Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

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September 4, 2014 at 7:39am

Thursday Morning Joe: ISIS defector speaks, Al Qaeda craves attention, National Guard shortfall, ice bucket fails ...

The U.S. Army NATO Brigade’s Allied Forces South Battalion throws practice coffee pots during familiarization training at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class John Wollaston

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.4.2014 >>>

A senior White House official today signaled the United States is already gathering support from countries in the Middle East for a united front against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The family of Steven Sotloff, the second American journalist beheaded by Islamic State militants, said he was "a gentle soul", and challenged the group's leader to a debate on the peaceful teachings of the Muslim holy book, the Koran

In the cities and towns across the desert plains of northeast Syria, the ultra-hardline al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State has insinuated itself into nearly every aspect of daily life.

ISIS Defector: ISIS plans to take over the Arab world and then "go to other countries."

David Cameron says that in going after ISIS inside Syria, the West does not need an invitation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, insisting that Assad's government is not legitimate.

A roiling national debate over how to deal with the radical Islamic State and other global hot spots has prompted a sudden shift in Republican politics, putting a halt to the anti-interventionist mood that had been gaining credence in the party.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro accused Sen. John McCain and Israel of conspiring to create the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

Even Terrorist Groups Crave Attention: Al Qaeda opens new front in India.

Ukraine's President announced progress on a ceasefire agreement yesterday with Russia, but U.S. President Barack Obama is skeptical and even Moscow downplayed it.

Russia's foreign minister said any future efforts by Ukraine to join NATO would "derail" peace talks to solve the crisis in Ukraine.

In 2013, 57 Army Reserve Soldiers decided the only way out of their particular situation was to take their own life. That year was the most deadly since 2009.

Training for tens of thousands of Army National Guard soldiers will be canceled this month as the reserve component hits a $101 million shortfall in the final weeks of this fiscal year.

The Pentagon is pushing its strategy to develop new technologies and capabilities alongside allies to drive down costs and foster innovation, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering said on Wednesday.

Budget: The Army is spending far too little to equip its soldiers.

The adversary is looking to exploit vulnerabilities in Army computer systems, said the chief of the Army's Cyberspace and Information Operations Division.

A Pentagon advisory panel on wounded servicemembers is recommending that the Defense Department scrap the disability evaluation system it rolled out across the military just three years ago.

Government Shutdown: The U.S. Senate's embattled top Republican is predicting Congress will pass a funding measure that the president would not veto.

The Pentagon will expand its use of prototyping as the U.S. Defense Department's budget tightens, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday.

The Defense Department has agreed to reconsider the bad-paper discharges for thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who may have suffered from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder but were kicked out of the military in the era before that became a diagnosable condition.

Dangerous Bag: A ball girl at the U.S. Open shows she has the skills to track down whatever crosses her court.

In Overdrive: This is what you get when you put a pug in a ball pit for the first time.

Headbanging: Metal in inappropriate places.

Oh No: Hollywood will make a CHiPs movie.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! hit the streets of Hollywood asking a multiple guys whether they'd looked up the nude photos.

You knew it was coming ... failed ice bucket challenges ...

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class John Wollaston

September 3, 2014 at 7:32am

Wednesday Morning Joe: ISIS kills many again, Iran's new missile, mysterious hovering plane, Ask Me Anything app ...

Idaho Air National Guard's 124th Fighter Wing throw coffee pots at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Bavaria, Germany. Original photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.3.14 >>

Militants from the Islamic State group carried out a mass killing of hundreds of Iraqi soldiers captured when the extremists overran a military base north of Baghdad in June, a leading international watchdog said today.

President Obama has approved sending roughly 350 more U.S. troops to Iraq to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad, allowing some U.S. troops already in Iraq to leave.

Second American: ISIS has followed through on its threat to kill another American journalist.

Obama: U.S. will destroy ISIS.

After several weeks of U.S. airstrikes, militants with the Islamic State continue to mount offenses against the Mosul Dam and threaten the vital facility that controls water and electricity across northern Iraq.

