WASHINGTON - The tribunals to determine if detainees held at Guantanamo are enemy combatants began today, said Navy Secretary Gordon England.

WASHINGTON - Army National Guardsmen who have seen the worst of war are re-enlisting in the military at a higher rate than those who haven't been mobilized, officials said July 29.

WASHINGTON - About 40 wounded service members being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here received cheers and applause today as they arrived at the Pentagon for a special guided tour.

WASHINGTON - The Army National Guard is seeking permission to "stabilize" prior-service enlistees for a year after they join the unit, said Brig. Gen. Frank Grass, the deputy director of the Army National Guard.

WASHINGTON - A recent suggestion by the Saudis to supplement coalition troops in Iraq with other Muslim forces "is an interesting idea worth pursuing," U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today.

WASHINGTON - The United States wants "to speed up the flow of funds" into Iraq's reconstruction effort, the top U.S. diplomat said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Marines used tanks and artillery fire July 29 to respond to enemy attacks on their position near Fallujah, Iraq.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ASADABAD, Afghanistan - Mention the word "rodeo" and most would think broncs, bulls and buckles. But mention rodeo at many forward operating bases in Afghanistan, and the faces of the coalition members serving there light up with anticipation.

AIBAT KHILE, Afghanistan - According to Islamic law, learning is the duty of all Muslims -- including women and girls.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force is hosting an experiment at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., through Aug. 5 to test capabilities that may help win the war on terrorism.

NEW SALO KALAY, Afghanistan - For members of Maj. Daniel Wilson's logistics shop, serving in Afghanistan means working mainly within the confines of Kandahar Airfield, making sure the members of Task Force Bronco have everything they need to successfully complete their missions.

WASHINGTON - American and Bulgarian soldiers are training together as part of a first-of-its-kind joint military exercise held on Bulgarian soil.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Patients come to Bagram Air Base from as far away as Pakistan and Uzbekistan, knowing they will receive the best medical care available. A triage and treatment station is set up at the base's front gate to determine the severity of each situation.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. soldier from the 1st Infantry Division was killed by small-arms fire today near Hawija, Iraq, and 39 members of an "anti- Iraqi forces" cell were captured during a combined U.S.-Iraqi raid near Ar Rawashi, according to Multinational Force Iraq officials.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - At a time when media outlets around the world are focusing on stories involving mortar attacks, improvised explosive devices and uncertainty in Iraq, members of the Iraqi government are now better prepared to tell the world their stories of growth, hope and newly found freedom.

WASHINGTON - The car bomb explosion outside a police recruiting station in Baqubah, Iraq, today is just the latest example of terrorists trying to intimidate the Iraqi people, DoD officials said.

FORT DETRICK, Md. - When Army Maj. Brad West spent two and a half months in Iraq recently, he made a little bit of anesthesia history: The nurse anesthetist introduced the "ventilatory assist device" to his unit, the 250th Forward Surgical Team (Airborne).

WASHINGTON - DoD Inspector General Joseph Schmitz wants to remind service members there are any number of ways outside their chains of command to report suspected incidents of wrongdoing.

WASHINGTON - Iraqis will secure a better future for themselves "only if the coalition stays together, only if the coalition provides the kind of support that the Iraqi people are asking us for and they need," the top U.S. diplomat said on Hungarian television July 27.

WASHINGTON - Two U.N. employees registering voters were killed by an improvised explosive device that went off inside a mosque today in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province.

WASHINGTON - Sailors and airmen may soon be able to "Go Army" under a new Defense Department program intended to rebalance the size of the military. The program is generating new opportunities for continued service and career advancement for those willing to transfer into the Army from other services.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney said the terrorist threat does not represent a "foe we can reason with or negotiate with or appease. This is, to put it simply, an enemy that we must vanquish."

WASHINGTON - Though many enroll for the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, very few know what long-term care is and how to get the greatest benefit from it, an official with the program said.

WASHINGTON - Communications giant Sprint is doing its part to support U.S. troops. However, phones and minutes are not involved. The company has donated $10,000 to Stars and Stripes to provide 20,000 copies of the paper to service members in Afghanistan, said Stripes publisher Tom Kelsch.

