Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Regular duties are suspended for three days at Fort Campbell, which leads the Army in suicides this year, so commanders can identify and help soldiers who are struggling with the stress of war and most at risk for killing themselves. The post began a stand down yesterday so soldiers can focus on suicide prevention training in the wake of 11 confirmed suicides by Fort Campbell soldiers this year. More deaths are being investigated as possible suicides. "We don't want to lead the Army in this statistic," said Brigadier General Stephen Townsend.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - A California man pleaded not guilty yesterday to attempted murder in the homecoming party shooting of an Afghanistan war veteran. The arraignment for Ruben Ray Jurado, 19, in San Bernardino County Superior Court lasted about two minutes. He was in custody at West Valley Detention Center. He faces a Jan. 9 hearing. His bail continues at $1 million. In addition to attempted murder, Jurado faces four sentencing enhancements. Army Specialist Christopher Sullivan has been in critical condition since being shot.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Fort Campbell officials struggling to stem a recent increase in military suicides hope family members will be able to spot signs that soldiers may be depressed and hesitant to seek help from the Army. Of the 100 family members and spouses at a meeting at the post yesterday, more than a dozen raised their hands when asked if they knew someone who had committed suicide. Those family members - often the first to notice problems - received information and training on recognizing signs of suicidal thoughts - and how to get help for the soldiers at the installation along the...

A federal grand jury indicted an AWOL soldier Tuesday on three charges in connection with a plot to bomb Fort Hood soldiers in Texas. Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, 21, was indicted in Waco on charges of possession of an unregistered destructive device, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition by a fugitive from justice, according to federal prosecutors. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each charge if convicted. He is being held without bond and has yet to enter a plea.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Soldiers from the Army’s 52d Ordnance Group based at Fort Campbell have undergone hours of exhaustive cognitive testing in the military’s first-of-its-kind study of mild traumatic brain injury. The study, which focuses on the soldiers who find and destroy powerful and deadly weapons, is part of a larger effort by the military this year to better track and treat mild brain injuries. The Fort Campbell bomb specialists will be tracked during their upcoming Afghanistan deployment for concussions and head injuries to look for effects on brain functions.

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- A US soldier could be court-martialed for taking a sheik's truck at gunpoint in Iraq after his platoon's Humvee broke down, authorities said. The military completed a hearing Wednesday in the case against Sergeant First Class James Williams. The commanding officer at Fort Campbell is expected to decide next week whether Williams should be court-martialed for the event last April. Williams, of Fort Campbell's 326th Engineer Battalion, is accused of carjacking, dereliction of duty, letting his troops drink alcohol, and allowing his platoon leader to carry personal...

DENVER - Four soldiers died after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training mission on Colorado’s second-highest mountain, the Army’s Special Operations Command said yesterday. The helicopter crashed Wednesday afternoon near the summit of 14,421-foot Mount Massive. The Army initially said two were killed, one was injured, and one was missing. The missing man was found dead late Wednesday, and the injured man died on the way to the hospital, said Lieutenant Colonel John Clearwater, a spokesman for the command at Fort Bragg, N.C. All were...

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- In his 20-year career as a soldier, First Sergeant Michael McElveen has missed a lot of important moments with his family -- birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. But tomorrow, he will watch his daughter, 18-year-old Fatima, walk across the stage and accept her high school diploma -- even though he is still thousands of miles away in Iraq. Seven high schools near Fort Campbell, the home of the Army's storied 101st Airborne Division, will broadcast their graduation ceremonies live over the Internet for the first time for family members stationed...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Fake blood spewed, smoke billowed, strobe lights flashed, and two high-tech dummies with limbs blown off lay on the ground. "Medic, somebody call a medic!" a woman shrieked as the sound of gunfire erupted from the shadows. In rushed an out-of-breath Private First Class Merinda Karn with aid bag in hand for a test of her medic skills. As the insurgents in Iraq step up their attacks, the Army has increased the intensity of its training of battlefield medics.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A soldier from Maine has been killed in Afghanistan, officials said. Governor John Baldacci said yesterday that 20-year-old Specialist Andrew Hutchins was killed Monday. He said Hutchins was a military policeman serving with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. According to Pete Rogers of the state Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Hutchins’ hometown of record is New Portland. He said Hutchins was a graduate of Carrabec High School in North Anson and that he and his wife were expecting...

