WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - DoD's child care program may be hailed as the model for the nation, but family policy officials here are determined to make the best even better.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C., are the latest Army members deployed to fight Rockies wildfires. The Marines' 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, N.C., is scheduled to deploy Sept. 1 to Idaho to relieve a battalion from Camp Pendleton, Calif.

WASHINGTON - Ninety-five percent of American casualties in wars throughout this century came from "close-combat" units -- aircrews, infantry and armor. So to protect these troops, America needs to take a closer look at how to prepare them for battle.

WASHINGTON - DoD researchers are working to make Internet connections 1,000 times faster than they are today, which will open up amazing new possibilities for using the Internet.

WASHINGTON - Veterans who've earned the Purple Heart medal now receive faster service and save money when they access Department of Veterans Affairs health care.

WASHINGTON - Military aircrews continue to transport troops and dump flame-retardant chemicals on Western wildfires as more soldiers and Marines have been called into the fight.

WASHINGTON - It's your health. Defense medical officials want you to know simple steps you can take to safeguard it as a DoD healthcare patient.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - A self-proclaimed Air Force "brat" shared stories about her mom and dad with military families here Aug. 23, and offered a few helpful hints.

WASHINGTON - DoD plans to provide supplemental foods and nutrition education to overseas military and family members by summer 2001.

WASHINGTON - Frieda Mae Hardin, the nation's oldest woman veteran, died Aug. 9 at age 103 in a nursing home in Livermore, Calif.

WASHINGTON - Too many stray cats on base. What's a commander to do? Shoot them? Poison them? Bag them and dump them downtown?

MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, Fla. - Drive along the road near the jetties here on any given day and you may see a few fisherman, some sea birds and the cats.

WASHINGTON - You can't dump your wife or husband or children on the side of the road and drive away -- no matter what they've done. So why do people think they can dispose of cats and dogs that way?

WASHINGTON - Countless cats are on the prowl each night from the back alleys of the nation's capital to the beaches of San Diego.

WASHINGTON - Don't blame cats for reproducing, DoD environmental specialists say. Blame people.

GULFPORT, Miss. - What happened to Forest J. Sterling on Sept. 13, 1943, was nothing short of a miracle.

WASHINGTON - AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - A battalion of soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., are to join firefighters in Montana following federal officials' request for more troops to help battle record wildfires.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Uncle Sam still doesn't issue wives and husbands, but more than half the military force has families -- and they're here to stay.

WASHINGTON - Reservists in the old days could expect to serve one weekend a month and two weeks training in the summer.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - It is critically important that defense leaders understand issues affecting reserve component families and how to deal with them, according to Charles Cragin, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - When the Pentagon's top personnel and readiness official visits troop bases around the world, he wants to see more than training ranges and flight lines.

WASHINGTON - Jan. 20, 2001, nearly 5,000 service members will take part in the nation's 54th presidential inauguration. A core group of military planners, logisticians and operations officers is working to make it happen

WASHINGTON - President Clinton signed the fiscal 2001 Defense Appropriations Act, paving the way for a 3.7 percent pay raise for service members Jan. 1.

WASHINGTON - More military veterans will have access to a dignified final resting-place closer to home thanks to a Department of Veterans Affairs cemetery expansion project.

PHOENIX, Arizona - National Guard families these days face the same issues as their active duty counterparts -- high optempo, frequent deployments, feelings of isolation -- and need the same command support, representatives said here.

WASHINGTON - Defense medical officials are working on a plan to collect baseline health data from all recruits during their basic training

WASHINGTON - There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Welsh III told his Gulf War story of holding the hand of a subordinate as the man listened on the phone to his wife giving birth to their first child in Utah.

WASHINGTON - With western portions of the nation facing the worst fire season in a decade, desperate fire crews have had to call on America's military -- active duty, National Guard and Reserve -- to help douse nature's fury and control the flames.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending Aug. 11, 2000)

WASHINGTON - Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen extended his concern for the Russian sailors aboard the sunken submarine Kursk and repeated DoD’s offer to participate in rescue operations.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - TRICARE beneficiaries are now just a phone call away from accessing help to resolve creditors' concerns over late or unpaid medical care bills.

DALLAS - Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps exchange customers can swap Firestone tires affected by the recently announced recall campaign at local military exchanges or local corporate-owned dealers.

WASHINGTON - The United States is prepared to offer whatever assistance it can to rescue the crew of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, which reportedly sank Aug. 12 in the Barents Sea. But the Russians have yet to ask for help.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Clutching two puppies and standing next to her Coast Guard father, 12-year-old artist Kelly Schumacher depicted her military family in a marker and pencil drawing and ran away with the fifth Armed Services YMCA art contest.

