Veterans

Saoirse (pronounced SIR-sha, "like inertia") Ronan plays an alien and a human in the same body in the new romantic sci-fi film "The Host," based on a book by "Twilight" series author Stephenie Meyer. Ronan, who turns 19 in April, is already a seasoned thespian, with an Oscar nod for her performance in 2007's "Atonement. " Are you a fan of the "Twilight" vampire romance book and film series and its author, Stephenie Meyer? Is that what drew you to "The Host"? Yes, that was definitely one of the draws for me to work with Stephenie.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will ultimately cost between $4 trillion and $6 trillion, with medical care and disability benefits weighing heavily for decades to come, according to a new analysis. The bill to taxpayers so far has been $2 trillion, plus $260 billion in interest on the resulting debt. By comparison, the current federal budget is $3.8 trillion. The costs of the wars will continue to mount, said the study's author, Linda Bilmes, a public policy expert at Harvard University.

WASHINGTON - Federal authorities arrested and charged a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran turned Middle East "freedom fighter" with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction - a rocket-propelled grenade - after allegedly joining Al Qaeda-linked forces fighting President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria. Eric Harroun was arrested after flying into Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, returning from the Middle East. Authorities said he had previously made "voluntary" statements to FBI agents about his activities fighting with Al Qaeda in Iraq's Al Nusra Front as part of an "RPG team" in Syria.

WASHINGTON - Federal authorities arrested and charged a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran turned Middle East “freedom fighter” with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction -- a rocket-propelled grenade -- after allegedly joining the Al Qaeda in Iraq network and its forces fighting President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria. Eric Harroun was arrested after flying into Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, returning from a flight from Syria. He allegedly made “voluntary” statements to FBI agents about his activities fighting with Al Qaeda's Al Nusrah Front as part of an “RPG Team” in Syria.

Wounded soldiers and veterans can now go through airport screening gates without removing their shoes, hats or light jackets, the Transportation Security Administration announced. The TSA's decision to ease screening for wounded soldiers comes about two weeks after the agency came under harsh criticism over the way it screened a wheelchair-bound U.S. Marine at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. In the March 13 incident, critics of the TSA say that screeners humiliated the Marine by forcing him to remove his prosthetic legs and then put them back on to walk through a full-body scanner.

Sheldon Souray was persona non grata as an Edmonton Oiler. With the Ducks, the veteran defenseman has been exactly what the team needed to help resurrect it from playoff onlooker to Stanley Cup contender. His 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame boosts his ability to shut down the opposition while facilitating the offense alongside another reborn veteran, Francois Beauchemin. They are the top plus/minus defensive duo in the NHL through Wednesday, Souray ranking first among defensemen and sixth overall at plus-22 and Beauchemin ranking second among defensemen at plus-20.

TEMPE, Ariz. - Veteran reliever Mark Lowe, released by the pitching-deep Dodgers over the weekend, signed a minor league contract with the Angels on Wednesday, and it appears likely he will make the club. “He has a power arm, and if he throws to his capabilities, there's no doubt he can help us in our bullpen,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “What role remains to be seen, but we'll get a look at him in the Freeway Series and see if his talent shows up, because he has a terrific arm.” Lowe, 29, has a 3.94 career earned run average in seven seasons, including a 3.43 ERA in 36 games with the Texas Rangers last season, but with the Dodgers pushing several of their excess starters to the bullpen, there was no room for Lowe in Los Angeles.

A large U.S. military map of Husaybah, a remote city on the Iraqi border with Syria, was spread across a table in the garage of a home outside the Marine Corps base here. The young men looking at the map know a great deal about Husaybah: They fought some of the bloodiest battles of the U.S.' long war in Iraq there. Remembrance of those days, unscripted and passionate, was at the heart of a reunion this past weekend of 75-plus Marines who served in Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.

In a sign of turmoil in Wendy Greuel's campaign for Los Angeles mayor, her field director and three others resigned this week after an abrupt shift in strategy to turn out supporters in the May runoff against Eric Garcetti. All four of those who quit were veterans of the high-tech operation used in President Obama's reelection campaign. They specialize in mining data to target likely supporters and persuade them to vote, a crucial task in close, low-turnout elections. In a statement Friday, Greuel said she was expanding her field team by hiring consultant Sue Burnside, who worked on her previous City Council and controller campaigns.

An Iraq war veteran, paralyzed by a sniper's bullet, is preparing to take his own life rather than live sick. “My life is coming to an end,” Tomas Young wrote in an open letter published on Truthdig.com this week. “I am living under hospice care.” Young, an Army veteran, has decided he will stop taking food, water and medicine until finally death takes him, and he is giving a politically charged farewell before he goes. The Iraq war began 10 years ago this month, and Young was one of its most famous lingering casualties.