Navy’s first female admiral has died
Rear Admiral Alene Duerk, the Navy’s first female admiral, who became a trailblazer as the Navy opened up more opportunities for women, has died. She was 98 years old.
The Naval History and Heritage Command says that Duerk died July 21. She had been living in a suburb of Orlando, Fla.
Duerk was born in Ohio. After graduating from nursing school in 1941, she entered the U.S. Naval Reserve and was appointed an ensign in the Nurse Corps. During World War II, she worked on a hospital ship off the Marshall Islands in the Pacific and later treated Allied troops who had been prisoners of war.
She would go on to lead the Navy Nurse Corps.
President Nixon approved her selection as the first female rear admiral in 1972. AP
U.S. military in Africa says changes made to protect troops
The head of the U.S. military in Africa says it has taken steps to increase the security of troops on the ground, adding armed drones and armored vehicles and taking a harder look at when American forces go out with local troops.
The U.S. Africa Command chief says in an interview that the U.S. also has cut the response time needed for medical evacuations — the result of a broad review in the wake of last year’s ambush in Niger that killed four U.S. soldiers and four of their Niger counterparts.
Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser says a report is due in mid-August on actions taken in response to the findings.
He says Africa’s challenges remain vast, from Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked groups in the west to al-Shabab in the east. AP
Generals from Koreas discuss easing military confrontation
Generals from the rival Koreas are meeting at their tense border for talks on how to ease military confrontation.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry says the July 31 general-level talks at the border village of Panmunjom are part of efforts to implement April’s inter-Korean summit military agreements.
During the summit, the rival Korean leaders agreed to work to pull back from the danger of another war on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korean media report the talks may focus on dropping the number of military guards at a jointly controlled area at Panmunjom and withdrawing heavy weapons from the site.
The meeting comes four days after North Korea returned the reported remains of U.S. soldiers missing from the 1950-53 Korean War. AP