WASHINGTON - DoD active duty and reserve personnel are delivering thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to the Central American countries of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, all devastated recently by Hurricane Mitch.

WASHINGTON - DoD continues to play an important role in the nation's counterdrug effort, said Ana Maria Salazar, the department's deputy assistant secretary for drug enforcement policy and support.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials are pleased with the overall number and quality of this year's recruits, but they express concern about Army and Navy recruiting shortfalls in fiscal 1998.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The sailor's kid is a "normal" 8-year-old these days, playing with friends back home in Portsmouth, Va. The strokes are gone, and so are the abnormal, sickle-shaped red blood cells that once clogged his vessels.

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - Disaster relief supplies arriving here are getting to the people who need them, thanks in part to soldiers who continually fuel the workhorse transports that have been flying to the hinterlands.

WASHINGTON - Saluting U.S. military forces in South Korea for serving in an ever-more dangerous land, President Clinton pledged to make military readiness the nation's top priority.

WASHINGTON - Are DoD's mandatory anthrax inoculations really safe? Why is anthrax suddenly such a big deal? Why doesn't DoD make the shots optional and let each of us decide for ourselves what protection we need?

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen will depart here Nov. 29 to attend the third Defense Ministerial of the Americas being held in Cartagena, Colombia.

WASHINGTON - Throughout our great nation on this Thanksgiving, Americans will gather around the dinner table with family and friends to share good food, warm laughter, and the happy memories of Thanksgivings past. But for many of these families, whose loved ones serve in the Armed Forces, this year's Thanksgiving celebration will not be complete. A familiar voice will not be heard and a chair at the table will remain empty because fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, uncles and aunts, and grandparents, too, are far from home protecting the blessings we celebrate this season.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The staff at Wilford Hall Medical Center knew the cute but withdrawn 4-year-old girl had been sexually abused, but law enforcement authorities needed her to tell someone.

WASHINGTON - New regulations are due by the end of the year to curtail money lenders preying on veterans seeking to refinance their VA home loans.

WASHINGTON - Uncertainty has replaced confidence in East Asia, according to Defense Secretary William S. Cohen.

WASHINGTON - As their first arduous year in the New World came to a close, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony took a well-deserved respite from their labors to gather and give thanks. Today, Americans everywhere join with family and friends to celebrate in much the same way as our Colonial forebears.

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - For three weeks, the Joint Task Force-Bravo Medical Element has braved raging rivers and rock slides to treat thousands of Hondurans isolated by Hurricane Mitch in early November.

WASHINGTON - When Defense Secretary William S. Cohen needs advice, counsel or support, he said, he often turns to George Robertson.

WASHINGTON - "We consider today the somber issue of providing services to those who have served, and to do so with dignity and respect and honor." -- Rudy de Leon, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness

WASHINGTON - More than 5,700 U.S. service members will go to Central America to aid the region in recovering from Hurricane Mitch, said Marine Corps Gen. Charles Wilhelm, U.S. Southern Command commander.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - According to Webster's dictionary, a powwow can mean everything from a social gathering, celebration, political strategy conclave to healing by incantation magic among the Pennsylvania Dutch or an audience with the Pope.

WASHINGTON - Ah-choo! Gesundheit.

WASHINGTON - President Clinton signed a new law this month improving veterans' benefits and programs.

WASHINGTON Nov. 19 - NATO nations must modernize and restructure their militaries to meet future challenges, according to Defense Secretary William S. Cohen.

WASHINGTON Nov. 19 - Once again, Saddam Hussein backed down when America flexed its military muscle.

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - In Honduras, where main roads are scarce, Hurricane Mitch stranded thousands of people.

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped here Nov. 16 to visit and thank U.S. service members who are helping repair the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch.

SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras - "Water is life," La Libertad Mayor Cesar Augusto Andino Ortega said as U.S. soldiers began distributing the only drinkable water his little town had seen since Hurricane Mitch swept through.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - "I come to a powwow to be an Indian, to get a sense of myself. This is part of Indian spirituality, to help each other and to celebrate with each other. When I come to pow wows, I gain strength to carry on with my life." Rachel Snow, Assiniboin Tribe

WASHINGTON - A parent's worst nightmare is not knowing what to do if an infant or toddler starts choking and turning blue.

