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RADCLIFF — It wasn’t only family and friends who arrived at Stithton Baptist Church in Radcliff on Saturday to honor the memory of Pfc. Sammie Phillips. Some 200 or more Patriot Guard Riders and community members stood outside the church and lined the drive with American flags. Phillips’ funeral began at 2 p.m., and he was buried at North Hardin Memorial Gardens following the service. The riders and others attended the burial as well, again lining the drive into the cemetery and the path to the graveside. Phillips, 19, was in the Kentucky Army National Guard. He was killed Sept....

When Spencer Timothy Karol, born April 13, 1983, the oldest of Bridget Madison's four sons, was growing up, he was a well-liked kid with a big smile and gentle and helpful manner; a "big brother" who watched over his three younger brothers and assumed "man of the house" responsibilities early and easily and without complaint. Learning values instilled in him early in his life by his famous grandfather, movie and television star Guy Madison, to whom he was very close, Spencer never had troubled teenage years with drugs or alcohol, fights or problems at school. Although he was not interested...

I just have to share this... Was just at the store and noticed a very handsome young man in front of me in-line. A tatoo on his arm said Iraq, something to August, 2007. I got his attention and thanked him for his service. He looked me straight in the eye and said, "No problem m'am, glad to do it." I asked him his name and he replied, "American soldier, m'am, just American soldier." then he winked at me and walked out.

I usually hate these things but this chain letter caught my eye. It is truly motivational and I wanted to share it.

Let me first state that I am probably one of the most humble person you will ever meet. But I have an urge to share a story with you all. So, if you decide to read, please forgive my indulgence. Well, I am an American Soldier currently residing at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. My unit is actually in Darmstadt, Germany; I'm just here for an extended stay for additional training. Well, anyway, I was able to get a pass for Memorial Day weekend, and I was able to come home for the weekend, going just about from one end of the...

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A sailor pleaded guilty Monday to abducting and killing a Marine corporal he thought had been involved in a gang rape. The rape turned out to be a lie, but the truth surfaced too late. Petty Officer 3rd Class Cooper Jackson, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to premeditated murder, kidnapping, impersonating a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Cpl. Justin L. Huff, 23. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to spare him a possible death sentence. Federal agents had testified at his Article 32 hearing, the...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Eight soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division will be court-martialed on murder charges stemming from their service in Iraq, including two who face a death sentence for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl and killing her and her family, the military ordered Wednesday. The Fort Campbell soldiers facing the death penalty are Sgt. Paul E. Cortez and Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman. Both are accused of raping Abeer Qassim al-Janabi in her family's home in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, then killing her along with her parents and younger sister. Spc. James P. Barker and Pfc. Bryan...

The Military The average age of the military man is 19 years.  He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy  Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.  He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.   He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a...

Inquiry - Jared Guinther's parents call the Army's actions fair, saying they just wanted to "get our son out"The U.S. Army has disciplined two recruiters who were involved in signing up a Portland teenager with autism, military and congressional officials confirmed Wednesday. S. Douglas Smith, a civilian spokesman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky., said a military investigation found that one of the two recruiters improperly concealed 19-year-old Jared Guinther's disability, which should have made him ineligible for service. That recruiter, Cpl. Ronan Ansley, has been relieved from recruiting duties and will be reassigned. Military officials...

Violates Military Uniform Code by wearing uniform while campaigning, Wears officer's uniform that does not match rank at which he retired HARRISBURG - Republican State Committee Executive Director Scott Migli today questioned Joe Sestak, Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, for his repeated violations of federal law and U.S. Navy regulations as it relates to appropriate conduct for the wearing of military uniforms. Those violations include wearing his uniform while engaged in campaign activities and wearing a uniform that displays a rank above what the grade at which he retired from service. "Joe Sestak's improper use of the military...

