(HealthDay News) Researchers report that soldiers who have suffered concussions during their time in Iraq are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical health problems.

"There was indeed a higher rate of PTSD and/or health problems among those who had concussions versus those with other injuries," said study author Dr.
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Juan Alcantara's dream of becoming a U. S.
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(lat) The conflict in Georgia is Russia's largest military engagement outside its borders since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Here are some of the key issues in the current crisis. Who is fighting whom? On one side is Russian air, naval and ground power. On the other is the military of Georgia, a small country that was once part of the Soviet Union but has a history of troubled relations with Moscow. Where are they fighting? The fighting revolves around two pro-Russian enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but has expanded through other parts of Georgia.  More...

(wapo) The Army admitted about one-fourth more recruits last year with a record of legal problems ranging from felony convictions and serious misdemeanors to drug crimes and traffic offenses, as pressure to increase the size of U. S. ground forces led the military to grant more waivers for criminal conduct, according to new data released yesterday. Such "conduct waivers" for Army recruits rose from 8,129 in fiscal 2006 to 10,258 in fiscal 2007. For Marine Corps recruits, they increased from 16,969 to 17,413.  More...

(AP) Casualties from two roadside bombs Monday made 2007 the deadliest year since the Iraq invasion. With nearly two months left in the year, 852 American military personnel have died in Iraq. This is despite October having the lowest monthly death toll of the year — 36. Some 850 troops died in 2004, mostly in larger, more conventional battles like the campaign to cleanse Fallujah of Sunni militants in November, and U. S.  More...

(AP) The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards dismissed the possibility of a U. S. military action against Iran and warned that his forces would respond with an "even more decisive" strike if attacked, an Iranian news agency reported Friday. The comments by Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari came after the United States announced sweeping new sanctions against Iran focusing on the Revolutionary Guards, a force that is tasked with protecting Iran's Islamic government and reports to the country's supreme leader.  More...

(cnn) A former commander of coalition forces in Iraq issued a harsh assessment of U. S. management of the war, saying that American political leaders cost American lives on the battlefield with their "lust for power. " Retired Lt. Gen.  More...

(aje) Britain is to cut its number of soldiers in Iraq by more than half to 2,500 from next spring, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has told parliament in a key statement. "We plan, from next spring, to reduce force numbers in southern Iraq to a figure of 2,500," Brown said on Monday. Brown said Iraqi forces will take control of security in the southern province of Basra within two months, ending Britain's combat role in the country. "We plan to move to a second stage of overwatch, where the coalition would maintain a more limited re-intervention capacity," he said. The British prime minister said the focus of British troops in Iraq would shift predominantly to training and mentoring.  More...