Kathleen Curthoys

This week in Army Times' print edition: He was raped in hazing … Facebook casualty notice … re-learn how to run

By Kathleen Curthoys on April 23, 2012 Outside the wire

Raped by his fellow soldiers: Initiation went too far, soldiers say An Army specialist says three of his fellow soldiers came into his room, held him down and sexually assaulted him. Spc. Jarett Wright was not the only soldier in “Crazy Troop,” 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, to endure this kind of assault. Two others described identical attacks in interviews with Army Times. An ongoing investigation into the alleged hazing incidents also includes a video of an officer from the same squadron who was duct-taped to a pole and similarly assaulted. Wright told his story to Army Times and he…

This week in Army Times' print edition: Screwed by rules of engagement … Rough jumpers … List of new commanders

By Kathleen Curthoys on April 16, 2012 Outside the wire

How rules of engagement destroy careers and cost lives An Army captain gave a master sergeant the go-ahead to kill an insurgent in Afghanistan who was plotting an attack on a medical convoy on its way to treat local women and children. But shortly after the NCO killed the insurgent, both he and the captain were charged with murder and violating rules of engagement. The rules of engagement, or ROE, govern when it’s OK to shoot and when it’s not. After-action reviews of commanders’ decisions have led to courts-martial, career-killing bad evals and endless second guessing. Hesitating to act can…

This week in Army Times print edition: Genital injury compensation… Grooming rules… and $150K re-up bonuses

By Kathleen Curthoys on April 9, 2012 Outside the wire

$50,000 for your junk — and what your other parts are worth The Army has updated a program to compensate soldiers for their injuries, adding genital injuries to the list of “anatomical losses” that qualify both male and female soldiers for payment. Also, payments are no longer restricted to injuries from service in Iraq or Afghanistan. The Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance program can now compensate for injuries “any time, anywhere,” an Army official says. Genital losses qualify soldiers for $50,000 in compensation. Losing all four limbs will qualify soldiers for the maximum payout of $100,000. To see more, including…

29 soldiers attend dinner for Iraq war veterans at White House

By Kathleen Curthoys on February 29, 2012 Outside the wire

Only 29 soldiers, and a few dozen troops from the other services, were invited to join their commander in chief at the White House for a dinner tonight to honor all the million-plus troops who served in Iraq. The chosen few packed into a reception room across town from the White House for a pre-dinner reception this evening, many of them with spouses and guests. The troops in gleaming dress uniforms and wives in formal gowns made the crowd at the Academy Awards just a few nights ago seem drab by comparison. (Best dressed: the Labrador retriever guide dog in…

ANA Special Forces team 'incredible'

By Kathleen Curthoys on October 27, 2010 Outside the wire

By SEAN D. NAYLOR — The Special Forces captain who worked with the first Afghan National Army Special Forces team had nothing but praise for his ANA counterparts during a talk at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual symposium. Capt. Mike Penn, who between February and August led a 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) operational detachment–alpha, or A-team, in Kandahar province’s Khakrez district, said for the first three months his 20-person element had no Afghan partners as they tried to build bonds with the elders of the rural district. That all changed roughly halfway through his deployment. “Three months…

Author Kathleen Curthoys