Showing posts with label military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Former Navy Lacrosse Player Killed In Afghanistan

Brendan Looney, a former Navy lacrosse player who lived in Silver Spring, was among nine U.S. military personnel killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday in southern Afghanistan.

Looney and his brothers, Billy and Steve, played lacrosse for the Naval Academy. He was a 1999 graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, where he played varsity football and baseball. All three sons were starters for Naval Academy lacrosse team.

Also surviving are his parents, Kevin and Maureen Looney, and three sisters, Bridget, Erin and Kelly.

The family was expected to receive the body Wednesday afternoon at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Arlington Buries 3 (more) In Wrong Graves

WASHINGTON (AP) - Three people were buried in the wrong graves at Arlington National Cemetery, the Army said Wednesday as it followed up an investigation into bookkeeping problems and burial mix-ups at one of the nation's most hallowed sites.

After a report issued in June found that the problems could potentially affect thousands of graves, defense officials received about 1,100 calls from worried families.

One of those callers, the widow of an Army staff sergeant, led to the exhumation of three graves late last month. The three remains in those graves, all former members of the armed forces, were found to be in the wrong place, said Gary Tallman, an Army spokesman.

"The families are satisfied that the problem was fixed," Tallman said Wednesday.

A fourth grave was opened Wednesday in a different section of Arlington. At the request of his father, the grave and casket of Marine Pfc. Heath Warner of Canton, Ohio, were opened. The site was found to hold the remains of Warner, who was killed in Iraq in 2006, Tallman said.

"We're gratified that the outcome was positive and they were able to gain some closure," Tallman said of Warner's family members.

Tallman said he was not aware of any other requests for exhumation.

The investigation into cemetery mismanagement marred the reputation of one of the nation's best-known burial grounds. Army Secretary John McHugh announced that the cemetery's two civilian leaders would be forced to step aside, and appointed a new chief to conduct a more thorough investigation to sort out the mix-ups.

Each year almost 4 million people visit Arlington, where more than 300,000 remains are buried, including those of troops from conflicts dating back to the Civil War, as well as U.S. presidents and their spouses and other U.S. officials.

www.wavy.com

Monday, August 30, 2010

Charity Event At Gumboro Mud Bog

There was hardly any room left to park Saturday afternoon at the Gumboro Mud Bog Charity Event for the Wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital. Word is that over 2,000 fans were on hand for a day of watching trucks in the various classes make the attempt to get through 200 feet of mud in the least amount of time.

Mudbogging is a very competitive sport at times but Saturday wasn't just about competition. It was about showing the 65 or more guests from Walter Reed Hospital just how enjoyable the sport can be. And afterall, the day was about them and for them.
The wounded warriors, some with family, rolled in by bus with a police escort.

Weather on Delmarva doesn't get any better than what we had Saturday and I know everyone had to notice the clear blue skies, low humidity and wonderful breeze. It was so wonderful to see the grandstands full of fans and fans lined against the fence. The charity race always give the winner in each racing class double points and I am not aware (yet) of any records being broken in speed but I can report to all of you that during the Charity Event For the Wounded Soldiers At Walter Reed Hospital the Gumboro Mud Bog in just FIVE hours of racing in the mud raised FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!

It was an honor for all of those in racing competition on Saturday to be able to entertain America's hero's for a few hours. Each and every one of them had a marvelous day and will be talking about their trip to the Eastern Shore for a very long time.

So to all of you out there that wrinkle your nose at mud racing remember this..... LOOK WHAT MUD CAN DO!!Thankyou to all those men and women serving in the military, recovering in hospitals, retired and to your families for all you have done and continue to do for all of us so that we may remain free. God bless all of you.


Saturday, August 21, 2010

Hampton Roads SEAL Killed In Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (WAVY) - The Department of Defense announced Friday that a Hampton Roads-based SEAL was killed in combat supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to the Pentagon, Chief Special Warfare Operator Collin Trent Thomas, 33, a native of Morehead, Ky., was fatally shot during combat operations in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday. Thomas was forward deployed to Afghanistan as part of an East Coast-based Navy SEAL Team. East Coast SEAL teams are based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

"Collin Thomas was a brave American patriot and an incredibly gifted Navy SEAL. His tireless professionalism, inspiring passion for life, and humble demeanor made him a role model for all who knew him. We are deeply saddened by this tremendous loss of a brother in arms," said a senior officer in his command. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the Thomas family during this very difficult time, and we will never forget the ultimate sacrifice that Collin made while protecting our nation and his teammates."

Thomas is survived by his parents Clayton and Paula, who live in Hertford, North Carolina, his sister Meghan of Morehead, Kentucky, and his fiancée Sarah Saunders of Virginia Beach.

"The Naval Special Warfare community is grieving the loss of Chief Petty Officer Collin Thomas. Our thoughts are with the entire Thomas family during this very difficult time," said LT Arlo Abrahamson, Public Affairs Officer, Naval Special Warfare Group TWO. "Despite this incredible loss, Collin's teammates will remain resolved in their fight against terrorist elements in Afghanistan, because they know that's what Collin would have wanted."

The Navy says Thomas was a highly-decorated combat veteran and received numerous awards and citations during his 13-year Navy career, including two Bronze Star Medals with combat "V" distinguishing device; a Purple Heart; a Joint Service Commendation Medal with combat "V" distinguishing device; a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal; Six Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals; Two Combat Action Ribbons (Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom); Four Good Conduct Medals; the National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars; Iraq Campaign Medal; Marksmanship medals with "expert" service device for both rifle and pistol, and a multitude of personal, unit, and campaign decorations.

