While we are distracted by the circus of the GOP political race, the war continues in Afghanistan, and we have several tragic stories out of that country this morning. A NATO helicopter crashed in Afghanistan last night killing six service members. The cause is still being investigated. Also this morning. An Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops, leading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to suspend its training programs in Afghanistan. Matt Rosenberg is a reporter for our partner The New York Times.

On Thursday a video showing four U.S. Marines purportedly urinating on the corpses of three dead Taliban fighters went viral on the internet. Defense secretary Leon Panetta called the behavior “utterly deplorable” and Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai decried the video as “completely inhumane.” The video comes at a tense time, as the U.S. tries to foster peace talks between the Taliban and Karzai's government.

On Friday, Bangladesh marks its 40th anniversary. The Takeaway spends a few minutes on one American hero tied to this anniversary, a former U.S. diplomat who served in what was then known as East Pakistan. The story of the "Blood Telegram" brings together U.S. Consul General Archer Blood, an act of unprecedented defiance and Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, a fight that some believe cost three million lives.

President Obama had two words for a crowd of returning Iraq war veterans on Wednesday: "Welcome Home." The president observed the end of a war that has defined a decade of American military might, and divided the country. Yet while there are accurate statistics about soldier casualties, an accurate count of how many Iraqis have been killed or wounded during the occupation remains unclear.

In the end, the invasion of Iraq did not find any weapons of mass destruction, nor did it eradicate Al Qaida. The war did, however, topple dictator Saddam Hussein. It also cost hundreds of billions of dollars and went on for years. Now that the last U.S. troops will be quietly departing Iraq between today and the end of the year — President Obama will address soldiers at Fort Bragg Wednesday about the end of the Iraq war and the pullout of combat troops — The Takeaway looks back at the campaign that began with "shock and awe" in 2003 and will end with a "home by christmas" pullout in 2011.

The Dover Air Force Base has already been under scrutiny for how it handled the remains of hundreds of American soldiers. On Thursday, the service said it disposed of the cremated partial remains of at least 274 troops in a Virginia landfill. Although the practice was ended three years ago, the Air Force says it has no plans to alert the families of the troops whose remains may have been sent to the landfill.

President Obama's announcement that U.S. troops in Iraq will be home by the holidays hit home for thousands of soldiers and families across the country. After 8 years and 4,400 American deaths, the U.S. will completely pull out of Iraq by the end of the year, with the exception of a force remaining to guard some U.S. facilities in the country. The conflict in Iraq changed the definition of what it means to be a soldier in the U.S. military, and what it means to be a reservist. More reservists were used in combat and support roles in Iraq than ever before in history.

Today on the show, we covered what many would argue is a difficult topic: how the terrorist attacks on 9/11 changed comedy, and how comedy changed the way we've dealt in our own lives with that tragedy. We received a listener's thoughtful take that we had a share with you. Like so many, Air Force reservist Theresa Mickelwait lived out days after the attacks in shock, but she learned to laugh again in a strange venue: entering the wars as part of the military response to the attacks. Below is Mickelwait's take: we hope you'll take a few minutes to read it. —Ben Johnson, interim digital editor

Rebel forces are inching closer to full control of Libya's government and ousting Col. Moammar Gadhafi from power. Their success was aided by NATO's constant airstrikes on Tripoli, and that combination has proven to be successful thus far. Could this become a fighting model for future battles?

Late last month, President Obama gave a speech laying out his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. "Even as there are dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end," Obama said. 

The Afghanistan drawdown is scheduled to begin this month. But we still don’t know which generals will be choosing which enlisted men and women to come home. Meanwhile, military families across the country wait. Marilyn Greaves is among them. Her 20-year-old son Daniel is three months into his one year tour of Afghanistan. She’s also a member of Military Moms and Wives of Brazoria County, which assembles and ships care packages for the military. Darrin Greaves is Daniel’s older brother and Marilyn’s son. A marine and veteran of Iraq, he chose not to go on a tour of Afghanistan, in order to spare his mother the pain of having two sons off at war at the same time.

The Hotel Interncontinental in Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked by gunmen and suicide bombers yesterday. Gun fire was exchanged between the terrorists and police force for many hours, and ended with NATO helicopters shooting and killing three militants on the hotel's roof. The identity of the terrorists has not been confirmed yet, but many believe the Taliban are responsible.

The White House and Congress are butting heads over who authorizes military action in Libya. The 60-day deadline for President Obama to get approval from Congress to go to war passed on May 20th.

Tuesday, the White House offered its first public argument on why the administration thinks it has not violated the War Powers Resolution. The White House Press Secretary said that President Obama’s actions are consistent with the War Powers Act. However, ten members of Congress, led by Representative Dennis Kucinich filed a lawsuit Tuesday, effectively asking a judge to order an end to U.S. involvement in the war.

At Senate confirmation hearings last Thursday, Secretary of Defense designate Leon Panetta said he expects the Iraqi government to request that some U.S. troops stay in Iraq. Combat operations in Iraq ended nearly one year ago but 47,000 U.S. troops remain in the country. In the coming weeks, the U.S. military will begin turning off the lights on the Iraq mission, and the logistical and political implications could be profound. 

Monday was the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Iraq in months as an insurgent attack killed five U.S. soldiers stationed in Baghdad. The country is still a dangerous place to be even as the United States prepares to begin the final withdrawal of American troops from the country. "There are people out there who are trying to kill you," says John Kamin, who was in the Army when he was deployed iwht the Louisiana National Guard in March, 2010. He says "to me it's reminiscent of the earlier days in the war." Kamin is a member and spokesman of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Almost 50 thousand U.S. troops remain in Iraq who are supposed to be out of the country by the end of the year. However, Iraq remains a very a dangerous place and The State Department announced that it will  hire over 5,000 private security contractors to fill the void and protect military hardware and diplomats who will remain in the country. Reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Nathan Hodge says there's more than one way you can solve this problem. One way, of course, is not to be in the country. Another is to use the State Department's diplomatic security service, but it is not nearly big enough for this situation.

The troop drawdown in Afghanistan is scheduled to begin in July, but we don't yet know how many will be taken out of the country. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that a slower drawdown is needed when he spoke from Afghanistan on his farewell visit to troops before his retirement. David Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times analyzes the situation. He says we haven't yet heard from the new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta. It is likely, says Sanger, that President Obama do what he did in Iraq, essentially setting a date for the ultimate drawdown and leave the pace of the withdrawal up to the commanders. 

The laws of war dictate that a foreign attack on American soil can be met with military retaliation. But what if that attack is comes in the form of a computer virus? The Pentagon has determined that a computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, which opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force. Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege, Jr. explains what this means for military strategy.

For millions of Americans, Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the Summer. It's a time for backyard barbecues, town parades and family getaways. However, for the men women and families of those who killed serving their country, Memorial Day weekend resonates more deeply. William Brown is a former Navy Seal and currently a law student at Rutgers.  Mary Galeti is the wife of First Lieutenant Russell Galeti of the National Guard.

It's become a tradition here at The Takeaway to speak with veterans about who they're remembering on Memorial Day. Taryn Davis's husband Michael was a soldier serving in Iraq. He was killed in Baghdad in May 2007, when Taryn was just 21 years old. Taryn is the founder of the American Widow Project. Also with us is LaNita Herlem. Her husband was also killed in Iraq, in April 2006.