Army official apologizes for mistakes - Probe of Canton soldier's death hurt by series of errors, family says

The inspector general of the Army has apologized to the family of a Canton soldier killed by friendly fire.

He told the family Friday that "anything that could have gone wrong, went wrong" in the subsequent investigation into the death as well as in communication between the military and the family.

Peggy Buryj, mother of Army Pfc. Jesse Buryj, 21, said three officials, including Army Inspector Lt. General Stanley E. Green, met with her, her husband, Steve, and their daughter, Angela Sokol, for three hours.

Green did not want to comment on meeting with the family other than to say the death of Pfc. Buryj was discussed.

Army retooling itself to fight counterinsurgency wars

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. At this historic Army post on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, the Army has mounted an intense effort to train its soldiers how to fight insurgents more effectively in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond.

Fort Leavenworth is where all-black regiments known as "buffalo soldiers" once galloped off to police the American frontier. Later generations here studied how to defeat Soviet tank divisions. Now the United States Army Combined Arms Center has retooled the Army's leadership and training programs to focus on what motivates insurgents, the strategies and tactics they use and the cultures in which they operate.

The shift away from major combat operations to irregular warfare is one of the most significant changes in doctrine and training the Army has undertaken since World War II.

"It's a big change for our Army," said Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the Iraq war veteran who commands the Combined Arms Center. "Although we have done lots of counterinsurgency operations over the years, historically we have, as an institution, tended to refocus on major combat operations, the big battles, after each of our counterinsurgency operations was over."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. There wasn't much drama left Saturday at the end of Notre Dame's 41-9 victory over Army.

But then, there wasn't much drama left at the end of the third quarter, or even at halftime.

No, the real drama in the college football world was at Ohio State, where the No. 1 Buckeyes held off No. 2 Michigan.

What was left for the Irish was their national championship aspirations, augmented slightly with a quick, efficient dismembering of the overmatched Black Knights (3-9).

The Irish travel to Southern California next Saturday and a victory there eventually could vault Notre Dame into the Jan. 8 BCS title game outside Phoenix. The Irish (10-1) are fifth in the BCS standings and need to move past Michigan, No. 3 USC and No. 4 Florida.

Army got on the board first, taking a 3-0 lead on Austin Miller's 27-yard field goal.

And Army got on the board last, as Tim Dunn made a beautiful one-handed grab in the left corner of the end zone as the game clock ran out.