Congress is handcuffed in addressing the threat posed by ISIS until President Obama details a strategy against the militant group, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday. 

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Tuesday that the United States should be on a "high state of alert" as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches.

The Ukrainian president's office said a "process for achieving a cease-fire" had been reached in a phone call with Putin. But Russia stressed no deal had been made since it is not a party to the conflict.

Putin On A Show: President Barack Obama arrived in Estonia this morning with a lot to think about.

Obama: More Air Force units, aircraft headed to Baltics.

Europe is on the brink of its first war in decades. Here's what the West must do.

Iran unveiled a new surface-to-air missile Tuesday and two radar systems it said would improve its defenses against "enemies."

U.S. forces have carried out airstrikes against the leader of Somalia's al-Qaida-linked Shebab rebels, with casualties reported but uncertainty hanging over the fate of the main target.

Explaining the P-8 Incident: Are Chinese pilots going "rogue"?

Clean CR, Sequestration Hopes: Fall Hill predictions.

The F-35: Savior of U.S. airpower or albatross of the Asia-Pacific?

Pentagon developing mysterious hovering plane.

Defense Innovation Marketplace: Website has helped DoD gain better insight into industry's research-and-development projects.

Eye-opener: This documentary video, shot using a hidden camera, shows how intimidating it is for a girl walking alone in Cairo.

Pint-sized Player: Defensive tackle Christian Kirksey is made down right tiny in this glitch found in Madden NFL 15.

W-ORD up: Cookie Monster and John Oliver co-anchor a newscast about words.

Dash Cam: Think of it as a movie and enjoy.

The Dude comes back for more White Russians in a new twisted short.

Reddit has released a handy new Ask Me Anything app.

It's time to start saving up for that Sleater-Kinney box set.

Burt Ward talks about his days playing Robin.

Let's step inside a tornado ...

LINK: Original photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht

September 2, 2014 at 12:46pm

Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier wins FORSCOM NCO of the Year

From left, Staff Sgt. Peter Kacapyr, FORSCOM NCO of the Year; Cpl. Zachary E. Bandli, Staff Sgt. Luke R. Klein and Spc. Cole Spoon. Photo courtesy of Facebook

A reconnaissance team leader from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and a signal support systems specialist from Fort Carson, Colo., were named U.S. Army Forces Command Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year, at a banquet Aug. 28, at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Six NCOs and six soldiers, representing the First Army, I Corps, III Corps, XVIII Airborne Corps, the 32nd Air and Missile Defense Command, National Training Center, and Joint Readiness Training Center, competed over four days to earn the title of FORSCOM NCO/Soldier of the Year.

Staff Sgt. Peter Kacapyr, an infantryman and reconnaissance team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, from JBLM, was named 2014 FORSCOM NCO of the Year.

Cpl. Zachery E. Bandli, a signal support systems specialist and retransmission operator assigned to 534th Signal Company, 43rd Special Troops Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, at Fort Carson, Colo., was named 2014 FORSCOM Soldier of the Year.

Competing alongside FORSCOM competitors were 4 NCOs and 3 Soldiers from the Continental U.S. Army Service Component Command. Staff Sgt. Luke R. Klein, an internment/resettlement NCO with the 339th Military Police Company, 525th MP Battalion, 302nd MP Brigade, currently serving as Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, was named CONUS ASCC NCO of the Year.

Spc. Cole Spoon, a microwave systems operator/installer and a network controller for the Southwest Asia Cyber Center, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, was named CONUS ASCC Soldier of the Year.

All four winners will compete later this year at the Department of the Army NCO/Soldier of the Year competition.

September 2, 2014 at 7:58am

Tuesday Morning Joe: U.S. airstrikes report, Army's next mission, military hospitals too small, stop saying "awesome" ...

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division's Spouses' Spur Ride participants throw coffee pots at Fort Hood, Texas. Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.2.2014 >>>

An airstrike by U.S. military forces struck an area where leaders of Somalia's al Qaeda-linked militants were meeting.

