Here are five news stories and events to start your week, from the editors at Military.com:
Remains of All Sailors Who Died Aboard USS McCain Recovered, Navy Says
Via Military.com: "The remains of all 10 sailors who died after the USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker off the coast of Singapore have now been recovered, the Navy said.
Navy and Marine Corps divers found the rest of the missing sailors, the service's 7th Fleet, announced late Sunday. The Navy called off the search for the service members on Thursday … The incident is under investigation. It came just two months after the June 17 collision of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald with a Philippine-flagged container ship southwest of Tokyo, which resulted in the deaths of seven sailors. The death toll from the two mishaps, at 17, is more than the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year, at 11."
National Guard, Coast Guard Join Hurricane Rescue Efforts in Texas
Via Richard Sisk at Military.com: "States sent National Guard air and ground assistance along with fire department rescue units to Texas on Sunday, and the Coast Guard joined rescue and disaster relief efforts in heavily flooded Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Texas authorities said at least two people had died, but the National Weather Service said the death toll through Sunday morning may have reached five in the hurricane that reached shore as a Category 4 storm Friday and has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. The Coast Guard reported rescuing about 32 people from commercial and private shipping in the Gulf of Mexico."
Black Hawk Crashes Off Yemen, 1 Service Member Missing
Via Military.com: "A service member is missing after a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed Friday evening off the coast of Yemen, the Pentagon said. The helicopter crashed while the crew was training about 20 miles off the southern coast of the country, according to a statement released late Friday by U.S. Central Command. Five troops who were also aboard the chopper at the time of the accident were rescued, the release said. 'U.S. forces in the region are conducting an ongoing search for one U.S. service member who was aboard the aircraft,' it states. The incident is under investigation."
Trump Tells Mattis to Indefinitely Ban Transgender Recruits
Via Robert Burns at Associated Press: "President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to declare an indefinite ban on transgender individuals joining the military, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some already in uniform to remain in the military. The Obama administration in June 2016 had changed longstanding policy, declaring that troops could serve openly as transgender individuals. And it set a July 2017 deadline for determining whether transgender people could be allowed to enter the military. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis delayed that to Jan. 1, 2018, and Trump has now instructed Mattis to extend it indefinitely."
'Not What I Signed Up For': Why This Fighter Pilot Is Running for Office
Via Hope Hodge Seck at Military.com: "Earlier this month, retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath grabbed national attention overnight when she announced a bid for Congress with a video ad that quickly went viral. Days ago, she released another spot, this one recalling the chilling role she was called to play in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Then a newly minted F/A-18 Hornet pilot stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, McGrath (call-sign 'Krusty') was one of the few weapons systems officers to report to the base before it was locked down."
-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
