Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

July 4, 2017     US senators spend Independence Day with troops in Afghanistan A group of U.S. senators celebrated Independence Day on Tuesday in Afghanistan, where they met with American servicemembers and said major changes were needed to win the war.   N. Korea claims to have tested ICBM as US celebrates Independence Day North Korea claimed it test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile Tuesday following a launch that drew condemnation from President Donald Trump and sharply raised the stakes in the standoff over the communist state’s nuclear weapons program.   US-backed forces breach wall around Raqqa’s Old City U.S.-backed forces in Syria have breached the wall around Raqqa's Old City, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, marking a major advance in the weeks-old battle to drive Islamic State militants out of their self-declared capital.   Islamic State mounts final stand for Mosul as bloodied and dazed civilians flee Elite Iraqi rapid-response forces said Tuesday that they were calling in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes at close quarters as Iraqi special forces moved door to door, evacuating civilians who had cowered in their homes through the final, terrifying assault.   No 'specific agenda,' but Trump, Putin have lots to discuss The White House says there's "no specific agenda" for President Donald Trump's first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. So in the absence of a set list of topics, what are two of the world's most famously unpredictable leaders to discuss?   UK honors Americans who died in WWII plane crash Thanks to the efforts of one Brit with a heart for preserving the past and a little crowdfunding savvy, a memorial has been placed in the rural English countryside near the site of a tragic 1944 crash.   Jordan soldier says he fired at US troops in fear of attack  A Jordanian soldier charged with killing three U.S. Army Green Berets told a military court on Tuesday that he opened fire because he thought fellow Jordanian troops had come under attack but that he felt no resentment toward Americans.   Senate panel wants to fund Air Force light-attack planes An upcoming Air Force competition that includes two Wichita-built military planes has taken on more importance following actions by a Senate panel.   US marks Independence Day with pomp, dazzle, hot dog contest Tuesday's festivities stretch from a baseball home run derby in London to a picnic at the White House to a Utah ski town where residents initially weren't even sure they'd be home for Independence Day after recent wildfires.   Free backpacks, school supplies offered to military children Families of wounded warriors and junior enlisted military personnel can register now to receive free backpacks and back-to-school supplies for their children from the Operation Homefront Back-to-School Brigade.   Vietnam veteran, pen pal meet face to face after 52 years Handwritten letters are a relic of the past, often discarded in favor of instant access afforded by the Internet and mobile phones. But for one 22-year-old soldier stationed in Vietnam and the 11-year-old girl who wrote to him for a school project back in 1965, such letters formed the foundation of a friendship.   Loss, service, patriotism, resistance: Veterans' tattoos speak loudly Many active service members and veterans boast similar artwork on their arms, legs, backs and hands. Expressing a dedication words perhaps cannot, these bodily remembrances tell tales of loss, service, patriotism and resistance.