army

A Swan Song For Some Military Bands: Budget Cuts Stop The Music

By • Sep 1, 2017
The 323rd Army Band, "Fort Sam's Own," performs outside the Alamo. The band is scheduled to be deactived in 2019.
Carson Frame / American Homefront

The military has more than 130 bands with more than 6000 musicians. But their cost – about a half-billion dollars a year – has made them a target for budget cutters in Congress and at the Pentagon.

The 82nd Airborne Division, Now 100 Years Old, Does More Than Jump From Planes

The Fort Bragg division is best known for its parachute jumps in World War II. Today, its specialty is rapid deployments - with or without parachutes.

A Special Memorial Day Ceremony Honors Troops Who Died By Suicide

By • May 24, 2017
Veterans and family members at Tampa's American Legion Post 5 participate in a special Memorial Day ceremony for troops who died by suicide.
Bobbie O'Brien / American Homefront

Memorial Day can be especially difficult for relatives of service members who died by suicide. They often feel stigmatized, even around other military families.

Army Shuttles Driving Themselves At Fort Bragg

By • Apr 13, 2017

Rashmi Patel is at the wheel of an electric-powered shuttle, but not for long. The vehicle is one of two shuttles making history at Fort Bragg as one of the Army’s first autonomous vehicles.

Lack of Confidentiality May Keep Soldiers From Seeking Help for Alcoholism

By • Jan 17, 2017
Army Sgt. Jerssy Toscano performs a sobriety test on a suspected drunk driver at Fort Irwin, Cal. in May 2016.
Spc. Adam Parent / U.S. Army

A new study suggests fear of punishment may keep soldiers from seeking substance abuse treatment.

As Others Prepare for Holidays, Troops Prepare to Deploy

By Jay Price • Dec 21, 2016
In his Fayetteville, N.C. apartment, Sgt. Nathaniel Rivet prepares to pack his his gear for a nine-month deployment to Iraq.
Jay Price / American Homefront

More than 13,000 American troops remain deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and units continue to cycle in and out of the two nations as part of the continuing U.S. mission.

Rocket tests at JBLM this week will rattle windows, nerves

By • Sep 27, 2016

The Army plans to practice firing its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System this week at Joint Base Lewis-McChord despite concern from neighbors about the impact of the noise.

Much of the feedback solicited by the Army from neighbors around the base was negative. Many said noise from the unarmed rockets would be disruptive to children, animals and people with post-traumatic stress disorder.  


Army To Open First Autism Center For Military Kids

By • Jun 22, 2016
Lt. Colonel Eric Flake of Madigan Army Medical Center meets with Major Ruth Racine, whose 7 year old son is being treated for autism.
Patricia Murphy / American Homefront

The new center in Tacoma, Washington comes after years of complaints from service members that it’s nearly impossible to find autism therapy for their children.

'Bad Paper' Discharge Can Lead to Homelessness, Hopelessness

By • Apr 6, 2016
Michael Bullers at his new home in El Monte, Calif. Prior to moving in, Bullers had been homeless since being kicked out the Navy for drug use in 1993.
John Ismay / American Homefront

Service members with Other-Than-Honorable discharges receive no veterans benefits and are much more likely to become homeless. But the military has no consistent standards about who gets a dreaded "OTH."

Army Report: Tobacco Still Too Much a Part of Military Culture

By • Mar 17, 2016
Master Sergeant Raheem Ramsey started vaping six months after he stopped smoking cigarettes.
Patricia Murphy / American Homefront

The Army's first ever "Health of the Force" report found that about a third of all soldiers use tobacco, and many have other health issues that affect their performance.

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