It's never been a question of talent, but mental approach for DODEA Pacific teams entering Far East High School Girls Volleyball Tournaments. Prime example: Three times, DODEA teams have won the last four Class A tournaments, which Daegu American primed to challenge to become the fourth in five years. Click here for the lowdown on the Class A and Class AA tournaments which begin Monday in Daegu, South Korea, and Guam.
Perhaps the most star-studded field in Far East High School Tennis Tournament history hits the court on Monday with three former and present singles champions looking over their shoulders at a gaggle of hungry up-and-comers. Click here to get the lowdown on the tournament which begins Monday at Kadena Air Base's Risner Tennis Complex on Okinawa.
Many details in yesterday's shootings at Fort Hood are still unsettled, but the the wake of the trauma military and private mental health groups are mobilizing their forces to make counselors available to not just individuals in Texas but to any soldiers and families affected by the tragedy.
Swords to Plowshares, a non-profit veterans support organization, warns that the event could trigger post-traumatic stress episodes, depression, substance abuse or suicidal tendencies among soldiers and veterans. Along with services at local veterans centers, there are a host of hotlines available to individuals nationwide:
Back in the 2004 presidential election nearly one in four ballots cast by troops serving overseas were invalidated because of paperwork errors, missed deadlines or other administrative snafus.
So it's good news to hear today from the U.S. Election Assistance Program that nearly 96 percent of the overseas military votes cast in the 2008 contest were counted, thanks to better systems and changes in states' election laws.
The report to Congress notes that voter participation overseas was significantly higher in 2008 than 2006 (not a surprise, since midterm elections generally attract smaller crowds) but that both the percentage of ballots returned by military voters (67 percent) and the percent counted increased.
Army Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, former commander of the 10th Mountain Division, has been nominated to receive a third star and take over as head of the Joint IED Defeat Organization. 
If confirmed by the Senate, Oates would replace Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, who is slated to retire on Nov. 13.
Oates is coming to the job as IED attacks in Afghanistan are up compared with last year.
The Defense Department is shipping MRAP-All Terrain Vehicles to Afghanistan to provide troops protection against IEDs and allow them to go off road, but the insurgents in Afghanistan are also using bigger and bigger bombs.
Recently, insurgents used a 1,000-pound bomb made from fertilizer against a Stryker in southern Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said on Wednesday.
Here in Germany, November isn’t typically one of the more happening months. Most towns have already held their annual fests, and it’s only toward the very end of the month that the Christmas markets begin to stir us out of the lethargy induced by colder temperatures.