Six militants killed during U.S. strike in Somalia.

President Obama sent a letter to Congress on Monday notifying them that over the weekend he authorized U.S. military airstrikes and humanitarian assistance to break the month-long siege of the town of Amirli in northern Iraq.

Why a strategy to fight ISIS in Syria will take time.

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit crashed at sea in the Central Command area of operations.

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee have been planning for months to release the findings of their investigation on the CIA's Bush-era interrogation program this fall. But with little more than 60 days until the midterm elections, a release of the report could leave Democrats vulnerable to attack from Republicans and other critics who say its details about U.S. intelligence gathering might jeopardize national security.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia of "direct and undisguised aggression" as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in their war with pro-Moscow separatists. 

With NATO leaders expected to endorse a rapid-reaction force of 4,000 troops for Eastern Europe this week, a senior Russian military official said Moscow would revise its military doctrine to account for "changing military dangers and military threats."

The Real Ukraine Crisis Is Coming: The "day after" dilemma.

NATO will declare "mission accomplished" this week as it winds down more than a decade of operations in Afghanistan but departing combat troops look likely to leave behind political turmoil and an emboldened insurgency.

The Army's Next Mission: Stability is the best offense.

An Air Force strategy stuck in the future.

Q & A with Gen. Paul Selva, head of U.S. Transportation Command, who is responsible for getting military equipment back to the United States from Afghanistan.

NATO leaders heading to Wales this week will discuss how to best enhance the NATO Response Force.

Many of the hospitals run by the armed forces are so small and the trickle of patients so thin that doctors and nurses say their ability to properly treat serious illnesses is compromised.

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, known as TRADOC, transforms civilians into soldiers and provides them the pathway into the noble profession of soldiers, past and present.

Stonehenge, at one point, had been a full circle.

How decaf coffee is made.

Guardians of the Galaxy has become the biggest box office hit of the year.

How Empire Records became the unlikely film of a generation.

Video: The story behind the classic doc Heavy Metal Parking Lot.

Finally: A very difficult quiz about Saturday Night Live.

This is why everything we call awesome is not really awesome.

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim

September 1, 2014 at 9:31am

Monday Morning Joe: U.S. varsity team foes, U.S. cities targets, older vet suicides up, bionic sailors ...

3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, throw coffee pots at Camp Hansen. Original photo by Lance Cpl. Anne Henry

GRAB A COFFEE POT AN DREAD THE MORNING REPORT FOR 9.1.14 >>>

President Barack Obama put the Islamic State terrorist group on the "varsity" team of U.S. foes. America's top general, Martin Dempsey, has spoken of the group's "apocalyptic" visions.

Cities in the United States and Western Europe are being eyed as Islamic State militants' future targets, U.S. lawmakers say.

Heavy fighting erupted today between the Syrian army and Islamist rebels on the Golan Heights, where 44 peacekeepers from Fiji are being held by militants and scores of their fellow blue helmets from the Philippines escaped after resisting capture.

Islamist fighters have carried out atrocities on "an unimaginable scale" in months of fighting with Iraqi forces who have also killed detainees and shelled civilian areas.

Like Douglas McAuthur McCain - an American hip-hop fan who was recently killed fighting for the Islamic State - Abdel Bary represents a new and very scary evolution in modern jihadi history.

The Islamist-allied militia group in control of Libya's capital has "secured" a U.S. Embassy residential compound there, more than a month after American personnel evacuated from the country over ongoing fighting.

Talks on a power sharing deal between Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, have collapsed, a top leader said on Monday, rekindling fears of ethnic unrest over the disputed vote.

Some key members of the Senate and House are calling for the United States to send more arms to Ukraine to fight Russian "aggression."

Veteran suicide numbers have gone up in recent years with much of the attention focused on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan killing themselves. However, almost seven out of 10 veterans who have committed suicide were over the age of 50.

Vulnerable Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) is hoping that his efforts to keep the Air Force's venerable A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft fleet in the air can lift him to victory in November.

