UPDATE: A Joint Base Lewis-McChord spokesman said the rocket launcher reportedly at the center of a investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives did not belong to the base.

King 5 News first reported Wednesday that the ATF was investigating five Lewis-McChord soldiers for smuggling the weapon off the base south of Tacoma.  An ATF spokeswoman later confirmed the report to The News Tribune.

In a written statement released Wednesday afternoon, Lt. Col. Gary Dangerfield, Lewis-McChord’s chief spokesman, said officials conducted an inventory of its launchers for the past five years after learning about the incident …

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The Army’s response to complaints from Oregon National Guard soldiers about care they received at Madigan Army Medical Center last year could lead to soldiers spending an extra week at military hospitals when they return from combat deployments.

Oregon Democrats Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Kurt Schrader revealed parts of the plan Wednesday following a meeting with Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli.

The details the lawmakers released include:

•    Requiring leaders of National Guard and Reserve units to stay with their soldiers while they receive post-deployment medical attention.
•    Allowing National Guard and Reserve …

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Because the Army has refused to release investigations related to treatment of Oregon National Guardsmen at Madigan Army Medical Center, the senior U.S. senator from Oregon is holding up a nominee for a government post.

It’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of the person being held up, or the job she would fill. But Sen. Ron Wyden is determined to make a point.

Wyden sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday, telling his fellow Democrat that he was putting a hold on the nomination of Jo Ann Rooney as principal deputy undersecretary of defense for …

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The News Tribune is still pressing military authorities to release the charge sheets for 12 Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers caught up in accusations of conspiring to assault and murder Afghan civilians, doing drugs and beating up a fellow soldier.

The Army did release charge sheets fairly promptly for the original five defendants. But as we reported on Aug. 26, those Stryker brigade soldiers now face additional charges, and seven more soldiers have been swept up in the dragnet. Meanwhile, no documents have been released, other than a bare-bones “summary of charges.”

I Corps spokeswoman Maj. Jenny Willis left a …

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