the Navy is hoping to conduct special operations training exercises at 28 Washington State Parks. But many park users say it ups the “creepiness” factor.Read More
The American troop presence will decline in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500, and in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500. Senior military leaders reportedly oppose the move.Read More
Former service members and families of those killed on active duty will have "free access to the iconic and treasured lands they fought to protect."Read More
Robert Norwood of Walla Walla went to a one-room school then joined the Navy on a whim. After service he enjoyed a rewarding career as a school counselor. He talked to his son, Mike, about his schooling experience for StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually.Read More
The Pentagon is promising what President Trump declared in June would happen: Troops are to be moved out of Germany, which the president accuses of stiffing NATO.Read More
Retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, who resigned as President Trump's defense secretary nearly a year-and-a-half ago over policy differences, has issued an extraordinary critique of the White House's handling of nationwide unrest, saying Trump has sought to divide Americans, and warning against "militarizing our response" to the protests.Read More
Despite concerns that many West Point cadets returning for a June 13 commencement may be exposed to the coronavirus, Army officials insist they'll be in a "safety bubble."Read More
The step is meant to serve as an initial confidence-building measure and would last for seven days. A more formal agreement could be signed in the coming weeks.Read More
Beachcombing was a blast for soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord earlier this week. An ordnance disposal unit was called out after unexploded military munitions washed up on the beach north of Ocean Shores, Washington.Read More
More than half the American troops diagnosed with concussions were transferred from the Iraqi base that was attacked to Germany or the U.S.Read More
Miller was a mess attendant on the West Virginia when he jumped in to man a machine gun during the Pearl Harbor attack. He is the first African American to have an aircraft carrier named after him. Read More
The Pentagon has suspended operational training of all Saudi Arabian military students indefinitely, as federal investigators conduct a security review of the more than 800 Saudi students in the U.S.Read More
The vote, less than a week after the president approved a drone hit on an Iranian general, was mostly along party lines. In the Senate, Democrats are hoping to win GOP support for a similar measure.Read More
At least five structures were damaged in the attack on the base in Anbar province, which apparently was precise enough to hit individual buildings. There have been no reports of casualties.Read More
President Trump ordered the death of the best-known Iranian paramilitary commander in a move expected to yield shock waves across the world. What will happen now?Read More
Demonstrators threw stones and were met with tear gas during a second day of protests. Here are some of the keys to understanding what happened.Read More
Eight multinational corporations have been accused of making "protection payments" to terrorists, so that their businesses would be left alone.Read More
"The Taliban wants to make a deal," President Trump said during his trip to Bagram Airfield, where he met with U.S. troops. "If they do, they do, and if they don't, they don't. That's fine."Read More
Some former and current Pentagon officials had warned that clearing the men might undermine the military justice system.Read More
Ever since he was a child, Michael Menta looked up to his uncle Sal Leone for becoming a Marine. Menta would eventually follow in Leone's footsteps to serve his country, enlisting in the Navy during his senior year of high school. Their shared veteranship brought them closer.Read More
The X-37B, launched in September 2017, has returned to Earth. It was the fifth acknowledged mission for the vehicle since 2010, but details of its mission are being kept under wraps.Read More
A White House statement late Sunday said Turkey would soon go ahead with a military operation in the country's Kurdish-dominated north and that U.S. forces "will no longer be in the immediate area."Read More
Increasing civilian deaths in stepped-up U.S. airstrikes and operations by Afghan forces highlight the conundrum the U.S. military and its Afghan allies face, 18 years into the war: How to hunt down their Islamic State group and Taliban enemies, while keeping civilians safe and on their side.Read More
The case is the latest in a string of recent arrests and investigations related to attempted far-right infiltration of the U.S. military, prompting calls for more thorough screenings of enlistees.Read More
The Pentagon on Friday announced it will deploy additional U.S. troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as President Donald Trump has at least for now put off any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry.Read More
An NPR investigation finds that the military court and prison at Guantánamo Bay have cost taxpayers billions, with billions more expected.Read More
Triple Nickles thought they were destined for Japan when they stopped at Pendleton Army Airfield in the spring of 1945. But no, they were about to be converted into smokejumpers for Operation Firefly. Professional smokejumping started in 1939 in Washington's Methow Valley.Read More
Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he wouldn’t “engage” on the question of President Donald Trump’s fitness for office, during an interview with PBS NewsHour.Read More
It started as a joke, as President Trump riffed on the idea last year. Now, Congress could create the first, new military service in more than 70 years. Read More
As some 800 Marines gathered in formation at Camp Pendleton in California, 16 people were pulled out and put under arrest. An NCIS spokesperson said a total of 18 Marines have been apprehended. Read More