Bionic Sailors: Anyone who saw Ripley defeat the alien queen in the 1986 film "Aliens" knows how badass exoskeleton technology can be.

Retired Capt. Walter Mazzone, a decorated World War II submariner who later became legend as a pioneering medical officer in deep dive experiments that captured the nation's attention, died Aug. 7 in San Diego. He was 96.

DoD Pitch: New Balance has unveiled a sneaker prototype that could become standard-issue in boot camp and spell an end to the cash allowances that let recruits buy foreign-made shoes.

LED Lighting making a mark on U.S. Navy ships.

We Will Live Again: A documentary looks inside the unusual and extraordinary operations of the Cryonics Institute.

10 famous TV locations you can visit in real life.

Essential Japanese new wave films.

Watch a guy try to save his drowning drone.

You can stream a crazy amount of good kung-fu on Netflix right now.

The Google Glass app that measures human emotions is creepy.

Worth watching again …


LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Anne Henry

August 30, 2014 at 8:24am

Saturday Morning Joe: Obama threat, USAF structure changes, Army goes Clemson Tigers, iPhone 6 rumors ...

Marine Corps Recruiting Station Baltimore throw mock coffee pots as part of a relay race during RS Baltimore's statewide pool function at the United States Naval Academy. Original photo by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.30.14 >>>

Authorities in Connecticut on Friday were investigating a possible threat against President Obama.

The chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy confirmed in remarks published Friday that a U.S. Coast Guard vessel fired on an Iranian fishing boat in the Persian Gulf this week but insisted the incident was not a "clash."

The U.S. does not anticipate following the United Kingdom in raising its terror alert level because of concerns over the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. Air Force's top general said he wants to figure out the balance between the active, Guard and reserve components for the vast majority of his service's programs in time to drive fiscal 2016 decisions.

Massachusetts National Guard officials identified the pilot of an F-15C Eagle jet that crashed in Virginia as Air Force Lt. Col. Morris "Moose" Fontenot Jr.

Islamic State militants beheaded a Lebanese soldier who was one of 19 captured by hardline Syrian Islamists when they seized a Lebanese border town for few days this month.

U.S. Vs. ISIL: The costs have averaged $7.5 million per day and include money for airstrikes, surveillance and arms shipments.

Six strategies Obama could use to fight Islamic State.

As separatists seized a strategically located town in southeast Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin issued a congratulatory message to the insurgents.

European Union leaders are likely to threaten Russia with new economic sanctions over its action in Ukraine but officials said the bloc was not yet ready to order additional penalties. 

President Obama's trip to Europe early next week is designed to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against "messing around" with the Baltic States.

The new commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, will likely not attend the NATO meeting in Britain next week.

Britain's Defence Ministry will boost its investment in laser research and is preparing to launch a competition that could lead to a technology demonstrator.

An Air Force Institute of Technology alumnus and retired Air Force officer was selected by NASA and the University of Hawaii as one of nine team members to participate in an upcoming simulated mission to Mars.

Nearly five years after earning a Bronze Star with 'V' and a Purple Heart for his actions in Afghanistan at the Battle of Kamdesh, former Army Sgt. Daniel Rodriguez will suit up today to begin his senior football season with the Clemson Tigers.

A former American sailor convicted during the Cold War of leading a family spy ring for the Soviet Union has died in a prison hospital in North Carolina.

The man convicted in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood in 2009 that left 13 dead is asking to become a "citizen" of the Islamic State in a letter to the militant group's leader.

Fatigues to Fabulous will kick off New York Fashion Week with a "Salute the Runway" fashion show.

The Navy built its own indoor ocean to test ships.

iPhone 6 rumor roundup.

10 great movies to stream this holiday weekend.

Believe it or not, 21 Jump Street's Phil Lord and Chris Miller are remaking The Greatest American Hero.

Terry Gilliam on 13 of the most difficult scenes he ever shot.

Five worthy new songs this week.

How Pabst brought a 136-year-old beer back from the dead.

When ads are so cool they make you want to do crazy things ...