Thomas graduated from Rowan County High School in 1995. Following high school, Thomas attended Morehead State University. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on February 20, 1997.

His military career began when he reported to Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing basic training, Thomas remained at the Great Lakes training center for technical instruction before reporting to Coronado, California to participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. BUD/S is the first step in becoming a Navy SEAL and is six months of some of the most demanding training in the U.S. military.

Upon graduation from BUD/S, Thomas was assigned to his first SEAL team where he participated in numerous joint exercises and developed his skills as a Special Warfare Operator. Since February of 2000, Thomas has been assigned to various East Coast based SEAL teams where he made several deployments in support of Overseas Contingency Operations, distinguishing himself during numerous combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

www.wavy.com

Rest in peace.

Approval To Close JFCOM Could Come As Soon As Sept. 1

President Obama could approve the decision to close Joint Forces Command in Norfolk before Sept. 1, according to a memo being circulated to local and state officials.

The memo from the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance does not cite a source, but claims to have "strong evidence" that the controversial move is being fast-tracked.

"There is a package being prepared fairly vigorously to get in front of the president on about September 1 for him to approve the elimination of Joint Forces Command," said Frank Roberts, executive director of the alliance, when asked about the memo.

Virginia's congressional delegation has vowed to oppose the closing – even taking it to court -- but a Sept. 1 decision means that the commander-in-chief would have signed off before Congress returns from its recess.

Under this scenario, job losses would begin after the start of the new year, the memo says.

Also on Friday, a new report put a value on an even more frightening economic scenario: that the closing of JFCOM could drive away Norfolk-based NATO's Allied Transformation Command. Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim has been among those raising this concern.

The one-page economic brief from the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission doesn't speculate on the possibility of that happening or get into the complex politics of it.

But it says the two organizations combined contribute $901 million to the gross regional product, about 1.2 percent, with more than $500 million in contracts being awarded annually.

JFCOM itself employs about 5,600 people in Hampton Roads, the bulk of them civilians or contractors. It has an annual operating budget of nearly $704 million.

Senior leaders back plan

The alliance's memo says the decision has the backing of senior military leaders and is supported by a five-month internal Defense Department study, the results of which have never been publicized.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced two weeks ago that he wanted to close JFCOM as part of overall cost-savings plan. He said the role of the command, which trains the military fight effectively together, is no longer needed because joint operations are now a part of the military culture.

Roberts said the memo was issued to put mayors, township supervisors and state officials on notice that they need to contact the White House sooner rather than later.

"We need our elected officials engaged as quickly as possible to attempt to slow down and delay this process such that it doesn't get so far out of the barn that it comes out not even negotiable – or discussable," he said.

Bruce Sturk is the director of federal facilities support for the city of Hampton and a 26-year Air Force veteran. He said the JFCOM issue requires "a strategic pause" and seems to defy standard procedure.

"This train is moving really fast," he said.

While it's important to keep on top of all news – and even rumors – regarding JFCOM, Sturk said he takes everything with a degree of skepticism until he sees official documents.

The memo goes on to say that Marine Gen. James Mattis, the most recent JFCOM commander, had "significant input" throughout the process.

Divest Suffolk facility

The five-month study was purportedly done by Christine Fox, who directs of the office of cost assessment and evaluation at the Pentagon.

The study says that JFCOM's mission of providing forces should be reassigned to the individual services. Its experimentation role would be eliminated. The Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk has "value," but the Pentagon "wants to divest the leased space so it could potentially go anywhere," the memo says.

The most breathless sentence of the memo is the last one, that Gates "is considering a move to mothball the Second Fleet," which is based in Norfolk.

Roberts said that doesn't mean ships would be idled.

"My sense would be that that comment relates to disestablishment of the Second Fleet staff," he said.

Circumventing Congress

U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, D-Newport News, said that he has not seen any study and questioned why it would be done in secret. The timing of the move appears designed to circumvent Congress, which is in summer recess.

"The initial announcement was made right after we left town and the decision will be made before we get back," he said. "It adds to the mystery of it. You ought to be able to have a public discussion."

Scott said he wasn't surprised that Obama would agree with Gates' recommendation.

"If the secretary of defense proposes it, you assume that it's the administration's position," Scott said, noting that sometimes those decisions can be "delayed or even reversed."

Scott said Gates' plan to save money remains in doubt because the Pentagon has not detailed any savings.

"We don't know the economic impact because we don't know what functions will continue," he said.

Scott said the lack of detail from the Pentagon is frustrating.

"This is part of the problem. We're trying to respond to rumors," Scott said. "How do you intelligently respond to rumors? It's a rumor – I'm against it?"

www.dailypress.com

Virginia's Congressman Weigh In On JFCOM

Here are statements on the proposed closing of JFCOM in Norfolk, from Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, and Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk and Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland.

From Forbes:

“For the past two years I have sounded the alarm that this Administration has allowed their uncontrolled fervor for social spending and the resulting budgetary pressure to drive our national defense strategy. We are now seeing the piecemeal auctioning off of the greatest military the world has ever known. Unfortunately, it is a silent auction because the voice of the American people is not being heard.

