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• Cruise Cancelled After Military Orders; Couple Fights for Refund Play Video

  May 17, 2013 7:08 PM

  A military family from Carencro, stationed overseas in Germany is fighting Carnival Cruise Lines for a refund. The couple was set to go on a Mediterranean cruise but received military orders they could not leave Germany. So, should they receive a refund? After KATC made a phone call... more »

• Program Helps Service Members Keep Their Pets Play Video

  March 8, 2013 4:26 PM

  Instead of giving up their dogs for good, a foster program is helping service men and women come home to their pets. Staff Sergeant Bethany Morgan-Taylor is back at Fort Polk after serving a tour overseas. Her dogs have been living in Lafayette with a foster parent through a... more »

• Military Father Surprises Kids with Homecoming at School Play Play Video

  December 20, 2012 11:54 PM

  "Home for the holidays" has a whole new meaning for one Acadiana family, as they are reunited for the first time in months. Master Sergeant Jeremy Bellard has been in Afghanistan since June, and Thursday night his children received the greatest Christmas gift of all: His surprise homecoming. Thursday... more »

• Turkey authorizes military operations in Syria

  October 4, 2012 8:14 AM

  AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) - State media says Turkey's Parliament has approved a bill authorizing the military to conduct cross-border operations in Syria after a deadly shelling from the Syrian territory killed five civilians. The Anadolu Agency says legislators on Thursday voted in favor of the bill that gives the government... more »

• Officials to explain military academy nominations

  September 11, 2012 7:46 AM

  SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - Two members of the state's congressional delegation have scheduled a program in Shreveport where potential applicants to United States military academies can learn about the nomination process. Sen. David Vitter and Rep. John Fleming say the "Academy Day" is set for Saturday at LSU-Shreveport's University Center.... more »

• US panel: Improve child custody rules for military

  July 18, 2012 7:13 AM

  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A national legal panel that works to standardize state laws wants to simplify child custody rules for military service members, whose frequent deployments can leave them without clear legal recourse when family disputes erupt. The Uniform Law Commission, an influential group of some 350 attorneys appointed... more »

• First lady marks 1-year point for military effort

  April 11, 2012 6:22 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Michelle Obama has been everywhere from a West Point mess hall to a NASCAR speedway in the past year to drum up support for military families, and now she's capping the yearlong effort with a two-day, four-state tour to take stock of what's been done. Mrs. Obama... more »

• 8 Women Allege Rape, Harassment in Military Suit

  March 6, 2012 8:40 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Eight current and former members of the U.S. military are claiming they were raped, assaulted or harassed during their service and suffered retaliation when they reported it. A lawsuit being filed today in U.S. District Court in Washington accuses the military of having a "high tolerance for... more »

• Man charged in plot to export military technology

  March 1, 2012 6:00 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - An Australian man has been indicted along with his company in a scheme to export components for drones, torpedoes and other military technology to Iran. A federal grand jury in Washington on Wednesday indicted David Levick, who remains at large and is believed to be living in... more »

• Military criticized for lack of medals database

  March 1, 2012 5:43 AM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Lawmakers on Wednesday criticized the Defense Department for failing to create a searchable database of medals recipients, a potential solution to identifying and prosecuting people who falsely claim to have received the honors. Witnesses from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a privately run medals database joined... more »

• Church Point Veteran Denied Military Honors

  August 16, 2011 7:27 PM

  Lechia Arcenaux said as a proud veteran, her father Herman Guidry's last wish was to have military honors at his funeral. A request which was denied by the commander at the Churchpoint American Legion Post. Arcenaux said, "the first thing we wanted to know was why we were denied."... more »

• Military Families Reflect on Lives Lost

  August 8, 2011 12:09 AM

  Sunday in Acadiana, military families reflected on lives lost in Afghanistan. Everyday thousands of troops are constantly training to protect us and our country from any potential threats. In Breaux Bridge, the Louisiana National Guard was doing just that, learning more about decontamination and hazmat situations. "Obviously dirty... more »

• Military recruiters told to accept gay applicants

  October 19, 2010 9:50 PM

  SAN DIEGO (AP) - The military is accepting openly gay recruits for the first time in the nation's history, even as it tries in the courts to slow the movement to abolish its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. At least two service members discharged for being gay began the process... more »

• Enforcement Stopped on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

  October 12, 2010 3:50 PM

  SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal judge issued a worldwide injunction Tuesday stopping enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ending the U.S. military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips' landmark ruling was widely cheered by gay rights organizations that credited her with... more »

