bits of news from the front

Military spending soars to keep troops in the service
LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The struggle to entice Army soldiers and Marines to stay in the military, after four years of war in Iraq, has ballooned into a $1 billion campaign, with bonuses soaring nearly sixfold since 2003.
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http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/NEWS01/304110012/1002

Medical crews airlifted 850 wounded in March



By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Apr 10, 2007 12:43:16 EDT

link: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/04/airforce_medevac_statistics_070410/
Air Force planes and medical crews airlifted more than 850 wounded and injured servicemen out of war zones during March, according to the Air Force. In February, the Air Force flew out 767 patients.

The planes delivered 143 critically injured patients and 712 less seriously hurt patients, the report said.

The number of critical patients was down from February when 158 were airlifted and still below the fall when 285 critical patients were flown in September.

Since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, the Air Force has flown 40,902 patients from combat zones.

Air Force C-17 Globemasters fly regular missions from Iraq and Afghanistan to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where patients are driven a short distance to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. In high-priority cases, the C-17s will fly nonstop to bases in the U.S.