Daily Archives: February 15, 2014

Air Force will take ‘appropriate action’ over viral POW/MIA emblem photo

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By Jon Harper
Stars and Stripes

pow-imageWASHINGTON — The Air Force is “disappointed” in the airman who appeared in a photo that is being circulated of her posing with her tongue in the mouth of the prisoner of war depicted on the iconic black-and-white POW/MIA emblem.

“We do not yet have all the details behind the photo, but it certainly is a concern; it’s a concern any time someone shows disrespect for prisoners of war and those missing in action,” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody said in a statement. “They deserve our utmost respect and we must always remember their sacrifice and the legacy they’ve left for us as men and women serving our nation.

“I want to make it clear that this is not a reflection of Airmen who wear this uniform; it is a case of poor judgment of one Airman … to say we are disappointed would be an understatement. We are gathering all the details and will take appropriate action at the appropriate level,” he said. “Our Airmen fully understand the significance of the POW/MIA flag and the sacrifice of the men and women it honors.”

Read more at Stars and Stripes

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office & Taverna Greek Grill Sponsor Tip-A-Cop Fundraiser for Special Olympics on Feb 18

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Flagstaff – Join the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Taverna Greek Grill, 420 S Woodland Blvd in Flagstaff, to raise funds for Northern Arizona Special Olympics athletes.  The Tip-A-Cop event will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.  All day, 15% of sales will go toward AZ Special Olympics.  From 5 pm – 9 pm Sheriff’s Office employees will be assisting the waiters and helping to serve you.  Officers will be accepting any tax deductible charitable donations you wish to give to help support local AZ Special Olympics athletes.

Special Olympic events were created for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to explore their abilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.  The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is a branch of Special Olympics that was founded by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in the 1980’s.  LETR is committed not only to raising funds for Special Olympics Athletes, but also to sharing awareness and promoting opportunities for the athletes.  In Arizona, Special Olympics offers 22 sporting events, 170 programs and five statewide competitions for over 13,000 athletes each year.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run earned its name because law enforcement personnel run, walk, and bicycle carrying the Special Olympics Torch to its destination for local, state, and worldwide Special Olympics Games.  As such, law enforcement has become the “Guardian of the Flame” for Special Olympics.  Later this spring, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will again be among the law enforcement agencies that guard the Flame of Hope as it journeys through our state and makes its way to the summer state games in Phoenix, AZ.

In preparation for those games and to help raise funds for our local athletes to train and participate in the sporting events, we are kicking off 2014 with Tip-A-Cop at Taverna Greek Grill in Flagstaff.  We also will be working with community partners throughout Coconino County for additional Tip-A-Cop events and other fundraising opportunities as we help athletes realize their goals and promote community awareness for Special Olympics.  Watch for these and other events on our Facebook page CoconinoSO and our Twitter account CoconinoSheriff:

  • AZ Special Olympics Winter Games are February 21-22, 2014 in Flagstaff
  • Polar Plunge fundraiser is March 8, 2014 in Flagstaff
  • AZ Special Olympics Summer Games are May 1-3, 2014 in Phoenix

To learn more about the Arizona Special Olympics, please visit the website:  http://www.specialolympicsarizona.org

You also can learn more about the partnership of Arizona law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes in a series of videos highlighting their stories.  Athlete Christopher Lee and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Detention Sergeant Corey Ringenberg share their stories at:  http://youtu.be/B-TCXC25Dxo.  A new video is scheduled to be unveiled each month, so watch for more videos and get to know some of the athletes.