(03/07/12) President Obama has proposed a new mortgage relief program for membres of the military and veterans. Major lenders will review forecolusres or denials of re-financing. if wrongly foreclosed on, service members will be paid back their equity, and get extra compensation.
Service members are vulnerable to scams, bad deals, and complicated financing. Many are young and inexperienced in managing their finances -- and frequent moves can make them easy prey when they're feeling financial strain.
The problem is serious enough that an entire federal office is now devoted to protecting military families from financial fraud and abuse.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand brought Holly Petreaus, wife of CIA Director General David Petraeus, and head of to the new Office of Servicemember Affairs to Fort Drum last week. The office is part of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
About 200 people turned out to hear about the office's work.
Joanna Richards was there and has the story. more
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Fort Drum
(03/01/12) A unit at Fort Drum charged with helping wounded soldiers transition to civilian life was given a scathing review in a report by the Department of Defense Inspector General's Office. According to the report, the Warrior Transition Battalion was seen as a "dumping ground" rather than a place to help soldiers heal. Medical recommendations were ignored, and morale was low, with some soldiers saying they'd rather be in jail or being "shot at in Iraq" than in the battalion. Joanna Richards reports. more
Col. Patrick D. Frank, Brigade Commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. Photo: drum.army.mil
(02/09/12) Fort Drum's 3rd Brigade Combat Team is beginning to come home after a year-long deployment in Afghanistan. The brigade, about 3,500 soldiers, was sent to an area just west of Kandahar City in southern Afghanistan, where few troops had been before.
They were deployed as part of President Obama's troop surge in the country. As the mission winds down, brigade commander Colonel Patrick Frank says his unit did a good job in a difficult setting. He spoke from Afghanistan with reporter Joanna Richards. (CORRECTION: We originally reported that these troops were the first US soldiers in that region. Many comments on our story have challenged that assertion. We've contacted our sources at Ft. Drum for clarification and are still waiting for a reply. To the best of our understanding now, Col. Frank's unit was the first brigade level force to deploy there.) more
(02/03/12) Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced last week that the military wants to close some installations as its reduces its force size and winds down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The process is called BRAC, for "base realignment and closure."
A spokeswoman for Fort Drum said the post isn't commenting on the announcement, but reporter Joanna Richards spoke with Carl McLaughlin, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization in Watertown, about how Fort Drum may fare as the BRAC process takes shape. more
Rep. Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh)
(01/27/12) Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced yesterday that he wants Congress to authorize a new round of base closures that could help the Pentagon save more than 500 million dollars.
That news angered Congressman Bill Owens, whose district includes the Fort Drum Army base near Watertown. Martha Foley has details. more
They’re going to keep most capable, the most ready to be deployed... that defines Ft. Drum.
(01/06/12) President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced sweeping plans for the country's defense yesterday. The new strategy has to accommodate a half billion dollars in budget cuts. Among other strategies, it predicts "smaller conventional ground forces." And a shift of focus to Asia.
The Army's 10th Mt. Division has been among the most heavily deployed units as America fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were immediate concerns about what the new vision yesterday would mean for the Fort Drum. Julie Grant caught up with Congressman Bill Owens of Plattsburgh yesterday, and finds him optimistic. more
Year after year we keep adding to the physical plant here … and that all speaks to the enduring capacity and capability of Fort Drum.
(12/22/11) A $54 million federal appropriation will set off another round of construction at Fort Drum.
Some of the money will go toward new projects and some will go toward expansion of existing facilities. But overall, the award enables the continuing expansion of the Army Base. Joanna Richards reports from Watertown. more
Sgt. Perkins receiving the Soldier's Medal Tuesday at Fort Drum. Photo: 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division on Facebook
(12/14/11) Fort Drum soldier Sergeant Jacob Perkins was awarded the Soldier's Medal Tuesday afternoon at the installation. The medal is given to soldiers for heroism outside the battlefield.
