As you know, the new two-year budget deal, signed into law by President Barack Obama at the end of December, includes a controversial cut to some military pensions. But did you know one in three lawmakers wants to repeal the military pension cut?

More than 150 House members and 35 senators have signed onto efforts to repeal the cuts to military pensions included in the budget deal signed last month.

Roughly a third of lawmakers in both chambers have sponsored or co-sponsored 15 different bills. All the measures seek, one way or another, to repeal the reduction in the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for working-age military retirees.

The flurry of bills and number of co-sponsors highlights the sizable bipartisan opposition to the military retirement cuts that were included in the budget deal reached by Budget Chairs Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Climb The Hill to read the full story.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Israel and the Palestinians are making progress towards reaching a framework peace agreement but they are not there yet.

The Army and Army Reserve recruiting missions for the coming year have been sharply reduced from previous levels as the service braces for a drawdown of nearly 40,000 soldiers in two years.

Defense Department announced some spots on the planet are not as scary anymore and will withdraw imminent danger pay.

An inside look at the 446th Air Force Medical Service Corps at McChord Field.

The Egyptian government's crackdown on suspected Islamists has come to this: a terrorism probe focused on a puppet.

The year 2013 ended with the most Iraqi civilian deaths and injuries in five years.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to eliminate "all terrorist groups" in Iraq's Anbar province, where militants have seized all of one city and parts of another.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is the premier high school football event in the country, and it goes down today.

Relive the harrowing hour when the doomed Apollo 13 moon mission turned into a quest for survival. 

People in white lab coats say dogs choose the direction they poop based on our planet's magnetic field.

Angry Birds on wheels.

Let's hope she's not at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ...

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The Department of Defense announced yesterday the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Jacob M. Hess, 22, of Spokane, Wash., died Jan. 1, 2014, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Hess was assigned to Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The commission that could trigger historic changes to military pay and benefits system was granted an extension and will not conclude its work until February 2015, which means the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission is not likely to influence this year's budget negotiations and decision-making on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon.

The 14th annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl will be played Saturday in San Antonio, and the festivities include Army soldier mentors battling in a Dream Challenge.

The U.S. is pulling more personnel from the U.S. embassy in Juba, South Sudan, as the security situation there continues to deteriorate. Two KC-130J aircraft assigned to the Marine Corps' crisis-response force have responded.

An Air Force report says a mechanical malfunction that started in a fuel leak caused the crash of an Ellsworth Air Force Base B-1B bomber during a training exercise in August over southeastern Montana.

The military has been unwilling to spend the time training their troops to use pain rays and stun grenades, even for situations where they hypothetically could help.

Futurist David Brin uses pattern recognition to suggest that the 21st century really begins now, in 2014.

Geoffrey Ingersoll of Business Insider shares "31 Phrases that Only People in the Military Will Understand," including the fun "Mandofun" - short for "mandatory fun."

The Wolf of Wall Street appears to have set a record for the most uses of the f-word in a single film.

Truth is stranger than fiction: A Florida man who won a raffle to watch the series finale of Breaking Bad with the cast has been charged with running a drug distribution operation.

Here comes the duck soldiers...

In early December, soldiers of 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division participated in fire support certifications at Joint Base lewis-McChord. According to Sgt. Kimberly Hackbarth, "The certification tested soldiers' individual fire support specialist skills based on the training circular for field artillery gunnery including hands-on evaluations of radio proficiency, map reading and use of the M2 compass."

Read Sgt. Hackbarth's full story "Fire support soldiers certify on FO skills".

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The "Spartans" of 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), have once again come into the mountains of Afghanistan, because they are bad asses.

Air Force Col. Richard H. McBride wants all service members to be part of a new arms race. And by arms race we mean he wants service members to roll up their sleeves and donate blood to help their fellow service members and their families.

A lot of people start the beginning of every year making a bunch of empty promises to themselves, but it doesn't have to be that way.  A doctor at Madigan Army Medical Center in Joint Base Lewis-McChord has made a sound resolution backed by promoted by the surgeon general of the Army.