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard is "aggressively" putting new security measures into place to comply with a new law designed to protect U.S. ports and waterways from a terrorist attack, the Coast Guard commandant said today during a joint interview with the Pentagon Channel and the American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON - The Army's future soldier will resemble something out of a science fiction movie, members of Congress witnessed at a demonstration on Capitol Hill July 23.

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are using Islam as a means to usurp power for themselves, an Egyptian anti-terror specialist noted here July 26.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Korean officials have agreed on a plan to move all 8,000 American troops out of Seoul and its suburbs by December 2008. The forces will be relocated to south of the Han River in the Pyongtaek area, roughly 50 miles south of Seoul.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces conducted a raid on the home of an individual suspected of making improvised explosive devices this morning, according to a Multinational Force Iraq release.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Finance and Accounting Service completed an upgrade to the Defense Industrial Financial Management System on July 18. The upgrade will reduce annual information-processing costs by $11.1 million, or 56 percent of previous costs.

WASHINGTON - With the nation at war, it is more crucial than ever for the U.S. Army to restructure. And the pressure of war is giving the service the means and -- more importantly -- the will to transform, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker.

WASHINGTON - The Army is not concerned about recruiting and retention for fiscal 2004, but the service will keep a weather eye on future trends, said Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston.

WASHINGTON - National Guard and reserve members who paid their medical and dental bills and saved their receipts may now seek reimbursement from Tricare, officials of the military health care system announced July 23.

WASHINGTON - Hot meals, hot showers and a comfortable place to sleep are some everyday things that Force Provider, the Army's premier base camp, strives to offer troops in the field.

WASHINGTON - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard representatives are on the ground in Boston or on alert, ready to respond if called on for support at the Democratic National Convention.

WASHINGTON - A 3.5 percent pay raise, elimination of out-of- pocket housing expenses and continued funding for military transformation are all parts of the Defense Appropriations Act that Congress has sent to President Bush.

WASHINGTON - A pickup truck exploded early today near the Iraqi city of Mosul, killing three Iraqi civilians and wounding six coalition troops, according to a U.S. military press release.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops are using remote-controlled assistants to find and disable improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq.

WASHINGTON - More than 15 months ago, a global coalition ended the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein and
liberated the people of Iraq.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today hailed the 9/11 commission's final report released July 22, pointing to its "serious and comprehensive" findings.

McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. - A joint audience of more than 800 airmen and soldiers heard firsthand from one of the nation's top military leaders here July 23.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - It's wonderful sometimes for someone to look up at another person and say, "Let me tell you how I feel about what you just said. It was offensive," retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Foley said during the Military Child Education Coalition conference here July 22.

NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif. - Former first lady Nancy Reagan was among hundreds of dignitaries and thousands of spectators here today as the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, was welcomed to its home port of San Diego.

WASHINGTON - The United States is getting closer in deciding how it will rearrange its troop presence, or "footprint," in Europe, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

WASHINGTON - A top Pentagon administrator is trying to help employees vie for the President's Volunteer Service Award by encouraging managers to be flexible with schedules so workers can participate in volunteer activities.

WASHINGTON - Many athletes dream of standing atop an Olympic medal podium. However, without the necessary support, even the slightest chance of that happening is a long shot.

WASHINGTON - "I won't miss the building, the walls, the floors, etc., but I will miss the people who I have worked with and served," said Eugene Steele, a Pentagon police officer who along with several of his colleagues, was honored today.

WASHINGTON - As stricter penalties go into effect for identity theft, the Defense Department and the services are taking steps to protect service members, their families and DoD civilians from being victimized.

WASHINGTON - A historic moment took place July 22 at Fort Greely, Alaska, as the first ground-based missile interceptor was placed in an underground silo at the missile defense complex there.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Opportunities are unbounded for military children who trek the globe seeing different things and experiencing different cultures opportunities other children will never have, according to Air Force Gen. Ralph E. "Ed" Eberhart.

