Today's Headlines from Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Military's Independent News Source: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Top headlines from Stars and Stripes. See the rest of today's news at www.stripes.com Taliban disrupt aid mission with gunfire Soldiers from the 1-12 are in a tough situation, trying to help locals and fight the Taliban in the same place. Software issue blamed for stop-loss backlog A software issue has led to the Army's backlog of thousands of applications for retroactive stop-loss pay. So far, the Army has received 10,541 applications, of which only about 1,000 will have been forwarded to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service by the end of the week. Amerasian Diet member wants Futenma relocated off Okinawa Tamaki sees himself as representing the best of both worlds. He loves his American heritage — especially rock 'n' roll — but as an Okinawan he resents the U.S. military's large footprint on his island home. Obama defends U.S. wars as he accepts peace prize President Barack Obama entered the pantheon of Nobel Peace Prize winners with humble words Thursday, acknowledging his own few accomplishments while delivering a robust defense of war and promising to use the prestigious prize to "reach for the world that ought to be." Gates in Iraq to visit troops, assess path to elections Flying from one war to the next, Defense Secretary Robert Gates left Afghanistan and landed in Baghdad on Thursday. He immediately headed to the heart of the city with his policy team in Black Hawk helicopters to meet with Iraq President Jalal Talabani. Military Update: Study: Deployments take toll on military children Multiple, lengthy wartime deployments by servicemembers are taking an emotional toll on their children, who report being anxious or stressed at rates much higher than children nationwide, a new study concludes. AFN's planned move to high definition will mean costlier decoders American Forces Network decoders will soon go high definition and increase in price. The move to high definition follows the recent conversion from analog television to digital television in the States. U.S., Japan forge open skies agreement The U.S. and Japan reached a landmark agreement Friday to relax limits on flights between the two countries, opening up the possibility of broader cross-border airline alliances and more options for air travelers. Muslim soldier's fears lead to off-post housing request Staff Sgt. Azhar Sher is a rare and valued commodity in the Army. Fluent in Pashto and a variety of other languages spoken in Afghanistan, the infantryman has spent most of the past five years there because, he said, he believes in the mission. Commander: Moving Marines  to Kadena 'not a viable option' Don't look for Marine Corps helicopters to operate regularly out Kadena Air Base on Okinawa any time soon — if ever.
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