“Today's announcement to close our nation's premier joint operations and efficiency command is the outcome of fiscal coercion resulting from reckless and dangerous spending decisions, not from well-placed and much-needed efforts to root out waste in government. It exhibits an arrogant lack of leadership and lack of concern for the welfare of our nation and for the men and women in uniform.

“Under the cover of night, this Administration is selling off our military at auction to pay for its social programs. It has withheld our nation’s shipbuilding plan - required of them by law - while the Chinese navy aggressively bypassed us in number of ships. It has withheld our aviation plan, while our Navy struggles from a lack of aircraft needed to perform current and future missions. It has issued gag orders preventing any Pentagon officials, military and civilian, from speaking with Congress about budgets cuts and the risks to our national defense. This Administration has brought blatant partisan politics into the annual defense policy bill by attaching controversial social agendas. They have shown more regard for the rights of terrorists than for justice for those lost on September 11th and the safety of those currently fighting to protect our nation from the next radical terrorist attack. And this week, they and Congressional Democrat leadership have called the House back into session to vote on a package that includes $2.8 billion in defense spending cuts in order to pay for more social bailouts.

“The American people will see this decision for what it is: a first step in a long string of national defense cuts that will systematically and intentionally gut the institutions that protect and defend the freedoms and liberties upon which our nation was founded - and they will not stand for it.”

Joint Forces Command is the leading command for joint training, development and experimentation. Tracing its history back to 1947 with the establishment of the new commands made up from services of more than one military service, it had originally been Atlantic Command. In 1999, it was reorganized to become JFCOM for the purpose of ensuring efficiency among branches of the military. The command oversees a force of more than 1.16 million men and women and coordinates more than 70 joint training events, involving 46,000 participants, each year.

Forbes is Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

From Nye:

NORFOLK – Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk, questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ proposal to eliminate U.S Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), headquartered in Norfolk, VA. JFCOM is one of the Department of Defense’s ten combatant commands, and was created to coordinate joint training, development and experimentation among the different branches of the armed services. Gates’ proposal comes at a time when DoD is trying to substantially trim its budget.

“The proposal by the Defense Department to close JFCOM is short-sighted and without merit,” Nye said following Gates’ announcement. “I appreciate the Department’s attempt to rein in spending, but I have yet to see any substantive analysis to support the assertion that closing JFCOM will yield large savings.”

“JFCOM exercises combatant command over 1.1 million U.S. forces, and performs critical functions and training necessary to maintain our warfighters’ supremacy in overseas operations,” Nye continued. “Eliminating the Command does not eliminate the demand for these critical missions; it only redistributes the responsibilities elsewhere. I look forward to receiving the Secretary’s official proposal and his analysis for reorganization.”

Finally, from Wittman:

"I have deep concerns about the strategic implications of Secretary Gates’ decision to close Joint Forces Command (JFCOM). Until I am convinced that it is the right decision for our national security, I cannot support the closure of this Command. One of the greatest successes of the U.S. military – unlike any other in the world – is its ability to function jointly, and this decision could hinder the tremendous progress we’ve made. ‪

"I question why a change in structure of this magnitude was not included in the Quadrennial Defense Review. This is just one more example of budgetary pressures, rather than strategic need, driving defense decisions. In this announcement, the Executive Branch has clearly side-stepped the Legislative Branch without deliberation on the way forward with what's best with our nation's defense policy. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee to conduct oversight and execute our funding authority to the fullest extent. Furthermore, I look forward to hearing from Secretary Gates how the current, critical missions of JFCOM, such as joint training efforts, will be carried out under this new plan.‪"

www.dailypress.com

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Gates To Eliminate Joint Forces Command

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for the elimination of the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command on Monday as part of a broader effort to reduce certain kinds of military spending - especially a growing reliance on defense contractors. "The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of savings and restraint," Gates said.

One of the military's 10 combatant commands, Joint Forces Command, known as "jiff-com," trains troops from all services to work together - jointly, in military jargon - for specific missions.

It employs about 6,000 people - most based in Hampton Roads, others elsewhere in Virginia and Florida. Its headquarters are at Norfolk Naval Station, and it has a command center in northern Suffolk.

Gates said he expects to dismantle the command over the coming year, but not all of its functions will be eliminated. Some tasks, including force management and sourcing, will be transferred to the Pentagon's joint staff. Other functions deemed essential to promoting "jointness" will be reassigned to other entities.

The economic impact of losing even half the positions at the command would be huge. The Norfolk Ford plant that closed in 2007 employed roughly 2,400 workers.

Not surprisingly, elected officials across the state and region lambasted Gates' announcement and said they would fight it, but it's not clear what they can do to halt the process. Unlike the Navy's plan to relocate an aircraft carrier from Norfolk to Jacksonville, Fla. - which requires Congress to approve funds to make Mayport Naval Station ready to host a nuclear carrier - Gates indicated this bureaucratic reshuffle doesn't require legislative approval.

Gates' proposal for shifting defense spending has broader implications for Virginia than the closure of JFCOM. He ordered several other steps to trim overhead, including cutting spending on support contractors and paring staff at most headquarters by reducing the number of general and flag officers and civilians who hold senior executive positions.

He is moving quickly, demanding action plans for most items within three to four months.

"The way to make sure something gets done in this building is to set short deadlines," he said.

The commonwealth is home to more than 12,000 defense contractors and is second only to California in military-related businesses, Gov. Bob McDonnell said. The companies that employ them have collected $341 billion since 2000, so a reduction of 30 percent over the next three years, as Gates directed, will be an enormous hit, he said.

In a hastily called news conference at Old Dominion University, McDonnell stood alongside Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, Suffolk Mayor Linda Johnson, and U.S. Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake; Bobby Scott, D-Newport News; Glenn Nye, D-Virginia Beach; and Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland County.

McDonnell announced the formation of a commission whose task is to retain and expand the state's military and national security facilities.

He and Forbes cast Gates' announcement in partisan terms.

"It appears as though this administration is cutting investments in national defense in order to pay for massive new social programs," McDonnell said. Forbes accused Gates of participating in "the piecemeal auctioning off of the greatest military the world has ever known."

Gates insisted the proposal will not reduce the defense budget. The services will keep the savings accrued and apply them to higher priorities, such as building more ships and replacing equipment worn out in current conflicts, he said.

Virginia's Democratic senators also protested.

"In the business world, you sometimes have to spend money in order to save money," said U.S. Sen. Mark Warner. His colleague in the Senate, Jim Webb, said efficiency is important, but it shouldn't be sought "at the expense of the command that is leading the charge for the future of our military doctrine."

Harold W. Gehman Jr., a retired four-star admiral who served as JFCOM's first commander, said Gates doesn't need congressional support to reorganize military commands, but he also doesn't want to alienate the people who approve the military's budgets.

The command still has an important mission, Gehman said. But he said it has become bloated and could benefit from restructuring.

"Every command should have to justify what it does and why it does it," Gehman said. "Joint Forces Command is going to have a hard time justifying 6,000 people."

Two things seem to have doomed Joint Forces, according to Gates' remarks. At the time it was created in 1999, with a mission to infuse "jointness" into everything the military does, the extra layer of bureaucracy was justified because its mission was so important, Gates said.

But the command is now part of a military that has embraced joint operations - and proven so during long engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perhaps more important, though, is the makeup of its work force. According to the military's own statistics, JFCOM employs far more contractors than any other combatant command. More than half its workers - about 3,000 - are contractors. The remaining 2,800 are about evenly split between uniformed military members and civilian federal employees.

In Suffolk, the command has been a powerful engine driving local economic development.

Hundreds of military and civilian employees work at its north Suffolk campus, a 640,000-square-foot facility leased for an estimated $16 million. Hundreds more are employed by defense contractors working nearby.

"Hopefully, this is not what it sounds like," Mayor Johnson said. "We want to know exactly what it will mean - what it could mean. Will other opportunities come in its place?" She said she will work with the area's congressional delegation to minimize the impact, and, if possible, to prevent the closure.

Gates said he hopes he can convince Virginia's delegation that reducing overhead and administrative expenses will help the state in the long run by focusing more on core priorities.

"If, as a result of these efforts, I'm able to add a billion or two billion dollars to the Navy's shipbuilding program of record, Virginia may well come out with a lot more jobs than it loses," Gates said. "This is why the point needs to be emphasized again and again: this is not about cutting the defense budget. It's about a reallocation internally."

