Charles Sheehan-Miles was a tank loader in the Gulf War, engaged in combat in the 24th Division. He had a hard time coming back to civilian life. How do you answer, he wonders, when someone asks, "How was it?" Sheehan-Miles wrote a fictionalized account of his time in the Gulf, called Prayer At Rumayla, to give some indication. Full Story »
When former ambassador John Limbert, a former hostage in Iran, retired a few years ago, he lamented the fact that Iran experts and Farsi speakers don't have much of a career path at the State Department. But now, the Obama administration has created a new job to focus on Iran policy — a deputy assistant secretary of state — and Limbert was just plucked out of retirement to take on the assignment. Full Story »
This Veterans Day, we're bringing you stories of veterans recounting their homecoming. Some remember being welcomed to the sound of band music and cheering. But Army Spc. Jeanne O'Brien remembers a different, somber scene when she returned home from Afghanistan. Full Story »
The tomb of Egypt's Tutankhamen — more commonly referred to as King Tut — needs a little attention. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and the U.S.-based Getty Conservation Institute are teaming up to restore the wall paintings that line the tomb's underground chamber. Michele Norris talks to Jeanne Marie Teutonico, who will serve as the project's team leader. Full Story »
In the early morning hours on Monday, a truck swerved off a new corner on the Oakland Bay Bridge and crashed through the barriers, plummeting down to land on Yerba Buena Island below. This new S-curve on the bridge was installed with repairs last Labor Day weekend, and has already been the site of at least 40 crashes or fender benders. The California Department of Transportation says speed is the problem, but it's just the latest setback as engineers and officials scramble to repair and update this crucial transportation link. Full Story »
Many advisers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center had concerns about Nidal Hasan's job performance and behavior, yet time and time again, officials gave him another chance. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling has spoken with top officials there, and tells host Melissa Block new details about Hasan's work at Walter Reed. Full Story »
Starting in the spring of 2008, officials from Walter Reed and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences began raising serious concerns about Maj. Nidal Hasan's troubling behavior — which some described as paranoid, belligerent and schizoid. Full Story »
A stench has returned to the neighborhood where a suspected serial killer lived amid the remains of at least 11 women as police searched the house next door for more bodies or evidence. Neighbor Terrance Johnson says: "It smells bad in the air, like death." Full Story »
The neighbors of Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan say they can't believe he was capable of murder. But psychologists and experts say Hasan shared several traits with other mass killers, such as social isolation and trouble finding a mate. On the other hand, they also contend that this type of violence is generally difficult to predict. Full Story »
A Texas defense attorney says he is concerned that President Obama's appearance at a memorial service for the Fort Hood victims in which he mentioned the accused gunman's Islamic faith could make it difficult for his client to get a fair trial. Full Story »
