News stories tagged with "army"

(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

(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

(10/21/11) A ceremony was held recently at Fort Drum to mark the deployment of the 10th Sustainment Brigade. The brigade is made up of units with many different specialties, so it deploys in pieces rather than as a brigade to support war efforts wherever the units' different skill sets are needed. Joanna Richards attended the ceremony and has the story. more

(10/13/11) A Syracuse Air National Guard unit is about to begin operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, the MQ-9, out of Fort Drum. The 174th Fighter Wing already conducts MQ-9 flights in Afghanistan, flights which are controlled from an operations center at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse.

The partnership with Fort Drum will allow the unit to train Air Force and Air National Guard troops from around the country on flying the MQ-9. Joanna Richards went to an event last week at Fort Drum demonstrating the vehicle and has the story. more

(09/30/11) As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down and the federal government prioritizes reining in expenses, Fort Drum is anticipating a 10 to 15 percent cut in its budget in fiscal year 2012, which begins this October. To save money, the Army post is looking to cull its civilian workforce over the next year. Joanna Richards reports. more

(09/23/11) The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of dealing with gay service members officially ended this week. Now, gay soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen can serve openly without fear of being kicked out because of their sexuality. Around Fort Drum, some soldiers cheered the change, while others expected it to cause new problems. Joanna Richards reports. more

(01/19/11) This year, a reporter and a photojournalist from the New York Times have been following soldiers from Fort Drum during their deployment to Afghanistan. Through print, photos, videos, and readers' submissions, they've tried to capture the everyday reality of combat in northern Afghanistan for the 1-87th Infantry Battalion.

We've been checking in with reporter Jim Dao throughout the year. He's told us the stories of troops experiencing live fire combat for the first time and of families living through the pain of separation. Today we hear about the everyday stress of the young leaders on the ground in this war, the junior officers. Dao spoke with David Sommerstein.

(08/12/10) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says the federal government can help returning veterans find work. Last year, lawmakers approved a tax credit for businesses that hire vets. Now, Gillibrand says Congress should make these credits permanent. Of approximately 3,000 veterans in the North Country who qualify for the tax credits, she says more than 560 are unemployed. Todd Moe has more.

(07/02/10) It was a memorable homecoming for Secretary of the Army John McHugh. The longtime North Country Congressman made his first visit to Fort Drum since becoming Secretary as the 10th Mountain Division celebrated an historic milestone. McHugh gave thanks to Fort Drum for its big role in his rise to the top civilian position in the Army. And he acknowledged the difficult road forward for soldiers and their families. David Sommerstein reports. more

(02/04/10) Hearings are underway in Washington on ending the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military. President Obama sent his top military leaders to the House Armed Services committee this week, after pledging to end the policy in his State of the Union address last month. Martha Foley has more.