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Today the state Senate voted unanimously to approve Senate Bill 5970, a measure to allow military men and women to qualify for civilian licenses if they meet certain requirements. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Steve O'Ban, R-University Place, says he proposed the idea because too many soldiers with outstanding skills and abilities must start at square one after reentering the civilian workforce.

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Did you know Wells Fargo donates homes to soldiers with help from the Military Warriors Support Foundation? It's true. In fact, it happened again Monday when former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier Spc. Marcos Garcia shoved a key into his new Federal Way home. Garcia, who was severely injured in a mortar attack in April of 2007 while deployed in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart, now lives in a mortgage-free home thanks to the two organizations.

That's awesome.

Read up on the program. ...

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The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is at at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif, participating large-scale, conventional warfare training with offensive and defensive operations.

Staff Sgt. Justin A. Naylor, a journalist with the 3-2 SBCT, is following the action at Fort Irwin. Sunday, Jan. 26, he followed Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3-2 SBCT, as it rehearsed for a mass casualty event while training at the National Training Center. Here's an excerpt from his report:

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The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, is on a month-long exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Each morning, the 3-2 SBCT soldiers awake to temperature that mark the high of the day at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This morning, the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, scrabbled around JBLM in 31 degree frigid temperatures, preparing to make the journey to the Yakima Training Center, where the morning temperatures will be much colder.

Staff Sgt. Bryan Dominique, with the 2-2 SBCT, joined the frigid fun, documenting the action:

"You're gonna fight the weather. It's gonna be Feb. in Yakima, so historically there's 40 mile per hour wind and the average temperature is in the 30s during the day, and it will dip into the 20s at night. That right there alone will toughen you up," said Maj. John Gibson, operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 2-2 SBCT.

The 2-2 SBCT is starting its some 60-day exercise at the Yakima Training Center in eastern Washington today, and the soldiers of 1-17 Inf. are leading the charge.

Read Dominique's full report here.

>>> Sgt. Roary McClain (front), vehicle commander with Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and Spc. Christopher Clanton, combat medic with Company C, 1-17 Inf., tie down a litter prior to a convoy movement to the Yakima Training Center, Jan. 27. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Bryan Dominique

The 36th and 86th Aerial Port Squadrons are seeking some high-speed, motivated Airmen to offer a helping hand out on the flightline as air transportation specialists - Air Force Specialty Code 2T2X1.

Senior Airman Madelyn McCullough of the 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs writes:

The aerial port squadrons, both headquartered at [by the North Gate], play the role of the airport for the 446th Airlift Wing. These individuals are critical pieces of the global airlift mission, who ensure proper, inspection, documentation, packaging, and loading and unloading of cargo on C-17 Globemaster III and other military transport aircraft.

"We ship everything," said Tech. Sgt. Tyler Akers, 86th APS air transportation specialist who has deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan in his eight years with the unit. "Everything goes through us. We provide the last stand for all checks and balances. Without us there would be no continuity with any cargo coming in. We're putting a tag on it and making sure it's getting to the right people and that everyone is going through the right process to get their cargo in the air."

Read McCullough full story here.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.27.14 >>>

The U.S. military launched an airstrike in Somalia on Sunday against a militant leader who was linked to al Qaeda and al Shabaab, and was considered a successful operation. 

Officials say a suicide bomber has killed four Iraqi troops west of Baghdad while attacks elsewhere in the country killed four people.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will dive into the most controversial part of last month's budget deal this week when it holds a hearing on the $6 billion cut to military pensions.

Raytheon is challenging Boeing to build the so-called Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Site Terminals, or FAB-T.

The Army's chief of staff said contrary to what many people may think, the Army has been doing anything but slowing down and becoming stagnant, despite cash flow and end-strength issues.

The Global Hawk UAV looks to be a big winner in the US Air Force's fiscal 2015 budget submission, an impressive turn of events for a program the service has spent years attempting to kill.

Starting in April, female soldiers will be eligible to serve in about 33,000 positions previously off-limits to them because of a now-canceled policy designed to keep women out of combat.

The 36th and 86th Aerial Port Squadrons are seeking some high-speed, motivated airmen to offer a helping hand out on the flightline as air transportation specialists - Air Force Specialty Code 2T2X1.

Military watchers are hoping the president's State of the Union speech Tuesday will feature lengthy passages about the war in Afghanistan, the recent reductions in military retirement pay or the veterans claims backlog.

Dr. Phil Gibson, supervisory physical scientist with the Molecular Sciences Engineering Team at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, helped Burton Snowboards pick a fabric for uniforms that the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team will wear at next month's 2014 Winter Games.