WASHINGTON - With only 102 days before the November general elections, DoD is working hard to make sure that service members and their families stationed overseas have the opportunity to vote.

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. - The men and women fighting the global war on terror are ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told a packed house at the theater here July 22.

WASHINGTON - El Salvador has "reupped" and will continue its deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, DoD officials said today.

WASHINGTON - America is safer today against potential terrorist attack, but still remains vulnerable, the Sept. 11 commission chairman said here today.

WASHINGTON - For the Army, the future is now.

WASHINGTON - Big or small, many deployed troops or few, states' concerns for the families of deployed service members are very similar.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - "Yours is a noble calling to be a voice for the unsung partners in America's national defense, our military children," said Lea Ann Edwards, wife of Texas Congressman Chet Edwards, at the Military Child Education Coalition sixth annual conference here July 21.

WASHINGTON - The Army has an "extraordinary opportunity" to transform its forces to respond to "one of the most dangerous times in our history," the Army chief of staff told Congress July 21.

WASHINGTON - A few "bad apples" and a lack of proper supervision not a failure in military training, doctrine or policy were responsible for detainee abuses in Afghanistan and Iraq, senior Army leaders told a Senate committee today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department does not plan on extending any reserve component service member beyond the 24-month limit, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference today.

WASHINGTON - A 1st Infantry Division soldier was killed and six others were wounded today when an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle during a patrol near Duluiyah, Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings today on nominations for two critical leadership positions within the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - --Lessons learned during the war on terror are helping guide the Army's transformation into a force that's agile and flexible enough to confront the threats facing the United States, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker told Congress today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today signed bipartisan legislation designed to make America safer in the face of a biological attack.

WASHINGTON - It began when Amy Oxford and her mother, Kathy Williams, saw no outward show of support for deployed troops in their hometown of Harrisburg, Ill. With her husband, Jamal, an Army reservist, scheduled to deploy with his unit based in Fairfield, Oxford realized an opportunity.

WASHINGTON - National Guard troops, reservists and active duty military people can rest easy that their jobs will be waiting for them when they return from deployment.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Teams of officers from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and officers from the Office of Military Cooperation Afghanistan are working closely with their Afghan counterparts in the country's defense ministry to establish the National Military Academy of Afghanistan and model it after West Point.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will share its expertise using electronic health care records as part of a government initiative that aims to establish and link such a system nationwide by the end of the decade.

WASHINGTON - Reports from Iraq indicate there is a sense of a hopeful future in Iraq, just 24 days after the return of sovereignty, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

WASHINGTON - Special operations forces are deployed worldwide, but changes have made the operations tempo for those forces "difficult, but manageable," officials said before Congress today.

WASHINGTON - Retaining special operations personnel is crucial to the global war on terrorism, special operations senior enlisted advisers told Congress today.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Nearly 30 active duty soldiers and Army National Guardsmen on medical hold at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., were released from the hospital for a day recently to go fishing.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department health officials are making anonymous data taken from surveys of active duty service members available to government researchers.

WASHINGTON - With funding levels making it increasingly difficult to maintain acceptable housing conditions at many military installations, the Defense Department in the mid-1990s turned management and maintenance of some 200,000 "below standard" quarters over to private firms.

WASHINGTON - "We do not need a draft," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a July 16 interview with National Public Radio. The all- volunteer force "has worked brilliantly for our country."

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi national guard and police worked together on a large-scale operation for the first time July 18 to search for insurgents involved in an attack that killed an Iraqi police officer and wounded two others, a coalition news release announced today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition military officials are working with Iraq's interim government to fashion a military chain of command for the Iraqi forces, according to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

WASHINGTON - The United States and its coalition partner nations are making progress in the war against global terrorism, according to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

BOISE, Idaho - Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units are staying busy with firefighting missions in the West.

WASHINGTON - There's a new face at the Pentagon Channel.

WASHINGTON - On a baseball field in Vermont Aug. 7, a group of National Guardsmen will join forces with families of troops deployed in the war on terror to honor the 11 Vermonters who have paid the ultimate price for freedom.

