‘A good kick': The story of the ball that led one of the bloodiest battles in history; The Pentagon’s ban on transgender service just fell — but the details are complicated; Why airport attacks are nearly impossible to defend against; Iraqi, U.S. aircraft bomb convoy of Islamic State fighters fleeing Fallujah with their families; Navy: ‘Poorly led and unprepared’ sailors were detained by Iran after multiple errors; Pentagon says bomb squad members won’t have to pay back massive debts they faced; 15 Marine drill instructors face allegations of hazing and assault at Parris Island;   A military blog by Dan Lamothe   ‘A good kick': The story of the ball that led one of the bloodiest battles in history "Where blood is poured like water, They drive the trickling ball." By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more » The Pentagon’s ban on transgender service just fell — but the details are complicated 'We don't want barriers unrelated to a person's qualification to serve,' the Pentagon chief said. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   Why airport attacks are nearly impossible to defend against "The unfortunate and simple fact is that it is impossible to stop every attack," said Ben Vogel the editor of IHS Janes Airport Review. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   Iraqi, U.S. aircraft bomb convoy of Islamic State fighters fleeing Fallujah with their families Scenes of destruction posted on social media show burned-out vehicles and corpses littering the desert. By Mustafa Salim and Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Navy: ‘Poorly led and unprepared’ sailors were detained by Iran after multiple errors A three-star admiral called the situation disappointing. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   Pentagon says bomb squad members won’t have to pay back massive debts they faced The decision was made one day after The Washington Post detailed their crisis. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   15 Marine drill instructors face allegations of hazing and assault at Parris Island The broadening scandal is likely to rock the service. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   Guns out: Why the Army moved to allow rolled sleeves for soldiers "We’re the only service that doesn’t do it, and we used to," said the Army's senior enlisted adviser. By Dan Lamothe  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Recommended for you   WorldViews Important stories from around the world, in your inbox daily. Sign Up »         Share Checkpoint:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you signed up for Checkpoint or because it is included in your subscription. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071