Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

February 28, 2017     Commander: Coalition forces won't reoccupy Mosul airport U.S. and other foreign troops don’t plan to reoccupy the newly liberated Mosul airport, a coalition ground force commander in Iraq said.   Trump's defense spending push may start with Boeing Super Hornet President Donald Trump's push to increase defense spending is starting with a $30 billion amendment to this year's budget that may boost funding for war supplies, readiness and depots, but also possibly for Boeing's Super Hornet jet, according to officials.   US Air Force weighs buying throwback 'light-attack' planes Faced with a potentially protracted war against the Islamic State, aging fighter jets and a shrinking force of pilots, the U.S. Air Force is examining the adoption of a new fleet of "light-attack" planes.   Robots take to the court for regional tournament at Aviano Basketball season might have just ended, but McNeely Gym will be full of competitors playing a variation on hoops this weekend.   Grandmother fighting for veterans benefits as she raises orphaned child  Bella Bulmer’s dad died in his Army barracks, killed by a stranger. Her mother, Beth Bulmer, died almost exactly eight years later on a dark Tulare County road in California, the victim of a still-unsolved hit-and-run. Now, the 55-year-old grandmother who’s raising Bella in California fights for veterans benefits while she hopes for a break in the case that haunts her.   Southern Illinois university wants national honor society for military, veteran students Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has launched SALUTE, a national honor society that honors military and veteran students for their service and academic performance.   Facebook post on VA treatment of patients causes uproar A Marine Corps veteran and his wife say the scene inside a VA hospital in Durham, North Carolina, was so shocking that they felt compelled to take pictures and post them to Facebook.