Veterans
Former Army medical officer T.J. Laynor knows full well that physical wounds suffered in combat will heal eventually as Soldiers learn to make the necessary adjustments in their lives to cope with their injuries. However, the mental wounds and damage to their self-confidence can take much longer to heal. Laynor, who
Military Life
Though the Woodbrook Hunt Club (WHC) was only officially registered in 1926 with the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, huntsmen have been hunting in this area for more than a century. The WHC credits its military neighbor, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, for its existence, since its members' ability to conduct rides
News Front
A recent survey by the First Command Financial Behaviors Index revealed a significant difference between civilian and military voters when it comes to the most critical issues for the upcoming 2016 Presidential election. Of highest importance to voting members of the military were: 1) future defense spending, 2) the threat
News Front
The South Sound Military & Communities Partnership has completed its survey of area residents associated with the military for 2016. Formed in 2011, the SSMCP tracks how the military and local communities interact with one another socially and economically. Patterns over the last five years have shown a strong co-dependency -Joint
Tacoma Week In Review
City Hall Protest Around 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning I was woken by the sound of chanting protestors gathering across the street from my apartment in front of the City of Tacoma Municipal Building. "Yes we cannabis!" was the rallying call of day (a not-so-subtle nod to President Obama's election slogan, if
People Rule
Lieutenant Colonel Evelyn Lundstrom-Weiss and Lt. Col. Eleanor Baker have spent nearly a lifetime with the Washington Wing of the Civil Air Patrol at McChord Field. The only thing they might have committed more time to than their service is each other. The two sisters, often referred
Attractions
You don’t have to go scary to enjoy the Halloween and harvest-time options available around the South Sound and beyond this month, and many won’t give a fright to your pocketbook. Whether you want to dress up your children, yourself or your fur kids, take a romp
Arts
How unlikely was it that 40,000 works of Russian avant-garde art, forbidden by the former Soviet Union, would be housed in a museum in Uzbekistan? When told about the museum, filmmaker Tchavdar Georgiev at first didn't even believe it. "We heard about this incredible collection in the middle of the desert," says
Military Life
There aren't many stores Dayna Zion can rely on that sell the original Star Wars figurines her son collects. Other than eBay and the occasional lucky find at garage sales, Zion goes to the McChord Field Thrift Shop to peruse a massive collection of not only Star Wars-related items, but
Music
In a place like Tacoma, it can be easy to get a little cozy and start taking things for granted. There are certain businesses, people, bits of natural beauty, artists and bands that we all collectively assume will just be around forever. When it comes to bands, it's easy to
Arts
The traveling exhibition "30 Americans," from the famed Rubell Family Collection in Miami, makes its first West Coast stop at Tacoma Art Museum. With 45 works from 30 of the best African American artists since the 1970s, this is one of the more important shows to ever grace the galleries
Music
Some artists are so inextricably associated with where they come from that it's nearly impossible to not mention them and their hometown in the same sentence. Once this connection gets formed in your mind, there's no getting rid of it. I could ask 100 random people the first thing they
Stage
Visitors to legendary comic Emo Philips' Wikipedia page learn in its first sentence that Philips is a master of the paraprosdokian. That was a new one on us, too. A paraprosdokian, from the Greek for "counter to expectations," is a witty remark in which the last phrase is a surprise
Music
My, how time flies. It's true what they say. Life seems to be zipping past all of us faster than ever. It's white-knuckle stuff. Now, imagine you were an island themed souvenir working for the Weekly Volcano with a questionable visa and a not-so-secret dependency on mid-afternoon boxed wine. Imagine every
South Sound Cinema
At the best of times, being a lover of film provides an unending journey of discovery, sifting through the hundreds of films released each year in search of gems. This feedback loop of sorting and viewing and discarding and embracing new sights and voices has been reinforced in recent years
News Front
Chad Mackay has always had a profound admiration for serving those who serve us. So much so, that even with the 20th anniversary of his family's famed Seattle restaurant, El Gaucho, on the horizon, Mackay wanted to somehow give back to the community. El Gaucho has partnered once again with
News Front
Team. That's the one word Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza used when asked to describe the just ended Association of the United States Army's annual meeting. "Team," said the commander of I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The AUSA 2006 Annual Meeting and Exposition took place from the 3rd through the 5th this week at
News
On Aug. 29, 1969, things weren't looking good for Gary Birka and Rick Adler. The two men were fighting for their lives in Vietnam, surrounded by North Vietnamese Army troops. Mortars and small arms fire tore into their platoon's position as they fought for survival. Of their 25-man element, all
People Rule
When asked, individuals who are thinking of joining the military will provide a number of reasons — economics, they need a job; to build a better future by having the military pay for college, so they can get a job; tradition…their family members may have served. When you
