CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - As an Eastern European infantry platoon worked its way through a village alley, a U.S. Marine Corps evaluator touched the platoon leader's shoulder -- a captain directing the unit in an urban peacekeeping mission.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - After a week of training in hot, humid conditions, the 1,100 U.S. and foregin soldiers and Marines at Cooperative Osprey '96 took a break from their Partnership for Peace exercise here Aug. 22.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Protesters block an embassy gate and trap officials inside. Shouting with raised fists, they demand that the ambassador and his staff leave their country. Soldiers arrive to evacuate the diplomats. They form a tight wedge toward the gate and level their rifles at the demonstrators.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marine Corps cooks don't usually handle their field mess duties so formally. Normally, they set up their field kitchen, cook meals, then serve the troops, who sit on a log, stump or rock and eat.

WASHINGTON - Starting Oct. 1, parents will have to pay for newborn care at DoD hospitals from the time of birth whether or not they carry health insurance.

DALLAS - Resolving problems for families of deployed reservists of the 9th Army Reserve Command in Hawaii is an unusually difficult endeavor.

WASHINGTON, DC - An eight-game winning streak, a crucial 16-14 victory over Army in its seventh game and a little help from Air Force gave Navy the 1996 men's armed forces softball title.

WASHINGTON, DC - Over the past 10 years, no women's all-service softball team has been able to beat Army at the armed forces tournament.

SLAVONSKI BROD, Croatia - Like a conscientious driver preparing his vehicle for a long trip, Staff Sgt. Xavier E. Scott and his crew labored the better part of a hot, sweltering day at McGovern Base recently getting their M1-A1 Abrams tank ready for the first leg of their return to Germany.

WASHINGTON - Each night between 8 and 10, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Baron Young returns from his recruiting office in downtown Philadelphia to his efficiency apartment nearby.

WASHINGTON - For most recruiters, trying to restock America's military ranks is resulting in longer duty days trying to persuade recruits to join. It also means surmounting myths and misperceptions about the military shared by recruits and their parents.

PHILADELPHIA - Army Staff Sgt. Veronica Kelly is a Persian Gulf War veteran. As a tracked vehicle mechanic, her expertise helped armored units blaze through the desert to defeat Saddam Hussein.

WASHINGTON - Air Force officials continue searching for the cause of the C-130 aircraft that crashed Aug. 17 near Jackson Hole, Wyo., while on a presidential support mission.

WASHINGTON, DC - The C-130 Hercules aircraft that crashed Aug. 17 near Jackson Hole, Wyo., should have had no problem taking off from the high-altitude site, Air Force officials said.

WASHINGTON - DoD begAn destroying chemical weapons at the disposal facility at Tooele Army Depot, Utah.

WASHINGTON - President Clinton recently authorized a bronze "M" mobilization device for qualified reserve component members. The device will be worn on the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.

WASHINGTON - Although many service members in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf received new and increased federal tax benefits last spring, not all states are following suit.

FORT BLISS, Texas - We're the best, we know it, and so does the rest of the world.

FORT BLISS, Texas - Technology, tactics and training add up to an effective fighting force. But it takes leadership, especially at the NCO level, to make the U.S. military "the best damn military in the world," according to Defense Secretary William J. Perry.

EL PASO, Texas - Using night vision gear and thermal imaging equipment, U.S. service members man observation posts and patrol the rugged terrain along the 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico. Their job is simple: watch and listen.

MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, MONT. - Away from the sound of a sudden blast, visits by top brass and invasions by national media, a hero returned home here Aug. 2 for some peace and relaxation.

WASHINGTON - He has the job, but like most military wives, she shares the duty.

HOUSTON - Payback is sweet when it comes in the form of an award for excellence.

ASPEN, COLO. - Recent reports of suspicious surveillance and turbulent pre-election activities have heightened the threat level in Bosnia, according to Defense Secretary William Perry.

WASHINGTON - Rex Gleason knows what it's like to build from scratch. Assigned to Munich, Germany, during the mid-1940s, Gleason often watched as the Bavarian people sifted through the rubble of World War II to rebuild their capital and their lives.

FORT LEE, Va. - The commissary system has never been sales- driven. Until now.