Sergeant Perkins came to the aid of a group of Canadian tourists in July, when their tour bus collided with a semi trailer on the Thruway in Waterloo, New York, between Syracuse and Rochester. Joanna Richards was at the ceremony at Fort Drum and has this report. more
Rep. Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh)
(11/11/11) On this Veterans Day, the US Army is drawing down its forces in Iraq, preparing to leave the country by the end of the year.
And for the first time in a decade, policy-makers are talking about a major reduction in the number of soldiers. As many as fifty thousand troop positions could be cut in the next five years. Brian Mann sat down yesterday to talk with Congressman Bill Owens, himself a former Air Force captain, to talk about those changes and how they might affect the military here in the North Country.
(11/11/11) There are support groups for service members and spouses, but what about the children of 10th Mountain Division soldiers sent overseas? Last spring, a theater class at Indian River High School teamed up with a local playwright to produce a very personal look at how teens respond to their parents' deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan. In response to positive reaction, the play, In My Shoes, will be performed again tonight in Sackets Harbor and Saturday night in Clayton. Todd Moe met the students and creative team last June.
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Blog posts tagged with "fort-drum"Rep. Owens slams base closing proposalThe Obama administration is proposing another BRACC-style base closings process to downsize the US military. And...[more] What will Pentagon's new Pacific focus mean for Fort Drum?The last decade, the United States has been embroiled in two major land wars and that has meant a huge emphasis on the...[more] Morning Read: Fort Drum-Watertown healthcare system faces budget hurdleFort Drum has one of the most innovative healthcare systems of any base operated by the US Army. Rather than...[more] Morning Read: Fighting for Fort DrumThe Watertown Daily Times is reporting that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand plans to hold a meeting to organize the effort to...[more] As Fort Drum booms, soldier cuts loomFort Drum is in the middle of a huge expansion right now, but with the US government facing a deep budget crisis, the...[more] Morning Read: Fort Drum soldiers hit hard this week in AfghanistanThe Watertown Daily Times is reporting that a fourth soldier in a week from Fort Drum has died in Afghanistan.
Pfc....[more] Remembering Jim Goodwin 1910-2011Keene Valley's Jim Goodwin, who embodied two key aspects of North Country culture — Fort Drum's 10th...[more] Afghanistan off the front pageDespite riots following the burning of a Koran in a Florida church, the war in Afghanistan has been bumped from the...[more] Must-watch: Ft. Drum family profiled in NYTYou absolutely have to watch this video about a Fort Drum soldier's deployment to Afghanistan and its effect on...[more] Morning Read: $228 million for Fort DrumThe Watertown Daily Times is reporting that the Fort Drum Army base received a big show of fiscal confidence from...[more]
Fort Drum
September 2, 2011 | NPR ·
Special ReportsPost-traumatic Stress Disorder at Fort Drum According to Army studies, a quarter of returning soldiers will bring home mental problems associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. Their depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, and substance abuse, if not properly treated, can deeply scar themselves, their families, and the communities they live in. David Sommerstein reports. Soldiers learn to spot IEDs at Ft. Drum Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, kill more American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other weapon. David Sommerstein visits a hands-on IED training exhibit at Fort Drum near Watertown. President Bush Visits Fort Drum President Bush pumped up military personnel at Fort Drum near Watertown Friday, July 19, 2002. He toured the base and reviewed military maneuvers by the 10th Mountain Division troops. 10th Mountain Peacekeepers in Kosovo David Sommerstein spends a week living and patrolling with 10th Mountain Division troops on a peacekeeping mission in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Senator Schumer: Support the People of Ft. Drum New York Senator Charles Schumer visited Fort Drum last Friday and kept his message simple: the people of Fort Drum need our support. Adirondack News Fund Founding Supporters: Paul Smith's College, The College of the Adirondacks · Wildlife Conservation Society · Adirondack Medical Center Foundation · Adirondack Museum · Niagara Mohawk Foundation · Schumann Foundation · John A. Sellon Charitable Trust · several anonymous individual donors |






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