Free Republic

PALMDALE, Calif. — House appropriators don’t intend for the Pentagon to re-engine the F-35 with a new adaptive powerplant, the chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee (HAC-D) said this week. “It states pretty specifically in the appropriation bill that we’re not looking or seeking to change out the Pratt & Whitney engine,” Rep. Ken Calvert, a California Republican, said in a Wednesday interview with Breaking Defense at the inaugural North LA Defense Forum hosted by Rep. Mike Garcia at Northrop Grumman’s facilities here in Palmdale. “Unless there’s a catastrophic failure on the part of [current engine maker] Pratt &...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2010 – Wounded military members struggle with an endless set of challenges in overcoming their physical and mental disabilities. And no one may understand what it takes to get past those hurdles better than Army veteran John Register. John Register, associate director of community and military programs for the U.S. Paralympics Committee, speaks at a Pentagon news conference Jan. 7, 2010. DoD photo by R.D. Ward  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Ironically, Register’s left leg was amputated in 1994 following an accident in which he jumped across a hurdle. A member of the Army’s World Class...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2009 – A troop-support group that provides clothing specially adapted for wounded troops recovering in military hospitals, will roll out a new line of garments later this year. Wounded soldiers show off their Sew Much Comfort adaptive T-shirts while recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The troop-support group provides adaptive clothing free of charge to support the unique needs of injured servicemembers. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We are working on wheelchair garments and halo shirts,” Michele Cuppy, president of Sew Much Comfort, said. “We are also working...

JOST VAN DYKE, British Virgin Islands, Oct. 30, 2007 – A group of injured war veterans on a 12-mile round-trip kayak adventure paused on the shores of this small British island earlier this month for a two-night stay at a campground locally known as “Ivan’s.” A sign at “Ivan’s Local Flavor Stress Free Bar,” part of White Bay Campground on Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands, says it all for a group of injured war veterans and their spouses. For the veterans participating in a Team River Runner adaptive kayaking and camping adventure trip, Ivan’s did, indeed equal healing....

ST. JOHN, U.S. Virgin Islands, Oct. 26, 2007 – Seven wounded warriors arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands last week for an adventure set on the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Kevin Pannell (left), Melanie Kaplan (center), a Team River Runner volunteer, and Andrew Butterworth try out sit-on-top kayaks Oct. 18, 2007. Both Pannell and Butterworth lost legs while serving in Iraq. Pannell lost both legs above the knee, and Butterworth lost his right leg above the knee. The trio participated in Team River Runner's inaugural adaptive paddling trip to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Oct. 17-21. Photo...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Nov. 27, 2006 -- Soldiers who are new to the theater of operations in Iraq actually have an advantage over those who are veterans of previous Operation Iraqi Freedom rotations, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told soldiers here yesterday. Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey visited with 1st Cavalry Division soldiers at the Taji Cinema Theater here. “You who have been here before have the expectation of things running the same way as the last time you were here,” said Gainey, likening their situation to that of...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2006 – The nature of the threat facing the U.S. military has changed drastically, and soldiers need to grow and become more flexible to face that threat, the Army chief of staff said here Feb. 17. In an interview with the Pentagon Channel, Army Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker said the Army now faces an asymmetrical threat, so soldiers must be prepared to perform many different functions, ranging from high-end combat and untraditional warfare to stability operations and homeland defense. "We now must cover a broader piece of the entire spectrum of operations, and because we have a...

Scientists are over the moon at the W.M. Keck Observatory and the California Institute of Technology over a new discovery of a satellite orbiting the Solar System's 10th planet (2003 UB313). The newly discovered moon orbits the farthest object ever seen in the Solar System. The existence of the moon will help astronomers resolve the question of whether 2003 UB313, temporarily nicknamed "Xena," is more massive than Pluto and hence the 10th planet. A paper describing the discovery was submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters on October 3, 2005. "We were surprised because this is a completely different type of...