The U.S. has transformed a boat into a super drug sniffer with a high-tech system that can neutralize lethal chemical weapons such as nerve gas with water and bleaching compounds ... and it's going to set sail for Syria.

Skype, the popular Internet phone call provider, is not just for conversations with your easily amused parents or faraway best friends anymore. It's also for bad guys in the Syrian Electronic Army.

They were called the Stern Gang and it catapulted British MI5's involvement with counterterrorism during the Cold War.

The new year got a little happier for one Iraq War vet. He made the first pot purchase in Colorado.

But hey, happy new year! Let's all look forward to the year of the horse, the salamander, the e-engagement, the modest sheath dress, family farming, Luigi, the haggis, vertical downspacing and 48 other things proclaimed by writers all over the world.

Did you know calendars repeat periodically? Yep! The year 2014 has the same days and dates as 1975. Therefore, Morning Joe crew will live this year by the 1975 Marvel Comics calendar.

Where are they now? There were 16 overlooked deaths from 2013, including the crazy person who gave us "Wild Thing."

Oh, the horror! The giant rubber duckie that has been going around the globe for the past few months - bringing peace and joy to all of humanity - has exploded in Taiwan.

Representatives from 14 South Sound county and city organizations met Friday to sign the Memorandum of Agreement, agreeing to increase their financial support to the South Sound Military & Communities Partnership.

With federal government support shifting from the SSMCP's general fund to focus more on specific projects, the city and private organizations from Pierce and Thurston counties agreed to kick in more money.

Since SSMCP's inception in May 2011, its support has been predominately from federal funds - 90 percent federal and 10 percent local.

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You may have been delayed Friday getting to work due to the snow blanketing the Puget Sound, but that didn't stop dozens of members in the Washington National Guard from staying fit and having fun. The Joint Services Support Directorate held an Ugly Sweater 5K Fun Run at Camp Murray to finish off the year - its seventh fun run/walk for those counting. This past year the runs have helped to raise more than $3,000 for the Minuteman Emergency Assistance Fund.

This last fun run of the year, falling during the holiday season, provided a perfect opportunity and time - with the snow - for Guard members to don their favorite ugly sweaters. 

"The snow may be an excuse for some to stay at home but not for us in the guard," said Master Sgt. Dana Trakel, Joint Services Support Operations chief. "The turnout was great and almost everyone showed up wearing their ugliest sweater, looking excited to run in the snow."

Along with having fun, the run served to build morale and promote a more fit and resilient Washington National Guard.

>>> Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Grasty (81st Brigade, Washington National Guard) runs in a Camp Murray winter wonderland during the Ugly Sweater Fun Run.

>>> Sgt. Catherine Sinclair - wearing pajamas and her ugliest sweater - of the 122nd Public Affairs Operations Center stands in front of her fellow Washington National Guard members after finishing a 5K Ugly Sweater Fun Run at Camp Murray.

>>> A shot of Washington National Guard members before they went over the hills and through the woods.

The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division's early morning Holiday Run ended with the presentation of what one individual called the perfect Christmas gift.

More than 4,000 soldiers plus a number of city of Puyallup fire fighters and police officers participated in a 4-mile Holiday Run at a 9-minute pace on Joint Base Lewis-McChord - North this morning.

"This is perfect, the perfect Christmas gift," said Connie Dotson moments after receiving two checks worth more than $12,000 from the Puyallup chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and 2nd Brigade.

Dotson oversees the Lancer Soldier & Family Fund.

>>> Col. Louis Ziesman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, talks about the Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook, part of the brigade's initiative to raise funds for a memorial. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

"We promise to raise more money; there will be more," pledged Eric Kantor, a leader in the Captain Meriwether Lewis Puyallup-Sumner Subchapter of the AUSA.

The organization turned over a check worth $2,240.

As to the brigade's $10,000 contribution toward establishing a memorial, Zeisman touted the unit's Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook.

"This is a wonderful collection of recipes from the soldiers who come from all parts of the country," he said.

"I have to tell you - the hot crab cake dip is great!"

He said that more than 1,700 copies of the book had been sold. 