TARTU, Estonia - U.S. Navy Seabees and Estonian soldiers are using Partnership for Peace Exercise Cornerstone 00-2 here to build bridges -- one made of metal and the other of goodwill and friendship.

WASHINGTON - The author of the best-selling book "Black Hawk Down" believes veterans of the deadly battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, found it therapeutic to talk to him about their experiences

WASHINGTON - Nearly 800 family program officials, commanders and military family members are scheduled to gather in Phoenix, Ariz., Aug. 22 to 24 for the DoD Family Readiness Conference.

WASHINGTON - DoD schools officials are looking closely at the standardized tests military children take.

DALLAS - People work at home for a variety of reasons. Some may telecommute to avoid a long drive. Others may work part-time before returning to the office after an illness or pregnancy. Whatever the reason, home-based work is a growing part of the employment scene -- and it's here to stay.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - "Role players ready," Rick Werts said into a microphone while keeping his eyes on a bank of monitors in a cramped, dark room.

WASHINGTON - EMERALD is a gem in the world of cyberdefense.

WASHINGTON - DoD expects the services to make their fiscal year recruiting goals for the first time since 1997.

WASHINGTON - After three years of missing their numbers, DoD expects the services to make the fiscal 2000 recruiting goals.

WASHINGTON - Todaysmilitary.com will become the latest arrow in the quiver aimed at getting recruits in the military when the Web site goes live Aug. 14.

WASHINGTON - The interim director of DoD schools is finishing up his one-year term and said it's been a year he's proud of.

WASHINGTON - Retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark and retired Navy Adm. William J. Crowe Jr. are among the 15 persons who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian award.

WASHINGTON - One Internet hotel reservation site advertises "guaranteed lower rates of up to 65 percent off" that run from $69.95 to $155.95 per night in the Washington area.

WASHINGTON - Can you imagine turning down $20,000 in education benefits -- especially if you paid for it in advance with cold cash and sweat equity?

WASHINGTON - President Clinton traveled to Idaho Aug. 8 to praise civilian and military firefighters combating wildfires in Payette National Forest.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WESLACO, Texas - More than 150 Naval Reserve, Texas Army National Guard and federal and state personnel converged on three elementary schools here July 24 to kick off the Marine Corps' "Lone Star 2000."

WASHINGTON - The Air Force women's 2-1 record against the Army proved the winning edge in the 2000 Armed Forces Women's Softball Championship Aug. 1-3 at Sportsplex USA in Poway, Calif.

WASHINGTON - It is hot, dangerous and dirty duty, but soldiers and Marines deployed to Idaho to help combat record wildfires in the western United States say they are glad to be there.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - When Army Maj. Derik Crotts moved here to become the base's public affairs officer, he looked long and hard before finding a suitable home in the surrounding area for his family.

WASHINGTON - Transferable credits between schools, stability and adequate funding are among the most important family concerns that surfaced here at a recent Army Education Summit.

WASHINGTON - An improved military disability claims process initiated in the late '90s provides physical exams to service members before they retire or are otherwise discharged from active duty.

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - The Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department here will host an inaugural all-military Wilderness Challenge Oct. 6-8 in Fayetteville, W.Va.

WASHINGTON - After numerous medical studies and battlefield recreations, defense officials have yet to learn why tens of thousands of Gulf War veterans are sick.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials want to ensure lessons learned from the Gulf War about medical readiness are applied to current and future troop deployments.

WASHINGTON - Nearly a decade after Operation Desert Storm, the fight against Iraqi aggression is not over, but defense officials say U.S. and coalition forces have successfully contained Saddam Hussein and maintained stability in the region.

WASHINGTON - The Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm Timeline

WASHINGTON - Five lucky individuals will receive an immersion in the military after winning the "Yahoo! Fantasy Careers in Today's Military Contest," DoD officials said Aug. 8.

ASEMBAGUS, Indonesia - Summer 2000 has been like no other for many of the Marines and sailors who've been part of Landing Force Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, and Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif., will join with civilian firefighters to combat the worst wildfires in the western United States in more than a half-century.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, and Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif., will join with civilian firefighters to combat the worst wildfires in the western United States in more than a half-century.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Ten soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit here will be competing Sept. 18 to 23 at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The shooters dominated the men's competition in the Olympic selection matches in Atlanta June 21 to July 1, winning 11 of the 20 event slots on the U.S. men's Olympic shooting team.

ANKARA, Turkey - Soldiers of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit of Fort Benning, Ga., won five individual and two team medals World Military Shooting Championships here July 17 to 26.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - “We want the nerve! We want the nerve!”

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. - Once students at the E.F. Bullene Chemical Defense Training Center here exit the “hot zone,” they still have a lot of work to do before they're free to go.