www.hamptonroads.com

Friday, July 30, 2010

229th Military Police Company Arrive Home In Virginia Beach

~~~WELCOME HOME 229th MILITARY POLICE COMPANY~~~

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Approximately 120 Soldiers from the Virginia Beach-based 229th Military Police Company returned home to Virginia on Thursday after serving in Iraq since October, 2009.

Approximately 80 soldiers from the Hampton Roads and Richmond areas arrived around noon at Birdneck Elementary School to be reunited with their families and friends.

Another 40 soldiers from the Roanoke and Southwest Virginia area arrived at Patrick Henry High School about 90 minutes later.

The soldiers returned to the U.S. on July 23, arriving at their demobilization station at Fort Dix, New Jersey. There they conducted a number of different administrative activities to transition from active duty back to traditional National Guard status prior to returning to Virginia Beach. The soldiers began their tour on federal active duty on August 3, 2009.

While headquartered in Virginia Beach, the 229th is made up of soldiers from all over the state. Approximately 60 soldiers are from the Hampton Roads area.

Officials say the unit was expected to provide police training to the Iraqi Police, but was task organized and provided additional training to also conduct protection service detail missions. The unit was requested by name to provide route security for Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Iraq on Jan. 22, 2010.

When the Iraqi national elections were conducted in March 2010, soldiers from the 229th helped maintain security, working side by side with Iraq Police. During the six-day time period of the elections, soldiers lived with their Iraqi Police counterparts at the Provincial Division of Police and the Patrol Headquarters.

The unit was also very active in conducting humanitarian missions while in Iraq. On their own initiative soldiers improved the conditions and safety at a local elementary school in West Rasheed, Baghdad as well as establishing a partnership with the adjoining hospital. In addition to distributing school supplies donated by family members, the company also filled in a sinkhole and installed 26 windows.

Soldiers in the company conducted more than 400 combat patrols and travelled more than 100,000 miles on Iraqi roads. The company provided personnel for traffic control points for several high level ceremonies to help make sure they were conducted safely.

No Virginia Guard Soldiers were killed or wounded in action during the company’s tour of duty in Iraq.

Soldiers from the company were awarded 11 Combat Action Badges, 22 Bronze Star Medals, one Meritorious Service Medal and 107 Army Commendation Medals.

www.wavy.com

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Special Ocean City Treatment For Wounded Warrior

OCEAN CITY – A U.S. serviceman wounded in Iraq last month got a hero’s welcome in Ocean City last weekend, thanks in large part to the local American Legion post and an always generous resort community.

First Lieutenant Dan Shoemaker got some well-deserved treatment last weekend in Ocean City after a request from the Wounded Warrior Project on his behalf. Shoemaker was wounded in a suicide bomber attack in Iraq on June 11 and was ultimately sent to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. for treatment and recovery.

While at Walter Reed for treatment of injuries sustained in the attack in Iraq, Shoemaker was discovered to have a cancerous brain tumor, which might not have been discovered had it not been for his war injuries. On his behalf, Sgt. Major Dan Thompson of the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that advocates for men and women wounded in action, put the word out that Shoemaker was in desperate need of some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Thompson called Ocean City American Legion Post 166 Commander-Elect Sarge Garlitz, who, in turn, quickly called upon his considerable resources to intercede on the wounded first lieutenant’s behalf. A short time later, the Harrison Group responded with a complimentary stay at the Quality Inn on the Boardwalk and General Manager Chris McFarland and his staff gave Shoemaker the VIP treatment all weekend.

Shoemaker was also feted at the American Legion Post 166 by Garlitz and his crew and received a hero’s welcome everywhere he went in Ocean City all weekend.

According to Garlitz, Shoemaker was in awe of the warm reception and supporting comments he received from everyone he came in contact with during his weekend at the beach.

www.mdcoastdispatch.com

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Airman Dies From Injuries- Operation Enduring Freedom-


Captain David Wisniewski, 31, died Friday after injuries he received during a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

His Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by enemy fire on June 9.

Wisniewski and two other airmen aboard the aircraft were wounded, and four others killed.

He was hospitalized in Germany and then transported to the National Naval Center in Maryland, where he died..

"We need a presence in Afghanistan," said Jean Hancock, of Nashville. "I do not like the idea of our soldiers getting killed. I feel we should give them everything they need to make it as safe as possible."

"It's the right thing to do," said Frank Barbee, of Valdosta. "I don't think they should be over there years and years from now. Hopefully, we can bring 'em home within the next year or two and the job will be done."

Wisniewski was awarded the Purple Heart last month.

He was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

www.wctv.tv

Monday, July 5, 2010

Virginia Woman Killed Serving In Iraq


FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A Virginia soldier has died from noncombat injuries suffered in Iraq.


The Department of Defense says 19-year-old Spc. Morganne McBeth of Fredericksburg died July 2 in Al Asad. The agency says she was injured a day earlier.


McBeth was assigned to the 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C.


The 82nd Airborne says McBeth was sent to Iraq in August and was due to return home next month. She joined the Army in July 2008.

www.wavy.com

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Marine Fatally Shot While Celebrating Before Deployment


In the latest of a string of Baltimore-area killings involving servicemen, a Marine about to be redeployed to Afghanistan was shot at a downtown hookah bar early Friday.

Chase Love, a 26-year-old from New Orleans, was shot once in the chest after an altercation in the lounge between 3:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. He said Love was celebrating with fellow Marines before returning to Afghanistan.

Guglielmi said police are interviewing bouncers and other witnesses but have identified no suspects or persons of interest in the shooting.



"Chase was one of the funniest, most loving people I've ever known," said Kathey Early, who knew him from the Road Runners Club, the summer track team she and her husband run in Louisiana. "We've had many kids come and go, but Chase was one that my daughters accepted as a brother and that I thought of as the son I never had."

Early said Love's mother died of breast cancer when he was a senior in high school and that he entered the Marines shortly after graduation.

"He felt that as the man of the house, it was an opportunity for him to take care of his [two] sisters," Early said. "He loved it. He knew he was going to make a career of it."

Love lived with his wife and two stepchildren in North Carolina, where he recently bought a home, Early said. He had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his Facebook page says that he was a radio operator.

Early did not know why he was in Baltimore. Through tears, she laughed at the memory of a picture of Love in Iraq with lollipops spilling from his pocket.

"That was Chase," she said. "Always a jokester, such a joy to have around."

Guglielmi said Queen's Hookah, in the 200 block of E. Baltimore St., has no history of violent incidents.

The lounge, located in the space formerly occupied by the hookah bar El Basha, opened within the past several weeks, neighboring business owners said. The door was locked and the storefront dark on Friday afternoon.

"I was shocked this morning," said Paul Kuppalli, who owns the greeting card shop next door. "I've been here for 24 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Sure, it worries me to have a killing next door."

Queen's Hookah sits two blocks west of The Block in a stretch of convenience stores, check-cashing windows and financial buildings. Save for a few robberies, the area is usually devoid of trouble, Kuppalli said.

The city has experienced several violent weekends recently, and a shooting at the Inner Harbor last weekend prompted Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III to outline a strategy for preventing trouble during the Fourth of July weekend.

Bealefeld said 300 police officers will patrol the harbor and downtown area during Sunday's fireworks, an increase from last year that had been planned before the shooting. State police and other agencies, such as the Maryland Transportation Authority, will assist.

Several active and former servicemen have been the victims of killings in the Baltimore area in recent months.

In June, unarmed former Marine Tyrone Brown was shot by Gahiji H. Tshamba, an off-duty Baltimore police officer, outside a Mount Vernon bar. Tshamba has been charged with first-degree murder.

In January, Pfc. Darius Ray of Potomac was stabbed after an altercation at a late-night house party in Northeast Baltimore. Three men were charged with first-degree murder.

In December, Clifford Jamar Williams, an Army private on leave from Afghanistan, was shot while driving home from a city grocery with his wife.

In November, former Marine Grayson Edward Kenney Jr. was found in his neighbor's driveway in western Baltimore County, dead of gunshot wounds.

www.baltimoresun.com

Missing WWII Airman From Virginia Identified


WASHINGTON (WAVY) - The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced Friday that the remains of seven Army airmen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, of Haynesville, Va., along with Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, of Chicago; 1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, of Floral Park, N.Y.; 1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, of Millen, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz, of Tyrone, Penn.; Pvt. Robert L. Crane, of Sacramento, Calif.; and Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, of Piedmont, Ala., were identified and all are to be interred July 15 in Arlington National Cemetery.

According to the military, on May 23, 1944, the men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that departed Dinjan, India, on an airdrop mission to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma. When the crew failed to return, air and ground searches were initiated, but found no evidence of the aircraft along the intended flight path.

In late 2002, a missionary provided U.S. officials a data plate from a C-47 crash site approximately 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina. In 2003, a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and identification tags for three of the crew members.

A Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated the crash site in 2003 and 2004, recovering additional remains and crew-related equipment—including an identification tag for Dawson.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of some of the crewmembers' families – as well as dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

General McChrystal To Retire From the U.S. Army


WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Stanley McChrystal, who President Barack Obama fired last week as the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has informed the U.S. Army he plans to retire, an official said on Monday.

McChrystal, 55, had been widely expected to retire after he and his aides enraged the White House by disparaging the president and other top civilian advisers in an article for Rolling Stone magazine. He was fired on Wednesday.

Obama said McChrystal's dismissal was needed to safeguard the unity of the war effort.

"McChrystal informed the Army today that he intends to retire," an Army spokesman said.

McChrystal has yet to submit formal paperwork so it is unclear when his retirement will take effect, he added.

Obama has tapped General David Petraeus, McChrystal's boss and the architect of the Iraq war turnaround, to take over the troubled Afghan command. A Senate hearing on Petraeus's nomination is scheduled for Tuesday.

Aides have described the president as furious about McChrystal's contemptuous remarks in the article, entitled "The Runaway General."

In the piece, McChrystal himself made belittling remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.

His aides were quoted as calling national security adviser Jim Jones a "clown" and saying Obama seemed intimidated and disengaged at an early meeting with McChrystal.

McChrystal graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1976 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army, where he rose through the ranks over the next 34 years.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

AWOL Afghans On Facebook??

At least 11 of the 17 members of the Afghan military who went AWOL from an Air Force base in Texas and are considered deserters by their nation have turned up in the exact place you'd expect to find them in the year 2010.

They're on Facebook.

And, by the look of things, they're not unlike millions of other young men on the social networking site. One proclaims to be a fan of Paris Hilton and is a member of a group named “FREE Webcam Sex with ME!” Another is a fan of hip hop music, Michael Jackson, the tearjerker movie The Notebook, Family Guy and Sports Center. Another is a fan of soccer and the Godfather.

But others have friends whose motives may be much more sinister. Some belong to the “Afghanistan Mujahideen” group, a page that features, among other content, videos from the American-born Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn, a.k.a. Azzam the American.

According to a nationwide be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) bulletin that was sent by the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task force to law enforcement agencies across the country last week, the 17 Afghan deserters walked away from the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base, where they had been studying English. The men have military identification that would give them access to secure U.S. military installations, the bulletin read. The existence of the BOLO alert was revealed exclusively by FoxNews.com.

One week later, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement source told FoxNews.com that only two or three of the 17 Afghans remain at large. The source said investigators have been working with Canadian immigration records and now believe that many of the men are in Canada.