WASHINGTON - Mongolian President Natsagiyn Bagabandi announced that his country will participate in a third rotation of troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WASHINGTON - Coalition aircraft hit a stronghold of fugitive terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi outside Fallujah, Iraq, today.

WASHINGTON - A delay in the mailing of absentee ballots to Georgia citizens overseas for the state's July 20 primary election prompted a U.S. District Court to order Georgia to accept and count ballots applied for and cast by certain dates.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is taking a hard look at the way it trains service members to avoid capture and, if they do fall into enemy hands, how to handle themselves.

WASHINGTON - A former Army prisoner of war who spent 21 days captive in Iraq before his rescue said the Code of Conduct provided the moral compass he and his fellow prisoners needed to get them through the ordeal.

WASHINGTON - Roughly 95 percent of detainees held at the U.S. naval base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, "responded positively" to being notified they have a right to contest their status before a tribunal and be appointed a personal representative.

WASHINGTON - It's amazing what wonderful feelings and bright smiles a dozen calendar models can bring to the faces of hospitalized servicemen recovering from war wounds.

WASHINGTON - The Army's call-up of Individual Ready Reserve soldiers will allow that service to keep cohesive teams in the National Guard and Army Reserve together, the service's No. 2 general said July 15.

WASHINGTON - Army Spc. Joshua Strickland thought he was in big trouble earlier this week when his commanding officer personally escorted him to a facility he'd never heard of at Camp Cook in Iraq under the pretense of signing some papers. The young soldier got even more nervous when his tight- lipped commander led him behind a door that read, "Authorized Personnel Only."

WASHINGTON - An interpretation of a government rule may mean that mobilized National Guard and Reserve members and their employers may be in for a refund on some taxes the employers paid the federal government.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is changing the way it handles detainee issues and has created a new internal organization to deal with Red Cross reports, a senior official said in the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Warner of Virginia, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today commended the Defense Department for its cooperation regarding the Iraq prisoner abuse.

WASHINGTON - The military member who goes to combat and the one who comes back are never the same person, the Defense Department's director of mental health policy said today.

WASHINGTON - The degree of multiservice cooperation in Operation Iraqi Freedom is taking the concept of jointness to what the Army's new vice chief called "the graduate level."

WASHINGTON - The increased demands of the war on terrorism aren't hurting recruiting and retention for America's combat forces, Army and Marine leaders said here today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have launched Operation Lightning Resolve in Afghanistan to protect the country's electoral process, a senior military spokesman announced at a Pentagon news conference today.

WASHINGTON - The world is changing for the better because of American leadership, President Bush told a crowd this morning in Waukesha, Wis. He delivered a similar message at an afternoon event.

DALLAS - Since the Army and Air Force Exchange Service began its "Gifts from the Homefront" program last year, people from all walks of life have rallied around America's troops by contributing $406,745 toward the program designed to lift the morale of deployed troops around the world, said officials at AAFES headquarters here.

WASHINGTON - A family's show of support for their deployed son has evolved into a nationwide drive that a commander deployed to Afghanistan said "epitomizes all that is good in the American people."

WASHINGTON - -- "As the poster is unveiled, you will see the flag of freedom -- the American flag -- flying proudly. Its presence underscores our commitment, our pledge -- our solemn pledge -- to account for our missing wherever it takes us."

WASHINGTON - An enemy combatant from Yemen being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will face a military commission on terrorism-related conspiracy charges, Defense Department officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - He has spent nearly 18 months making sure that many deployed troops in Afghanistan and Iraq get something at mail call. But if not for persistence, and some help navigating the proper channels, his efforts would not be reaching those troops.

WASHINGTON - Nine years ago, while her husband was deployed, Arlyn McClaughry started an online newsletter as a way to bring service members and military families information on the Web. She and other spouses also began mailing packages and letters to deployed troops.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials planning a global force-posture realignment are working closely with U.S. allies overseas and members of Congress to ensure the best possible outcome.

WASHINGTON - There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Department of Veterans Affairs home loans to members of the National Guard and reserves in recent years, according to a top VA official.

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces, in addition to helping to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, continue to have a peacekeeping role in the Balkans.