Advising and assisting their Afghan National Security Forces counterparts remains the primary objective of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment "Warrior," for the remainder of their deployment. ?

Retired Air Force Col. Robert Freniere unintentionally became the public face for homeless veterans after a Philadelphia newspaper wrote about his struggle to find work.

The Grammy Awards celebrated outcasts and outsiders, lionizing a couple of French robots, white rappers and a country gal espousing gay rights, and a Goth teenager who's clearly uncomfortable with the current themes in pop music.

Tegan and Sara weren't at The Grammys - but their commentary was easily a highlight of the night.

Led Zeppelin won a Grammy.

A star "just" went supernova in a nearby galaxy.

BBC shares timeline of likely events through next one hundred quintillion years.

Huh, there really is a biological explanation for why women have colder hands than men.

How to make the world's most expensive cup of coffee.

Finally, someone put together a cool compilation of the best wingsuit flight videos.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.25.14 >>>

More than 30 Reserve Airmen from the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are scheduled to deploy over the weekend in support of operations overseas.    

With no perceptible opposition from the Obama administration, Congress has quietly downscaled Washington's ambitions for the final year of the Afghan war, substantially curtailing development aid and military assistance plans ahead of the U.S. troop pullout.

The French defense minister warned during a visit to the Pentagon Friday that there was a concentration of terrorist groups in southern Libya, and that "there could be an explosion of violence" in the country. 

The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency leader on Friday said he hopes to unveil new steps in a long-stalled investigation into Iran's nuclear program in March.

Dozens of young men are now missing from what is considered Russia's most dangerous region.

U.S. will help with Olympics security if needed, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says.

Deborah Lee James, the 23rd secretary of the Air Force, was ceremoniously sworn in by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon Jan 24.

Staff sergeant earns Silver Star; six comrades also honored for heroism.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to host an industry day to address the growing need for new technologies in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sector, according to the service's top ISR general.

Two Airmen with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, have both been turning wrenches on jet engines longer than most people in the Air Force have been alive.

Is it a bird? A bug? Or is it a plane? There's more to these cool-looking creatures than meets the eye, as the Earth Unplugged team found out.

Video: Is the world better now than 25 years ago? Bill Gates certainly thinks so

Instead of the Grammys, the Logo cable channel is hyping "The Grannies," a marathon of The Golden Girls' best musical episodes.

Built to Spill cover Bob Dylan's Jokerman, which appears on the upcoming Bob Dylan in the 80s compilation (out March 25).

Ready for a vine compilation?

It's Friday. And what a perfect Friday it is! The sun is shining, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord isn't shutdown due to snow (whimpy Fort Hood!).

But Friday is Friday, which means you all ready have one leg into Saturday. That stack of papers can wait. Let's watch some videos!

You're welcome.

Staff Sgt. Justin Kuhl has filed the latest Field Report, which includes the visit by former NFL players to Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Sgt. Bryan Spradlin of the 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment created a Fort Lewis' Historic Gateway video focusing on the construction of the Camp Lewis gateway in 1918 and how it has survived as a piece of JBLM history to the present day.

On a more serious note, Sgt. Ashland Ferguson posted another video in the Duty to Intervene: Voices of the Victims series showing 7th Infantry Division soldiers intervening as a part of their duty to stop sexual assault, harassment or suicide.

Last, here's "No Sugar Tonight" starring a couple wacky kids. Enjoy.

Yesterday the Winter X Games kicked off in Aspen, Colo. For alternative sports, this is the Olympics, if the Olympics featured guys on snowmobiles doing massive backflips. Snowmobile Freestyle competitor Colten Moore collected his second X Games gold medal yesterday, with an emotional win that he dedicated to his older brother, Caleb, who died from injuries sustained in last year's competition, the only death in the 20-year history of the X Games.

Want to try snowmobiling?

The Northwest Adventure Center at Joint Base Lewis-Mcchord has a trip planned through the Cascades Mountains Saturday, Feb 1. You won't be flying through the air upside down with one hand on the handlebars, unless something goes terribly wrong.

According to NAC, transportation, snowmobile, helmet, boots, gloves and snowsuit are provided. NAC would like you to dress in layers. And you must be 16 and older to join the fun.

If you like to get in on the trip, give them a buzz before Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 253.967.6263

Rangers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, are conducting a military training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett and neighboring Camp Roberts, of the California National Guard. The exercise runs through Feb. 5, and includes units from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and Air Force Special Operations Command from Hurlburt Field, Fla.

For the full scoop, click here.