News stories tagged with "soldiers"

(03/08/12) A Mohawk veterans group wants the federal government to recognize the contributions of "code talkers" during the D-Day invasion of Europe during World War Two. The Navajo "code talkers" were the largest group of Native Americans during the 1940's to use their language skills in the south Pacific against the Japanese.

Jeffrey Whelan, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk Veterans Affairs Committee, says many other tribes participated as "code talkers" during the war. He says the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council has sent a letter of request to the U.S. Mint to develop a Congressional Medal for nine veterans at Akwesasne who used their native language to confuse the Germans.

(02/07/12) An investigation by the Associated Press has found that soldiers from the French and Indian War weren't buried properly in the village of Lake George.

(Correction: In the original version of this story, NCPR reported that AP and other news organizations broke this story, but the reporting was exclusively that of the Associated Press.)

A formal burial ceremony was held in 1993 and the soldiers' skeletons were removed from a public area visited by tourists.

But researchers now acknowledge that most of the human remains were later shipped to Arizona and Canada for study.

At least twelve soldiers from the conflict that broke out between England, France and Native American nations in the 1700s are still being studied by scientists.

According to the AP's report, republished in the Albany Times-Union, Glens Falls Post Star and other newspapers, some historians now say it's time for the remains to be returned to Lake George and buried.

(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

(07/27/10) The St. Lawrence University Golf Course in Canton will host a tournament on August 13th to help raise money for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The game of golf is being used to help improve the mental and physical condition of returning soldiers. Todd Moe spoke with Frank Dorchak, who coordinates the New York chapter of the group called "Salute the Military Golf Association". He says even non-golfers can get involved. For more information, call: 518-483-6272.

(04/19/10) A broad-based coalition of community leaders and veteran advocates are working to bring a first-of-its-kind retreat and reintegration facility for veterans, active military personnel and their families to Saranac Lake. Patriot Hills at Saranac Lake involves construction of a $30 million hotel and conference center that would host a wide range of support programs, counseling and services for military personnel and their families from across the Northeast. While it still has plenty of hurdles to overcome, organizers say the project would build on Saranac Lake's history as a pioneering health resort by making the village a center for veteran healing. As Chris Knight reports, the project could also breathe new life into the local economy.

(11/12/09) An Army corporal from the North Country who was killed in action during World War II will be profiled in a new History Channel series that premiers Sunday night.

Archie Sweeney of Saranac Lake is one of a dozen veterans featured in WWII in HD, a 10-hour series that tells the story of the war using rare, color footage restored in high definition. Chris Knight reports. more

(05/26/09) Across the North Country, parades and ceremonies remembered the sacrifices of America's soldiers on Memorial Day. In Canton, veterans of World War 2, and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq and Afghanistan marched together down Main Street to the village green. David Sommerstein was there for today's Heard Up North.

(05/08/08) This week, soldiers from Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division are heading back to Iraq for another 15-month deployment. We've been talking with First Sergeant Jennifer Rebecca Williams, who goes by "JR", about the growing demands on military families. Sgt. Williams is leaving behind her husband and her 3-year-old daughter Reilly. She told Brian Mann that balancing her military career and her role as a mom is tough. And Williams says the Army could do more to support military moms.

(05/01/08) Fifteen months after the Pentagon faced a scandal over living conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a new controversy has erupted. Earlier this week, a video surfaced on the YouTube. It showed a squalid barracks at the Fort Bragg Army base in North Carolina. The video was posted by a soldier's father and it sparked a nation-wide review of Army housing conditions. Officials at Fort Drum, near Watertown, say they don't have unsafe barracks like those at Fort Bragg. But as Brian Mann reports, hundreds of soldiers are still living in conditions described as substandard.

(02/14/08) A veterans group says the Army is still failing to provide 10th Mountain Division soldiers with adequate mental health services at Fort Drum more than six years after the start of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The report, titled "Fort Drum: A Great Burden, Inadequate Assistance." is from the Washington, D.C.-based Veterans for America. It cites under-staffing, reliance on questionnaires to identify soldiers who need treatment, and leadership's indifference to soldiers' claims of post traumatic stress disorder. The report also said repeated, lengthy and unpredictable deployments have taken a toll on all the Army's divisions, but most especially Ft. Drum's 1st and 2nd Brigade Combat Teams. The report says some soldiers wait up to two months before a first appointment. It concludes that care for returning soldiers at Fort Drum is woefully inadequate.

Veterans for America, formerly known as Vietnam Veterans of America, was founded by former Marine Bobby Muller. According to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the group based the report on interviews with a dozen Fort Drum soldiers and mental health providers. Clinton said the problem must be addressed urgently. In a statement, she said she's looking forward to "the cooperation and support of the Army in this process." Army officials at Ft. Drum had no immediate comment on the report.