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• House Dem pushes for repeal of military force law

  June 10, 2013 3:10 PM

  WASHINGTON - Many American troops on the battlefield today were on playgrounds when Congress gave the president broad authority to wage the war on terror. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff says that's one reason why it's time to repeal the law - at least by the end of 2014 when combat... more »

• Insider attack kills 3 NATO troops in Afghanistan

  June 8, 2013 10:47 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - The international military coalition in Afghanistan says a man in an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on his international trainers in the country's east, killing three of them. A coalition statement released few other details about Saturday's insider attack, the latest in which infiltrators or disgruntled... more »

• Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition

  January 11, 2013 4:08 PM

  WASHINGTON - Within a few months, U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be shifting to a support role, letting Afghanistan's own troops take the lead in providing for the security of their country. The accelerated timetable was announced today by President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai after a meeting... more »

• Obama: Hagel 'leader our troops deserve'

  January 7, 2013 5:44 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says Chuck Hagel, his choice as the new secretary of defense, is "the leader that our troops deserve." Obama formally announced his choice of Hagel in the White House East Room on Monday even as critics questioned the pick over issues including Hagel's views on... more »

• NATO: Afghanistan drawdown plans unchanged

  October 18, 2012 6:55 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO says its drawdown plans for Afghanistan remain unchanged and that the coalition will stay on in the country until 2014, despite calls for a quicker withdrawal. Thursday's remarks by visiting Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen come amid speculation that the U.S.-led alliance could accelerate its departure... more »

• Builders start on wounded Army vet's home Play Video

  August 2, 2012 5:02 PM

  PRARIEVILLE- Builders started work today on a house for an army veteran wounded in Afghanistan. The Prarieville home won't cost him a penny. Corporal Jeffery Argrave says he needs a pinch to make sure this is real. "This isn't me, this is like a paranormal dimension," Argrave said.... more »

• Crash, attack kill 3 NATO troops in Afghanistan

  May 28, 2012 1:00 PM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - As Americans observe Memorial Day, three NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition says a helicopter crash killed two service members in the eastern part of the country, while a third died in an insurgent attack in the south. Authorities are investigating the... more »

• No intention to stay in Afghanistan

  March 20, 2012 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says the process of winding down the war there is on track, and the U.S. has no intention to stay in the country forever. Marine General John Allen told the House Armed Services Committee that coalition forces are making progress in... more »

• Obama phones Karzai, discusses troop pullback call

  March 16, 2012 11:41 AM

  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - President Obama has telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss Karzai's call for NATO troops to withdraw from rural villages. Spokesman Jay Carney says that during the early-morning call, the leaders agreed to talk further about the demand. Karzai has told reporters in Afghanistan he's... more »

• 2 more US troops killed in Afghanistan

  March 1, 2012 8:02 AM

  WASHINGTON - A U.S. official says two more American troops have been killed in Afghanistan, the latest in a series of attacks following protests over the burning of the Quran. The official said details of the killings Thursday in Southern Afghanistan are still unclear but officials believe there were three... more »

• President Obama hosting dinner to honor troops

  February 6, 2012 3:03 PM

  President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be hosting a dinner at the White House to honor our Armed forces who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The dinner, which will be held Wednesday, February 29, is an expression of the nation's gratitude for... more »

• Commander: More US trainers heading to Afghanistan

  September 26, 2011 12:01 PM

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. general in charge of training in Afghanistan says the number of American military trainers there will increase by 800 by next March, a nearly 45 percent jump. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, commander of NATO's training mission in Afghanistan, told Pentagon reporters Monday that even as... more »

• SEALs were on mission to aid Rangers

  August 7, 2011 12:11 PM

  WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the Navy SEALs and other troops lost in Saturday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan had rushed to the area to help fellow U.S. troops under fire. The officials say the SEALs had responded to a request by U.S. Army Rangers who were taking heavy fire after... more »

