Peace and War

(01/18/12) Fifty years ago, in the early morning darkness of Jan. 16, 1962, an Air Force jet bomber slammed into the top of Wright Peak, in the Adirondack backcountry near Lake Placid. The four crewmen on board all died when the B-47 went down. Wreckage scattered across the mountain's summit. Twisted remains still mark the site.

Chris Knight talked recently to some of the victims' family members and people who were involved in the search for the plane. more

(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

(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

(12/08/11) Canadian Prime minister Stephen Harper says the border security deal unveiled yesterday in Washington DC is the biggest step forward in trade with the US since the North American Free Trade Agreement was penned in the 1990s.

The deal is designed to streamline border crossings and synchronize the way both nations track people seeking to immigrate to North America. more

(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.

(09/28/11) Australian architectural designer Alexander Michael opens an exhibit of his sculptures this Saturday at his part time Adirondack hidden home that once housed an anti-ballistic missile (ABM). Michael will also give tours of his former Atlas Missile Silo in Lewis, in the Champlain Valley.

Twelve ABM sites were built near the Plattsburgh Air Force base in the early 1960's, hidden in the mountains. Each deep underground silo held a missile, and quarters where the crews lived and worked. Many of these silos were taken off alert and fully decommissioned within a few years.

Following their closure, most of them were sold off to local towns, salvage companies or left to decay. But Michael's Lewis Missile Base, also known as Boquet 556-5, is one of the more impressively restored missile silos.

He lives there for about eight weeks each year, and for more than ten years, he's pumped out water, hauled out or recycled scrap metal, restored the former Launch Control Center into an underground retreat. Todd Moe stopped by for a tour.

(09/12/11) One of the uncomfortable truths about the terror attacks on 9/11 is that some families have carried a far greater burden during the months and years that followed.

The Olsen family, from Saranac Lake, have spent much of the last decade separated; Chaplain Eric Olsen first mobilized for ground zero, then for war in Iraq.

In a special documentary production, Brian Mann tells Eric Olsen's story, as well as how 9/11 shaped the lives of Susan Olsen, and their sons Garth and Evan.

(09/12/11) Military families have carried a heavy burden since 9/11, with many military service members serving multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Ten years after the attacks, Joanna Richards spoke with Fort Drum soldiers and their families about their thoughts on service in the post-9/11 world. more

(09/07/11) This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Commemorative events are being held throughout the Northeast, including small towns. North Creek's Civil War weekend begins this Friday and will include lectures, historic photo displays and re-enactors in period uniforms. Todd Moe talks author and local historian Glenn Pearsall about the sacrifices Adirondack families made in the war. Pearsall says small towns, like North Creek and Johnsburg lost many of their young men in battle.

(06/24/11) A day after addressing the nation about his plans for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, President Barack Obama came to visit Fort Drum.

The Army post has carried a heavy burden of the fighting in that country and in Iraq. The 10th Mountain Division's headquarters, including its commander, General James Terry, are currently leading coalition forces in southern Afghanistan. Todd Moe reports. more