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September 9, 2021

 

‘Get on my back. I’ll carry you:’ Army officers recall their escape from the Pentagon on 9/11 Marilyn Wills began her Army career as military police, but was serving on 9/11 as a congressional affairs liaison for the Army’s personnel office, known as the G-1. Now a retired colonel, she joined three other retired Army officers on Wednesday to discuss what it was like to be inside the Pentagon on 9/11 as the 20th anniversary approaches Saturday. READ MORE

70 percent of active-duty troops already fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, senior official says Around 82% of troops have had at least one coronavirus shot, and infection rates in the military are significantly lower than they are across the general population, said Lt. Gen. Ron Place, head of the Defense Health Agency.  READ MORE

‘They want to make sure their loved ones are not forgotten:’ Organizers feel urgency to establish Global War on Terrorism Memorial With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks Saturday, the foundation is putting a renewed focus toward establishing a Global War on Terrorism Memorial as a place for veterans to gather and other Americans to learn about conflicts such as Afghanistan and Iraq. READ MORE   Afghanistan withdrawal not a precursor to US evacuation of South Korea, lawmakers say A bipartisan pair of U.S. lawmakers said Thursday the alliance with South Korea remains strong, despite fears that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan signals weakened resolve on the Korean Peninsula. READ MORE   Another guided-missile destroyer joins Navy’s Japan-based 7th Fleet The guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey, formerly of San Diego, pulled into its new homeport Wednesday, the largest U.S. naval base in the Far East. READ MORE

Troops driven to serve by 9/11 now lead a generation that doesn’t recall the attacks The 9/11 attacks drove many to recruiting stations, as the United States for a short time would see an uptick in Americans interested in military service and the willingness of higher-qualified candidates to enlist. READ MORE   North Korea holds low-key midnight military parade without showcasing ballistic missiles Based on images published in a North Korean state-run publication, the regime did not appear to showcase new weaponry, such as a ballistic missile, as it has in past parades. READ MORE   Japanese court summons North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for lawsuit over human rights abuses The plaintiffs defected to Japan and filed a civil suit three years ago in Tokyo District Court seeking about $909,000 each for the abuse they suffered, their lawyer said. READ MORE   Navy’s info chief trades Twitter barbs with Chinese journalist over destroyer in South China Sea Rear Adm. Charlie Brown and Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin got into a back-and-forth on Twitter over the USS Benfold’s pass within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. READ MORE   ‘Strategic distraction’: 9/11 took America’s eye off Asia as China hit its military stride The Indo-Pacific and the challenge of an emerging and increasingly forceful China were by no means totally ignored in the years since, but defense and Asia experts say that 9/11 and its aftermath sidetracked the U.S. in competing with China and has left America’s military at a disadvantage moving forward. READ MORE   Blinken, unaware of Germany’s tax penalties on US military personnel, says he will get involved Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is unaware of a treaty dispute that has exposed scores of U.S. military personnel to hefty tax penalties at the hands of German finance authorities, but that he intends to look into the matter. READ MORE

 

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