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With fake weapons and phony uniforms, they helped win WWII. Now, they're finally getting medals.

Caption: A soldier sits next to a fake inflatable tank used by the U.S. Army during World War II. The inflatables and other decoys were deployed in Europe to fool enemy troops about the positions and movements of real Army units., Credit: Ghost Army Legacy Project

The U.S. will bestow Congressional Gold Medals on members of a secret Army unit that carried out what came to be known as psychological operations.

Bought by WRFA-LP, KPBS, KUT, and WHRV

As Fort Bragg becomes Fort Liberty, Army leaders promise the base won't forget its history

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Days before Fort Bragg was officially renamed Fort Liberty, crews erect new signs at the base's main gate., Credit: Jay Price / American Homefront

A newly constructed historic march route will remember the base's former name and the soldiers who served there.

Bought by WRFA-LP, Texas Public Radio, and KUT

81 years after it was founded, the USO is making changes to remain relevant to today's troops

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Army soldiers help themselves to free food in the USO lounge at Fort Bragg, N.C. The organization plans to close about 40 of its lesser-used lounges while opening 28 in places where it says troops are especially isolated or face high stress., Credit: Jay Price / American Homefront

The service organization is closing some of its centers, opening new ones, and expanding its online programs to respond to funding reductions and t...

Bought by KWMU St. Louis, KUT, North Country Public Radio, WRFA-LP, KRPS and more

Archives, artifacts, and 'a lot of rocks': The Army Corps of Engineers is training veterans for jobs

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Matthew Hanks labels a pottery shard in the Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis office. Hanks is part of the Corps Veterans Curation Program, which employs veterans to help maintain artifacts unearthed in various Corps projects., Credit: Eric Schmid / American Homefront

An Army Corps of Engineers program teaches former troops how to do curation work, while also preparing them for jobs in other fields.

Bought by KRPS, WRFA-LP, North Country Public Radio, KPBS, Texas Public Radio and more

Robert E. Lee once served as West Point's Superintendent. Should the school still display his portrait?

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Dignitaries - including Robert E. Lee's great grandson, Hanson E. Ely III (right) - unveil a portrait of the Confederate general in West Point's library in 1952. The portrait is one of several images of Lee that still are displayed at the military academy, Credit: From the 1952 book "The Sesquicentennial of the United States Military Academy: An Account of the Observance." / U.S. Military Academy

Congress ordered Confederate names and images to be removed from military installations. But what about portraits of Lee before he joined the Confe...

Bought by KUT, Texas Public Radio, WRFA-LP, KMXT, and KRPS

If the military renames southern bases, whose names should replace the Confederate generals?

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Soldiers gather for a 2019 awards ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. The base is one of 10 that Pentagon leaders say they are open to renaming., Credit: Joshua Cowden / U.S Army

With the call for changing the names of 10 Southern military bases gaining momentum in Washington, the question is starting to arise in Washington ...

Bought by KRZA, WUSF, KPBS, Colorado Public Radio, KMXT and more

After initially saying it wouldn't, the VA now will remove Nazi symbols from two veterans cemeteries

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: A gravestone for a German POW in the San Antonio VA cemetery. The stone is engraved with a swastika and an inscription that references Adolf Hitler., Credit: Military Religious Freedom Foundation

The stones, engraved with swastikas, mark the graves of German POWs who died in the United States during World War II.

Bought by WUSF, Colorado Public Radio, and Texas Public Radio

Veterans say it's not too soon to build a national memorial for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Michael Rodriguez, left foreground, president of a group that wants to build a 'Global War on Terrorism' memorial, shows the proposed site to several supporters after a Nov. 2019 sunrise run on the National Mall., Credit: Caitlin Kim / Colorado Public Radio

Normally, Congress waits at least ten years after a war ends to authorize a monument. But supporters say a proposed "Global War on Terrorism" memor...

Bought by Texas Public Radio, WUSF, and KPCC

Instead of medals, the Pentagon is offering certificates to vets who were exposed to radiation

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: Observers watch an explosion during Operation Hardtack in 1958. 35 nuclear tests were conducted in the Pacific, exposing troops to radiation., Credit: Nevada National Security Site

The new certificate recognizes as many as 550,000 veterans who were exposed to nuclear weapons tests between 1945 and 1992. But the certificates le...

Bought by KRPS, KRZA, KPBS, KPCC, Texas Public Radio and more

Hepatitis C is more common in Vietnam vets, but nobody is sure why

From: American Homefront Project

Caption: In this 1971 Army photo, a service member is vaccinated with a jet injection gun. The Army at the time called the gun "a fast, safe method for giving mass inoculations to troops.", Credit: U.S. Army Medical Department

Some veterans say they contracted hepatitis from the "jet gun" that was used to immunize them in the Vietnam era, but researchers haven't proved th...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, WUSF, Texas Public Radio, KPBS, KRZA and more

WAR WIDOWS Part 2

From: Phil Mariage
Series: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Widows from WWII, Vietnam and Iraq wars discuss changes over time from the loss of their husbands in war.

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans face an uncertain future after war

From: KALW

Since 2001, about 2.5 million people have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, at least a third of them more than once. When they return, many ve...