Salem-News.com News Feed for articles tagged with iraq www.salem-news.com 2010 Vietnamese-American US Army Captain James Van Thach walked away from a career as an aspiring lawyer when he graduated from Touro Law Center in 2002, after the terrorist attack on our country on September 11, 2001. He became a U.S. Army Infantry officer and served two arduous years fighting for his nation in Iraq. http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/james-van-thach.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/james-van-thach.php Tue, 22 May 2012 02:15:00 PDT This poem celebrates the new book, A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals, which focuses on the contamination of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and other U.S. military bases. It's co-authored by Salem-News.com writers Bob O'Dowd and Tim King. http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/el-toro-poem-le.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/el-toro-poem-le.php Tue, 22 May 2012 02:14:00 PDT Key Iranian and American officials arrived in Lebanon last week to assess the strength of their local allies in the fast approaching and crucial legislative elections. The Lebanese public and media heard plenty of policy nuances and even similar and seemingly repeated statements by the two well-listened to guests. http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/bullying-hez-fl.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may222012/bullying-hez-fl.php Tue, 22 May 2012 02:13:00 PDT This year's "Ride for Freedom" demonstration in Washington D.C, Sunday, May 27, 2012, marks Rolling Thunder's 25th Anniversary. The purpose of this demonstration is to bring awareness to the government so full accountability can be achieved for all Prisoners of War (POW) and those Missing in Action (MIA) from all wars. http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/rolling-thunder-cat.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/rolling-thunder-cat.php Mon, 21 May 2012 05:08:00 PDT Few things are more "American" than the roar of hundreds of thousands of bikers from all over the nation riding through Washington D.C. to the sound of cheering, flag waving supporters of our POW/MIA's and veterans. They honor more than 58,000 who gave their lives in the Vietnam War and the countless number left behind. http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/rolling-thunder-1-cat.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/rolling-thunder-1-cat.php Mon, 21 May 2012 05:05:00 PDT Since 1995 an institution called the ‘Transparency International’ [TI] has been publishing data on countries ranked from least to most corrupt based on “perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. Their definition: Corruption is essentially "the misuse of public power for private benefit." http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/illusion-corruption-as.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may212012/illusion-corruption-as.php Mon, 21 May 2012 00:59:00 PDT Scientific studies into the dangerous chemical TCE that pollutes U.S. military bases worldwide, drew the conclusion well over a decade ago, that it is a human carcinogen and it causes cancer. Researcher and veteran's advocate, Gary Bass, located a letter in the Federal Register that the feds hoped we would never find. http://salem-news.com/articles/may172012/dod-tce-confirmed-tk.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may172012/dod-tce-confirmed-tk.php Thu, 17 May 2012 05:01:00 PDT An old WW II hangar over 200,000 square feet in area at former MCAS El Toro will not be on any tourist list now and maybe for years to come. Hangar 296 is one of the primary sites of the TCE plume spreading into Orange County and reason for the base’s placement on the National Priority List (NPL), commonly referred to as the EPA Superfund. http://salem-news.com/articles/may162012/el-toro-hangar-296-ro.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may162012/el-toro-hangar-296-ro.php Wed, 16 May 2012 17:21:00 PDT When it comes to environmental contamination in Orange County, California, we typically cover the south county eyesore that was once a Marine fighter base, the old MCAS El Toro. Now, thanks to an article by Pat Brennan, published yesterday by the Orange County Register, we get the dirty details on another plume, this one in north Orange County. http://salem-news.com/articles/may152012/north-county-plume-tk.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may152012/north-county-plume-tk.php Tue, 15 May 2012 16:18:00 PDT Most Southern Californians are familiar with El Toro, the now-closed Marine Corps air base just an hour south of LA. However many do not realize what a nightmare the air station became before the Marines vacated the place, and the last plane flew off into the hazy sunset in 1999. http://salem-news.com/articles/may152012/el-toro-dummies-tk.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may152012/el-toro-dummies-tk.php Tue, 15 May 2012 03:51:00 PDT Mass demonstrations in support of 2500 Palestinian hunger strikers swept through the West Bank this weekend. Marchers moved through the streets of Hebron, Kafr Qaddoum, Nablus, Nabi Saleh, Ni’lin, Ramallah, al-Walaja and outside of Ofer prison. The picture at right was taken in Hebron. http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/us-money-israel-jw.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may132012/us-money-israel-jw.php Sun, 13 May 2012 16:36:00 PDT The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today expressed grave concern over the Kuwaiti Parliament’s approval last week of severe new penalties for blasphemy. The Emir of Kuwait has 30 days to approve these penalties before they would become law. http://salem-news.com/articles/may102012/kuwait-rights.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may102012/kuwait-rights.php Thu, 10 May 2012 17:02:00 PDT An en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its decision in our case brought on behalf of veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In its decision, the Ninth Circuit held that a federal statute closes the courthouse door to constitutional claims by veterans. http://salem-news.com/articles/may102012/vuft-newsletter.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may102012/vuft-newsletter.php Thu, 10 May 2012 16:01:00 PDT A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals, published on Amazon's Kindle on May 4th, is the result of a three year investigation by Tim King and Robert O’Dowd of Salem-News.com. The subject explores the environmental contamination at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California, and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. http://salem-news.com/articles/may072012/few-good-men-ro-2.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may072012/few-good-men-ro-2.php Mon, 07 May 2012 01:37:00 PDT A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals is a thrilling and informative nonfiction account of contamination at two Marine Corps installations, former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on the West Coast and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on the East Coast. The book is co-authored by two former MCAS El Toro Marines, Tim King, photojournalist and war correspondent, and Bob O’Dowd, Salem-News investigative reporter. http://salem-news.com/articles/may062012/few-good-men-ro.