Tuesday marks Vietnam Veterans Day: Last U.S. troops left Vietnam

Today marks Vietnam Veterans Day. On this day in 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam on a flight home from Saigon's Tan Son Nhut Air Base, signaling the end of U.S. involvement in the war.

Events are held countrywide to honor those who served. In commemoration of the those who served during the ‪#VietnamWar‬, many communities around the country will hold ceremonies today and Wednesday in recognition of the service and sacrifice of ‪#VietnamVeterans‬. The Department of Defense has released a moving tribute to Vietnam Veterans in this video.

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The Pentagon has proposed significant changes to how troops are tried and sentenced, two years after a comprehensive review of the military justice system was ordered by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in the wake of persistent sexual assault controversies, according to Stars and Stripes.

The changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice are the first proposed by the Pentagon in 30 years, after years of Congress mandating change, and would also make the system more transparent to public view.

The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to be briefed on the proposed guidelines in the next few weeks.

For decades, the military’s unique sentencing procedures have required untrained military jurors to decide guilt or innocence as well as impose sentences upon conviction. In most military crimes, there were no minimum sentences, and legally allowed maximum punishment could include life in prison. Under the Pentagon proposal, military judges in all cases would decide sentences based on U.S. Department of Justice guidelines.

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U.S. warplanes carried out airstrikes around Mosul on Monday in the intensifying effort to set conditions for retaking the ISIS stronghold in northwestern Iraq as part of the overall effort to defeat the terror group that has cost at least $6.5 billion, the U.S. military said, according to Military.com.

Attack and fighter aircraft carried out four strikes near Mosul, hitting a headquarters and a tactical unit, destroying an assembly area and suppressing a mortar unit of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, according to a statement from Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.

Six other strikes were conducted in Iraq, including one near Sinjar west of Mosul that hit an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a heavy machine gun position, the task force said. U.S. and coalition manned aircraft and drones also conducted four strikes in Syria.

The latest strikes marked the third consecutive day of air operations in which the U.S. and the coalition carried out a total of 10 strikes in Syria and 51 in Iraq, including 12 around Mosul against the militant group.

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A female staff non-commissioned officer will be the first woman to attempt MARSOC's rigorous selection process, Marine officials confirmed, according to Marine Times.

An East Coast-based staff sergeant in the administrative community will attempt Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command's six-week assessment and selection course in August, said Capt. Barry Morris, a MARSOC spokesman. The Marine will be the first woman to attempt the multi-phased preparatory course since the military lifted its decades-old ban on women serving in combat roles earlier this year.

If she makes it through both three-week phases and is selected to attempt MARSOC's Individual Training Course, she could go on to become the first-ever female critical skills operator.

The first phase of the assessment and selection process includes a mix of classroom instruction and physical training. Marines have to prove they are fit for the fundamental skills required of Raiders by meeting tough running, swimming and hiking requirements.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Tuesday marks Vietnam Veterans Day: Last U.S. troops left Vietnam."