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The Pentagon’s Northern Command over the weekend stood down more than 1,500 federal troops placed on alert for potential deployment to Minneapolis, according to two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the situation. ABC News first reported that roughly 1,500 active duty soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska had been ordered to prepare for a possible mission to the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

More than a week after federal immigration agents killed a Veterans Affairs nurse in Minneapolis, a staffer at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center says patients visiting the hospital have asked why there is nearly no sign that Alex Pretti worked there. “I’ve had veterans a little surprised there was not something at the front entrance acknowledging Alex,” said a VA staffer at the hospital. “I understand the reasons local leadership feels they cannot respond, and it stings.”

They are remembered as “the lionesses.” In June 2005, three female Marines died in combat in Fallujah, Iraq, even though women couldn’t yet serve in combat roles. So did three men in their convoy, when a grisly suicide bombing by Iraqi militants sent 13 other Marines, 11 of them women, to hospitals and left some with lifelong injuries. The tragedy underscored a poorly hidden truth: Women were already serving on the dangerous front lines of US wars, and the military’s policy of segregating them from men, and denying them weapons and sometimes equal armor, put men and women alike at risk.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Central Command says a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.

The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

Sailor to Sailor - Jan, 2026

According to the sheriff's office, Saburn was taken into custody while on duty at Naval Station Mayport. He is currently being held at the Duval County Jail on no bond.

As President Donald trump considers a major strike on Iran after discussions about limiting that nation’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production haven’t progressed, the US military has accelerated a weekslong buildup of military hardware in the Middle East, open-source data shows.

I'm sure at this point the Canadians are scratching their heads on this one... When asked a perfectly ordinary question about a trip to Beijing by the British prime minister. “I know China very well, President Xi is a friend of mine, I know him very well…The first thing they’re going to do is say you are not allowed to play ice hockey anymore. That’s not good. Canada’s not going to like that,” the president added.

Cats and dogs were out when Iraq war veteran Todd Combs considered pets as a way to cope with the crushing impact of his military service. Like thousands of other former servicemembers, he struggled with depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts, but his family’s allergy issues prevented him from bringing a furry companion into their home outside Dayton, Ohio. So Combs turned to chickens.

Check out the new TRICARE Dental Program premiums starting March 1

Virtual reality offers hope for Veterans with chronic pain

National leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs initially blocked a memorial planned for Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. In an email obtained by The New Republic, officials at the Minneapolis VA claimed that “local leadership was instructed to pause the memorial” for Pretti, initially scheduled for Tuesday at noon.

Juan Brambila’s years of hard work came together in one unforgettable weekend. He was commissioned as a naval officer and graduated from Old Dominion University the next day with a degree in mechanical engineering. The road to this monumental weekend included 12-hour commutes, little sleep and the perseverance needed to achieve one’s future potential. Juan is a Navy Mustang, an officer who begins as an enlisted sailor, learning the U.S. Navy from the ground up before earning a commission. The term refers to the wild mustang horse, reflecting grit, resilience and leadership shaped by hands-on experience.

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The Navy's newest aircraft carrier, PCU John F. Kennedy, is starting sea trials to test critical systems, marking a key milestone before its delivery to the fleet.

According to what is listed on the bond application, Kessler is a member of the U.S. Navy, though Navy officials have yet to confirm this with 13News Now.

The agency in charge of running base stores where many troops buy their groceries is preparing to stay open through March in the event of a government shutdown, officials said in a release.

Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2026-01-28/trump-bills-improving-veterans-services-20555197.html Source - Stars and Stripes Thank you to the Lawmakers who introduced the bill Washington, September 19, 2025 Reps. Gomez, Sanchez Introduce Bill to Protect Disabled Veterans Access to Affordable Housing

Tricare - There are Emergency Procedures in Some States Due to Extreme Weather

The former Navy detective was previously convicted of excessive force for choking a handcuffed sailor and resigned from the El Cajon Police Department before he could be fired for multiple incidents of excessive force, prosecutors said.

According to an internal strategy document uncovered by The Washington Post, the federal government plans to spend $100 million over a one-year period in a “wartime recruitment” push, including online targeting of UFC fans, gun-rights supporters, military enthusiasts and more. Meanwhile, the administration’s online messaging has repeatedly echoed white nationalist slogans.

Pretti was not only a nurse but an employee of the Veterans Health Administration who had dedicated his career to caring for military veterans. Interviews with VHA employees show that they have not only been devastated by the killing of one of their colleagues, but also by the administration’s response to it.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Minority Member Sen. Richard Blumenthal has released a report detailing the "harm" inflicted on the Department of Veterans Affairs and veterans by the Trump administration’s policies. The report, "Breaking the Pact: Impacts of Trump, DOGE and Doug Collins’ Ongoing Assault on Veterans," was released ahead of the SVAC’s oversight hearing with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins on Wednesday.