WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - U.S. European Command's new commander-in-chief is zeroing in on quality of life.

WASHINGTON - Accounting for those missing from past wars is a matter affecting today's readiness not just payment of a debt come due, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Rudy de Leon.

WASHINGTON - On the Fourth of July in 1776, many of the greatest heroes of our early history risked their lives to put their names at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence. Yet, George Washington's name is not among them; he was not in Philadelphia. Instead, he was in New York with the Continental Army, preparing his troops to defend the new nation against the largest expeditionary force ever launched by the British Empire.

WASHINGTON - For a second, it looked like Nike was going to join in singing the National Anthem.

WASHINGTON - Accounting for those missing from past wars is a matter affecting today's readiness not just payment of a debt come due, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Rudy de Leon.

WASHINGTON - Fees at military child care facilities will increase by about $1 to $2 more per child each week for the 2000-2001 school year, DoD officials announced June 21.

WASHINGTON - Twenty-two Asian-American soldiers were finally recognized for their heroism when they received the nation's highest military award -- the Medal of Honor -- during a White House ceremony June 21.

WASHINGTON - As the Army two-star general sat down to lunch with several E-9s and their spouses, he pointed at an Air Force chief master sergeant and gruffly snapped, "You're in charge."

WASHINGTON - A Korean War veteran attending ceremonies here marking the 50th anniversary of the start of the Korean War June 25, carried a sign saying, “Forgotten No More.”

WASHINGTON - For the last few years, Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni has been on watch in one of the world's most troubled regions, a land of oil wells and deserts, staunch allies and determined enemies.

WASHINGTON - While it was a great opportunity to exchange views, the time allotted for DoD’s first Senior Enlisted Forum was too short.

WASHINGTON - It’s a major step when service members are promoted to NCO ranks. That's when they become responsible for the welfare, training, and safety of junior service members.

WASHINGTON - Most service members will see a pay increase in July as a result of the final leg of the compensation triad passed by Congress last year.

GULFPORT, Miss. - Jules H. "Skeets" Powers and Marian Ditzler were making their mothers leather purses in the hobby shop at Naval Air Auxiliary Station Kingsville, Texas, when Marian's boyfriend announced he was getting out of the Navy early.

WASHINGTON - The proposed limited National Missile Defense system "is on track to achieve the earliest capability to meet the defined limited threat," an independent assessment team said.

WASHINGTON - On July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies declared their independence. The first Patriots, with diverse backgrounds, representing different regions and interests, were united in their quest for freedom and their willingness to fight for liberty. Despite the considerable risk of almost certain defeat at the hands of the greatest land and sea power of that age, they ultimately triumphed and a new, independent United States of America emerged.

WASHINGTON - Visitors to the Korean War Veterans Memorial here are greeted by a patrol of 19 stainless steel statues trudging toward an objective.

WASHINGTON - In the military, "family" ranks right up there with "duty, honor, country." Strong families mean ready forces. Troubled families mean trouble.

WASHINGTON - DoD has a potential civilian employee problem, and Jerome Smith is working on preventing it.

WASHINGTON - Women's health is a major concern, but it hasn't received the kind of attention in clinical trials that it deserves, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher recently told an audience here.

WASHINGTON - Web surfers have until July 4 to submit essays for the Yahoo! Military Fantasy Job contest.

ARLINGTON, Va. - For sports broadcaster, former MVP and New York Yankees second baseman Jerry Coleman, it wasn't the game that defined his life. It was his military service as a Marine aviator during World War II and Korea.

WASHINGTON - Nov. 7, Election Day, is less than five months away. That may seem like a long time, but voting officials recommend absentee voters request ballots 45 days in advance, even further in advance if they haven’'t yet registered to vote in their home district. Hmm … that window of opportunity is starting to narrow.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military women's triathlon team posted a time of 7:06.43 to capture third place June 14 in the 2000 Conseil International du Sport Militaire World Military Championship in Sabaudia, Italy.

WASHINGTON - Most service members will see their pay increase in July as a result of the final leg of the compensation triad passed by Congress last year.

WASHINGTON - The United States is encouraged by the accord signed by the presidents of South and North Korea, but officials say no U.S. troop reductions in South Korea are contemplated.

WASHINGTON - A first-of-its-kind Senior Enlisted Forum is slated June 22 at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Keeping the Russians engaged in Europe and with America emerged as the theme for Defense Secretary William S. Cohen’s latest trip to Europe.

