In a daring raid reminiscent of the kind used to kill Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy SEALs swooped into Somalia Wednesday morning and rescued two aid workers, who had been held by pirates for months.

The New York Times reports the soldiers came in by helicopter and engaged in a firefight that killed nine pirates. The SEALs left with Jessica Buchanan, a 32-year-old American, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, who were injury free and on their way home.

Earlier this month Senior Airman Ryan Weeks of the New Hampshire National Guard stood in the honor guard that lowered the American flag in Baghdad as US forces formally concluded the mission in Iraq.

It was a year of conclusions for the New Hampshire National Guard. More than 1000 guardsmen and women returned to the state after deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, some of which began in 2009.

Major General William  Reddel, Adjutant General for the New Hampshire Guard, talks with All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about the long string of deployments and whether the Guard's role has permanently changed. 

"If I would've finished that flight I would have come home to sell war bonds," says Herman "Herk" Streitburger of Bedford.  That last flight did not go as planned; instead, the B24 Liberator Bomber on which he served as gunner was shot down, and as he puts it, Herk became a guest of the German government for about a year.

During that time Herk managed to learn to speak a little German, and he learned how to barter the food and supplies in his care packages from the Red Cross. As it turns out, those two skills came in handy when he and several other prisoners decided to make their escape. He tells the story to All Things Considered host Brady Carlson.

The Exchange takes a break to reflect on Veterans Day. Through the pages of a new book we learn about the role troops from New Hampshire and Vermont played in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Charlie Morgan will be allowed to bring her same-sex partner to a family guard event this weekend, but says it's just the first step to true equality.

A New Hampshire National Guard member will be allowed to bring her same-sex partner to a family guard event this weekend.

The Guard originally said Chief Warrant Officer Charlie Morgan couldn’t bring her spouse, Karen Morgan, to a service designed to help returning soldiers and their families deal with the transition back to civilian life.

The guard was following the Federal Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits the extension of military benefits to same-sex couples.

NHPR’s Rick Ganley spoke with Charlie Morgan and her spouse about the ordeal.