WASHINGTON - It's likely time to reduce the number of American troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a senior U.S. military officer told members of Congress here today.

NORFOLK, Va. - About 275 family members of U.S. military and Defense Department personnel living in Bahrain have arrived at the Air Mobility Command terminal at Naval Station Norfolk after being evacuated from Bahrain due to the risk of terrorist attacks.

DITHOLO, South Africa - The road to Kgautswane is dusty and disheartening.

WASHINGTON - With election activity steadily picking up, defense officials remind members of the military and Defense Department civilians that they're subject to rules regulating their involvement in political activities.

WASHINGTON - Though Ricky Craven, driving # Navy Reserve car No. 29 finished 11th in the Tropicana Twister 300 at Chicagoland Speedway July 10, one of the driver's biggest fans didn't go kicking the tires.

WASHINGTON - --President Bush cited Libya's agreement to stop building weapons of mass destruction as evidence that the United States and its coalition allies are making steady progress in the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Jamale J. Jones, a fledgling author of poems, fiction and non-fiction writing, credits the Marine Corps for whipping his bloated ego into shape.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - When the Olympic torch lights the flame at the 2004 Games in Athens, eight U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit soldiers and four other current and retired service members will be there to see it.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. Marines and a soldier died in Iraq this weekend.

OMAHA - What American soldiers are doing in the global war on terrorism is every bit as important as what their grandparents did in World War II, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here July 9.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. - "America is more secure and deterrence is stronger" thanks to the efforts of the men and women of U.S. Strategic Command, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here July 9.

WASHINGTON - A small Indiana telecommunications company is thanking service members for helping keep America free by donating thousands of prepaid calling cards to those injured in the war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - After they "Cross Into the Blue" or "Accelerate Their Life," the Army hopes service members leaving the Air Force or Navy will join the "Army of One."

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials plan to begin a series of status-review boards for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within the next several weeks.

WASHINGTON - A Massachusetts brother and sister have set their sights on megabucks to make it easier for all deployed U.S. service members to call home.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Afghan, Pakistani and U.S. military and diplomatic officials met here today to develop a common understanding of current operations along the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi army's 6th Battalion completed its basic training and activated today at a graduation ceremony for 523 soldiers at the Kurkush military training base.

WASHINGTON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended Britain's role in Operation Iraqi Freedom before the House of Commons July 6, calling his country's close relationship with the United States essential in the fight against global terrorism and rogue regimes trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.

WASHINGTON - Marine Corps Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun arrived safely today at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, according to a defense official.

WASHINGTON - Troop levels will stay the same for the next rotations of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Defense Department officials said today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is ready to provide support to safeguard this fall's Democratic and Republican national conventions and the presidential election, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

WASHINGTON - Within 10 days, all 594 detainees held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be informed of their right to contest their status under new procedures.

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge today warned Americans that al Qaeda is planning to attack somewhere in the United States between now and the national presidential election.

WASHINGTON - Several government agencies are working together to aggressively defend the reemployment rights of reserve-component service members.

WASHINGTON - As the Iraqi people become more confident in their new interim government, more of them will cooperate in the government's efforts to end the violence plaguing the country, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - The new National Security Personnel System will improve the working environment within the Defense Department while creating a more satisfied, more productive workforce, Navy Secretary Gordon England said today at a town hall meeting.

WASHINGTON - It's known as a wartime engineering miracle, but for nearly 60 years the African-American soldiers who built it said it would be a miracle if they were ever recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments during World War II.

WASHINGTON - Twin sisters Jackie and Janice know the challenges military families face. Their father served 31 years in the Navy, and as self- described "military brats," they called several places home.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's new Reserve Pay Center of Excellence has officially opened for business.