LINK: Original photo by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard

August 29, 2014 at 8:02am

Friday Morning Joe: Obama's ISIS world plea, U.S. tanks to Europe, VA improving, world's prettiest woman ...

49th Military Police Brigade, California Army National Guard, toss coffee pots down range during warrior task training at Camp Roberts, Calif. Original photo by Spc. Edward Siguenza

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.29.14 >>>

Obama calls on other nations to fight Islamic State.

U.S. fighter planes conducted five airstrikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq on Thursday, continuing a limited campaign aimed at helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces retake key territory and degrade the militants' capability.

The Islamic State group killed more than 160 Syrian government troops seized in recent fighting, posting pictures Thursday of terrified young conscripts stripped down to their underwear before meeting their deaths in the arid Syrian countryside.

With only about a dozen legislative days left before November's midterm elections, a U.S. congressional debate and vote on a Syria strikes authorization measure could further delay work on two defense bills.

Why Obama backed off more ISIS strikes: His own team couldn't agree on a Syria strategy.

At least four hostages, including slain American journalist James Foley, were waterboarded in the early part of their time being held captive in Syria by ISIS.

On The Origin Of ISIS: Why has a terrorist state blossomed in Syria and Iraq?

Alarmed members of the U.N. Security Council demanded Thursday that Russia remove its fighters from a new front in the Ukraine crisis, while the U.S. ambassador accused Moscow of having "outright lied."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin today called on pro-Russian separatists to release Ukrainian soldiers who have been surrounded by the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. Army troops equipped with tanks will head to Eastern Europe soon to reassure NATO allies anxious over Russia's intervention in Ukraine, Pentagon officials said Thursday.

Ukraine plans to seek NATO membership after what Kiev and its Western allies say is the open participation of the Russian military in the war in Ukraine's eastern provinces. 

Putin Ends The Interregnum: The West needs to reevauate everything it thought it knew about the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Admirals want to buy more Landing Craft Air Cushions in light of the increased global missile threat in the Pacific.

Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian: It culminates this week in South Korea, is helping strengthen U.S. partnerships in the Pacific, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, the commander of U.S. Army I Corps.

Officials confirmed today the pilot was fatally injured in the Aug. 27 crash of an F-15C Eagle in the remote mountains near Deerfield Valley, Va.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced by half the number of veterans waiting more than three months to see a doctor since a scandal erupted at the agency in spring over delays in health care.

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is close to performing tests on a potential design change for its F135 engine following a June incident that led to the devastation of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Army Gen. Joseph Votel has taken the helm of U.S. Special Operations Command located at MacDill Air Force Base.

Eight in 10 of the U.S. Army majors being dismissed from the service had poor evaluations or otherwise bad marks.

Jack White had fun with Eddie Vedder and Paul Simon at a Seattle Mariners game.

See the new teaser for Foxcatcher with Steve Carell and Channing Tatum.

TV Tango round up more than 350 TV marathons airing this weekend.

Fans try to re-edit Star Wars to make it look like the hard-to-find original version.

Denny's has arrived in New York with style (in the form of a $300 brunch).

Finally: Eight of the world's prettiest women merged into one (perfect?) being.

Let's look at horses wearing costumes ...

LINK: Original photo by Spc. Edward Siguenza

August 28, 2014 at 7:04am

Thursday Morning Joe: Russian forces are in Ukraine, Islamic State terror, changing memories to treat PTSD, Ramones film ...

Sailors assigned to Weapons Department wait for the command to toss their coffee pots during a live training exercise on the fantail aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Original photo courtesy of U.S. Navy

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.28.14 >>>

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko declared today that "Russian forces have entered Ukraine" and called an emergency meeting of the nation's security council to respond to what he said was a "sharp aggravation" in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian armed forces are battling separatist rebels.

According to a pro-Russian rebel leader in eastern Ukraine, between 3,000 and 4,000 Russians have joined the separatist ranks.

