NPR People: Tom Bowman

During Word War II, Norman Hatch was a combat cameraman who witnessed — and filmed — some of the most bitter fighting in the Pacific theater. His efforts ended with, of all things, an Academy Award — for footage so brutal that it took special permission from President Franklin Roosevelt to allow the film to be shown as a newsreel.

U.S. and Afghan forces are continuing an offensive to clear insurgents from Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. But the most difficult part of the operation — paving the way for Afghans to take the reins and establish effective local governance — has only begun.

The Hurt Locker has been hailed by critics for its gritty portrayal of Army bomb disposal troops. But veterans say the film — nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture — is riddled with inaccuracies.

Afghan security forces are working alongside U.S. Marines in the offensive in Marjah, a Taliban stronghold in the south. But U.S. and Afghan officials still face huge problems recruiting, training and retaining Afghan soldiers. And that could jeopardize President Obama's plan to begin removing U.S. troops next year.

A longstanding ban on women serving on submarines is being lifted. Defense Secretary Robert Gates notified Congress in a letter that the Navy intends to repeal the ban.

The just-completed report recommends several officers be reprimanded or admonished for their failures in overseeing Maj. Nidal Hasan, NPR has learned. Hasan is charged with killing 13 people in a November shooting rampage.

Thousands of NATO troops and Afghan soldiers began an offensive Saturday against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. The operation is an attempt to establish Afghan government control over the area.

The nation's top military officer told senators Tuesday he supports overturning the law barring gays from serving openly in the ranks. Adm. Mike Mullen's comments were the first time a senior active-duty officer has called for ending what's known as don't ask don't tell, which has forced thousands of gay servicemen from the ranks since it was enacted in 1993.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, the top military officer, testify before Congress on Tuesday about the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. They are expected to discuss what the Pentagon would need to do if Congress chose to abolish the federal law that prohibits homosexuals from serving openly in the military.

In Afghanistan, the theft of public and private land is a growing form of corruption. President Hamid Karzai has vowed to tackle the vexing issue. But one obstacle to his vision is his own brother, who is allegedly at the center of land grabs in Kandahar province.

President Obama has vowed to end a policy that discourages openly gay individuals from serving openly in the military. Since it was passed in 1993, thousands of gay service members have been kicked out. But support in Congress is lukewarm and the reaction from the Joint Chiefs has been decidedly cool.

There is some criticism that the U.S. military is moving too slowly to relieve the suffering in Haiti after last week's earthquake. It took days to get Marines and a brigade of the Army's 82nd Airborne to start relief efforts. Meanwhile, there are worries that the U.S. military could become an occupying force.

The Pentagon is moving troops, planes and ships to take part in the Haitian relief effort. That effort is slower than expected. One reason: the military is coping with the same challenges as civilian aid groups — a small airport and a demolished port. But one U.S. general says the White House made a mistake by putting the State Department's Agency for International Development in charge of the effort instead of the U.S. military.

Military officials release an internal review of the Fort Hood shooting Friday. The report will examine why the military failed to recognize that Major Nidal Hasan might be a threat to fellow soldiers.

The U.S. military is sending ships and planes to help the relief effort in Haiti, and preparing to send thousands of soldiers and Marines there as well. The question is whether the response will be fast enough because it will take days to move all those people and all that equipment.