WASHINGTON - Guardsmen and reservists whose active duty time is extended past the normal 12-month call-up may be eligible for active duty-level benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill under certain circumstances, according to a senior Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. Marines and a soldier were killed in two separate incidents in the past 48 hours, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Separations can be tough on any child whose parent is deployed overseas -- but particularly for the estimated 500,000 sons and daughters of deployed National Guard and reserve troops, according to an expert on issues involving military families.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Australia agreed here today to cooperate on a missile defense system, to improve the ability of the countries' forces to work together, and to develop a joint, combined military training capability.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon leaders today faced tough questions on Capitol Hill on issues of deployment and force structure as the military gears up for another round of troop rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - It all started when Army Spc. Robert Collins called his mother from Afghanistan to thank her for his care package and ask that she send more for some of his buddies who weren't getting goodies from home.

WASHINGTON - The former chief of the now-disbanded Coalition Provisional Authority said "substantial progress" was made in Iraq during his 13-month tenure, citing the capture of Saddam Hussein as the top accomplishment.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers in Iraq discovered an apparent bomb- making facility and several weapons caches, senior U.S. military officials announced today at a Baghdad news briefing.

WASHINGTON - As part of his weekly radio message, President Bush today saluted U.S. service members serving at home and abroad defending freedom.

WASHINGTON - Increased threat of terrorist attack has led Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to approve the temporary relocation of eligible family members and non-emergency Defense Department personnel from Bahrain.

WASHINGTON - From Mary Jo Myers

WASHINGTON - "Anytime you can get someone to tap their foot, then, you've touched them," Marine bugle player Sgt. Keith Martinez said during a rehearsal break at the Kennedy Center here today.

WASHINGTON - High school freshman Shauna Fleming is a busy young lady.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld likened the new Iraqi government taking the country's reins to learning to ride a bicycle sometimes you just have to get on and start pedaling.

WASHINGTON - With the November general elections coming up, the Defense Department has designated July 4-10 as Overseas Citizens Voters Week to get eligible DoD personnel stationed abroad registered to vote.

WASHINGTON - The sight of Saddam Hussein facing justice before an Iraqi court shows Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers that the Iraqi people are moving down the road to democracy.

WASHINGTON - Sending NATO forces to Afghanistan and Iraq for specific areas of assistance will free American troops to focus on rebuilding those countries and defeating enemies of freedom, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

WASHINGTON - This Independence Day we celebrate our Nation's 228th birthday and honor the legacy of our founding fathers. Pioneers like Presidents Washington and Jefferson set a young nation on a course for democracy guided by the values of liberty and justice that have shaped our national character. As we pay tribute to the past, we must also look to the future and face the challenges of the 21st century.

WASHINGTON - The return of the Army units extended in Iraq in April is on track, Defense Department officials said at a Pentagon news conference today.

WASHINGTON - As the United States prepares to celebrate and relax over the Independence Day weekend, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has a message for American troops:

WASHINGTON - He loves soccer, swimming practicing the piano, and he runs almost daily -- 200 miles this year. Now Kevin Young, 11, has found another way to excel: writing.

WASHINGTON - As Independence Day approaches, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said service members should take pride in sharing their legacy of freedom with others.

WASHINGTON - "Phenomenal" is what a senior defense official calls feedback the Defense Department is getting from people who use the "Military One Source" program to help solve problems, no matter how big, how small or how complicated.

WASHINGTON - "The day the terrorists dreaded" is here as the world unites to support the new sovereign Iraqi government, Vice President Dick Cheney said today at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans.

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of newly planted trees are blooming along a six-mile highway median strip that links downtown Albany, Ga., to its newer suburbs to the northwest.

WASHINGTON - The recent turnover of sovereignty in Iraq has set the tone for the United States succeeding in Iraq, Navy Secretary Gordon R. England said June 30.

WASHINGTON - A nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families find high-quality child care is working to provide such care free of charge to Reserve and National Guard members on rest-and-recuperation leave from Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Multinational Force Iraq, announced in a statement today that another known terrorist safe house in Fallujah was hit during a June 30 air strike.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. George Casey today became the senior U.S. military commander in Iraq, taking over the reins from Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez.

WASHINGTON - A first-of-its-kind Army medical report that queried Afghanistan and Iraq combat veterans shows that front-line action has adversely affected the mental health of some service members.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Marines raised the American flag at the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad June 30, marking the first time an American flag has flown there in 13 years.