COP Ayres

"The Iraqi Army assumed control of Combat Outpost Ayres from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division during a ceremony held March 19."

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Banquet in Fairbanks

There is an article about the 41st Annual Military Appreciation Banquet that was held in Fairbanks. A number of military were recognized during the banquet.

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First Lady Interview

"First Lady Michelle Obama discusses military families in a one-on-one interview at Fort Bragg, NC."

Pentagon TV has a few good videos to watch.

Down to 12 Brigades

"Gen. Ray Odierno, the top US commander in Iraq, announced Sunday that over the next six months, two combat brigade teams and their supporting elements, or about 12,000 troops, would return home from Iraq without being replaced. An American F-16 fighter squadron will also be sent back without being replaced."

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More Dwell Time Needed

"The nation’s top military officer expressed concern here yesterday about servicemembers and their families “toughing it out” with frequent deployments and little time together between those deployments. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talked about the stresses of war and a variety of other topics in a town-hall meeting with servicemembers and civilians.

In answer to a question from the audience, Mullen acknowledged that even when troops theoretically have 12 months of “dwell time” between deployments, that’s not really the case when they have to spend part of that time away from their families training for their next deployment.

“The way the families are handling this thing is they’re just toughing it out until they get the relief. There’s a concern about how long they can tough it out,” he said. “We’re going to have to continue to focus on that.”

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