China said it will continue responding to U.S. military surveillance flights off its coast, rejecting American accusations that one of Beijing's fighter jets acted recklessly in intercepting a U.S. Navy plane last week.

Islamic State fighters have executed dozens of members of the Syrian army they took hostage after capturing an air base in the northeast of the country.

Militants with the Islamic State are increasingly relying on terror tactics and suicide squads, and the method was key in their recent capture of one of Syria's largest air bases.

American forces face formidable challenges as President Obama considers an air assault on Islamist fighters in Syria, including intelligence gaps on potential targets.

Pressure from the opposite end of Pennsylvania Avenue is mounting on President Barack Obama to seek congressional approval before launching military strikes inside Syria.

The U.S. airstrikes targeting Islamic extremists in northern Iraq have probably cost about $100 million since they began three weeks ago, according to a defense budget analyst.

The Obama administration is investigating reports from Syria that a second American was killed over the weekend while fighting alongside Islamist State extremists.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says all U.S. citizens who join Islamist militant organizations in the Middle East should be defined as enemy combatants and subject to capture or death. 

As fighters for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continue to seize territory, the group has quietly built an effective management structure of mostly middle-aged Iraqis overseeing departments of finance, arms, local governance, military operations and recruitment.

Ground teams planned to resume searching today for a pilot who went missing after an F-15 fighter jet crashed in a remote, heavily wooded area of western Virginia.

Opinion: A new era in anti-submarine warfare.

The Obama administration is considering launching a humanitarian relief operation for Shiite Turkmen in northern Iraq who have been under siege for weeks by Islamic State militants.

Changing memories to treat PTSD.

Novel: Fives and Twenty Fives tells how members of a Marine Road Repair Platoon in Iraq deal with the war and its aftermath.

A team of researchers thinks they've found the best explanation yet to how the great pyramids were built.

Here's a list of the 50 best garage rock songs.

Robert Plant talks about his new record.

Reunited Ramones estates plan big comeback including Martin Scorsese film.

Twitter finally lets you see just how few people are faving your tweets.

The moon smells like spent gunpowder.

Scented duct tape for half-assed repairs that at least smell good.

It's now time for Angry Dogs in Cute Costume ...

LINK: Original photo courtesy of U.S. Navy

August 27, 2014 at 7:37am

Wednesday Morning Joe: Obama wants ISIS plan, war crimes confirmed, China threat, honest Ghostbusters trailer ...

9th Mechanized Brigade and the 307th Marine Battalion, Naval Infantry out of Babadag, Romania, participated in coffee pot competition against Marines with Black Sea Rotational Force 14. Original photo by 2nd Lt. Danielle Dixon

GRAB A COFFEE POT AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.27.14 >>>

President Obama's New VA Initiatives: Many of the 19 "new executive actions" aren't as novel as presented; just over a quarter represent fresh efforts while the remaining either have been in the works for months or were introduced by Congress and now have White House support.

The United States said it would not coordinate with the government of President Bashar al-Assad on targeting Islamic State militants on Syrian territory, as preparations for possible air strikes gathered pace.

Obama wants new ISIS war plan, ASAP.

Democratic Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) said President Obama must convince lawmakers that airstrikes in Syria are the "only alternative" available for defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria before expanding military operations.

United Nations investigators have concluded that both the Syrian regime and ISIS are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, concluding that both should be brought before the International Criminal Court.

An open-ended ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinians held as Prime Minister Netanyahu faced strong criticism in his country's newspapers over a campaign in which no clear victor emerged.

Afghanistan's election stalemate this summer hurt progress in training the country's military, and resolving the political chaos will be key to that military's success in 2015, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford said as he stepped down as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

A U.S. man believed killed in Syria was there to fight alongside an extremist militant group, most likely the Islamic State.

The Islamic State militant group is holding hostage a young American woman who was doing humanitarian aid work in Syria.

Ukraine accused Russian forces of launching a new military incursion across its border today, a day after the leaders of both countries agreed to work towards ending a separatist war in the east of the country.

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates secretly carried out airstrikes against Islamic militias inside Libya.

