As Rick Anderson periodically reminds us, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has been called many things over the years, from shell shock to "irritable heart." Now, a Seattle-based retired general and former Army vice-chief of staff is trying to change the name again to encourage more soldiers to seek treatment.

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Russell

Joint Base Lewis-McChord officials today announced that Sgt. John M. Russell, accused of murdering five fellow service members in Iraq two years ago, has officially been charged with the massacre and will face the death penalty if convicted at court-martial, despite a judge's earlier recommendation that Russell not face execution because he is mentally ill.

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With his unit ambushed by more than 200 Taliban fighters and trapped in a firefight that lasted more than 13 hours, Sgt. Tavis Delaney went into hero mode. After coordinating a series of airstrikes, the Washington Air National Guardsman rallied his fellow soldiers for an uphill charge that was caught on camera.

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Over the past week, concerns about the anti-malarial Lariam--facing scrutiny after the Afghan massacre allegedly committed by a local solider--have gotten even more attention. Stories about the drug have appeared everywhere from military-oriented publications to the Canadian and German press. Meanwhile, an Army doctor who has turned Lariam into a personal research project has come out with a new paper.

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Five soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord are reportedly under investigation for smuggling an anti-tank weapon off the base last fall, and a bust earlier this year by the ATF targeted a group of alleged meth dealers who also peddled assault rifles and grenade launchers. Welcome to the arms bazaar that is Tacoma, Washington.

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Elspeth Ritchie

On Tuesday Seattle Weekly's Nina Shapiro crafted a post about former top military psychiatrist and current chief clinical officer for the District of Columbia's mental health department Elspeth Ritchie and her questions about the military's continued use of the anti-malarial drug Lariam. These questions are especially pertinent in the wake of the recent Afghan massacre allegedly carried out by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.

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When the possible connection between the anti-malarial drug Lariam and the recent Afghan massacre hit the news, retired Lt. Col. Greg Alderete wasn't shocked. "Hey, we've been saying this for some time," relates the Lakewood 55-year-old, referring to Lariam's potentially damaging side effects. Just last fall, in fact, Alderete co-founded a group called Veterans Against Lariam.

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Why is the military continuing to use the dangerous anti-malarial drug Lariam? That's the question former top military psychiatrist Elspeth Ritchie is asking in the wake of the Afghan massacre allegedly carried out by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.

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Washington's Hanford nuclear facility is home to the world's worst radioactive dump site. This year for the first time ever, the Department of Energy is allowing school kids to tour the world's original production-scale nuclear reactor, but there are plenty of secrets which the tour guide probably won't mention.

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Flying drones have become commonplace in the skies of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia, but now domesticated drones are starting to fill American skies. Seattle Police are among the first departments in the nation to use the high-tech surveillance tool only recently considered science fiction.

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