Category Archives: Army

Tucson Ranger who helped rescue Jessica Lynch dies from wounds received in Afghanistan

Posted on by

Title corrected: Sergeant Major Barreras passed away in Texas after wounds received while serving in Afghanistan.

barrasAn Army Ranger from Tucson has died after being shot in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced. He was among those who rescued former POW Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital in 2003. The Pentagon said in a statement that Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras, 49, died May 13 in Texas after suffering injuries in Afghanistan on May 6.

Governor Jan Brewer ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today. In her statement, she said,

I Ask That All Arizonans Hold In Their Thoughts And Prayers the family of U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Martin Barreras, a Tucson soldier who passed away Tuesday, May 13, from injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan. Command Sgt. Maj. Barreras, 49, dedicated more than three decades to military service, including five years as a U.S. Marine before enlisting in the Army. … As we mourn this American hero, let us always honor all of our nation’s men and women in uniform with our eternal gratitude and admiration.

The Army Ranger helped rescue former POW Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital in 2003 has died after being shot in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The Pentagon said in a statement that Command Sgt. Maj. Martin R. Barreras, 49, died May 13 in Texas after suffering injuries in Afghanistan on May 6. Barreras, known as “Gunny,” was the top enlisted soldier for a unit based in Fort Bliss, Texas at the time of his death, according to the Army Times. He joined the Army in 1988 after serving five years in the Marine Corps.

Barreras, known as “Gunny,” was the top enlisted soldier for a unit based in Fort Bliss, Texas at the time of his death, according to the Army Times. He joined the Army in 1988 after serving five years in the Marine Corps.

Read more at FOX News

Updated 10:00

Run for the Wall arrives today

Posted on by

r4tw-2006-01FLAGSTAFF/WILLIAMS – The riders of Run for the Wall are expected to start arriving in Williams in two groups today. The first group will arrive and continue on to Flagstaff while the second will stop in Williams.

The first group of Vietnam veterans will start arriving at about 4:30 and will stop for fuel before continuing on to Flagstaff.

The second group will arrive at about 6:30 and start the traditional Run for the Wall motorcycle parade down historic Route 66. They will proceed to the American Legion Cordova Post #13 to be served dinner by volunteers from Williams.

Run for the Wall is an annual event in which Vietnam veterans ride to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. arriving on Memorial day. The event is over twenty years old and the mission is to allow healing for Vietnam veterans and their families and to call attention to the fact that the national government has still not demanded a full accounting of prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Korean and Vietnam wars.

‘Convenience Store Man’ shows crooks who’s boss

Posted on by

Apr 30, 2014 12:31 PM by Rebecca Taylor

TUCSON – Maen Mdanat doesn’t put up with any shenanigans.
As the owner of Axis Food Mart on Broadway near Campbell, he shows would-be thieves who’s boss. Check out this video that was caught on camera:

So you know when trouble is walking in your door? “Oh yes, you sense it right away,” says Mdanat.

Judging by a surveillance tape clip, the nickname fits.

Around 1:30 Saturday morning Maen says a would-be thief entered his store, asking his clerk for cash.

Read more and see additional video at KVOA Channel 4

‘Squatters’ took over soldier’s home after he was deployed; outrageous law lets them stay!

Posted on by

Photo Source – Facebook

Photo Source – Facebook

A soldier being deployed to Afghanistan is sure to have a lot on his mind, but having squatters take over his home while he is away is probably not high on the list.

But that appears to be precisely what happened to one soldier in Florida.

Michael Sharkey was deployed to Afghanistan two years ago and asked a friend to keep an eye on his home in New Port Richey, Fla. while he was away, according to the local NBC affiliate WFLA.

The soldier, currently station in Hawaii, later learned that strangers moved into the house and now refuse to leave.

“I want the people out,” Sharkey said. “They’re criminals living in my house.”

Read more at BIZPAC Review

Army, National Guard Fight Over Apache Helicopters

Posted on by

defense-largeBen Watson – Defense One

The Army National Guard is pushing back against a plan to send all of its 192 Apache attack helicopters to the active duty Army. In exchange, the Guard and Reserve components would receive 111 UH-60 Blackhawk transport and utility helicopters from the Army in a broader aviation restructuring after more than a decade of combat and steep budget cuts.

The restructuring would also eliminate three of 13 combat aviation brigades from the Army, while the Guard would phase out its entire fleet of OH-58 Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters, which have been in use for nearly five decades.

This shakeup of Army air assets amounts to some $12 billion in cost-saving measures through fiscal year 2017, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing Tuesday.

But National Guard Chief Gen. Frank Grass, who also testified at the hearing, isn’t happy with the plan. “None of us like what we’re having to do,” he said. “My big concern right now is figuring out how I’m going to move, and how many states I’m going to have an impact on, and what’s the cost of facilities and to retrain pilots. I’ve got to tackle that because the decision’s been made.”

