Free Republic

FORT HUACHUCA — For years members of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers have been working to save the World War II Mountain View Colored Officers Club on this southeastern Army Post. Saturday night the group received its first major donation from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe when the tribal chairwoman announced a $50,000 gift. In February Association President Tom Stoney Sr., made a pitch to the tribe and Wednesday he was called back to answer more questions from the tribal council’s 11 members. Stoney had no idea the tribe would make a decision so fast. Tribal Chairwoman Herminia Frias made...

DENVER - An illegal immigrant from Mexico who fled to his home country after killing a police officer and wounding another was convicted Friday of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Raul Gomez-Garcia, 21, was convicted in the May 2005 death of Detective Donald Young and the shooting of Detective John Bishop. Both officers were working off-duty as security for a party. Gomez-Garcia faces a sentence of up to 80 years, Police Chief Gerry Whitman said. Gomez-Garcia testified that he didn't intend to kill the officers. He said he fired after Young grabbed him by the neck and arm to...

SAN DIEGO An investigating officer has recommended a court martial for a Marine accused of kidnapping and murdering an Iraqi civilian, the troop's attorney said Wednesday. The officer reviewed evidence from a preliminary hearing Aug. 30 and recommended this week that there was probable cause for Pfc. John J. Jodka III to stand trial, according to one of Jodka's attorneys, Joseph Casas. Seven Marines and one Navy corpsman are accused of kidnapping 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad, taking him to a roadside hole and shooting him to death April 26 in Hamdania, west of Baghdad. The recommendation followed an Article 32...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 -- U.S. Air Force special investigators and Kyrgyz authorities are continuing search efforts to locate an Air Force officer missing since Sept 5, officials said. Maj. Jill Metzger, personnel chief at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, was last seen by a group of her coworkers at the Zum shopping center in the capital city of Bishkek. “We will not rest until we find Major Metzger,” said Col. Joel “Scott” Reese, the wing’s commander. “She is an extremely valuable member of our warfighting team, and we are doing everything in our power to locate and return her...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 -- When José Rojas went to pull a badly burned woman from a Pentagon window after Islamic extremists drove a commercial airliner headlong into the building, her skin came off in his hands. “I had to actually take my fingernails and dig into her flesh with her crying and screaming to get her out of the window,” Rojas said, describing his efforts to help the victim of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Rojas, 43, a police officer with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, the successor of the Defense Protective Service, was...

A North Valley Police Sergeant is in the hospital and a suspect is dead following an officer involved shooting in Merced.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2006 – Iraqi- and coalition-conducted anti-insurgent operations in Baghdad in recent weeks are achieving results, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters in the Iraqi capital today. “We’re seeing progress toward reducing the number of kidnappings, murders and sectarian violence in areas in which we’re operating,” Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said at a news briefing. Insurgent attacks within Baghdad province averaged about 23 per day during the past week, Caldwell said. He noted that Baghdad’s average daily murder rate dropped 46 percent from July to August. “And, if you look...

A new poll to freep. This one doesn't usually get hit by Freepers and they do occasionally report on poll results on the local news. Do you think 1st Lt. Ehren Watada should face a court martial for refusing to go to Iraq?

A Marine officer was charged Wednesday with assaulting three civilians in the Iraqi town of Hamdania last spring. The Marine Corps said that 2nd Lt. Nathan P. Phan beat the three men so severely on April 10 they could have died. He is accused of choking two victims and putting a loaded M9 service pistol into the mouth of one of the men. Phan, 26, also is charged with making a false official statement. Defense attorney David Sheldon said Phan denies the charges. "We stand by the fact that these charges are baseless and have no merit," Sheldon said. "Lt....