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may062012/few-good-men-ro.php Sun, 06 May 2012 14:20:00 PDT Burning the holy books which are interconnected with the hearts and souls of millions of people around the world is one of the most heinous and dreadful actions which one can think of. After decades of bloodshed and bigotry in the two World Wars, Civil War in the US and Crusades against Muslims in the 11th and 12th centuries, burning the holy books can be interpreted as a new form of barbarity and ignorance. http://salem-news.com/articles/may052012/terry-jones-kz.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may052012/terry-jones-kz.php Sat, 05 May 2012 18:18:00 PDT The momentous encroachment in Afghanistan last Tuesday was not President Obama’s speech but the accord for ongoing co-operation between the United States and the Karzai government. In a briefing on the terms of the deal, the Obama administration outlined several components... http://salem-news.com/articles/may032012/afghan-pullout-kn.php http://salem-news.com/articles/may032012/afghan-pullout-kn.php Thu, 03 May 2012 22:44:00 PDT Afghan President Hamid Karzai's brother, Qayum, is the type of guy who watches the Godfather movies not for entertainment purposes, but to learn new techniques. Hence, it is more than a little concerning that President Karzai has reportedly been grooming Qayum to succeed him as the country's next president... http://salem-news.com/articles/april282012/qayum-karzai-mh.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april282012/qayum-karzai-mh.php Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:39:00 PDT Egyptian people are demanding the return of their sovereignty. According to recent opinion surveys they believe it was partially ceded to Israel by the two post-Nasser dictators, at the behest of US administrations, from Nixon to Obama. http://salem-news.com/articles/april272012/egypt-gas-fl.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april272012/egypt-gas-fl.php Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:29:00 PDT The title of this piece poses an interesting question . . . a question of where the issue of freedom of speech ends and willful damaging of the necessary authority structure begins. Sgt. Gary Stein, 26, a meteorologist at Camp Pendleton, posted the comments on the Facebook Armed Forces Tea Party page, will be discharged on “other than honorable” terms. http://salem-news.com/articles/april262012/marine-rights-bc.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april262012/marine-rights-bc.php Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:09:00 PDT In the 1960’s, I wanted to serve God and my country and I enlisted in the Marine Corps. Little did I know that the radiation and chemicals I would be unknowingly exposed to as a Marine would give me cancer. Even worse, I discovered that I am not alone. http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/government-chemicals-ro.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/government-chemicals-ro.php Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:18:00 PDT “The Deadly Connection: Endless War and Economic Crisis” is the subject of Bruce Gagnon's six-city tour of Washington State. Gagnon is the Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, and long-time member of Veterans For Peace. http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/gagnon-speech-le.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april242012/gagnon-speech-le.php Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:01:00 PDT Phil Leveque, who fought in the 89th Infantry Division (some members shown to the right), wrote, We were driven by the belief that we had to defeat an obscene enemy to get to go home. It was General Ridgeway of the Paratroopers said with conviction... "The best military weapon is the American Infantryman." http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/price-war-pl.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/price-war-pl.php Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:39:00 PDT Vietnam's 'Helicopter Valley' will always be synonymous with loss and sacrifice of Marines who fill some of the riskiest occupations ever imagined. It is a place of skeletal remains, where five Marine CH-46 'Sea Knight' helicopters carrying the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines, all crashed one day in the summer of '66. http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/helicopter-valley-tk.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april232012/helicopter-valley-tk.php Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:40:00 PDT The Associated Press printed a short article about a SANITY BOARD HEARING for Sgt Robert Bales and that his civilian attorney John Henry Browne had advised him not to participate based on his Fifth Amendment rights. This is appropriate in view of the Army’s motto “Rank is always right”. http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/bales-court-pl.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/bales-court-pl.php Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:22:00 PDT We've covered activities from Marines and former Marines in the Occupy Wall Street movement from day one. Now we're taking a step forward in sync with this group whose motto: OCCUPY MARINES Fighting for our Country - Not the 1%. http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/occupy-salem-news-tk.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/occupy-salem-news-tk.php Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:30:00 PDT Secret Service agents are resigning their positions over a recent scandal involving prostitutes in Colombia. Sex and officials always are a big news topic of course. Too bad the same level of official intervention, 'justice', or even interest, failed to apply in the Murder of a young female soldier serving her country in Iraq, named Lavena Johnson. http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/secret-treatment-le.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april192012/secret-treatment-le.php Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:53:00 PDT Deadly, unpunished violence against the press rose sharply in Pakistan and Mexico, continuing a dark, years-long trend in both nations, the Committee to Protect Journalists has found in its newly updated Impunity Index. The global index calculates unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country's population. http://salem-news.com/articles/april182012/impunity-index-cpj.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april182012/impunity-index-cpj.php Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:20:00 PDT US military occupation forces in Afghanistan and Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 84 casualties in the period ending April 17. The total includes 79,493 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003 (Operations "Iraqi Freedom" and "New Dawn"), and 33,574 since the US invaded Afghanistan in November, 2001. http://salem-news.com/articles/april182012/war-casualties-mm.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april182012/war-casualties-mm.php Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:23:00 PDT Did you know that 10 to 18% of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans may have post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD? Do you know the signs and symptoms and where to turn for help? A team leader at the Salem Oregon Veterans Health Administration, will speak on these issues and answer questions at an informative lecture on our returning veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder on Thursday, in Stayton. http://salem-news.com/articles/april172012/ptsd-stayton.php http://salem-news.com/articles/april172012/ptsd-stayton.php Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:20:00 PDT