The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Pentagon" ...
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Lost to History: When War Records Go Missing
"Lost to History: When War Records Go Missing" revealed that military field records from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were never kept, destroyed or simply could not be found, leaving veterans with combat injuries or disability claims unable to prove they saw action. The widespread failure by the military to keep and preserve these records - records that have been kept since America's Revolutionary War - leaves war historians in the dark about the granular details that, when woven together, tell larger stories hidden from participants in the day-to-day confusion of combat. “Lost to History" showed that dozens of Army units and U.S. Central Command lacked adequate war records, how Pentagon leaders had years of warnings but never sufficiently addressed the problem, and how commanders failed to take record keeping orders seriously. The stories vividly narrate the personal costs of this failure. The lack of field records forced Spc. Christopher Delara to struggle for years before receiving treatment he was entitled to for post-traumatic stress syndrome. And the missing material deepened the grief of Jim Butler, who searched for years to find the truth about his son’s death in combat.
Tags: War; war records; Iraq; Afghanistan; veterans
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Wounded Warriors
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review began following up on tips worldwide from military personnel inside the Warrior Transition Units, the special military-medical wards constructed in the aftermath of the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. After months of gathering leaked documents and compiling numerous interviews at bases nationwide, especially with soldiers, the Tribune leaked reams of secret reports detailing the Pentagon's own inspection of medical wards.
Tags: Military Personnel; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Washington D.C. Documents
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"Brain Wars: How the Military Is Failing Its Wounded"
NPR and ProPublica teamed up to investigate the "medical system for America's troops and veterans." Brain damage caused by "shock waves" from roadside bombs have become the "signature wounds" of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military promised to improve the health care for this type of injury, but reporters found a lack of diagnosis and treatment for the brain damage, as well as "bureaucratic indifference."
Tags: Iraq; Afghanistan; roadside bombs; military; Walter Reed Army Medical Center; TBI; brain injury; Fort Bliss; Pentagon; Building 805
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Domestic Abuse Inside the U.S. Military
Domestic violence acts in the Army have been “steadily rising over the last decade, despite Army reports to the contrary”. Many Army spouses’ slain as a result of the domestic violence and many involving soldiers who saw action in Iraq. Also, a level of violence was soaring around some of the largest Army installations “through examination of police records and court filings”.
Tags: Congressional; Pentagon; weapons; FOIA; Fort Hood; Army Rangers; families; abuse; bureaucracy; advocates; mental health
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Four Stars for Hire
Retired senior officers are been hired by the US military as senior mentors. These mentors counsel current commanders and run war games. Further, the mentors are being paid at rates much higher than the active-duty officers. Also, they are not just working for the military; many are employed by defense contractors. So these mentors are not only being paid large sums by the US government, they are also receiving income from the defense firms.
Tags: Retired senior officers; Military; Mentors; Commanders; Defense contractors; Financial; Marines; Pentagon; Wages; Generals; Admirals; US government
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The Man Who Conned The Pentagon
Dennis Montgomery, a self-proclaimed scientist, believed he could decrypt secret communication between Al Qaeda. He had been doing this for years and convincing the US national security establishments of this information. His bizarre intelligence caused plane cancellations, orange alerts, and chaos throughout America. Further, this story reveals specific contracts and a number of events caused by certain people.
Tags: War on Terror; Dennis Montgomery; Al Qaeda; Terrorists attacks; US Intelligence agencies; US Government; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
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Shaping the Message
The Pentagon contracted a public relations firm to profile embedded journalists reporting on missions in Afghanistan. The profiling program was meant to drive journalists to report positively and deny embed requests from those who tended to report negatively on the conflict. Within six days of public exposure to this information, the Pentagon canceled the contract.
Tags: Pentagon; contract; journalists; embedded; profiling; stars and stripes; reporting; reporters; Rendon;
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Pentagon Travel
"Pentagon Travel" details special interest involvement in Pentagon travel expenses. A year-long analysis revealed that between 1998 and 2007 22,000 Pentagon trips worth at least $26 million were funded by business and foreign interests. The Center for Public Integrity in conjunction with Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism uncover the specific Pentagon relationships with outside interests sponsoring military trips.
Tags: Pentagon; travel; expenses; outside interests; military; kickbacks
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CSAR-X: Rescue Chopper Requirements Sacrificed for Schedule and Rivalries
The U.S. Air Force violated its own procedures and guidelines to pick a new helicopter for its combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) fleet. The Air Force chose an aircraft that did not meet the rescuer's requirements because it was settling old rivalries and arbitrary deadlines.
Tags: special operations command; army; armed forces; government accountability office; Pentagon Inspector General;
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Big Gov: Runaway Spending Under Bush
President George W. Bush's spending for defense and homeland security opened up a funding funnel that poured billions into a poorly managed and badly supervised contracting system.
Tags: George Bush; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Defense; federal government; money; contracts; budget; bureaucracy; economy; Pentagon