WASHINGTON - DoD's new temporary duty travel pay system is faster than a speeding bullet and more gentle than a lamb compared to the old system, in the words of one enthusiastic agency budget officer.

WASHINGTON - The doors to Department of Defense Dependents Schools are open wide -- to students and parents, said Lillian Gonzalez, director of the Department of Defense Education Activity.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - If predictions hold true, Hurricane Bonnie will visit the East Coast at about noon Aug. 26, packing 115 mph winds and torrential rains. This time -- and whenever hurricanes threaten -- commissaries in the Southeast stock up on supplies for customers.

CHIEMSEE, Germany - If you long for the mountains, but the rest of the family prefers a lakeside holiday, this is the place for you.

WASHINGTON - The Navy's first black admiral and the widow of the Marine Corps' first black sergeant major were honored guests Aug. 17 at the unveiling of five African-American exhibits in the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - A nontaxable overseas housing allowance replaces service members' basic allowance for quarters and separate overseas housing allowance Jan. 1.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has denied a request from the family of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie that he receive the Medal of Honor given to the Vietnam Unknown.

GARMISCH, Germany - Armed Forces Recreation Center-Europe is offering low rates and a free ride to attract junior-grade service members to its facilities in the Bavarian Alps of southern Germany.

WASHINGTON - Numerous services and agencies assist Gulf War veterans, particularly those with health problems or questions.

WASHINGTON - How many lightning strikes does the United States get a year?

WASHINGTON - Lt. Gen. Russell Davis' adrenaline surged Aug. 17 as he hurried past Pentagon exhibits of famous military leaders, Medal of Honor recipients and other heroes.

WASHINGTON - Concerned that military readiness may be eroding because of spare parts and equipment shortages and sagging retention, Defense Secretary William Cohen began a series of fact-finding field trips Aug. 17 at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.

WASHINGTON - When Gulf War veterans began showing up at hospitals and clinics complaining of chronic headaches, memory loss and a host of other maladies, physicians were baffled. Eventually, many of them speculated the illnesses were stress-induced.

WASHINGTON - Federal civil service workers can donate leave to recovering victims of the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa under a program authorized Aug. 12 by the president.

WASHINGTON - Veterans and researchers may benefit from new federal assistance in obtaining hospital records from the Persian Gulf War.

WASHINGTON - What college football conference was originally known as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association?

WASHINGTON - Where does the term "a feather in your cap" originate?

WASHINGTON - U.S. military forces struck targets in Afghanistan and Sudan Aug. 20, going after terrorists believed responsible for the Aug. 7 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. - Defense Secretary William Cohen spent Aug. 17 seeing firsthand some of the problems the military is facing and why many officers and airmen are leaving the service before they've finished their careers.

WASHINGTON - Anthrax vaccinations start this week for service members deploying to Southwest Asia and Korea, and shots for those already in Korea will begin in early September, DoD officials announced Aug. 14.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO authorities have approved plans for air operations aimed at ending the violence in Kosovo, and they are seeking support among the allies should military action become necessary.

WASHINGTON - Military retail services will no longer sell sexually explicit magazines, videotapes and audio tapes.

WASHINGTON - The sun shone brightly on the Air Force C-17 transport as it touched down at nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md., shortly after 11 a.m. Aug. 13, delivering the remains of 10 Americans killed in Africa six days earlier.

GARMISCH, Germany - Each day, Paul Holman must remember one essential thing -- to speak clearly and slowly.

GARMISCH, Germany - U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Hebert is not a teacher per se, but for the past several years, he helped fledging democracies learn about defense planning, budgeting and management.

GARMISCH, Germany - Mare's milk in Kazakhstan. Ram's testicles in Eastern Turkey. Lamb organs in Turkmenistan.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Air operations over northern Iraq continue despite a labor strike that has closed base services and restricted U.S. personnel throughout Turkey.

BRUSSELS - The United States still has a strong, combat- ready force in the Persian Gulf -- nearly 20,000 troops and twice as many missiles as a year ago.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Once again, terror has been unleashed against innocent people.

SYDNEY, Australia - Talks between U.S. and Australian defense and foreign policy leaders culminated July 31 with pledges to strengthen the security alliance between the two nations.

WASHINGTON - Today's military women are doctors, lawyers, pilots, heavy equipment operators, air traffic controllers, paratroopers, forklift operators and military police. But women haven't always enjoyed such prominence in the military.

SYDNEY, Australia - U.S. military forces in the Pacific must be flexible to meet both natural and political crises in the Asia Pacific region, Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Australian television July 30.

GARMISCH, Germany - U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Hebert is not a teacher per se, but for the past several years, he helped fledging democracies learn about defense planning, budgeting and management.

WASHINGTON - Where is the place with the lowest elevation in the United States?

WASHINGTON - "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all."

WASHINGTON - After examining all available evidence, DoD does not believe Gulf War veterans are ill because of exposure to depleted-uranium ammunition or armor.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO is primed to exercise military forces in Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- two nations bordering the troubled Serb province of Kosovo.

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine ratification of a new visiting forces agreement will strengthen U.S.-Philippine relations that were weakened with the closing of several military bases here in 1992, according to defense officials of both countries.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen warned Congress he will recommend a veto if it accepts some amendments to the president's fiscal 1999 defense authorization bill.

WASHINGTON - The remains of five Vietnam casualties were confirmed recently and will be returned to their families for burial.

WASHINGTON - Two new Gulf War case narratives involving chemical-agent detections are available for public access on DoD's GulfLINK site at http://www.gulflink.osd.mil.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Political and economic turmoil here have limited U.S. military contacts with the Indonesian military, but the Asian nation's march toward democracy could expand its military relations and revive its economy, Defense Secretary William Cohen said.

WASHINGTON - Military retirees over age 65 began enrolling July 15 in TRICARE Senior Prime at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Wash.

WASHINGTON - Air Force will establish 10 air expeditionary forces that will enable it to provide more lethal fighting organizations to regional unified commands and to reduce operations tempo for airmen.

WASHINGTON - Military retirees over age 65 began enrolling July 15 inTRICARE Senior Prime at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Wash.

WASHINGTON - DoD's newest fitness initiative, Operation Be Fit, is getting a bigger boost at installations with the release of a resource kit.

WASHINGTON - More than 2.2 million women in the DoD family are up against a deadly enemy. National statistics warn that 250,000 of these uniformed women and family members may succumb.

WASHINGTON - A quality of life initiative to improve military housing has not gone as fast as defense officials wish, but it is making headway and is starting to pay off, said Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon July 23.

FORT LEE, Va. - Commissary shoppers will see bigger savings and more choices as stores expand the Super Saver program and test the popularity of "value brand" items.

WASHINGTON - Military retirees over age 65 began enrolling July 15 in TRICARE Senior Prime at Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Wash.

WASHINGTON - Physicians and the American Cancer Society recommend that all women over age 20 examine their breasts once a month.

WASHINGTON - Military health care professionals will meet in San Diego Sept. 15-17 to discuss integrated approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

WASHINGTON - Webster's New World Dictionary says to fraternize is "to associate in a brotherly manner; be on friendly terms."