HONOLULU - Seventy percent of the world's natural disasters occur in U.S. Pacific Command's area of operations. While the command's primary mission is to train and prepare for war, military leaders here know they must be ready as well to deliver humanitarian assistance.

FORT LEE, Va. - "Cashiers needed, apply within."

FORT LEE, Va. - Employees often deserve a "pat on the back." Just ask Bill Johnson, commissary officer at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. A process action team of employees at his commissary attacked loss problems in the grocery department and found solutions to local issues.

WASHINGTON - President Clinton nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. George T. Babbitt to become director of the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va. Babbitt, 54, currently serves as the Air Force deputy chief of staff for logistics at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Promoting "My Military Family" as its theme, the Armed Services YMCA is sponsoring a nationwide poster contest for children of military families. The winner will receive a $500 U.S. Savings Bond.

WASHINGTON - Commanders do not need American Red Cross verification to approve emergency leaves, a top DoD personnel official announced.

WASHINGTON - About 1,200 U.S. service members, primarily Air Force personnel, are headed from the United States to Saudi Arabia to set up facilities for U.S. forces moving to Prince Sultan Air Base.

WASHINGTON - The commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe has reprimanded 16 Air Force officers in connection with the plane crash that killed Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 others April 3, DoD officials announced Aug. 6.

WASHINGTON - Warring parties have separated. Troops and heavy weapons are back in cantonment areas. The next step in the Bosnia peace process is for elections to be held. NATO's peace implementation force, the IFOR, is there to help.

WASHINGTON - The Armed Forces Recreation Center's Shades of Green resort will duplicate Germany's Oktoberfest celebration Oct. 21 to 24 at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Events will begin at 7 each night.Shades of Green general manager Jim McCrindle said the festival is open to all Walt Disney World visitors. He said the hotel is opening its doors to the civilian community to promote appreciation of active duty and retired service members.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William Perry recently applauded the folks in Atlanta who did not let a terrorist bomb keep them away from the Olympics. According to Perry, staying home would have meant giving in to terrorism.

WASHINGTON - USS Grapple, a second rescue and salvage ship, joined USS Grasp in recovery efforts following the crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, N.Y.

ST. LOUIS - More than 300 key players in revamping DoD's temporary duty travel system recently gathered here to discuss the pilot test programs and their benefits to travelers and the government.

WASHINGTON - Zero defects. It's a mindset, an attitude, a climate or an environment. It means make no mistakes, don't question decisions and, at all costs, don't be the bearer of bad news.

WASHINGTON - Risk is the hazard of the warrior's trade, according to Defense Secretary William Perry.

WASHINGTON, DC - Army Reserve 1st Lt. Ruthie Bolton, a guard with the U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, earned DoD's only medal -- a gold -- at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

WASHINGTON - There's nothing but miles and miles of sand and sky as far as the eye can see. It's dry and it's hot, 115 degrees Fahrenheit on an early August day. A hat, sun block and a good pair of shades are absolute necessities at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

WASHINGTON - DoD is sending about 750 family members home from Saudi Arabia as part of its effort to protect DoD personnel and their families from terrorists, according to Pentagon officials.

TOKYO - How well would U.S. and Japanese forces work together in battle? How do the Japan self-defense forces measure up in joint operability? If conflict occurred, how would Japanese leaders respond to requests for military support?

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan - Before and since American service members raped an Okinawan girl last year, U.S. military leaders here have worked hard to maintain good relations with their Japanese hosts.

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan - If an apple in the commissary sells for $1, that's high, but is this really what a service member pays for the fruit?

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - A story used to make the rounds of American military bases in Korea about a strain of tuberculosis that, if caught, would keep service members from returning home. The tale led to some dread of the TB skin test everyone gets as part of an outprocessing physical.

WASHINGTON - Most U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia are moving to more secure Saudi military facilities, DoD officials announced July 31.

WASHINGTON - About 1,200 troops from 16 Partnership for Peace countries and three NATO nations will soon experience summer camp a la the U.S. Marine Corps.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - Thousands of U.S. Marines and other American forces will head into northern Australia's outback next year, according to American and Australian defense officials.

WASHINGTON - The situation in Bosnia has become more complex as the country moves to implement the civil side of the Dayton peace accord, said Army Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes.