Togetherness: The days of intra-service rivalry among...

Togetherness: The days of intra-service rivalry among the military may be nearing an end. Victory in the Persian Gulf War has demonstrated the success of joint warfare tactics by the U.S. armed forces, Defense Department officials said Wednesday. At the order of Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon says it will send 300,000 copies of a book, “Joint Warfare of the U.S. Armed Forces,” to all senior officers and enlisted personnel in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Lit Up: More than a million red Christmas lights adorn the house of a family whose electrifying ornamentation stops traffic in their Little Rock, Ark., neighborhood. “I guess moderation is not in my vocabulary. To me, bigger is better,” said Jennings Osborne, 48. By mid-December, 1,173,180 small lights--the equivalent of about 92.1 miles--covered Osborne’s house and yard, said Richard McCormack, who oversees the display. The couple won’t say how much the lights add to their electric bill, though Mitzi Osborne says it’s less than the cost of air-conditioning during peak summer months.

Hospitalized: Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) underwent a 2 1/2-hour surgery Wednesday to remove his prostate gland, which contained a “slow-growing cancer,” his Washington office said. Dole’s office said his chances for a complete recovery are excellent because the cancer was detected early.

A Charitable End: A 225-pound pig that ran loose on a Chicago highway, clogging traffic until it rolled over and died, will be fed to the needy, authorities said. The black pig fell off a truck Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 90-94. Traffic stopped as Illinois state troopers chased the northbound hog through four southbound lanes. But the chase ended when the hog keeled over dead from an apparent heart attack, state trooper Fred Hosteny said. Officials donated the pig to the Salvation Army.