David Smith, spokesman for Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, told FoxNews.com he was told that four of the men remain unaccounted for. Of the 13 who have been located, he said, six have pending refugee claims in Canada, two have permanent residency in Canada, four are in the process of being deported and one is a conditional resident alien in the U.S. But one thing most of them have in common is an affection for social networking.

FoxNews.com found Facebook pages belonging to 11 of the 17 deserters. The wife of one of them also created a page, on which she said her husband should not have appeared in the BOLO alert because authorities knew exactly where he was — at a South Texas immigration detention center, where she said he’s been held for the past eight months.

Many of the men found on Facebook appear unconcerned that they are being actively sought by law enforcement officials, having made little or no attempt to disguise their identities or whereabouts. Eleven of the men can be linked together either directly or through mutual friends on Facebook. On June 17 at 11:50 p.m., Mohd Ali Karimi posted an online note to the Facebook pages of two of the other AWOL men, Mohammad Nasim Fateh Zada and Sardar Mohd Ahmadi.
All three list their current city as Toronto. Zada’s profile lists his favorite quotation, Reinhold Nieburh's Serenity Prayer: “God grand me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.” He says he graduated from Uluanovsk Signal Military College in 1986 and attended Military High School in Kabul, Afghanistan.

His “likes and interests” include soccer, jogging, gymnastics, history books, the movies Slumdog Millionaire and the Godfather, Fox News and CBC Radio 1.

On May 2, he posted a photo of himself at Niagara Falls, timestamped June 21, 2008 Zada’s online friends include a U.S. Army liaison officer and other members of the Afghan military.

On Sunday, Ahmadi, 32, who belongs to a Facebook group for Defense Language Institute students, posted a link to a Fox News report,


Kakar is friends with another AWOL man named in the BOLO alert, Sayed Qadir Shah Habiby, who provides this description of himself: “I like to spend time with the people I love! I enjoy having fun in what ever I do. Life is short, live it to the fullest."
He is a fan of Michael Jackson, The Notebook and Sports Center, and he says, “I want everyone to be a Democratic.” He says he graduated from National Military Academy of Afghanistan in 2008 and Kabul Military High in 2005.

In a comment posted on a friend’s wall, Habiby reveals that he studied civil engineering at NMAA and is living in California. Last active on March 29, he belonged to a Facebook group dedicated to making Pashto Afghanistan’s only official language. The description reads, in English, “To destroy a nation, Turn it into a bilingual or multilingual country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures."

It continues in Pashto,“75 percent of Afghanistan’s people speak Pashto, so this is the right of all Afghans that the national language be Pashto. In the near future, a grand jirga will be held in Kabul, so I request all patriotic Afghans to fulfill their responsibility and national duty in order to get their rights, and to put an end to Iran and its proxies.”

Another group Habiby belongs to is “Let us laugh,” a Pashto site described as “Let’s laugh so much that we forget our sorrows, but let’s not laugh too much because it’s harmful.”

The wife of Mohammad Fahim Faqier, one of the missing men, started a Facebook group page called “Set Fahim Free,” following his incarceration at an immigration detention center in South Texas. But she changed the page to “Setting the record straight for my husband: Mohammad Fahim Faqier,” once news broke that her husband, who she says has been detained for more than eight months, was included in the BOLO alert.

In an e-mail to FoxNews.com she wrote, “Believe me no one was more shocked than me to see my husband's name and photo on that list, especially considering the fact that he wasn't missing and ICE knew exactly where he was.”

None of the AWOL men, other than Ahmadi, replied to Facebook messages. A man named Ahmad Sameer Samar, when contacted by Fox News, replied that he was not the same Ahmad Sameer Samar named in the BOLO alert.

The following 17 Afghan military members have gone AWOL from an Air Force base in Texas and are being sought in a nationwide alert in the U.S.

Abdul Ghani Barakzai, born 8/8/1977
Mohd Ali Karimi, born 9/3/1982
Mohammad Nasim Fateh Zada, born 12/4/1966
Aminullah Sangarwal, born 8/27/1982
Mohd Ahmadi, born 5/5/1978
Ahad Abdulahad, born 5/5/1984
Sayed Qadir Shah Habiby, born 5/7/1985
Javed Aryan AKA Aryan Javed, born 1/1/1987
Mirwais Qassmi, born 4/24/1974
Barsat Noorani, born 6/3/1981
Atiqullah Habibi, two dates of birth are listed on the alert: 6/2/1982 and 7/2/1982
Ahmad Sameer Samar, born 5/2/1983
Mohamed Fahim Faqier, born 6/1/1987
Obaiddullah Abrahimy, born 8/1/1979
Sayed Nasir Hashimi, born 4/5/1972
Shawali Kakar, born 12/31/1979
Khan Padshah Amiri, born 4/1/1978

www.foxnews.com

Friday, June 18, 2010

Active-duty Soldier Charged For Overweight Duffel Bag

WILLIS, Texas—A military family from Montgomery County is upset with American Airlines after a soldier was charged an overweight fee for his duffel bag.

Army Spc. Gary Sharpen was home on a two-week leave from his unit in Iraq. Melodie Sharpen said her husband was welcomed home by his family and even strangers.

“People were honking and waving,” Melodie Sharpen said. “One lady even stopped her car and said, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

The time flew by and before she knew it, Melodie Sharpen was dropping her husband back off at Bush Intercontinental Airport to fly back to the desert.

“He was wearing his army fatigues,” Melodie Sharpen said. “He had his backpack, which is Army regulated and he had his luggage.”

Gary Sharpen showed up with one 64-pound duffel bag, which is normally 14 pounds overweight. He wasn’t worried because he knew that American Airlines waived fees for active-duty military personnel.

The airline's policy says “military personnel on orders are allowed one bag in the free allowance up to 100 pounds.”

Sharpen's mother, Laura Lee, said not only was her son charged $50 in overweight fees, but the ticket agent was rude to him.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone treating one of our soldiers like that, telling them “so what” that they’re going back to Iraq,” Lee said.

Airline officials said they waive the fee only if a passenger shows military travel orders, and Gary Sharpen didn’t. His family argued that he wasn’t asked.

Melodie Sharpen said her husband had nothing he could take out of the bag to get it 14 pounds lighter.

“Did they want him to take out the pictures of our family? The toothbrushes that he was bringing over? The extra toothpaste he was bringing over? Deodorant,” she said.

American Airlines officials have agreed to refund Sharpen’s money if they see his travel orders.

However, his family said it’s not about the money, but about common courtesy for an American soldier.

www.khou.com

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Neighborhood Associations Still Don't Like The American Flag - Or Any Flag That Supports the Military

These people that own/operate such type of housing had better come to grips with that great American flag! Let's face it. I can honestly see a rule concerning the decorative banner flags that you see flying in yards across America today. But to not allow these? Or the American flag? I can't imagine how a family must feel knowing that you are living somewhere without the respect for what your loved one is doing! I just can't imagine. And I would think that perhaps the operators of these "condo associations" or "neighborhood associations" would take the hint from the American people that we don't give a "you know what" about rules when it comes to the brave Americans that work at keeping our country free. We'll put our flags wherever we want to!
