The 62nd Airlift Wing public affairs shop has an article about a staff sergeant serving in Chile as part of the U.S. military’s response to the Feb. 27 earthquake.

Other local links:

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Suffering and Triumph in Iraq: a Sheikh’s Story [DVIDS]
Army and Navy Receive Medical Training [DVIDS]
Illuminating the Night to Increase Bases Safety [DVIDS]
Aruba Suq Micro-grant Surge Shows Unprecedented Progress [DVIDS]

5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Army hero Sgt. Anthony Paci laid to rest today [The Trentonian]
Progress in …

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My colleague Joyce Chen had a great piece in yesterday’s paper about a CID agent from Lewis-McChord who was helping raise cash for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Other local links:

Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Military plans to give troops longer rest time [The News Tribune]

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Rosenblum: Historic day for democracy [Savannah Morning News]

4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Working to Restore Iraq’s Past for the Future [DVIDS]
6th Iraqi Army Division, 4-2 SBCT Open New Operations Center [DVIDS]
Engineers Attend JOC Grand Opening [DVIDS] …

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Agence France-Presse reports the upcoming big offensive in Kandahar has already begun. The article also makes a minor reference to the work of 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, which is tasked with clearing the highways around Afghanistan’s second city.

Other local links:

Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Brothers found safe after Amber Alert [The News Tribune]
Salem police arrest father in child abduction case [Statesman-Journal]
Amber Alert called off after boys turned over to police [The Columbian]

5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Sergeant’s father notes ‘time to cry’ [The News Tribune]

3rd Brigade, …

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The death of a 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division soldier seems to have generated a lot of buzz around Northwest news outlets, likely because of the personal demons she overcame during her teenage years.

Other local links:

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
‘Lost child’ grew up to be a decorated soldier [Seattle Times]
Sheldon grad killed in Iraq ‘inspired people to be better’ [KVAL-TV]
‘She was somebody I wanted my daughter to look up to’ [KOMO-TV]
Sheldon High Grad Killed in Iraq [KEZI-TV]
Remembering Army Spc. Erin McLyman[KMTR-TV]
…

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Here’s the TV story I mentioned in my previous post about Spc. Erin McLyman:

The latest Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier killed overseas overcame drug addiction during her teenage years and later served in the Air Force and Army before dying from mortar fire on her first deployment.

Pvt. Erin L. McLyman of Federal Way was killed Saturday at Joint Base Balad, where she served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic with 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

The 26-year-old is the fourth soldier from the brigade to die since it deployed in August. Her death was announced Monday by officials receiving her remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del., and the Pentagon and Lewis-McChord confirmed the news and provided more details Tuesday.

Her death is the first from a hostile incident in Iraq for a Washington service member in more than a year, since a roadside bomb killed Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond of the 14th Engineer Battalion on Feb. 15, 2009.

And, to underscore the increasing role women play in combat zones, three of the past four Lewis-McChord soldiers killed in Iraq have been women.

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Col. David Funk, the commander of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, wrote a guest column for our op-ed page today.

From the column:

[H]ere’s the story you might have missed. At the end of the day, none of this violence mattered. Despite the threats from a determined enemy and concerns that security would not be up to par, more than half a million Diyalans went to the polls – more than anyone predicted. In doing so, they accomplished what many around the world considered unthinkable. They rejected the message of the violent extremists and participated in a safe, fair

…

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KPLU-FM broadcast a touching story yesterday about artist Mike Reagan and his hard work drawing portraits of fallen service members. The guy volunteers his time and countless hours to do this.

Other local links:

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Election success a credit to Iraqi soliders, Diyala citizens (Op-Ed) [The News Tribune]

I Corps
I Corps Colors Casing [DVIDS]

5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
2nd Infantry Division Commanding General Visits Troops in the Field [DVIDS]

62nd Medical Brigade
A Cheering Audience’s Roar Crowns Baton Rouge Reserve Soldier Top Talent in Haiti …

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