>>> Col. Louis Zeisman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, led 4,000 soldiers on a 4-mile Holiday Run this morning at JBLM. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, ran alongside Zeisman.

"The Army is the most trusted institution in the nation, and I am most proud of this unit."

The money marks the brigade's first step toward the raising of $40,000 needed to construct a memorial honoring its fallen soldiers.

"This gift means a great deal; it is very important that this brigade - which is the only brigade that does not have a memorial - establish one," Dotson pointed out.

The National Guard celebrates 377 years.

This may just seem like another number, but when you think about the year 1636 being well before the Civil War, when the states were colonies and many years before the Army, Air Force, Marines or Navy were even around, the significance becomes evident.

Friday, Dec. 13, the Washington National Guard celebrated the National Guard's 377th birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony and chili cook-off at Building 33 on Camp Murray. Assistant Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Wallace Turner led the ceremony.

"This was a great event to celebrate the dedication and commitment that our Washington National Guardsmen have consistently provided," Turner said. "It's a perfect time for our service members to enjoy chili, all while meeting their fellow Guard members and giving our command structure an informal and fun environment to say thank you."

Although this was a chance to show-off one's "chili-master" ability and take the first-place prize for the year's best chili, it was also an opportunity to reflect on the service members who have served in the past centuries.

"To be able to celebrate the National Guard's birthday means I have the honor of belonging to two families with long histories," said the event's point of contact, Sgt. 1st Class Richard Huyck. "I belong to the oldest military force in the United States, and I also belong to the family of American citizens. This family has always pulled together in times of crisis, and I'm proud to be a citizen-soldier."

>>> Washington National Guard Birthday Chili Cook-Off point of contact Sgt. 1st Class Richard Huyck serves a sampling of his chili to Washington Air and Army National Guard Youth program manager, Robbin Seeberger, right. Photo credit: Gary Lott

The Washington National Guard kept its annual cake-cutting tradition going this year, with the youngest, oldest and most senior members present to cut the National Guard birthday cake.

Col. John Tuohy and Turner (the most senior) joined Spec. Ruben Toldeo (the youngest) and retired Col. Ron Weaver (the oldest) in cutting the guard birthday cake.

With an opportunity to build morale, learn a little National Guard history, sample a variety of different chili recipes and mingle with their fellow Washington National Guard members and command members, this birthday celebration of 377 years was in no way just another number.

>>> Washington National Guardsmen Spc. Medford is all smiles after winning the coveted 2013 chili-master title for his Smokey Pork Chili. Photo credit: Gary Lott

For centuries, the National Guard has protected American communities and served the country by living an "Always Ready, Always There" line of defense in times of need - Hurricane Katrina, countless wildfires and the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Citizen-soldiers were serving (officially volunteering at that time) on United States soil before it was even officially U.S. soil.

>>> Sgt. Jennika Cardenas, right, of the Joint Services Support Directorate enjoys a Southwestern chili at the Washington National Guard Birthday Chili Cook-Off. Photo credit: Gary Lott

The National Guard doesn't just serve on U.S. soil, though. More recently, it offered substantial assistance in the Afghanistan war, and it has provided almost 30 percent of the deployed combat force in the last decade.

In fact, although some states this year are finally fortunate to have no deployed units during the holiday season, states such as Washington still have multiple units deployed in places such as Afghanistan and Kuwait.

The Washington National Guard will not only serve the country during the holiday season, but will also have families left behind who are responsible for managing and celebrating the holidays without their spouse.

>>> Col. Daniel Dent, the J3 for the state, takes a break in between the chili cook-off line to try a sampling.  Photo credit: Gary Lott

Operation Homefront is dedicated to providing emergency assistance to servicemembers and their families 365 days a year and right now that includes providing them with a holiday meal.

The annual Holiday Meals for the Military event creates 7,500 meal kits, which include all the grocery items necessary for a holiday meal for four people - including a $30 Wal-Mart gift card for the purchase of perishable items - and then distributes them to lower and mid-grade ranking military families, E-1 thru E-6, at 22 military installations, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which will run the program between Dec. 13-20.

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