U.S. Giant Slumbers: The U.S. could check China, but our leaders need to wake up to the threat.

Army Professionalism: Why the Army needed to cut officers.

Tracking Space Junk: Defense Department officials announced additions to its space situational awareness program's Space-Track.org website.

Two soldiers who served in Vietnam will receive the Medal of Honor. A third soldier, who fought in Gettysburg during the Civil War, will also receive the top valor award.

The USS America is configured with more deck space than previous ships of its kind to accommodate a range of aircraft.

The Future Is Scary: Video shows Israel's Iron Dome intercepting 15 rockets at once.

Jet skiing through a canyon looks a lot like podracing in Star Wars.

Watch John Malkovich play a vampire in this French commercial.

We can watch this time-lapse video of the Panama Canal's ship traffic forever.

H. Jon Benjamin has launched a hilarious Kenny Loggins-related Kickstarter.

NPR is streaming Interpol's new record.

This guy watched the Simpsons marathon for 24 hours straight.

David Lynch does the Ice Bucket Challenge, David Lynch-style.

Finally: Here's an honest trailer for Ghostbusters.

We dare you to watch the whole thing ...

LINK: Original photo by 2nd Lt. Danielle Dixon

August 26, 2014 at 7:17am

Tuesday Morning Joe: Fixing VA delays, surveillance flights over Syria, ISIS tough to beat, best concert films ...

The Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, Kentucky Army National Guard toss coffee pots at the Harold L. Disney Training Center in Artemus, Kentucky. Original photo by Sgt. David Bolton

GRAB A POT OF COFFEE AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 8.26.14 >>>

The White House is unveiling a slate of executive actions today designed to ease troops' transition from military to civilian life and boost veterans medical-care options in the wake of scandals at the Veterans Affairs Department.

The U.S. has begun surveillance flights over Syria after President Obama gave the OK, a move that could pave the way for airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets there.

Obama's Iraq-Syria Dilemma: No force now on the ground can beat ISIS.

Ukraine released a video of captured Russian soldiers, escalating a dispute over Moscow's alleged backing for separatist rebels in the east of the former Soviet republic

Israel bombed more of Gaza's tallest structures today, bringing down a 13-story apartment and office tower and destroying most of a 16-floor residential building.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than a quarter of those killed in Gaza so far during the war have been children.

After 49 days of war, the armies of Israel and Hamas appear to have run out of new ideas - but not bombs. They are now slugging it out in a lopsided war of attrition.

Sgt. Christopher Waugh Mulalley's death in Afghanistan is under investigation.

A female solider died of a self-inflicted gunshot at the U.S. Army base at Fort Lee, Virginia.

Nearly two-thirds of the public say governments shouldn't pay ransoms to terrorists in exchange for hostages, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey released today. 

It's time to sink the Littoral Combat Ship.

The Pentagon wants next-generation armored vehicles that are more mobile, maneuverable and survivable, but without more armor.

The U.S. Army's new Advanced Hypersonic Weapon failed during an early morning test Monday.

End Of An Era: There have been 20 rotations of more than 600 explosive ordnance disposal technicians who have left their mark in the history of Operation Enduring Freedom since the 2004 inception of the 466th EOD Operating Location Bravo Flight.

Enjoy this cool video of some Royal Danish Air Force's F-16s flying low level over Greenland.

Six months after the Olympics and Sochi looks like a ghost town.

Birds are awesome creatures, but seeing huge flocks of them - like these pelicans diving into a feeding frenzy - both amaze and scare the bejesus out of us.

Watch Billy Crystal's tribute to Robin Williams from last night's Emmys.

Can Game of Thrones be explained in a two-and-a-half-minute video?

Prince has two new albums on the way in September.

What are the greatest concert movies of all time?

One morning we would be preparing our usual gigantic breakfast assortment of tropical fruits, whole-grain toast points and pricey organic cereals, when a wee voice would issue from your little feathered head and you would finally say to us, "Race me!"

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. David Bolton

About this blog

News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.

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about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...

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