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This just in from Rep. Derek Kilmer's office. ... Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) will join local veterans at a Tacoma VFW post to listen to their experiences with the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system in the wake of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation last Friday. The listening session is part of
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 6.2.14 >>> New research links Iraqi dust to sick soldiers. The release yesterday of former prisoner of war Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, after a years-long international effort to free him from nearly five years of captivity in Afghanistan, was an important day for
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Beginning today, about 2,800 participants from across Washington state will compete in the 41st annual Washington Special Olympics at Joint Base Lewis McChord. The opening ceremony of the three-day event took place last night in JBLM's Hangar 1. Army Staff Sgt. Dayan Neely with the 20th Public Affairs Detachment was
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.31.14 >>> Soldier dies in aircraft accident in Afghanistan. The United States and China squared off at an Asian security forum, with the U.S. defense secretary accusing Beijing of destabilizing the region and a top Chinese general retorting that his comments were "threat
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Clover Park School District just send word that they employ two awesome AFJROTC instructors: Clover Park High School's lieutenant colonel Gary Roberts and senior master sergeant Maureen Arroyo have been named Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFJROTC) Outstanding Instructors of the Year for the 2013-14 school year. The award
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GRAB A COFFEE AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.30.14 >>> At least 100 members of Congress have called for the resignation of Eric Shinseki, the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, over mismanagement of veterans' health care, but so far the White House is unmoved. Hagel says "indispensable" U.S. still
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.29.14 >>> U.S. veterans health probe confirms cover-up of care delays. Angry House members accused Veterans Affairs officials of hiding subpoenaed documents and trying to cover up the depth of the veterans care delay scandal at an unusual evening hearing Wednesday, the latest
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.28.14 >>> Two Americans were injured today in Afghanistan when a U.S. Consulate vehicle was attacked while traveling through the western city of Heart. Obama wants to set up a new $5 billion counterterrorism fund. The White House announced it is finalizing its request
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Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell will host a Soldier For Life (SFL) Facebook Town hall from 11 a.m. to noon EDT, Thursday, May 29. SFL initiative highlights the "lifecycle" of the Soldier at four points: "Start Strong, Serve Strong, Reintegrate Strong and Remain Strong."
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.27.14 >>> Ukrainian forces fought with separatists in Donetsk for a second day, after inflicting heavy losses on the rebels. Vietnam and China traded accusations today over who was the aggressor in a clash that led to the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.26.14 >>> President Obama issues Memorial Day Proclamation. The roots and lessons of Memorial Day. Obama secretly slipped into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness Sunday for a weekend visit with U.S. troops serving in the closing months of America's longest war. White House inadvertently
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.23.14 >>> The Pentagon announced it was closing down 21 military facilities in Europe, a move the Department said would save $60 million annually. At the end of a week rocked by allegations of mismanagement and cover-ups at the Veterans Affairs agency, Pres.
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Do you think the Clover Park School District bugs out early for Memorial Day Weekend? No, they do not. Just received good news from Gary Sabol, the community relations manage for the district: Clover Park School District has received a Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) grant to improve K-12 student
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.23.14 >>> Armed pro-Russian separatists clashed with Ukrainian self-defense fighters near the eastern city of Donetsk today, two days before the presidential election, and at least two people were killed. The Kremlin's crazy shock troops. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki issued a message to veterans
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.22 14 >>> Defense bill amendment to restrict wartime funding usage. Thailand's army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha took control of the government in a coup saying the army had to restore order and push through reforms. North Korean artillery fired at least one shot
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The Ranger and Northwest Airlifter newspapers, with cover the Army and Air Force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, are shipped off to the press every Wednesday around this time. It also happens to be the time Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office sends us news releases. This week, the PAO alerts
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.21.14 >>> Spc. William Rogers of Joint Base Lewis-McChord proved he was Army Strong at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command's Best Warrior Competition. Al Qaeda runs shadow army in Afghanistan; Taliban on verge of surge. The U.S. House will begin work on nearly
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.20.14 >>> The House this week will vote on legislation that tacitly approves a 1.8 percent pay raise for service members next year. The Pentagon still plans to increase funding for special operations equipment in the coming years, but after years of plus-ups, that
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GRAB A CUP OF JOE AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.19.14 >>> VA scandal hits new hospital. President Obama and Congress are moving quickly to respond to a growing political firestorm over VA patient care allegations. The international outcry over the abductions of Nigerian schoolgirls added to the growing list of challenges faced
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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.17.14 >>> A top Iranian naval commander said that he is prepared to order suicide attacks, drone strikes, and missile technology to "destroy the U.S. Navy" in any confrontations. The Veterans Affairs Department's top health official abruptly resigned amid the exploding scandal over