Today's Headlines from Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Military's Independent News Source: Thursday, December 24, 2009
Top headlines from Stars and Stripes. See the rest of today's news at www.stripes.com Caring for Washington's warriors away from home Michelle Ford had newborn twins and a husband severely wounded in Afghanistan when she got the offer to move into a group home on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Walmart to issue refunds for overseas military shipping costs Retail giant Walmart says it will issue refunds to customers who paid extra charges to have items shipped to APO and FPO addresses. General says no courts-martial for pregnancy Four U.S. senators have asked Army Secretary John McHugh to rescind a policy that makes pregnancy a punishable offense for some soldiers serving in Iraq, saying it "defies comprehension." Earlier Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo, who commands Multi-National Division–North, stood firmly behind his decision to punish male and female soldiers who are involved in a pregnancy, which causes the female soldier to leave Iraq. Japanese factions agree on Futenma deadline Japan's government has set a May deadline for resolving where to relocate Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. No spice: Misawa commander bans use of synthetic drugs Misawa Air Base has joined several other overseas U.S. military bases that have banned synthetic drugs commonly sold in off-base establishments. Retroactive stop-loss payments temporarily halted The Army and Air Force have temporarily stopped payments to soldiers and airmen who were held under stop-loss between September 2001 and September 2008 because a provision in the recently passed defense bill makes fewer servicemembers eligible. Navy engineering officers offered $50,000 bonus The Navy is now offering some of its junior engineering officers a $50,000 bonus if they sign up for another five years of active-duty service. The program is open to lieutenants commissioned in the 2006 year group and near the end of their service obligation. Senators lead calls for revoking pregnancy policy Four U.S. senators have asked Army Secretary John McHugh to rescind a policy that makes pregnancy a punishable offense for some soldiers serving in Iraq, saying it "defies comprehension." EUCOM servicemembers bring gifts to orphans in Germany The youngsters waited patiently for the songs and speeches to finish. At an orphanage in the Bad Cannstatt section of Stuttgart on Tuesday, children huddled together as stacks of gifts donated by U.S. European Command were about to be delivered. Veterans wait for GI Bill payments Universities and colleges are still waiting for tuition payments for thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who attended school last fall under the new GI Bill, leaving the veterans panicked that they'll be unable to return to class in January.
Thank you for reading Stars and Stripes' daily headines. Please, add the "From" address above to your address book to ensure proper delivery of this newsletter. If you would like more information about our e-mail newsletters, please email our Marketing Department. You may also write us at: Stars and Stripes Marketing Department, 529 14th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20045. Unsubscribe: Follow this link if you do not want to receive any more mailings from Stars and Stripes. Update: Click on this link to update your preferences. Send: Click this link to forward this message to a friend.