Salem-News.com Military articles

The Deadly Side of Irvine That Nobody Wants to Address

The El Toro Marine Corps base has left more than it's saga behind.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Irvine, California, is a pricey piece of California paradise on the surface, but underneath, a city of deadly cancer clusters, with a sea of toxic carcinogens flowing beneath its streets.

This is south Orange County, a place where people have plenty of money and success, but whether they know it or not, the people of Irvine are also part of a dirty, well kept secret.

Burial at Sea

"Mister, I wouldn't have your job for a million dollars." I shook his hand and said, "Neither would I."

(USA) - War is the seminal event in the life of everyone that has endured it. Though I fought in Korea and the Dominican Republic and was wounded there, Vietnam was my war.

Now 42 years have passed and, thankfully, I rarely think of those days in Cambodia, Laos, and the panhandle of North Vietnam where small teams of Americans and Montangards fought much larger elements of the North Vietnamese Army. Instead I see vignettes: some exotic, some mundane...

Comment on Allied Strike on Syria

Was a military response in U.S. interests?

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - On April 12, 2018, the U.S., Britain, and France launched a strike against Syrian research, storage, and military targets to punish Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for the suspected use of his air power to drop chemical weapons in an attack in the Damascus suburb of Guouta, where between 40 and 70 people were reported to have been killed by banned chlorine and sarin gases.

The key word here is “suspected.” Assad and Russia have vigorously denied the allegations.

Iran Ordered To Pay $920 Million to 1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing Victims

Judgment is among the largest ever issued against a foreign state under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Beirut Marine Barracks bombing, which killed 241 American servicemembers and injured numerous others, was the deadliest state-sponsored terrorist attack against United States citizens before September 11, 2001.

A judgment of $920 million has been obtained against the Iranian government on behalf of more than 80 family members of Marines/soldiers who were killed or injured in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, as well as Marines/soldiers who were injured in the attack themselves.

Soldier Killed in Accidental Shooting at Camp Rilea

Next of kin have yet to be notified.

(CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore.) - Members of a regular US Army unit conducting training at Camp Rilea reported a gunshot discharge in the housing area yesterday at approximately 6:30 pm at Camp Rilea.

A soldier, whose identity is not being released at this time, was declared deceased by doctors at the Emergency Room at Columbia Memorial Hospital, where the soldier had been transported.

Then There`s Only One Choice

The German author/playwright's work was deeply influenced by his service in the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.

(OLDENBURG, Germany) - This month marks the 70th anniversary of the death of Wolfgang Borchert, a young German writer who was seriously wounded in World War II then imprisoned for resistance activities.

Physically destroyed, he lived only two years after the war. During that time he wrote antiwar literature that is widely read in Germany but little known in the USA, where it is currently most needed.

Oregon Online Directory of Statewide Veterans Day Events

There are many Veterans events taking place in Oregon and throughout the USA.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs' online directory of statewide Veterans Day events is back and better than ever. This easy-to-use resource includes an interactive map and listing of all the ceremonies, parades, fundraisers, services, meals, concerts and everything else celebrating our veterans from Pendleton to Myrtle Point.

Find it at oregondva.com/2017-veterans-day.

Remembering the Vietnam War

It seems a lot of Americans, French, and Australians come back to the scene of their misadventures.

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - Watching the compelling documentary, The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, brought back memories of my time in Vietnam in 1967-1968. The Tet Offensive occurred during my service there; it was a defining event in the Vietnam War. Tet, by the way, is the Vietnamese New Year.

I was a U.S. Army Transportation captain stationed in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City.

Merkley Speaks Out Regarding Trump`s North Korean War Comments

"History is littered with millions of lives lost in wars that were blundered into by mistake."

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after North Korea’s foreign minister said Monday that President Donald Trump has “declared war” on North Korea, citing Trump’s tweets from last weekend:

"As we know, North Korea is a malignant and destabilizing force within the region. These remarks from the North Korean foreign minister reinforce how critical it is that the U.S. be strategic and thoughtful in its approach..."

$350,000 Immediately Available to Help Homeless Veterans

"Our veterans have bravely served our country and we owe it to them to ensure that they have a safe and stable place to call home." -Margaret Salazar, Director OHCS

(SALEM, Ore.) - "In the last few years, we have made great progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans, but we still have a long way to go to meet our goal of ending veteran homelessness in our state," said Cameron Smith, director of the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.

"This funding is essential as we continue to work to address the housing needs of all of Oregon's veterans and their families."