Capt. Benjamin Tupper trained Afghan forces, and fought on the ground against the Taliban and their allies. In his book, Greetings From Afghanistan, Send More Ammo, Tupper shares what he learned about Afghan culture, and life as an American soldier.
For retired Col. Andrew Bacevich, the meaning of Memorial Day has changed from casual to tragic. His son was killed three years ago while serving in Iraq. Bacevich takes to task Americans who see Memorial Day simply as a harbinger of summer, rather than a time to contemplate the reality of war.
George Michelson Foy stood on the platform of a New York City subway station, battered by the noise of trains, crowds and traffic. Suddenly, he couldn’t take another minute of the din. Zero Decibels is the story of Foy’s search for absolute silence.
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An international investigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank a South Korean naval ship in March. The incident killed 46 sailors in the South’s worst military loss since the Korean War. The incident has raised already-high tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Justine Henin, the four-time French Open champion, lost to No. 7-seeded Sam Stosur of Australia in the fourth round, ending Henin’s 24-match winning streak at her favorite tournament. Stosur will now face Serena Williams, the world’s No. 1 player.
The attackers killed six people and managed to escape after a failed attempt to free a captured militant being treated at the Lahore facility. The militant was part of a group of gunmen who attacked a minority sect in Lahore on Friday and killed 93 people.
Dozens of people were missing, thousands lost homes and emergency crews struggled to reach isolated communities cut off by washed-out roads and collapsed bridges caused by the season’s first tropical storm.
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America’s Memorial Day is an occasion for large ceremonies in Belgium, a country twice liberated by U.S. soldiers. But in one small town, a ceremony will celebrate the memory of Gerald Sorensen, a U.S. airman who was shot down — and joined the resistance.
The U.S. is not a part of the International Criminal Court and unlikely to sign up anytime soon, but the Obama administration is making an effort to cooperate more with it. Top State Department lawyers are taking part in a review conference meant to take stock of the court’s proceedings so far. The court needs countries to help get some of the indicted war criminals to face trial. Another issue to be discussed is how the court defines “aggression.” U.S. officials are worried that the U.S. could be exposed to prosecutions if the crime of aggression is too broadly defined.
Through decades of war in Iraq, Dr. Afan Hawrami has perfected his orthopedic techniques on refugees and soldiers. International aid groups recruited him to work in field hospitals as far afield as Afghanistan and Cambodia. But Hawrami worries that Iraq’s time of violence may not be over.