AltWeeklies Wire
The Army's Repair Job for Wounded Soldiers Doesn't Always Pass Inspectionnew

After three deployments to Iraq, Spc. James Bell had spent a year in the post's Warrior Transition Unit, getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. His greeting to his new unit came as a barked question from a sergeant major: "ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT?"
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
12-15-2009 |
War
The Army's Much-hyped Repair Job for Wounded Soldiers Doesn't Pass Inspectionnew
Two years later, the Warrior Transition Unit appears less a shining success than a public-relations smokescreen, behind which the Army continues breaking its promise to care for wounded soldiers.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
12-10-2009 |
War
An Army Sergeant's Case May Help Explain the Surge in Non-combat Deathsnew
In Sgt. John M. Russell's chaotic Army world the morning of May 11, the enemy was closing in. The big Texan had talked of conspiracies, woken up from constant nightmares, and broken down in tears, wishing someone would put a bullet in his head.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
12-07-2009 |
War
War, More War, or Morer War
The amazing part is how far we've traveled down the path towards all war, all the time: Obama didn't even have to pretend to consider pulling out of Afghanistan. He didn't even have to appoint a token peacenik to his cabinet. He didn't even have to talk to one. Which perfectly mirrors the media.
Scholar Leads Effort to Catalog Civil-Rights Abuses at Guantanamo Baynew

As director of UC Davis' Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas, Almerindo Ojeda is heading up a project to collect testimonies on civil rights abuses at the detention center.
Sacramento News & Review |
Kel Munger |
11-24-2009 |
War
Juan Cole: Afghanistan 'Needs a Light Touch'new

"You just have to accept that there's going to be a certain amount of disorder in the countryside as long as people are organized tribally. And if you put 100,000 or 150,000 Western troops in there, that's just more people to feud with."
Metro Times |
Curt Guyette and W. Kim Heron |
11-17-2009 |
War
The Difference Between Deaths Here and 'Over There'

Thirteen soldiers die in Texas and it's all we talk about. Two million die in Afghanistan and Iraq and we don't notice -- and we don't even want to hear about it.
One Helicopter Crew Looks Back on an Unforgettable Rescuenew

With the Afghan war back in the headlines, and none of the news good, the rescue led by the Air Force's 305th Rescue Squadron provides a glimpse into one story that began horribly and ended well, thanks to the ordinary Americans who made it happen.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
11-11-2009 |
War
From Solider to Student: Colorado Vets See Growing Support on Campusnew
Some questioned the reception veterans received on campus a couple of years ago. Today, many veterans acknowledge that they felt some trepidation about coming to a such a liberal, anti-war campus environment, but they say they have received nothing but encouragement and gratitude.
Boulder Weekly |
Marissa Hermanson and Jeff Dodge |
11-09-2009 |
War
Colorado Springs Authors Imagine World War IIInew

If you want to get the government's attention, don't write a well-documented, thoroughly researched news article. Instead, write a well-documented, thoroughly researched novel.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Pam Zubeck |
10-29-2009 |
War
Why Hasn't Obama Abrogated Bush's Controversial Executive Orders?
Simply put, no one man -- not even a nice, articulate, charismatic one -- ought to claim the right to suspend a person's constitutional rights. Not in America. Certainly no one man -- not even a young, handsome, likeable one -- should be able to have anyone he wants whacked.
Drop the Drones: Remote Attacks Inflame Afghan Anti-Americanism
To Afghans on the ground, drones symbolize American callousness and project a smug sense of superiority -- because they protect us at the Afghans' expense.
The Afghan War: Too Illegit to Quit
Eight years. We've been in Afghanistan longer than any other war in American history. The party of the president who invaded Afghanistan has been repudiated at the polls. Yet we still haven't altered the flawed strategy that allowed uneducated tribesmen with outdated weapons to defeat us year after year.
Build Stuff ... Then Leave Afghanistan
Now it's time to fight the war for hearts and minds the way it ought to have been done from the start -- instead of hostile troops, Afghanistan needs civil engineers.
Did an Army-Issue Antimalarial Drug Drive a Solider to Suicide?new

Criticism of the military's use of Lariam has continued to build since John Torres' death. "If it predisposes you to paranoia, anger, psychosis, is it appropriate to expose a company of people with automatic weapons?" army doctor Remington Nevin wonders.
Chicago Reader |
Kari Lydersen |
09-28-2009 |
War