The head of Madigan Army Medical Center has been removed from command while the Western Region Medical Command concludes its investigation into a psychiatry team that adjusted diagnoses of certain soldiers who were seeking medical retirements.

Col. Dallas Homas’ leave was announced Monday evening by Maj. Gen. Phillip Volpe, who leads the Western Region Medical Command. Col. Mike Heimall, commander of Irwin Army Community Hospital, Fort Riley, Kan., is taking Homas’ place as interim commander.

Meanwhile, the Army Surgeon General this week is contacting the families of 14 soldiers whose diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder were adjusted by the Madigan …

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The Army today announced that it charged a 22-year-old private with the theft of more than $600,000 worth of equipment from his Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade.

The Army would not say whether it believes Pvt. Nicholas Solt of Slatington, Pa., acted alone in an alleged scheme to steal and resell weapons accessories from his unit. Solt is under confinement at Lewis-McChord. The Army did not say when it arrested him.

“Our investigation remains ongoing,” Army Criminal Investigative Division spokesman Christopher Grey said.

Solt, 22, faces 59 years in prison if he’s convicted on six criminal charges including larceny of …

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Sgt. Chad Sparks of Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 2^nd Stryker Brigade can focus a little easier on getting ready for his upcoming mission in Afghanistan. His visit to the Ellen DeGeneres show yesterday left his family in good hands to cope with his  nine-month deployment.

Sparks on the show received a $50,000 check from country star Dierks Bentley, who was moved by a letter Sparks’ wife wrote to DeGeneres. Watch the video here.

Ashley Sparks described her husband as “truly the man every girl dreams of, an honest, hard-working, dedicated soldier.”

She wrote that the family recently fell …

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About 180 Washington National Guard soldiers came home from the desert last weekend, ending a yearlong deployment in Kuwait.

The soldiers flew and maintained UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to support American aviation assets in the Middle East and in Afghanistan. They belong to the 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, and are based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The Army calls the unit the “Raptor” battalion.

“We are thrilled to have the Raptors home.  They are a vital asset to our state and nation, and having them home safe is an early Valentine’s Day gift
for all of us,” said Maj. Gen. …

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Spending on military construction in Washington State continues to rise in President Obama’s 2013 budget request despite talk of nationwide defense cuts.

The state would gain $581 million for work at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Station Whidbey Island, up from $519 million in Obama’s 2012 defense budget.

About half of the state’s military construction work in 2013 would take place at Lewis-McChord. The base south of Tacoma stands to receive $91 million for a long-awaited sewage plant upgrade, as well as $73 million for a new battalion complex.

The base’s growing Special Forces units …

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Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho yesterday cast her investigation into a forensic psychiatry team at Madigan Army Medical Center as a push to ensure that the Army delivers a consistent diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder across the service.

Her testimony before a congressional subcommittee represented her first public remarks on the investigation since The Seattle Times reported that the Army is investigating the forensic psychiatry team’s reversal PTSD diagnoses for 14 soldiers who passed through Madigan.

According to a Defense Department summary of her testimony, Horoho told lawmakers she launched the investigation to “look into the …

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Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s senior leader today said he’s cautiously optimistic about NATO’s ability to hand more control of security in Afghanistan to local forces.

Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti is the No. 2 commander in Afghanistan. He deployed in July with about 500 soldiers from Lewis-McChord’s I Corps.

Today, Scaparrotti told reporters the Army is sending more advisory units to Afghanistan to support the country’s growing army.

“With over 300,000 Afghans in uniform, freedom of movement has increased, insurgent support bases have been reduced, and the people are gaining respect for their Afghan security forces.  I believe this trust …

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Scam artists pretending to be Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are hocking cars on the web with deals that sound too good to be true.

Officials at Lewis-McChord received several calls last week from would-be buyers who grew suspicious about claims made on web sites such as craigslist and cars.com.

The ads show off different cars – one is a 2003 Audi; another is a 2006 Dodge Ram – but they share a suspicious request to pay for them immediately through an Amazon-related web site.

In one of them, a woman claiming to be Sgt. Sarah Harper says she has an …

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