Scott Air Force Base bioenvironmental specialists and explosive ordnance disposal technicians have found nothing of significance at the official mail center here, base officials said.

At approximately 9:30 a.m. Aug. 31, two U.S. postal workers and a military mail specialist were sent to a local hospital after experiencing adverse reactions to handling mail; all three were later released.

Thirteen other personnel were decontaminated on site as a precautionary measure, base officials said, and one other person later self-identified and went through the decontamination process.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised Army Gen. David H. Petraeus for his 37 years in uniform, noting the four-star general ranks among the great military leaders in U.S. history.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen hosted Petraeus' Joint Service Retirement Ceremony. Mullen said Petraeus set the "gold standard for command in wartime."

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Following the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010, U.S. Southern Command established Joint Task Force Haiti, which included U.S. ships and aircraft, to race to the aid of thousands trapped in the rubble and millions without shelter. For the first time in history, the U.S. military employed the MV-22B Osprey in support of humanitarian assistance.

Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) conducted a civilian contingency support drill at sea Aug. 29.

The drill helped prepare the crew for potential large-scale humanitarian aid operations and taught Wasp Sailors how to effectively interact with and assist those in need.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for an American civilian to come aboard and integrate into shipboard life," said Lt. Cmdr. Ronald Williams, Wasp training officer.

Video by U.S. Army

Video by 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard"

SCHOHARIE, NY -- Armed with high-axle trucks, good will and the willingness to help, New York Army National Guard Soldiers of the 719th Transportation Company joined local police to rescue people trapped by Hurricane Irene flood waters here on Aug. 29.

Soldiers of the company, based in Harlem, are among the 2,500 New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mobilized in response to the landfall and aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which has caused deaths, destruction and disarray in other states along the east coast.

In some lines of work, truly substantial learning requires that you blow things up.

That was the idea behind Ravens Challenge, a three-day live-fire exercise at Leschi Town -- the premier mock village for training on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., -- that brought together military Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD, and civilian bomb technicians from across Washington State and even agencies from as far as Portland, Ore., and British Columbia, Canada, Aug. 24-26.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Air Force officials said the unveiling of the F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter was a "historic occasion" during a rollout ceremony here Aug. 26.

The F-35A, on display during the ceremony, was delivered here in July by Lt. Col. Eric Smith, the Air Force's first F-35 pilot.

"This is indeed a new era," said Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr., the Air Education and Training Command commander and host of the milestone event.