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The Front Lines

News and notes from the homefront to the war front

December 5, 2008

Commanding the delivery of 'bullets and beans'

The U.S. Army is streamlining the way it manages the delivery of “bullets and beans” to its troops. Brig. Gen. Gregory Couch, of Olathe, is at the forefront of the process.

November 11, 2008

Leadership tips from former Green Beret

Think outside the box. Take some risks. Surround yourself with quality people who you trust. "Leaders change the shape and focus of the world they live in."

October 11, 2008

Disabled veteran about to be evicted

Gary Connellis and his family are about to be evicted from their Leavenworth apartment.

28 comments

October 1, 2008

Obtaining Purple Heart list is Mission Impossible

I called the Pentagon Tuesday. I had a simple request. I wanted the names of Kansans from all military branches who received Purple Heart medals during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was hoping for more than just the names. I also wanted hometowns, military rank, military unit, and the circumstances that led to receiving the medal. I didn't think I was embarking on Mission Impossible.

4 comments

September 18, 2008

Reporter trains with Army's border transition team

A firsthand look at soldiers who are undergoing several weeks of special training before heading to Iraq, where their mission will be to help the Iraqis learn to secure their country's borders.

September 15, 2008

Older reporter soldiers on

I'm one of 10 journalists from around the country participating in the first annual Military Journalist Experience, organized by Kansas University's William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Army. It's funded by the McCormick Foundation.

September 5, 2008

Lawrence man still working on Army's tanks

Lawrence man Darrell Hunsaker is in Iraq working for General Dynamics to improve tanks.

September 2, 2008

A light at the end of the tunnel

Gary Connellis finally got some good news from a physician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

2 comments

August 20, 2008

Ex-soldier deals with post military problems

Injuries shorten Army career.

9 comments

October 25, 2007

Joint Chiefs chairman confronts Army challenges at Fort Riley

Career paths and action against Iran.

October 24, 2007

Joint Chiefs chairman visits Kansas

Hears complaints from soldiers.

2 comments

October 19, 2007

Fort Riley practices for disaster

It's a scary scenario, a terrorist attack at Fort Riley. But it's a reality check for these soldiers and hospital crews to see if they can handle it.

October 18, 2007

Kansas Air National Guard expands at Wichita

Plus: A Fort Leavenworth grad is promoted in New Zealand.

October 16, 2007

ESPN profiles connection between Fort Riley, K-State football

Training together.

October 15, 2007

New York Times profiles Iraq debates at Fort Leavenworth

"Here at the base on the bluffs above the Missouri River, once a frontier outpost that was a starting point for the Oregon Trail, rising young officers are on a different journey - an outspoken re-examination of their role in Iraq."

October 11, 2007

Blackwater, private military contractors under Fort Leavenworth scrutiny

"Ms. Kidwell concludes that PMCs (private military contractors) will be an increasingly important facet of US military operations for the foreseeable future; however, the use of contractors on the battlefield is not a panacea for all logistics problems," Col. Timothy Reese, director of CSI, writes in the forward.

October 10, 2007

Kansas-based officers play key roles in Army debate

The Army is in the midst of an "intense debate" over a force-wide reorganization that would put a new premium on training foreign military units to fight their own battles against terrorist threats. And officers at both Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley are playing key roles in that debate.

October 9, 2007

Looking at reducing Iraqi casualties

"Just because you have the right to use lethal force, it doesn't mean you should. That's what we are trying to teach these soldiers," he said.

1 comment

October 8, 2007

KU prof, Fort Leavenworth draw anthropologists' ire

Felix Moos, who has been an anthropology professor at the University of Kansas for 47 years, is helping train the human terrain teams at nearby Fort Leavenworth. Colleagues who oppose his actions have called him a "killer for hire."

15 comments

October 2, 2007

Abu Ghraib soldier is paroled from Fort Leavenworth

Former Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick Jr. served about three years of an eight-year sentence for actions that included placing wires in a detainee's hands and telling him he would be electrocuted if he fell off a box.

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