KILLEEN, Texas - An Army soldier who had been absent without leave since earlier this month was arrested this week near Fort Hood with a gun and suspicious materials in what local law enforcement officials described yesterday as a "terror plot" to kill other soldiers. During questioning after his arrest, the soldier, Private First Class Naser Jason Abdo, admitted that he specifically planned to attack Fort Hood, Associated Press reported last night. An FBI spokesman said that he could not provide further details because it was a continuing investigation.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A US Army National Guardsman was sentenced yesterday to life in prison with the chance of parole for the murder of an Afghan civilian. Sergeant Derrick Miller, 27, of Hagerstown, Md., shook hands with several soldiers in his unit after the 10-member military jury delivered the sentence after two hours of deliberation. He was found guilty of premeditated murder. His attorney had argued during two days of testimony that Miller acted in self-defense when he shot a man last September.

AUGUSTA, Maine — For the third time in November, a Mainer has died while on duty in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday. US Army Private Buddy McLain, 24, of Mexico was killed by enemy fire Monday, the governor’s office said. McLain was a scout with the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. McLain’s wife and son live in Peru, and his parents live in Mexico, said David Farmer, spokesman for Governor John Baldacci. “Private McLain died serving his country,’’ Baldacci said in a statement.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A soldier from Maine has been killed in Afghanistan, officials said. Governor John Baldacci said yesterday that 20-year-old Specialist Andrew Hutchins was killed Monday. He said Hutchins was a military policeman serving with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. According to Pete Rogers of the state Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Hutchins’ hometown of record is New Portland. He said Hutchins was a graduate of Carrabec High School in North Anson and that he and his wife were expecting...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Soldiers from the Army’s 52d Ordnance Group based at Fort Campbell have undergone hours of exhaustive cognitive testing in the military’s first-of-its-kind study of mild traumatic brain injury. The study, which focuses on the soldiers who find and destroy powerful and deadly weapons, is part of a larger effort by the military this year to better track and treat mild brain injuries. The Fort Campbell bomb specialists will be tracked during their upcoming Afghanistan deployment for concussions and head injuries to look for effects on brain...

AUGUSTA, Maine — A soldier from Maine, the crew chief of a Black Hawk helicopter, has died from injuries suffered in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday. Sergeant Brandon Silk, 25, died Monday from injuries suffered during a hard helicopter landing, said Representative Chellie Pingree. Silk served with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. Officials did not have additional details surrounding his death. The Department of Defense has not released any information.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Specialist Kaila Colvin is looking forward to getting married for the usual reasons, and for one more particular to a soldier: not having to live in Fort Campbell's decrepit barracks anymore. Specialist Loren Dauterman, who trained at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin last month with the National Guard, found something good to say about the falling-apart floors and ceilings in her quarters. "It is better than sleeping out in the woods," Dauterman said last week, "but not a whole lot better.

BAGHDAD -- A 25-year-old soldier from Massachusetts was killed and two of his comrades were kidnapped during an insurgent attack in Yusufiyah, southwest of Baghdad, the US military confirmed last night. The Department of Defense identified the victim as Army Specialist David J. Babineau of Springfield. He fought with the First Battalion, 502 d Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky. Babineau and his unit were guarding a checkpoint Friday when they were attacked , said Ahmed Khalaf Falah, a farmer who...

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conceded yesterday that US relations with Afghanistan are strained, but assured President Hamid Karzai that the United States will stand behind his country long after the last American soldier is gone. A day before Karzai meets President Obama at the White House, Clinton and other senior administration officials gathered at the State Department with their Afghan counterparts for talks on how to force the Taliban to end their insurgency.

DENVER - Four soldiers died after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training mission on Colorado’s second-highest mountain, the Army’s Special Operations Command said yesterday. The helicopter crashed Wednesday afternoon near the summit of 14,421-foot Mount Massive. The Army initially said two were killed, one was injured, and one was missing. The missing man was found dead late Wednesday, and the injured man died on the way to the hospital, said Lieutenant Colonel John Clearwater, a spokesman for the command at...