• 31 US troops killed in Afghan crash

  August 6, 2011 10:32 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is mourning the deaths of 31 U.S. special operations troops in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Seven Afghan soldiers also died in the crash. Obama says it's a reminder of the "extraordinary sacrifices" being made by America's military and its families. An American... more »

• Obama: Surge troops home by summer 2012

  June 23, 2011 2:27 AM

  WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama says he's withdrawing the "surge" of forces he sent to Afghanistan. In a speech from the White House, Obama said he's pulling 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer. Of that number, 10,000 will come home by the end of the year. Obama said in a... more »

• Afghanistan troop cut this year likely near 10,000

  June 21, 2011 11:55 AM

  WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. defense official says the troop withdrawal to be announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama is likely to total two brigades this year, or roughly 5,000 troops this summer and another 5,000 by year's end. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Obama has... more »

• Military department spends $8M on flood response

  June 15, 2011 4:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The state's military department expects to spend nearly $8 million through this month to respond to the Mississippi River flooding and the preparation for high waters around Louisiana. That includes the costs of activating more than 1,100 Louisiana National Guardsmen and of providing fuel, supplies and... more »

• Mitt Romney, Ron Paul clash on Afghanistan pullout

  June 14, 2011 3:30 AM

  MANCHESTER, N.H.- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are disagreeing on how quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Romney said at a Republican presidential debate Monday that generals in Afghanistan should guide the pullout schedule based to conditions on the ground. He said the troops... more »

• US troops remember their fallen comrades

  May 30, 2011 3:52 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan- U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan are remembering their fallen comrades on this Memorial Day. They prayed and held flag-raising ceremonies at dawn today to recognize the more than 1,400 killed in combat since the nearly decade-old war began. Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, who spoke at a ceremony,... more »

• Obama: US ready to enforce sanctions in Libya

  March 18, 2011 2:01 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says the U.S. will help its allies enforce a no-fly zone over parts of Libya if Moammar Gadhafi does not immediately cease military actions against rebels. Obama said the U.S. would not send ground forces to Libya. He told reporters at the White... more »

• Biden says US to be out of Afghanistan by 2014

  December 19, 2010 1:36 PM

  WASHINGTON- Despite uneven progress in Afghanistan, Vice President Joe Biden said next summer's planned withdrawal would be more than a token reduction and that the U.S. would be out of the country by 2014 "come hell or high water." Biden's prediction appeared to go further than statements by his... more »

• Obama: Taliban, al-Qaida diminished in Afghanistan

  December 16, 2010 11:30 AM

  WASHINGTON - Declaring significant progress in disrupting al-Qaida and combating the Taliban, President Barack Obama said Thursday the United States will start withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July as promised. He still warned of sobering days, saying the war will remain a "very difficult endeavor." Heralding a review of... more »

• Senate blocks repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

  December 9, 2010 3:20 PM

  WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would have repealed the military's policy of "don't ask, don't tell" and allowed gay troops to serve openly. Democrats failed Thursday to cinch a procedural deal with Republicans in the waning days of the lame-duck session. The 57-40 test vote fell three... more »

• President makes surprise trip to Afghanistan

  December 3, 2010 10:09 AM

  BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - President Barack Obama slipped unannounced into dangerous Afghanistan on Friday, one year after widening an ever deadlier war and just days before a pivotal review about the 9-year-plus conflict. Under intense security, Obama landed in night's darkness after a clandestine departure from the White House... more »

• Obama places Thanksgiving call to troops overseas

  November 25, 2010 11:18 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has called 10 members of the armed services stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them and their families a happy Thanksgiving. The White House says Obama thanked two each from the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy for their service and... more »

• Iraqi police: Shooting followed an argument

  September 7, 2010 3:29 PM

  According to an Iraqi police chief, today's fatal shooting of two U.S. troops by an Iraqi soldier followed an argument at an Iraqi army compound. They were the first American servicemen killed since the U.S. declared an official end to combat operations in the country last week. The Americans were... more »