I didn’t grow up with dreams of spreading democracy. I was an all-American kid from a small southern town who went to college on a baseball scholarship and joined the National Guard to earn some extra money. During graduate school, recruiters persuaded me to join the Army through ROTC so that after graduation I would enter as an officer. I bought their pitch and believed our newly elected president when he promised no more nation building. My dad told me, “It’s a great time to join the military. It has done an excellent job of repairing itself after Vietnam.” I...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, July 5, 2006 – Twenty-seven U.S. soldiers serving on the front lines of the war on terror in Afghanistan became the newest American citizens here yesterday during a special Independence Day overseas military naturalization ceremony here. Army Pvt. 1st Class Joyce Nanquil (front row, second from right), recites the oath of allegiance during a special July 4 naturalization ceremony at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Nanquil, assigned to Company E, 310th Aviation Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, and a native of the Philippines, was one of 27 U.S. soldiers serving on the front lines of the war...

A former National Guard captain whose military service was supposed to end seven years ago was sent to Iraq for a year by mistake because of an incorrect discharge date in his records. SNIP "They were still carrying me on the books as a captain," Dillinger, now 45, told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "And nobody caught it. Including me." Dillinger was told he had not been discharged because of the military's "stop-loss" program, which kept thousands of soldiers from ending their tours or retiring. "That explanation didn't make complete sense to me, but I accepted it," he said. "I'd been in...

"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service." That's what the citation says. And that's what nobody will hear. That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news.

Once American infantry got their hands on reliable, and portable, UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles), they did two things. First, they used their small robots as much as possible, especially for dangerous jobs like checking for roadside bombs, or bad guys lurking inside buildings or caves. The second thing the troops did was ask the UGV manufacturer to put weapons on the robots. So far, the Department of Defense has backed away from proposals to arm these MTRS (Man Transportable Robotic System), because of safety concerns. It's not that the armed robots would just be turned on, and turned lose. They...

1 hour ago NEW LONDON, Conn. - A military jury sentenced a Coast Guard cadet to six months in prison and kicked him out of the service Wednesday for extorting sexual favors from a classmate. Cadet Webster M. Smith, the first student court-martialed in the academy's 130-year history, was acquitted of rape but had faced up to five years and seven months for extortion, sodomy, indecent assault and other charges. Defense attorneys for Smith, 23, of Houston, asked the jury to spare him jail time, saying the stigma of his conviction will follow him forever. He will not graduate from...

Thanks to John Little for linking to PFC Tucker's last recorded phone message to his family: Be proud of me Mom, I'm defending my country. Tell sis and my nephews hello for me, I'm OK, I'm on my way.

Retiring sergeant major's service called `slam dunk' for military Associated Press FAYETTEVILLE - based at fort bragg He has the same self-confidence, the same cleanly shaven head, the same famous last name as his brother. But James Jordan has always been his own man. While his younger brother, Michael, made history on the basketball court, James Jordan forged a distinguished career in a different uniform -- Army green. Now he has retired after 31 years, one more than required because he chose to stay and accompany his unit on a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq. "The Army was my...

BAY SHORE, N.Y. -- A U.S. soldier and his girlfriend found a winning lottery ticket on the ground at a convenience store Monday and turned it in to police, who were able to find its owner -- a $2,500 winner with no idea her lucky ticket was missing. Sgt. Edward Boniberger and Marnie Hall found the ticket in a plastic case at a 7-Eleven store, Suffolk County Police said. They tried to find the woman who had signed it, but when they couldn't, they took it to a police station. Detectives then located Mary Ann Doerrbecker, who hadn't realized she...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., May 29 — In this "company town" where everything and everyone caters to the well-being of the Marine Corps, there is no shortage of people, both military and civilian, who are willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the troops accused of unjustified killings last November in Haditha, Iraq. Relatives and neighbors gathered near the shrouded bodies of civilians said to have been killed by marines in Haditha, Iraq, in November. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/30/world/middleeast/30voices.html?_r=1&oref=slogin