MILITARY: AMPUTEES WELCOME

The Associated Press reports:

In an about-face by the Pentagon, the military is putting many more amputees back on active duty — even back into combat, in some cases.

Sgt. Tawan Williamson, a 30-year-old Chicago native who is missing his left leg below the knee and three toes on the other foot, acknowledged that some will be skeptical of a maimed soldier back in uniform.

"But I let my job show for itself," he said. "At this point, I'm done proving. I just get out there and do it."

Previously, a soldier who lost a limb almost automatically received a quick discharge, a disability check and an appointment with the Veterans Administration.

In all, about 600 Army members have lost a limb in Iraq or Afghanistan. About five percent -- 31 men and women -- have gone back to active duty, at their request.