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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student news organization since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Lifting the combat ban could be counterproductive

Lifting the combat ban could be counterproductive

By AJ Edwards | February 5, 2013

On Jan. 24, 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women serving in combat. I personally believe that this is a very bad idea. I’m not a chauvinist, I just believe that this could be counterproductive. The main reason I’m against women...

Equality in the military is most important

Equality in the military is most important

By Cody Laplante | February 5, 2013

There are women in pretty much every position you can think of. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. Many of us do not judge a female’s capabilities in any of these professions. However, when the Pentagon makes policy...

NIU hosts Save-A-Vet event

By Joe Palmer | January 31, 2013

NIU played host to a four-legged furry hero during “The Other Forgotten Veteran,” a program sponsored by Save-A-Vet. Save-A-Vet is an Illinois-based non-profit whose mission is to rescue retired canines who have served in American military or police...

Support for veterans is very important

By AJ Edwards | January 30, 2013

Returning home after a long trip can sometimes leave you feeling stressed, anxious or even a little bit depressed. Sometimes it’s because you left a wonderful vacation and now have to deal with the reality of being a student or an employee. Maybe you’re...

A female ROTC cadet crouches during a ROTC field exercise.

Military ban raises equality discussion on campus

By Kevin Steiger | January 29, 2013

After news broke that the ban on females in combat roles would be abolished by 2016, students and Huskie Battalion members reacted to the prospect of posts being available to women for the first time. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced...

Family, friends of Sycamore veteran to hold cancer benefit

By Hailey Kurth | March 7, 2012

At age 23, Craig Clendening, a Sycamore native and military veteran, was diagnosed with stage three cancer. The diagnosis came seven months after Clendening returned from serving in the military in Iraq. His aunt, Melissa Butts, said Clendening is one...

An ROTC member rehearses for a mission in Marseilles in March.
The mission was just part of the spring field training exercises
for the NIU ROTC.

ROTC competes in four-mile course

By Chelsey Boutan | October 21, 2011

Not many people can say they have dragged cement blocks, climbed over 12 foot high walls or carried a 35 pound backpack across six miles of rugged terrain. Lt. Colonel David Dosier said the Huskie Battalion participates in local competitions like the...

Looking back on the effects of 9/11 after bin Laden’s death

By Aaron Brooks | May 2, 2011

On September 11, 2001 I was in my high school welding class. Welding started at 7 a.m., and we were just getting ready to take off our leathers and go on a short break before resuming the second hour. Just before 8 a.m., Beau Caldwell, a classmate walked...

Lt. Dan Choi (center) meets with attendees Monday night at the Carl Sandburg Auditorium to talk about homosexuality in the military.

Lt. Dan Choi discusses his stuggles as an openly gay military member

By Dave Gong | April 25, 2011

Activist Lt. Dan Choi appeared at the Holmes Student Center Monday night to discuss activism and his personal struggles as an openly gay member of the United States military. A West Point graduate, Choi has been an active opponent of the military's "don't...

Armed forces need more accountability, not less funding

April 18, 2011

Aaron Brooks' column, "The US needs to cut defense spending and condense the military," was out of touch and uninformed. His argument essentially amounted to: "the U.S. spends more money than everyone else; therefore, we should spend less."What Brooks...

The US needs to cut defense spending and condense the military

By Aaron Brooks | April 12, 2011

Have we learned anything over the past 10 years? May God have mercy on our souls because we have not. In 2010, the total amount of money appropriated for both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars equaled over a trillion dollars, according to the Congressional...

What is the US’s goal in Libya?

By David Thomas | March 21, 2011

This last week saw the situation in Libya intensify as international forces got involved in the mix. Uncharacteristically (to American audiences anyway), France led the way, even firing the first shot as demonstrated here. Now U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen,...