OTIS, OR (AP) -- An Oregon couple checking their voice mail say they found a frightening recording of their soldier son caught in a battle in Afghanistan. 

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A member of the Three Valleys Municipal Water District Board of Directors of Pomona, California pleaded guilty Monday to falsely claiming he had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.  

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Navy doesn't pay Phil Stacey to sing and dance anymore -- these days, it's his day job. 

BAGHDAD (AP) -- About 3,500 American soldiers who were part of last year's troop "surge" are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military announced. 

PENTAGON (AP) -- Senior military officers could be turning to YouTube and MySpace this year to chat about their emotional struggles. 

By Grayson Kamm
NAVAL AIR STATION JACKSONVILLE, FL -- NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr. traded his car for a jet and landed on the First Coast to meet with standout sailors and prepare for a ride on an aircraft carrier. 

By Grayson Kamm
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Coming soon to a Navy boot camp near you: the Dale Jr. Division. The Navy's eyeing high-performance recruits by signing them up for a special company at boot camp, sponsored by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Advocates of better mental health care for troops say a new Pentagon policy aimed at reducing the stigma of getting psychiatric counseling could be a small but important step. 

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September. 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Army officials said Tuesday they are inspecting every barracks building worldwide to see whether plumbing and other problems revealed at Fort Bragg, N.C., last week are widespread. 

By Grayson Kamm

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- First Coast fishermen aren't just keeping an eye out for the catch of the day; the government wants them to be on the
lookout for terrorists. 

By Ashley Coleman


JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It took him 42 years, but Max Earnheart has finally earned his purple heart. 

PALATKA, FL -- The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for a site in Palatka for a new clinic. 

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Military workers and supporters from across the country joined in memorials Sunday for a slain Army reservist who had become a poignant picture of the war in Iraq after he was captured by insurgents. 

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (AP) -- The Navy has awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. a contract to build an unmanned aircraft system, creating 176 new jobs at its plant in St. Augustine. 

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The U.S. Navy says a Defense Department contractor's ship fired flares and warning shots at two small boats approaching it in the Persian Gulf.  

By First Coast News Staff
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- A special ceremony was held today to honor National Guard Col. David Nelson. 

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii (AP) -- A Hawaii-based soldier accused of killing an unarmed Iraqi last year admitted Thursday to shooting the man. But he said it happened when the man was in the backyard of a house his platoon had just raided in search of insurgents.  

By Ryan Duffy
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- For 85-year-old Rear Admiral Joe Coleman it was a chance to reminisce with other veterans of Jacksonville's 50 years of aircraft carrier history.  

By The Navy Times
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Navy will create a 4th Fleet headquartered at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and will tap a two-star SEAL officer to lead it, according to a Pentagon announcement Thursday. 

By Roger Weeder
NAS JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The Navy League hosted a special luncheon for l50 sailors and their spouses to show their appreciation for their work as Individual Augmentees.  

By Joy Purdy
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's a symbol revered by all branches of the military. That's why it's no surprise there's controversy surrounding Time Magazine's altered depiction of the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima. 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs isn't doing enough to prevent suicide and provide adequate medical care for Americans who have served in the armed forces, a class-action lawsuit that goes to trial this week charges. 

CAMP BLANDING, FL -- 75 Florida National Guard soldiers are home safe after a nearly year long deployment. They were reunited with their families Saturday afternoon at Camp Blanding. 

By Grayson Kamm
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Should Naval Station Mayport get a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier? Navy leaders are in our town, asking what you think.