FALLS CHURCH, VA. - A state-of-the-art communications center officially opened here Nov. 16 that "changes the way Armed Forces Emergency Services have done business for half a century," said American Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 - Government travelers must start using their new NationsBank Visa cards for official travel expenses Nov. 30 and destroy their old American Express government cards.

WASHINGTON - You've just arrived at your new duty station and you can't wait to start exploring the local area. All you need is a car.

WASHINGTON - Federal civilian employees have until Dec. 14 to enroll in a health plan for 1999. That's when the annual open season ends.

WASHINGTON - Service members who have deployed in response to Iraq's refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors will remain where they are. Units that have not deployed will stay in the United States but be on a high state of alert.

WASHINGTON - Following Saddam Hussein's late-night, last- minute concession to meet U.N. demands, President Clinton called off military strikes he'd ordered against Iraq.

NORFOLK NAVAL BASE, Va. - Although the main topic of conversation was Iraq, sailors at this installation and nearby Oceana Naval Air Station also expressed concern about quality of life and readiness initiatives when Defense Secretary William S. Cohen visited Nov. 12.

WASHINGTON - After more than 223 years of fighting America's wars, native Americans finally got their due Nov. 10 during the Pentagon's first ceremony recognizing their military service contributions.

WASHINGTON - An extensive DoD investigation shows no clear links between Kuwaiti oil well fires set by Iraq during the Gulf War and long-term health problems reported by U.S. veterans.

WASHINGTON - Mom or Dad may wear the uniform, but as every military family member knows, spouses and children serve the nation as well. Along with their military husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, they, too, serve throughout the United States and overseas.

NORFOLK NAVAL BASE, Va. - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen told sailors here an air campaign against Iraq would be "significant, and not a pinprick."

WASHINGTON - On the brink of possible military strikes against Iraq, President Clinton hailed America's armed forces, past and present, and promised to provide for their care.

WASHINGTON - The United States is once again ready to take military action if Saddam Hussein refuses to comply with U.N. resolutions.

WASHINGTON - Just over 1,000 U.S. service members are helping rush food, shelter, pure water and medical aid to the Central Americans made homeless by Hurricane Mitch.

WASHINGTON - Uncle Sam wants people and organizations near local military installations to help give single service members a good holiday season.

WASHINGTON - Malaria felled more combatants during the Vietnam War than bullets, and the disease has since reached global epidemic proportions. Health organizations estimate up to 5 million people have died of AIDS in the past 15 years -- but malaria killed nearly 50 million.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Faster service, on-the-spot claims settlements and improved customer convenience are some of the big features of DoD new worldwide system for shipping service members' personal vehicles, a top defense transportation official said.

WASHINGTON - While experts can argue about its size, a pay gap exists and DoD will start closing it in the next budget cycle, the nation's top military leader said.

WASHINGTON - American service members in Korea are rolling up their sleeves now for protection against anthrax, a disease that kills within days when inhaled.

WASHINGTON - Despite a few well-publicized attacks against DoD's mandatory anthrax vaccination program, a senior defense health official said the vaccines are safe, effective and necessary.

WASHINGTON - The University of Southern California Trojans lead the Pacific-10 Conference with 31 college football titles; who are second and third?

WASHINGTON - Who did George Foreman defeat in capturing his first professional heavyweight fight?

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - The Marines here know what they want, and they weren't bashful about telling it to Defense Secretary William Cohen.

WASHINGTON - U.S. service members have rescued more than 500 Central Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials stressed nothing is off the table -- meaning military force is a possibility -- in resolving the latest standoff with Iraq.

WASHINGTON - This has got to be one of the bleakest places on earth. There isn't a blade of grass, bramble or bush, and the only permanent inhabitants are beetles, camels, flies, scorpions and snakes. At Kuwait's Udairi Range, about 80 miles from Iraq, about 1,200 American service members cycle through continually to learn how to cope with stifling desert heat and utter isolation.

WASHINGTON - An active duty soldier takes up residence in the city outside his new duty station. When he registers his car, the city clerk tells him he also owes $300 in personal property tax. But does he?