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A veteran of three U.S. armed conflicts who's believed to be a direct descendent of Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion has died. Goldfinch Funeral Home in Conway, which is handling arrangements, confirmed Saturday afternoon that Lt. Gen. James B. Vaught died Sept. 20, 2013. He was 86. Services have been scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Tilly Swamp Baptist Church outside of Conway, according to a Goldfinch Funeral Home representative. Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said Vaught died at about 5:30 p.m. Friday. He was found in a pond off Old Reaves Ferry Road outside of Conway, and was...

At least 30 people were killed when suspected militants launched simultaneous attacks on military targets in southern Yemen, sources say. Two car bombs reportedly exploded at a camp in Shabwa province, killing around 20 soldiers and wounding many others. In a second assault in the area, gunmen also shot 10 soldiers in the town of Maifaa. The government is battling al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants who often target the military.

HEIDELBERG, Germany — For Germans and Americans who had long imagined a dramatic coda to the cold war, it came instead in a few solemn, quiet moments. After both national anthems were played, seven American and five German soldiers lowered their national colors, marched at the edge of a bedraggled parade ground and carefully folded the flags for the last time. The ceremony on Friday afternoon, before about 300 onlookers, marked the closing of Campbell Barracks, which, as the headquarters of the United States Army in Europe, issued the orders for the millions of American soldiers — 15 million in...

New Mexico -- An active duty member of the U.S. Army has admitted to his role in smuggling illegal aliens for what authorities are calling a Mexican “transnational criminal organization,” according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. federal court. The soldier, Carlos Vives Feliciano, is described in the court documents as being “an active member of the United States Army, stationed at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas.” He was caught by U.S. Border Patrol in a vehicle with another man carrying what authorities have described as as “alien smuggling load.” Though the U.S. authorities do not specifically label the...

On Friday, Circuit Judge Glenn Shelby sentenced Michael Rosales, 29, to nine years in prison for killing 22-year-old William Pennock three years ago. On Oct. 3, 2010, Rosales ran through a red light at the intersection of Wabash Avenue and George Jenkins Boulevard in Lakeland. His 1998 Dodge pickup slammed into Pennock's 2002 Nissan Altima. Rosales was driving without headlights and was weaving in and out of his lane before the crash, according to witnesses. Rosales had a blood-alcohol level of .184 (more than twice Florida's legal limit), according to police. Pennock was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where...

Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan forcibly shaved in military prison after being sentenced to death • Major Nidal Hasan began growing a beard in the years after the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 30 wounded The Army psychiatrist sentenced to death for the Fort Hood shooting rampage has been forcibly shaved, an Army spokesman said on Tuesday. Major Nidal Hasan began growing a beard in the years after the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 30 wounded. The beard prompted delays to his court-martial because it violated Army grooming regulations. He was convicted of...

The Army psychiatrist sentenced to death for the Fort Hood shooting rampage has been forcibly shaved, an Army spokesman said Tuesday. Maj. Nidal Hasan began growing a beard in the years after the November 2009 shooting that left 13 dead and 30 wounded. The beard prompted delays to his court-martial because it violated Army grooming regulations. He was convicted of all charges last month at his court-martial at the Central Texas Army post and sentenced to death......

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) – A lawyer for Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning said in a blog post on Thursday the soldier is doing well as she goes through processing at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth. David Coombs wrote that he spoke on Wednesday with Manning, previously known as Bradley Manning, while she goes through the three-to-four-week period known as indoctrination at the Kansas prison. Coombs, who lives in Rhode Island, also said he plans to travel there in the coming weeks to meet with medical staff and the leadership in the quest to allow Manning to receive hormone therapy....

FORT HUACHUCA — There is a special synergy at this southern Army post which provides the military with a variety of capabilities, Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal said Thursday. Saying he heard from post officials as well as people from the civilian community, Westphal noted this was his second trip to Arizona, but during his first, the Army wasn’t going through the budget travails it is now experiencing. For Army leadership, the continuing financial issues — to include the budget cuts, continuing sequestration requiring even more drastic trimming, civilian furloughs and future reductions in soldier strength — means the...

