Having evolved from a force of "last resort" to an oft-deployed and essential component of the military, the Army Reserve now needs restructuring. And that includes purging its ranks of underachieving soldiers, the commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz said Thursday.
John Patrick Bedell was a brilliant and seemingly gentle computer whiz, yet so withdrawn that people in this rural community where his parents and grandparents are civic leaders knew little about him until he opened fire at the Pentagon this week. Family and friends now paint a portrait of a troubled man who sank deep into mental illness.
In a potential reversal, White House advisers are close to recommending that President Barack Obama opt for military tribunals for self-professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four of his alleged henchman, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
Marines and Afghan troops who fought through the center of Marjah linked up with U.S. Soldiers on the northern edge of the former Taliban stronghold, clearing the town's last major pocket of resistance. Some Taliban operatives are believed to remain west of Marjah.
