Author Archives: Alexa James

Alexa James

Alexa James is the military affairs reporter for the Times Herald-Record. She covers the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and issues affecting Hudson Valley service members and their families. “Dispatches” is a place for readers to engage in the important debates shaping today’s armed forces.

Cadets beat streets for PTSD

By Alexa James | Published: October 26, 2009 | 0 Comments
West Point cadets are running the New York City Marathon on Saturday to raise money for the Trauma and Wellness Center at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan. The center treats service members for post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injuries. The cadets are joining the hospital’s “Warrior Team,” comprised of service members from Army [...]
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Will a ’surge’ work in Afghanistan?

By Alexa James | Published: October 7, 2009 | 0 Comments
While President Obama told lawmakers he would not substantially reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, he has not yet subscribed to Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for an additional 40,000 troops. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and a West Point graduate, asked for the surge in a status report to the president last [...]
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Petraeus fighting prostate cancer

By Alexa James | Published: October 7, 2009 | 0 Comments
Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of American military forces in the Middle East, has undergone radiation treatment to fight prostate cancer, according to The New York Times. Petraeus, 56, is a Hudson Valley native. He grew up in Cornwall-on-Hudson, graduated from Cornwall High School in 1970 and from West Point in 1974. He’ll return to the area [...]
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Photo of dying Marine stirs debate about war reporting

By Alexa James | Published: September 5, 2009 | 0 Comments
The Associated Press published a photo this week of a Marine fatally wounded in battle, choosing after a period of reflection to make public an image it believes “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.” “AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception. We feel it is our journalistic [...]
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Suicide prevention goes live and online

By Alexa James | Published: September 3, 2009 | 0 Comments
The Department of Veterans Affairs is taking suicide-prevention live and online, piloting a one-to-one “chat service” for veterans who’d prefer to seek help over the Internet. Called “Veterans Chat,” the new service enables veterans, their families and friends to anonymously chat online with a trained VA counselor. If a “chatter” is determined to be in a crisis, the counselor can [...]
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Afghanistan: Dig deeper or dig out?

By Alexa James | Published: September 2, 2009 | 0 Comments
Around the war cooler this week, everyone is talking about Afghanistan. As military leaders piece together their latest status reports, the rest of the world is debating America’s future role in Afghanistan. Should the United States dig in deeper, with more troops and time, or dig out, retooling its exit strategy? Take the Record’s online [...]
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West Point general calls for new strategy in Afghanistan

By Alexa James | Published: September 1, 2009 | 0 Comments
The military’s top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal (West Point class of 1976) called for a strategic overhaul in the war-torn country on Monday. In his report, prepared for military leaders, the newly appointed commander suggested the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization need to adopt a counterinsurgency warfare strategy that focuses on making [...]
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West Point ranked best liberal arts college

By Alexa James | Published: August 24, 2009 | 0 Comments
WEST POINT – The U.S. Military Academy at West Point took the top spot in the U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges” of 2010, followed closely by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The Army’s elite officer training institution was also named the fourth-best “Undergraduate Engineering Program” ahead of both Navy (fifth) and the U.S. Air [...]
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G.I. Jane breaks combat barrier

By Alexa James | Published: August 16, 2009 | 0 Comments
“…Before 2001, America’s military women had rarely seen ground combat. Their jobs kept them mostly away from enemy lines, as military policy dictates. But the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, often fought in marketplaces and alleyways, have changed that. In both countries, women have repeatedly proved their mettle in combat. The number of high-ranking women and women who command all-male units has climbed [...]
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West Point selects top cadet

By Alexa James | Published: August 13, 2009 | 0 Comments
WEST POINT – Cadet Tyler Gordy of Newcastle, Calif., was appointed first captain of the U.S. Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets for the 2009-2010 academic year. The prestigious position, announced today, puts the West Point senior in command of roughly 4,400 Army cadets. Chosen by a team of West Point officers and cadets, the first captain’s [...]
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