On Oct. 3, 2009, many Soldiers distinguished themselves when more than 300 Anti-Afghan forces, or AAF, attempted to overrun Combat Outpost, or COP, Keating, a company-sized outpost in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. On that day, of the 53 members of B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, who defended the position, eight Soldiers were killed, and more than 25 were injured. Of these men, one Soldier’s gallantry stood out. Without regard to his own safety, Spc. Ty Michael Carter proved himself time and time again. He resupplied ammunition to fighting positions, provided first aid to a battle buddy, killed enemy troops,...

Consider a polarizing political and cultural figure who is seen by many people as a hero and by others as a traitor – and who has a powerful symbolic importance to members of a persecuted minority. This person adopts a new name and a new identity, which transforms his or her relationship to mainstream culture and confuses both the media and many members of the public. Many people refuse to accept the new name and identity, or treat it as a nickname or a passing fad. At age 25, this person is prosecuted for an act of conscience-driven defiance against...

Soon after being sentenced by a military judge to 35 years behind bars for leaking US diplomatic cables and other evidence of war crimes, the person formerly known as Pfc Bradley Manning announced to the world that she - not he - would from now on like to be referred to as, "Chelsea". After being called everything from hero to traitor, Manning announced she wanted to be called something else: a woman. "As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female," Manning said...

An American soldier was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing 16 Afghan civilians in a nighttime rampage last year, an attack for which he later apologized and called an "act of cowardice." Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has admitted to slaughtering the villagers, mostly women and children, in attacks on their family compounds in Kandahar province in March 2012. Bales pleaded guilty to the killings in June in a deal that spared him the death penalty, and a sentencing jury of six...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — While making the pitch on his new college affordability plan for a second time, President Obama was interrupted by pro-Bradley Manning hecklers at Henninger High School in Syracuse, N.Y., Thursday evening. Two women holding a giant “Free Bradley Manning” sign yelled at the president in the middle of his speech. It was unclear what the women were saying, but they were escorted out of the gymnasium to applause from the crowd. When the women started shouting, the president said, “I hear you,” and tried to calm down the crowd. After the two women left, Obama called the...

The case of Army Pfc. Bradley Manning tested many complex questions about espionage, journalism and even treason. But there was always one thing that lingered as a subtext to the case: Manning's struggle with gender identity. On Thursday, when Manning announced that he wants to be known as Chelsea Manning, it became clear that the subtext would become the focus and that Manning will now likely test military policy on transgender issues. (NPR, like other news outlets, is at this point continuing to refer to the soldier as "Bradley Manning" on first reference.) Cecilia Chung, a senior strategist for the...

former Bradley Manning's decision to suppress her identity until after her trial shames society and the US justice system.It's official. Bradley Manning is a woman and will be known, from now on, as Chelsea Manning. Turns out Manning can keep a secret. So why did she feel it was so important to hide her true identity? You might regard her as a traitor. Perhaps she's your hero. Regardless of how you view her, though, she deserved a fair trial. Today's statement raises the question: why did she feel the need to suppress her transgender status until the trial was over?...

Master Sgt. George A. Bannar Jr. of Orange, Va., died Tuesday after being wounded in an enemy attack in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. Bannar, 37, enlisted in the Army in 1996 as a medical specialist and was on his fifth deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed. He was assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) of Fort Bragg, N.C. Friends described Bannar, a 1993 graduate of Orange County High School, as a jokester and military enthusiast who always had a smile and a “high-pitched cackle” ready. “If you didn’t get along with...

Early this morning, Chelsea Manning – who was recently sentenced to 35 years for leaking classified documents – announced to the world that she would be transitioning: "As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition. I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use...

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning wants to live as a woman, his lawyer announced Thursday morning. Manning, who was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years in prison, asks to be called Chelsea Manning in a statement Manning’s lawyer read Thursday morning on the “Today” show on NBC. “As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me...

Bradley Manning, the Army private sentenced to military prison for leaking classified documents, revealed he intends to live out the remainder of his life as a woman. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am female,” the Army private wrote in a statement read on TODAY Thursday. “Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition.” Manning, 25, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday after having been found guilty of 20 charges ranging from espionage to theft...