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Four years of brutal sectarian war in Syria has devastated the lives of nearly 10 million people.

But one group among them stands out: the children of Syria.

In a new documentary, Children of Syria, BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet tells the stories of six young Syrians, age 8 to 14, and the extreme challenges they face, regardless of what side of the war their families are on.

Doucet, who has reported from the front lines of the conflict, shares some of those stories with NPR's Scott Simon.

Nearly two dozen diaries and notebooks of Siegfried Sassoon — among a handful of prominent soldier-poets whose artistic sensibilities were forged in the trenches of World War I — are being published online for the first time by the Cambridge University Library.

Sassoon, who served in the British Army, was a "gifted diarist [who] ... kept a journal for most of his life," the library says.

"The papers include a run stretching from 1905 to 1959," the library says of the diaries and journals made public to coincide with the centenary of the start of the war.

"At the heart of this series are the war diaries, a fascinating resource for the study of the literature of the First World War which enables a fresh analysis of Sassoon's experience of the catastrophic war which influenced him profoundly," the library says.

As the BBC reports:

"Until now only Sassoon's official biographer — Max Egremont — has had access to the complete 4,100-page archive due to its fragile state.

"Librarian Anne Jarvis said the war diaries were of 'towering importance.'

"The journals, which are made freely available online from Friday, offer a unique insight into life on the front line during World War One.

"Writing in a 'distinctive' but clear hand, Sassoon describes life in the trenches, including the moment he was shot by a sniper at the Battle of Arras, and his depiction of the first day of the Battle of the Somme as a 'sunlit picture of hell.' "

A Pentagon plan to cut tens of thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army's ranks in coming years goes too far given the growing global threats, including Russian aggression in Ukraine and unrest in Syria and Iraq, a bipartisan review panel says.

In an advance copy of a report, Ensuring a Strong U.S. Defense for the Future, that was obtained by NPR's Tom Bowman, a panel that includes former Defense Secretary William Perry and retired Gen. John Abizaid, who was the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, warns that the proposed cuts are too deep.

"Since World War II, no matter which party has controlled the White House or Congress, America's global military capability and commitment has been the strategic foundation undergirding our global leadership," the report's authors write. "Given that reality, the defense budget cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, coupled with the additional cuts and constraints on defense management under the law's sequestration provision, constitute a serious strategic misstep on the part of the United States."

"The effectiveness of America's other tools for global influence, such as diplomacy and economic engagement, are critically intertwined with and dependent upon the perceived strength, presence and commitment of U.S. armed forces," they write.

But Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel disagrees with the panel, according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby.

The panel endorses the Pentagon's plans in some areas, such as trimming pay and medical benefits, but it says the recommendation to draw down the Army to 450,000 goes too far. Instead, the panel says the Army should not go below 490,000 — the same figure that Army leaders had wanted.

The first of two American aid workers infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia reportedly arrived in Atlanta today to begin treatment. Dr. Kent Brantly has been living in quarantine conditions since realizing he had been infected with the disease last month.

"The medical plane transporting American Ebola patient Dr. Kent Brantly has landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia," CNN says, citing Phoenix Air, the company that operates the chartered plane. Shortly after noon (ET), the network's TV feed cut to a helicopter camera tracking an ambulance driving on Atlanta's interstates.

When the patient arrives at Emory University Hospital, it will mark the first time someone with Ebola has been treated in the U.S., as NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reports.

Brantly, 33, and another aid worker, Nancy Writebol, 59, are said to be in serious but stable condition since they contracted the virus while fighting an outbreak that has killed more than 700 people in West Africa.

The two had been working for the Christian charity organization Samaritan's Purse when they became infected. When the news broke Thursday that Brantly and Writebol would be brought to the U.S., officials said they have a much better chance of surviving if they're treated in the U.S. rather than in Liberia.

News of the plan to evacuate people suffering from viral hemorrhagic fever from Africa to the U.S. has caused alarm in some circles. As Michaeleen reports, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasize that the virus can't be spread by casual contact or through the air.

Both Emory University and the CDC are based in Atlanta; the school says it "has a specially built isolation unit set up in collaboration with the CDC to treat patients who are exposed to certain serious infectious diseases.

No drug can cure someone of Ebola. So far, the two American patients' treatments have included "a blood transfusion from a 14-year-old boy who recovered from the disease" and an "experimental serum," NPR's Richard Harris reports for our Shots health blog.

From member station WABE in Atlanta, Jim Burress reports about the treatment plans after today's arrival:

"The patient is expected to arrive from Liberia at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. From there, a specially outfitted ambulance will take the patient approximately 18 miles to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital where there is a specially built isolation unit.

"Dr. Alexander Isakov is overseeing the transport. At a Friday press conference, he downplayed any threat to public safety.

"'Through drills and exercises over the years, we've developed our competency and feel confident we can do this job well,' he said.

"Once at the hospital, the patient will be treated by a team of doctors and nurses trained in infectious diseases. Emory says it expects the second patient to arrive within the next few days."