By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2011 - Because U.S. forces are coming home from Iraq by the end of the year, the U.S. Postal Service will stop accepting mail addressed to military post offices in Iraq starting Nov. 17, Defense Department officials said today.

Military post offices in Iraq also will stop processing mail Nov. 17, and service members there should begin now to advise those who send them mail about the Nov. 17 deadline.

Operation:Lighten the Load is a campaign designed to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the heavy burden of military life for service members and their families alike, and what we can do to make life easier for those who are dedicated to serving our nation.

For families of deployed military personnel, support programs and services help make life easier as they try to cope and continue marching forward in the absence of their loved one. For our troops — both at home and away — helping care for them and their families lifts the weight of worry from their shoulders, so they can feel confident that their loved ones are in good hands.

By Bradley Cantor 
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2011 - A U.S. Navy ship that's rested on the bottom of the Patuxent River for nearly 200 years is slowly revealing its secrets to archaeologists, a senior Navy administrator said yesterday.

During a "DOD Live" bloggers roundtable, Bob Neyland, head of the Navy's underwater archaeology branch, discussed the excavation of the USS Scorpion, which was scuttled during the War of 1812.