Leatherneck Weekend Extra - 10 August 2008

Sunday Morning Reading

We invite you to click "Comment" after the article summary as we want to hear your opinions on these reports and editorials. (Read our Comment Guidelines.)

• VOTING: Review Of Military Voting Plan Is Sought (stripes.com) Dozens of House and Senate members are asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the federal agency responsible for assisting overseas military voters, saying the potential exists for troops to be denied their chance to cast a ballot this year....
• REPORT: Special Ops Require Jacks Of All Trades (enctoday.com) ...But when a Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command communicator deploys, he may be the only one on the team trained in communications. To better train and equip those MarSOC communicators, the unit has created an intensive 10-week course combining skills and equipment from a variety of jobs....
• REPORT: Navy Captain Points To Study Drawing Link Between Nicotine Dependence, PTSD Risk (stripes.com) ..."Even after accounting for genetic pre-disposition, there’s almost a two-fold increase in risk of PTSD for those that have a pre-existing nicotine dependence compared to those who do not when faced with similar exposures," he said...."
• REPORT: Life On A Military Budget : Extra Challenges, Extra Resources (pilotonline.com) Grasping a handwritten list, she browsed the aisles at the Food Lion near her Chesapeake home on payday last Friday, comparing prices and filling her cart with necessities: white bread, canned vegetables, ground beef. She stood firm when her two children reached for junk food....
• REPORT: Sun Exposure Increases Cancer Risk, Harms Skin (okinawa.usmc.mil) With more than 1 million Americans developing skin cancer each year, health officials on Okinawa want readers to be aware of the factors that increase the risk of skin cancer and the preventative measures that can help reduce the risk....
• REPORT: Afghanistan: Mapping The Rising Violence (longwarjournal.org) ...Afghanistan has seen its worst bout of violence since the US overthrew the Taliban government in 2002. Taliban-related attacks and incidents have skyrocketed as the Taliban seeks to destabilize and de-legitimize the weak Afghan government and break NATO's will to fight a protracted counterinsurgency campaign....
• TOLL OF WAR: Sleep Is The Enemy (latimes.com) By the time the sun began to rise one recent Friday over his Mira Mesa neighborhood, Mitch Hood had been up for about 18 hours. He punched a caffeine tablet out of a blister pack and washed it down with two cans of Red Bull. He finished it off with a gulp of Pepsi....
• TOLL OF WAR: War Is Rough, But Returning's Rougher, Says Iraq War Vet (peninsuladailynews.com) After death and destruction were your daily diet in Iraq, civilian life seems hard to swallow. Certain things also stick in your craw. "Why are you so angry all the time?" is one question that annoys Logan Smith more than a year after returning stateside....
• EDITORIAL: The History, Future Of Suicide Terrorism (isn.ethz.ch) There are two important questions to consider in studying suicide terrorism. First, why has suicide terrorism emerged in the last few decades as such a potent weapon? Second, why is it that some terrorist groups use suicide terrorism, while others have not?...
• COMMENTARY: World's Economy Depends Upon A Strong Navy (washingtontimescom) America is a nation at war, and our Navy and Marine Corps are focused on achieving victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever terrorist enemies may be found. Given this focus, we must examine the full range of implications of today's war....
• OPINION: Former Marine Leaves Coast Guard Behind After 30 Years (foreignaffairs.org) ...If the prognosis in Iraq were hopelessly grim, it might make sense for the United States to threaten withdrawal, hold its breath, and hope for the best. But the prognosis is now much more promising than it has been in years, making a threat of withdrawal far from necessary. With a degree of patience, the United State can build on a pattern of positive change in Iraq that offers it a chance to draw down troops soon without giving up hope for sustained stability....

Do you like Weekend Extra but want to see more? Then send us your photos, videos, hotspot reviews, humor, and whatever else you can think of. Read more about what we're looking for and how you can submit.