military families

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How John Kelly's Trump Defense Is Being Received
How John Kelly's
Trump Defense Is
Being Received
the rundown
Oct 20, 2017 1:02 PM CDT

How John Kelly's Trump Defense Is Being Received

Congresswoman he criticized accuses him of using 'racist term'

(Newser) - White House chief of staff John Kelly made a rare foray into the national spotlight on Thursday with his emotional defense of President Trump's call to a fallen soldier's family. Kelly's own son was killed serving in Afghanistan, lending his words a powerful impact, and the four-star...

Hidden Crisis: Suicide Among Troops' Grieving Families

New federal study aims to learn more

(Newser) - While military suicides are closely tracked, there's no hard data on suicides by troops' grieving relatives. But conversations with military families point to an "outbreak" of suicides and attempts during the past 11 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We've all had the idea of suicide...

For One Military Family, a $20K Holiday Miracle

Dilley family wins massive gift certificate from Home Depot

(Newser) - 'Tis the season ... to report on really great stories like this one. Santa came early for one military family, who found themselves the recipient's of Home Depot's first "Give the Gift of Good" campaign—and walked away with a $20,000 gift certificate for much-needed repairs...

White House Decorations All About Bo

First dog is the main theme this year

(Newser) - As Michelle Obama welcomed military families to the White House yesterday, the building was decked out for the holidays—and Bo Obama was everywhere. Each room had a replica of the dog, made of everything from licorice to buttons to trash bags, the Washington Post reports. The dog is also...

Fort Bragg Probes Sudden Infant Deaths

10 babies have died at base since 2007

(Newser) - Ten babies under the age of eight months have died suddenly in military housing at Fort Bragg since early 2007, and investigators haven't been able to figure out why. Officials don't suspect foul play, but are looking into environmental conditions, structural factors and hazardous materials as possible causes, the Los ...

Insurers Rip Off Families of Fallen US Soldiers

Keep payouts in interest-bearing accounts and skim off profits

(Newser) - It turns out that insurers handling death benefits for American soldiers have got a sweet scam going that enables them to keep profiting from the money even after it is supposedly paid out to families. They tell bereaved relatives that they've opened a convenient, interest-bearing account for their money that's...

Miley, Billy Ray Stage a Military Surprise

The Cyrus family says 'thank you' with 'Hannah Montana' guest stint

(Newser) - Miley Cyrus and her dad staged a fun surprise for military families…"fun" being dependent on your love for Hannah Montana, that is. Dozens of families were invited to the March 12 taping of the Disney show, then—gotcha!—told they’d actually be in the show, in...

Parents' Deployments Hit Kids Extra Hard

Broad study finds children of all ages more likely to struggle

(Newser) - Kids whose parents are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with their emotions and responsibilities far more than children of civilians, a large new study reveals. Children of service members were twice as likely to report anxiety, emotional problems, and other symptoms of stress than their civilian counterparts. "Kids...

Long Wars Fray Military Marriages

Brief homecomings make healing difficult

(Newser) - With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars dragging on, long, multiple deployments are taking a toll on military families, USA Today reports. Troops develop instincts on the battlefield that don’t translate at home, while spouses learn to live independently—and when troops return home, there’s often too little time...

Michelle Says Nation Owes Military Families More

First Lady to pay special attention to hurting relatives of soldiers

(Newser) - Michelle Obama usually keeps it pretty cool. But in her first TV interview since moving into the White House, she showed particular emotion talking about the precarious state of military families. “It hurts, it hurts,” she told Robin Roberts of ABC. “These are people who are willing...

Pentagon Wants 'Virtual Parents' for Military Kids

Program would sub artificial intelligence for moms, dads overseas

(Newser) - The US Department of Defense hopes to ward off trauma for children with deployed parents by replacing mommy or daddy with a computerized replica, Melissa Lafsky writes for Discover. The proposal, pitched on DoD’s “Small Business Innovation Web” site, describes a “highly interactive PC- or Web-based application...

Michelle Obama Keeps Focus on Military Families

Would-be first lady reaches traditional GOP constituency

(Newser) - Michelle Obama has quietly carved out a niche that helps offset concerns about her husband's lack of military background: reaching out to spouses of service members. Rather than just delivering a speech, she's been hosting roundtable discussions, Politico reports. “I am here to listen and to do a...

No Clear Favorite for Military Families in Election

Veteran McCain has support, but wars' toll pushes many toward Obama

(Newser) - Members of the US military and their families are looking to the November election to address the hardships of military life, but opinions vary as to which candidate will serve them best, the Boston Globe reports. John McCain’s vows to honor service—and promise of higher pay—have clear...

Soldier Missing After Blaze in NC Apartment

24-year-old divorcing man she accused of domestic violence

(Newser) - North Carolina police are searching for a female soldier who disappeared yesterday, her apartment blackened by a fire police are calling an arson, the Fayetteville Observer reports. Holley Lynn Wimunc, 24, was in divorce proceedings with her husband, against whom she'd recently gained a restraining order after a domestic-violence incident....

Long Journey Home From Iraq
 Long Journey Home From Iraq 
Jun 8, 2008 5:13 AM CDT

Long Journey Home From Iraq

A soldier's remains touches many

(Newser) - One soldier's death reveals more of America's pain more starkly than Iraqi war statistics ever could. So one reporter discovered as he followed the remains of Indiana native son Sgt. Robert Joe Montgomery from a pass near the Tigris to a funeral in Scottsburg, meeting all who suffered along the...

In Wartime, Soldiers' Kids Graduate Alone

Parents' duty sets apart students at military-base school

(Newser) - Fort Campbell High’s graduation had the usual pomp and circumstance—along with a familiar pall. Many of the seniors crossing the stage did so without a mom or dad watching from the audience. Fort Campbell is the biggest military base high school in the US, and nearly every student...

Army Allowing Spouses to Live Together in Iraq

Long-standing policy gives way in name of boosting morale, re-enlistment

(Newser) - Desperate to combat sagging morale from repeated deployments to Iraq, the US Army has quietly eased rules against married soldiers living together at war, the AP reports. Wedded soldiers in certain camps can now cohabitate in private trailers. "It makes a lot of things easier," said soldier and...

Military Death Payments Trouble Families

$500,000 windfalls for next of kin can cause confusion, discord

(Newser) - The military pays $500,000 to the next of kin of every soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, but the sudden injection of cash during a time of grief often throws survivors off balance. Young military spouses can struggle with money management and long-lost friends and relatives sometimes appear asking...

Overseas Tours Cost Soldiers Child Custody

Deployment often means troops have rough time in court

(Newser) - In what the Pentagon and parent-advocacy groups agree is a growing trend, troops serving overseas are unable to maintain custody of their children upon their return, NPR reports. One National Guardswoman raised her son until her unit deployed to Iraq, when his father took temporary custody. AFter she returned home,...

Bush Losing Military Families
Bush Losing Military Families
Dec 7, 2007 6:15 AM CST

Bush Losing Military Families

60% no longer support Bush or Iraq war

(Newser) - Military families, traditionally staunch supporters of presidents in time of war, are abandoning President Bush and wavering in their endorsement of the conflict in Iraq, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg  poll. Nearly 60% of military families disapprove of the president's job performance and say the war is not...

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