On the Home Front

(12/14/11) Fort Drum soldier Sergeant Jacob Perkins was awarded the Soldier's Medal Tuesday afternoon at the installation. The medal is given to soldiers for heroism outside the battlefield.

Sergeant Perkins came to the aid of a group of Canadian tourists in July, when their tour bus collided with a semi trailer on the Thruway in Waterloo, New York, between Syracuse and Rochester. Joanna Richards was at the ceremony at Fort Drum and has this report. more

(09/12/11) One of the uncomfortable truths about the terror attacks on 9/11 is that some families have carried a far greater burden during the months and years that followed.

The Olsen family, from Saranac Lake, have spent much of the last decade separated; Chaplain Eric Olsen first mobilized for ground zero, then for war in Iraq.

In a special documentary production, Brian Mann tells Eric Olsen's story, as well as how 9/11 shaped the lives of Susan Olsen, and their sons Garth and Evan.

(09/12/11) Military families have carried a heavy burden since 9/11, with many military service members serving multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Ten years after the attacks, Joanna Richards spoke with Fort Drum soldiers and their families about their thoughts on service in the post-9/11 world. more

(08/17/11) New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was in Watertown yesterday to announce a $3.5 million settlement in a scam targeting soldiers with the sale of electronics. Soldiers who still owe money to the company will be relieved of their debts and have their credit histories repaired.

But those who already paid lost thousands of dollars to the scam. About 1,000 soldiers were affected. Joanna Richards was there and has this report. more

(06/24/11) A day after addressing the nation about his plans for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, President Barack Obama came to visit Fort Drum.

The Army post has carried a heavy burden of the fighting in that country and in Iraq. The 10th Mountain Division's headquarters, including its commander, General James Terry, are currently leading coalition forces in southern Afghanistan. Todd Moe reports. more

(06/23/11) Last night, President Obama unveiled a plan to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the summer, and another 20,000 soldiers by the end of next summer. That accounts for the troop surge Obama began two years ago.

Obama's first stop to sell his new Afghanistan strategy is this afternoon at Fort Drum near Watertown. The President will meet with soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and with families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Fort Drum's been involved in Iraq and Afghanistan since the beginning. And as David Sommerstein reports, soldiers don't see their roles changing much yet. more

(04/11/11) The war in Libya, unrest through the Middle East, and the nuclear crisis in Japan have pushed America's war in Afghanistan down the news agenda.

Fully half of Fort Drum's soldier population is on the ground in Afghanistan. The Army base's commander is in charge of coalition troops in the most dangerous part of the country. General James Terry briefed the media while on leave from Afghanistan last week. David Sommerstein was there and has out report. more

(01/19/11) This year, a reporter and a photojournalist from the New York Times have been following soldiers from Fort Drum during their deployment to Afghanistan. Through print, photos, videos, and readers' submissions, they've tried to capture the everyday reality of combat in northern Afghanistan for the 1-87th Infantry Battalion.

We've been checking in with reporter Jim Dao throughout the year. He's told us the stories of troops experiencing live fire combat for the first time and of families living through the pain of separation. Today we hear about the everyday stress of the young leaders on the ground in this war, the junior officers. Dao spoke with David Sommerstein.

(01/14/11) New York's Air National Guard says it till begin flying unmanned surveillance planes over the Adirondacks beginning this summer. The training missions will be used to help pilots and ground crews learn how to remote-control a spy plane known as the MQ-9 Reaper.

As Brian Mann reports, the planes will fly out of Fort Drum, but the pilots will be manning consoles in Syracuse.

(11/26/10) The first troops of President Obama's surge in Afghanistan have returned home. Some 50 soldiers from the 10th Mountain's 1st Brigade touched down at Fort Drum Wednesday. Over the coming months, the rest of the 3500 member brigade will come home after training the Afghan army and police in the northern part of the country.

According to the Watertown Daily Times, the brigade commander Colonel Willard Burleson says he's seeing signs of progress, including some Taliban insurgents giving up their fight.

Still, the Pentagon reports security gains as "slow" in Afghanistan, with members of the Afghan army also deserting. This as the U.S. military enters a four-year scheduled withdrawl from the country.

The New York Times has been taking a deep look at a teeny slice of the war effort. Through articles, photos, and video, the Times is reporting on one unit of Fort Drum's 1st Brigade, the 1-87th Infantry Battalion. Readers can submit their own photos and videos. Many come from fellow troops and family members.

The latest installment in the Times series came out earlier this week. The article told the story of Delta Company's six day mission against insurgents in the village of Nahr-i-Sufi, near Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. In a nutshell, the article invokes oft-quoted truism of war - that war is abject boredom sprinkled with brief moments of intense action and terror. Reporter Jim Dao says that was the pervading reality on the ground.