More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan were sent anyway, according to DoD records. The numbers of nondeployable soldiers are based on health assessment forms filled out by medical personnel.

For the most part, armed robots are a Western phenomenon, with massive defense budgets and multi-national contractors. While the U.S. remains the definitive leader in unmanned military vehicles, some of the most promising ones are being developed in other countries.

Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in his hometown. As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics. But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball exploded, killing him instantly.

Senate lawmakers backed a 3.9 percent pay raise for all military personnel in their first draft of the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill. Lawmakers said the 3.9 percent pay raise, 0.5 percent above what defense officials requested, is designed to close the gap between military and civilian pay.