Read more at Defense One

Michael Behenna released from U.S. Disciplinary Barracks

Posted on by

Left: Michael Behenna is hugged Friday by his father, Scott Behenna, as his grandmother, Betty Zemp, looks on after his release from prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Photos by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman SARAH PHIPPS -

Left: Michael Behenna is hugged Friday by his father, Scott Behenna, as his grandmother, Betty Zemp, looks on after his release from prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Photos by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman SARAH PHIPPS –

Former U.S. Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna is returning to Edmond after being released Friday, having served five years for killing an Iraqi.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Nervous energy coursed through the Behenna family Friday morning as they waited in a parking lot just outside the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. The ominous walls of the historic military prison loomed behind them as they scanned a nearby street for a white van.

“He’s supposed to come from that way,” Vicki Behenna said pointing east toward the main prison entrance. “But who knows with this place. He could come from anywhere.”

Just then, a white van approached on a side road from the opposite direction, turned into the lot and crawled to a stop in front of the small group of supporters.

Read more at NewsOK

3 Bodies Found at Fort Hood (2 Children)

Posted on by

wpid-Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Ambulances_outside_Fort_Hoods_Soldier_Readiness_Processing_CenterMark Hastings; Universal Free Press
(CNN)—The bodies of three people, two of them children, were discovered at an on-base residence in Fort Hood, Texas, the Army said in a news release.

The bodies — one man and two children — were found about 8:15 a.m. ET, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command has launched a probe, according to the release.

No further details were available, and the identifications of the deceased won’t be released until the next of kin is notified, the Army said.

Chris Grey, spokesman for the criminal investigation command, could not provide further details but said, “We do not believe there is any further threat to the community at this time.”

Pentagon requests plan to close stateside commissaries

Posted on by

commissaryTasked by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to find ways to preserve force readiness amid sharply falling budgets, his comptroller and the Joint Staff have asked the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) for a plan to close all stateside base grocery stores, say military resale community sources.

Time will tell if this is just the loudest warning shot yet fired by a department desperate for budget relief, or if stateside commissaries, still enormously popular with military families and retirees, are viewed by current military leaders as a costly relic burdening a financially stressed force.

Under Secretary of Defense Robert Hale, the department’s top financial adviser, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark F. Ramsay, director of force structure, resources and assessment for the Joint Staff, reportedly requested the plan in a meeting with military personnel policy and commissary officials.

More details at Stars and Stripes.

Police: Soldier fatally stabbed; may be hate crime

Posted on by

LAKEWOOD, Wash. – A Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier was stabbed to death in a parking lot at the 12500 block of Pacific Highway Southwest around 2:30 a.m., officials say.

20-year-old Tevin Geike was walking with two other white soldiers along Pacific Highway SW when a group of black men drove by and shouted a racial comment toward the soldiers, the Lakewood Police Department said.

“One of the soldiers yelled back something about the suspects treating combat soldiers with disrespect,” Lt. Chris Lawler said.

The car turned around and the men confronted the soldiers, according to reports. As the verbal confrontation ensued, the driver of the vehicle realized the men were actually combat veterans and called his friends off. While the men headed back to their vehicle, one of the suspects appeared to have bumped into Geike, witnesses say.

Read more and see video at KOMO News

Army veteran and cancer survivor rides for life.

Posted on by

Fred-Vlchek130730FLAGSTAFF—Thirteen-year army veteran and cancer survivor Fred Vlchek stopped in Flagstaff yesterday on his way to dip his bicycle tire into the water of the Pacific Ocean at the Oceanside Municipal Pier.

Fred is riding to raise funds for Fred’s Difference, his 501(C)3 non-profit organization committed to increasing awareness and to support/fund treatment of all types of cancer plaguing the world today. The elements of the threefold mission of Fred’s Difference are; fundraising to help cancer patients offset the costs associated with cancer treatments, increasing awareness of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of those affected by cancer, and support community efforts to increase awareness and raise funds for the assistance of cancer patients and their families.

As a six-year testicular cancer survivor, Fred began this pilgrimage on July 26th in Oceanside to raise funds in order to help others struggling in their battle with cancer. The five-week, 3200 mile trek will cover 12-states reaching elevations over 8,000 feet.

The next leg of his journey takes him through Tuba City toward the Navajo township of Kayenta where he is looking for assistance. He will need lodgings overnight to prevent paying a hotel bill which takes away from the effort of the ride. In fact, any lodgings that people can provide along the way will help save money which can be applied toward the foundation. As a Fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus, he hopes that he will have assistance from that organization throughout his ride.

You can follow his ride and make donations at his web site: Freds Difference.com.