WASHINGTON - A first-of-its-kind Senior Enlisted Forum, hosted by Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, is slated June 22 at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Russia and the United States will expand cooperation in a number of areas, but they disagree on missile defense issues.

WASHINGTON - DoD's new TRICARE Dental Program will feature lower premiums, expanded services and cost ceilings, and will allow reservists and their families to enroll.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin last week presented his own theater missile defense idea, but it would cause problems for the United States, Defense Secretary William Cohen said June 9 in Brussels, Belgium.

MOSCOW - Engaging Russia and progress toward NATO membership were two items Defense Secretary William S. Cohen discussed June 10 during the Third Annual Nordic-Baltic- U.S. Defense Ministerial in Vilnius, Lithuania.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - When Defense Secretary William S. Cohen's plane entered Swedish air space June 9 he got an indication that this would be more than just an ordinary trip.

FORT EUSTIS, Va. - Labored breathing, cramps, blisters and dehydration are all in a day's work for triathletes, and that's what awaited more than 80 competitors in the 2000 Armed Forces Triathlon Championship here June 3.

FORT LEE, Va. - What's in a name? For some shoppers, everything. For others, price is the most important factor in their grocery-buying decisions.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Improving NATO interoperability was at the heart of a June 9 ceremony here that included Portugal in the Multi-National Fighter Program.

WASHINGTON - Tobacco use in DoD has dropped significantly in the last two decades, generally mirroring civilian rates. But 30 percent of the active duty force still smokes.

WASHINGTON - NATO troops have made huge strides toward ending ethnic strife since the Kosovo Force entered Yugoslavia's southern province one year ago June 11, but the international community still has a long way to go.

NEW ORLEANS - Music can sometimes give you a shiver down your back.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO defense ministers charted progress in the Defense Capabilites Initiative and in Kosovo during Defense Ministerial meetings here June 8.

WASHINGTON - A recent clarification by Pentagon officials about Korean War deaths spotlighted just how far DoD has come in providing a safe atmosphere for U.S. service members.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The same commitment that saw NATO triumph in Kosovo will see the alliance through painful changes that will allow the 19 countries to adapt to a new world, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said here.

NEW ORLEANS - In 1938, the man who would be its commander in chief, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, said the generation coming of age had "a rendezvous with destiny."

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Russian leaders agreeing there is a threat of missile attack from rogue states marks a “significant change in the attitude and understanding” of the U.S. push for a national missile defense, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said.

WASHINGTON - Tobacco use in DoD has dropped significantly in the last two decades, generally mirroring civilian rates. But 30 percent of the active duty force still smokes.

WASHINGTON - Twenty-one percent of service members admit to drinking heavily -- a statistic the military hasnt managed to lower in 20 years -- but service officials are determined to change that.

NEW ORLEANS - If Congress fails to pass the emergency supplemental bill for Kosovo, Army officials say they will have to start curtailing military training, canceling construction projects and deferring maintenance.

NEW ORLEANS - Like a proud father, historian and best-selling author Stephen E. Ambrose showed off his baby, the National D-Day Museum, to his guests.

WASHINGTON - You never know where life is going to take you. Ask Kelli Kirwan. She won't hesitate to tell you that Cinderella stories still come true.

WASHINGTON - Civilian employees have served in every major American war since the Revolution, freeing service members to concentrate on winning battles. That tradition continues today, as roughly 700,000 civilians serve the Defense Department throughout the United States and at least 17 foreign lands as well.

WASHINGTON - The name "Lt. James Reese Europe" etched into a graying, weathered tombstone doesn't mean anything to most visitors to Arlington (Va.) National Cemetery. It's just an obscure name among thousands on grave markers throughout the huge military burial ground.

WASHINGTON - Despite all the top brass, the 100 service members and spouses who came to the Pentagon for the first Defense Secretary's Military Family Forum definitely weren't shy.

WASHINGTON - Military family members convened at the Pentagon May 31 for the first Defense Secretary's Military Families Forum and to speak out on the issues that affect their daily lives. First, three DoD panels presented information on pay and compensation, financial stability, education, commissary and exchange benefits and other topics and then the floor opened to questions.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 100 military families shared ways to improve military quality of life during the first Military Family Forum here May 31.

WASHINGTON - No news was good news May 31, 2000, for the top DoD officials who attended the first annual Military Family Forum hosted by Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen.

WASHINGTON - "Full-spectrum dominance" is the key term in "Joint Vision 2020," the blueprint DoD will follow in the future.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen will meet with NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium, and with Russian officials in Moscow next week.