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Juanita Carpenter Richardson, 73, Purdue’s first Golden Girl, died in San Diego, CA, on Dec. 25, 2009, following a short illness. Director Emeritus of Bands Al G. Wright recruited Juanita to come to Purdue from Colorado and perform as a solo twirler with the “All-American” Marching Band in1954. Her blond hair, gold sequin costume and twirling talents combined to make her an instant fan favorite. She twirled two football seasons, in 1954 and 1955, but the name given to her - Purdue’s Golden Girl - created a tradition that continues to this day.

QUARTZ HILL, Calif. - Don't mess with a marching band girl, especially one armed with a baton. A 17-year-old high school marching band student beat up two assailants who tried to mug her as she walked to school in this high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, sheriff's officials said Tuesday.

BEIJING -- Torri Edwards' screeching expression said it all on a night of rain-soaked relay calamity on the Olympic track Thursday. Think about the famous Edvard Munch painting, "The Scream," and you get general idea of back-to-back disasters unfolding for the U.S. relay teams within about 30 minutes. There was disqualification for the men in the preliminaries of the 400-meter relay, followed by the same for the women, a huge dose of Olympic-size ignominy. This wasn't a whisper to a scream. It was a scream to a scream at the Bird's Nest. And, on top of it all, the botched...

CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq, June 9, 2006 – The security situation in Iraq is like a relay race. Coalition forces have the baton for the first leg. They pass it to the Iraqi army, who in turn pass the baton to the Iraqi police. In Anbar province, the race is a bit slower than in other portions of Iraq. But progress is being made. Training the Iraqi security forces is the most important mission for coalition personnel, who realize that capable security forces will quicken their return home. Iraqi soldiers and police understand this and are very receptive to coalition...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Dec. 6, 2005) -- A Baton Rouge, La. native was presented the Purple Heart Medal here Nov. 30 for injuries he suffered while deployed to Iraq in September. Lance Cpl. Ryan Cahill, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and several members of his unit had been searching for improvised explosive devices in Karmah, a city outside Fallujah, at the time he was injured. “The IED went off about five to 10 yards from the humvee I was driving,” said the 19-year-old Cahill. “There was a lot of confusion that followed, because I...