• Pentagon says US-China Military Ties Improving

  September 29, 2010 12:13 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon says a recent chill in U.S.-China military ties is beginning to thaw. A Pentagon spokesman says China agreed to resume maritime talks next month, and will send officials to Washington later this year. China froze military contacts with the United States earlier this year in... more »

• Effort to Repeal Law Banning Gays in the Military Blocked

  September 21, 2010 3:17 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Republicans have blocked an effort to repeal the law banning gays from serving openly in the military. The partisan vote was a defeat for gay rights groups who saw the provision in a defense authorization bill as their last chance any time soon to overturn the... more »

• Military bans video game that 'kills' US troops

  September 8, 2010 10:29 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Military bases across the U.S. have banned the sale of a new video game that lets a player pretend to be a Taliban fighter and "shoot" U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Gamers are scoffing at the decision, saying that advanced technology has made it commonplace in the gaming... more »

• US Military Deaths in Iraq War at 4,409 on Tuesday

  June 29, 2010 8:12 PM

  As of Tuesday, June 22, 2010, at least 4,409 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,488 military personnel died as a result... more »

• 4,400 Members of the U.S. Military Have Died in Iraq War

  June 1, 2010 4:47 PM

  As of Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at least 4,400 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,486 military personnel died as a result... more »

• 2 Local Veterans Honored

  May 31, 2010 6:13 PM

  Two Lafayette soldiers-- Eddie Gautreau and Willie Celestine Jr.-- were honored and remembered this Memorial day at a service at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Lafayette. Eddie Gautreau was a private in the U.S. Army who fought in the Korean War. He passed away last year, but without a proper... more »

• Support the 256th with Red Shirt Fridays

  April 9, 2010 1:44 PM

  With Acadiana's men and women of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team off to Iraq, some businesses are showing their support with "Red Shirt Fridays." One participating business is Teche Federal Bank on the corner of Johnston St. & Jefferson St. in Lafayette. The employees all show support... more »

• "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy Could Be Changing

  March 23, 2010 2:44 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says that the Defense Department is close to changing how it enforces its policy on "don't ask, don't tell," which bans gays from serving openly. In February, Defense Secretary Robert Gates directed his legal counsel to... more »

• Mock Drills Prep Acadiana Soldiers for Iraq

  February 22, 2010 1:12 PM

  Practicing for real-life situations is a key part of the soldiers' training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. Simulations help the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team prepare for what they could face in Iraq. "Communication is key-- make sure everyone communicates in the vehicle, my gunman and my driver,... more »

• Fort Polk unit receives orders to deploy to Haiti

  January 22, 2010 11:38 AM

  A Fort Polk unit has received orders to deploy to Haiti to assist with earthquake recovery and humanitarian assistance. About 130 Soldiers from the 209th Military Police Battalion, 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, are expected leave next week. more »

• Soldier's Family Says Goodbye for 3rd Time

  January 8, 2010 2:28 PM

  Some soldiers of the 256th Infantry Brigade are leaving for their second or third deployment-- and they say it does not get any easier with time. One Opelousas family, the Everetts, say it is actually harder than the first time, because now they have 2 kids: 10-year-old Madeline and... more »

• Kids Cope with Loved Ones Being Deployed

  November 15, 2009 6:48 PM

  Families try their best to prepare for when their loved ones get deployed, but what about the little ones? The Louisiana National Guard has been holding pre-deployment workshops all month to teach families how to deal. Five-year-old twins Christian and Athen Sellers, are struggling to handle their father... more »

• UL and UL Monroe team up for Military Appreciation Day

  November 11, 2009 1:57 PM

  LAFAYETTE - In celebration of the Second Annual Military Appreciation Day, both bands from UL Lafayette and UL Monroe will perform together during the halftime entertainment on November 21st when Financial Concepts presents the Ragin' Cajuns and the Warhawks at Cajun Field. "The ULM band will perform with the Pride... more »

• Homemade Helmet Liners Help Soldiers

  November 3, 2009 1:56 PM

  "Help Us Warm the Heads and Hearts of Our Soldiers" -- that is the motto of Project Helmet Liner. While U.S. soldiers are fighting for our country, some Acadiana women are helping them with homemade gear. Lafayette knitter Kim Gunniss started the project after meeting moms like Pam Frey, who... more »