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Sen. Jim Webb has introduced legislation to ensure families who have relatives serving in the armed forces can publicly signal their support with a Blue or Gold Star flag.

The bill proposed by the Virginia Democrat was inspired by an incident in Ohio in which a woman was asked by her condo association to take down a Blue Star flag. The woman's son served two tours in Iraq and was wounded twice.

Webb's proposal would prevent any neighborhood associations from enacting such bans when relatives are serving during times of conflict.

A Blue Star flag is flown when a family member is serving in the military. A Gold Star signifies that a family member was killed in combat.

www.usatoday.com

Friday, June 11, 2010

Arlington National Cemetary

I have visited Arlington National Cemetary. Once as a child and stood in line with my family waiting to see the grave of President Kennedy. Years later I was there as an adult and the same silence and stillness was there. Rows and rows of headstones each name a reminder of the 330,000 men and women that unselfishly gave their lives for all of us. You can't help but admire the beauty, the somberness. If each name were alive today we would receive a different account of what each experience during war time or peace. My guess it is the most respected cemetary and most cared for in America. As it should be. So HOW does this happen??? And more importantly WHY? Don't we care anymore? Is there no such thing as respect?
The Army ousted top supervisors of Arlington National Cemetery in the wake of a blistering report that found some graves had been mismarked and that raised questions about the Virginia burial ground's management, officials announced Thursday.

Army Secretary John McHugh said the Army inspector general's report raised questions about 211 gravesites and found unmarked graves, burial sites with the wrong headstones and improper handling of cremated remains.

"That all ends today," McHugh said.
The inspector general, Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, found one case involving personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. In that instance, two grave markers had been switched. Other cases involved areas of the cemetery used to inter personnel from earlier conflicts.

There are 330,000 bodies buried at Arlington, including Presidents Kennedy and Taft. As many as 30 funerals are held there each day, some for veterans of past wars and others for military personnel killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The extent of the problems at one of the nation's most venerated memorials was not entirely clear. In some cases, grave markers had been knocked over and not properly replaced, the report said. Other reported cases involved poor record-keeping. Whitcomb said there was no indication of mistakes at the point of burial.

But in one incident described in the report, a cremation urn with the remains of an Air Force master sergeant, who served in Vietnam and died in 2007, was buried above the casket of an Army staff sergeant.

The report also found that some cremation urns were mistakenly disinterred and moved to an area of the cemetery where excess dirt was held. One such set of remains had to be reburied as "unknown" because the urn was unmarked, the report said.

Explaining how gravesites could be disturbed, Whitcomb said cremated remains often had been removed to accommodate the burial of another family member at the same site, a permitted practice. But in some cases, the urns appeared to be improperly handled by cemetery workers or officials.

The problems at Arlington were raised in a series of reports by the online magazine Salon and in other publications. Those reports, as well as relatives' complaints and employees' concerns, prompted the inspector general's investigation, which began in August.

Respect for the country's war dead is a top military priority.

"Of all the things in the world, we view this as a zero-defect operation," Whitcomb said.

On Thursday, McHugh appointed Kathryn Condon, a senior Army civilian official, as executive director of the Army National Cemeteries program, a new position.

McHugh also announced the formation of the Army National Cemeteries Advisory Commission to advise on the oversight of the burial ground. Two former U.S. senators — Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, and Max Cleland, a Vietnam War veteran — will help form the commission, McHugh said. "The intent of the steps I have ordered today are designed to make sure things are done absolutely correctly from this day forward," McHugh said.

Cemetery Supt. John Metzler had announced last month that he intended to retire July 2. His exit, officials said, was the result of pressure from Army officials.

McHugh made public a brutal letter of reprimand filed against Metzler this week. In it, McHugh held Metzler responsible for the cemetery's problems and for systemic shortcomings that continued for years.

Metzler's deputy, Thurman Higgenbotham, also was stripped of responsibility. Investigations of his actions are continuing, officials said.

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said members of his organization were "concerned and outraged" by the inspector general's findings.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that something like this would happen at America's most sacred burial ground," Rieckhoff said. "We expect swift action from the Pentagon and the administration."

The White House weighed in too.

"We have no more solemn commitment than to respect the service and the memory of those that died in service to preserving our freedom as a country," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

http://www.latimes.com/

Monday, May 31, 2010

National Moment of Rememberance

To unite the country in remembrance, Congress officially established the National Moment of Remembrance in 2000. And as has been done in the past, in observance of this National Moment, Major League Baseball games will stop, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles and the National Grocers Association and Food Marketing Institute will have customers and staff pause in more than 30,000 stores throughout our country.

We must ensure that their lives, their deaths and the memory of their sacrifice will never be forgotten. So let us stop for a moment at 3:00 (local time) tomorrow and commit to live honoring America's fallen every day that we breathe the fresh air of freedom in our land of hope and promise.

Carmella LaSpada, Executive Director,


White House Commision On Rememberance


Saturday, May 29, 2010

Names Added To "Virginia Wall of Honor"

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's Wall of Honor has added 24 names to honor state residents killed in the war on terrorism.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli hosted a ceremony Thursday at the South Portico of the state Capitol in Richmond.

The event recognized the 206 Virginians who have died serving in the war on terrorism. It included a flyover by an F-18 fighter jet, a gun salute and a roll call.

Speakers included state officials, military leaders and Kim Felts, whose husband, Col. Thomas Felts, was the 100th Virginian killed in action during the war on terrorism. The Wall of Honor was dedicated in 2007.

www.wtvr.com