• US commander says burning Qur'an may endanger troops

  September 7, 2010 1:16 PM

  The leader of a small evangelical Christian church in Florida says he's taking seriously the warning from the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, who says the church's planned burning of a Qur'an on the anniversary of 9/11 could endanger Americans worldwide. But Terry Jones also defended the... more »

• Iraq veteran: 'Operation may be over, but war isn't'

  August 31, 2010 10:33 PM

  More than 4,400 troops died in the seven-year war in Iraq out of more than a million and a half that served. One survivor, a Baton Rouge native, said he's relieved the combat mission is over but does not think this is the end of the war. After six... more »

• U.S. to boost aid, training for troops in Somalia

  July 20, 2010 12:46 PM

  The U.S. military is looking for ways to expand the training and equipping of African forces to help battle militants in Somalia who claimed responsibility for recent bombings in Uganda. Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward says the African nations contributing forces in Somalia are still committed to the peacekeeping... more »

• Guard troops to head to border states August 1

  July 19, 2010 1:08 PM

  Federal officials say National Guard troops will begin heading for the southwest border Aug. 1 to help secure it. The troops will train and be fully deployed by September and should be on the border for a year. They will be stationed in Arizona, California, New Mexico and... more »

• La. Guard troops moving to Baghdad

  May 27, 2010 5:22 AM

  Louisiana National Guard troops will provide security in the International Zone in Baghdad. 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, known as the Washington Artillery, has about 400 soldiers in Iraq. Based at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, the unit has been providing convoy escort services from a base in southern... more »

• Troops ask questions if gay ban lifted

  April 6, 2010 8:36 PM

  Members of the military were invited to the Pentagon to talk about the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays. Defense Secretary Robert Gates tasked a working group to look at the impact on lifting the policy and it convened its first survey meeting with rank-and-file troops.... more »

• Yellow ribbons in St. Martinville show support for troops

  March 4, 2010 8:50 AM

  People in St. Martinville, La. are supporting local soldiers who will soon be heading to Iraq by putting up yellow ribbons across town. The local chapter of Knights of Columbus says the group is challenging every town in St. Martin Parish to show support for Louisiana National Guard troops. ... more »

• 82nd Airborne troops headed to Haiti for quake aid

  January 14, 2010 8:00 AM

  More U.S. forces are getting under way as the military ramps up its mission to help earthquake victims in Haiti. An advance group of a little over 100 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will leave Fort Bragg in North Carolina Thursday. The Army says the group will find locations... more »

• Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize

  December 10, 2009 10:52 AM

  President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Thursday in Oslo, Norway, acknowledging he hasn't done much compared to other Nobel laureates. But he vowed to use the prize to "reach for the world that ought to be." He accepted the prize just over a week after announcing plans to deploy... more »

• Operation Gratitude

  December 1, 2009 10:29 AM

  http://www.operationgratitude.com more »

• Pres. Obama to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan

  December 1, 2009 8:50 AM

  President Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, 10,000 less than the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan recommended. He's asking NATO to send the additional 10,000. They are to be deployed over six months. The new troop surge will bring the total in Afghanistan to more than... more »

• Veteran's Day parade draws crowd

  November 8, 2009 6:20 PM

  The annual Port Allen Veteran's Day parade was held Sunday afternoon. The event drew crowds of families and folks ready to show their support for the all Veterans and the troops overseas. "There's just so much going on in this world," said Lillian Ragan, "we have to support... more »

• Blue Star Mothers make care packages

  November 7, 2009 6:32 PM

  The Blue Star Mothers, a military support group, made care packages for their sons and daughters overseas Saturday morning. The group stuffed candy, toiletries, snacks, and cards into boxes to be shipped over to war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A piece of home that's all we want... more »

• BR dentist offers to buy back Halloween candy

  October 30, 2009 11:26 AM

  Baton Rouge dentist-Dr.Timothy Raborn invited trick-or-treaters to participate in the "Halloween Candy Buy Back Program," where he will buy their candy to ship to U.S.troops overseas. In a press release, Rayborn and his staff asked children to take their excess candy to his office this Sunday Nov.1 from 2... more »