U.S. hospital in Germany home for Marines wounded in Afghanistan - As combat continues in Afghanistan, many of the military personnel from Camp Pendleton who are wounded in the fighting are being evacuated to a U.S. hospital in Germany. Many are then airlifted back to the U.S. for further treatment, including at Naval Medical Center San Diego. More than 13,000 wounded personnel have been treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center adjacent to the Ramstein Air Force Base since 2004. It's the largest American-run medical facility outside the U.S. Army Ranger from Encinitas killed in bombing in Afghanistan - An Army Ranger from Encinitas died in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, his family told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Wednesday. Casey J. Grochowiak, 34, had been in the Army for 15 years and was two weeks into his third tour in Afghanistan, the newspaper reported. Grochowiak is survived by his wife, 14-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son. Navy divers play key role in Operation Clean Sweep - Navy divers from the San Diego area played a key role in an effort to clean up the San Diego Bay this past week. The clean-up was part of Operation Clean Sweep, in which more than 1,000 members from the waterfront community annually gather to clean designated areas of San Diego Bay including underwater sites. "We have seven teams who have volunteered their time on a Saturday to help clean up the bay," said Senior Chief Navy Diver Scott Valentine. "It says a lot about the Sailors who are willing to give up their weekends to help out." Army officer comes home to the Marines - When Cpl. Jeff Van Cleave left the Marine Corps in 1990 in hopes of becoming an officer, he wasn't sure he'd ever come back to the Marine Corps. Now, the Army major, who proudly wears the 1st Marine Division patch on his uniform, has returned and is responsible for all artillery in Helmand province in Afghanistan. 'It's been 20 years since I was a part of the Marines,' said Van Cleave, now the fire support coordinator for 1st Marine Division (Forward). 'My career has really come full circle. I guess it's like they say: 'once a Marine, always a Marine.'' Hiroshima: Anniversary of Armageddon - "The Marines I met in Hiroshima know that they may be called upon to risk their lives to defend Japanese territory and American interests at the same time. But they also understand, in a way that most other Americans, and probably most members of Congress, don't, that failure to maintain a strong U.S. military presence in Asia is an invitation to the kind of regional conflict that could produce another Hiroshima."