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2006 -- A German army officer who has donated money to a group affiliated with DoD’s America Supports You organization plans to take a more personal role in confronting global terrorism. German 1st. Lt. Jens Praetzas visits the gravesite of U.S. Army Capt. John R. Teal at Arlington National Cemetery Aug. 14. This is Praetzas' first visit to the U.S. He is an active member of Operation AC, which started out as a way to send air conditioners to deployed troops and has evolved into a non-profit charity organization designed to send care packages to deployed...

BASRA AIR STATION — A Royal Air Force officer at Basra Air Station in southern Iraq is used to anchoring oil rigs to the ocean floor, but he’s spent the last two months patching up soldiers and airmen at this large British base near the Persian Gulf. Flight. Lt. Paul Andrews switched from a role as troubleshooter on oil rigs to being a military doctor, applying his trade on the front-lines. He just finished a two-month assignment at a medical center at Basra Air Station, gaining promotion to squadron leader at the same time. Andrews, who joined the RAF in...

AR Wildlife Officers Demoted For Illegal Hunting E-mail This Article Printable Version The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says two Arkansas wildlife officers have been demoted for illegal hunting turkeys without a license in Tennessee. Game and Fish Director Scott Henderson said that Major Jerry D."Chuck" Woodson, assistant chief of enforcement for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Wade Spence were demoted. Spence, a six-year game and fish veteran, was named Wildlife Officer of the Year in 2003 by the National Wild Turkey Federation. The illegal hunting reportedly happened in April, but it wasn't reported until July 12th. Woodson...

SAN FRANCISCO Three robbery suspects who were allegedly inside a van that crashed and killed a city police officer during a chase were charged with murder Thursday, and a fourth was being held on suspicion of murder. Steven Wayne Petrilli, 19, of Hayward; Carl Lather, 20; and Nicholas Smith, 22; also were charged with manslaughter, evading police and robbery, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's office. Jessica Chamberlain, 20, who also was a passenger in the van, was arrested but not yet charged. Police are still trying to determine why officer Nick-Tomasito Birco, 39, joined in Wednesday's pursuit of...

U.S. Army Capt. Demechel Robinson Supply Officer Enjoys Helping People By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nikki Prodromos 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TIKRIT, Iraq, July 25, 2006 -- U.S. Army Capt. Demechel Robinson likes helping people. From her job as the assistant S-4 of Operations, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division to her involvement in many charitable organizations, she spends most of her time giving something back. Robinson helps bring the 3rd Brigade Combat Team troops on the ground their medical supplies, water, food, ammunition, and other necessities by providing an accurate and continuous picture of the brigadeÂ’s...

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hosted China's senior military officer here today to build on the growing U.S.-China military relationship and discuss issues of mutual interest, including North Korea. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace (left) and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (second from left) meet with Gen. Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the Pentagon July 18. Photo by Staff Sgt. Gary Hilliard, USA   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Gen. Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of...

SAN DIEGO - A former military intelligence officer was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for helping a convicted arms trafficker export parts for jet fighters and other aircraft that were ultimately destined for Iran. George Charles Budenz II, a retired Navy commander, pleaded guilty in November to three counts of illegally exporting engine parts for F-5 fighters, T-38 military trainers and Chinook helicopters to Malaysia and Belgium on behalf of Pakistani arms dealer Arif Ali Durrani. In court, Budenz called Durrani a "lying snake" who took advantage of him at a time of personal and financial distress....

Duluth police issued a citation Thursday night after watching a live contortionist onstage at a troubled historic theater — an act the officer says violated a new state law on adult entertainment. The citation was issued on the only recent night that adult entertainment was offered at the NorShor Theatre in downtown Duluth. "We're back to being just a bar for now,'' said Jim Gradishar, a Duluth adult bookstore owner who also is managing the bar business in the NorShor, which is owned by Duluth physician Eric Ringsred. Gradishar said he believed the Thursday night act was not in violation...

SAN DIEGO – A San Diego-based Coast Guard petty officer is one of the 50 hottest bachelors named by People magazine in its issue released Friday. Petty Officer 2nd Class Josh Miramontez, 25, is one of just five non-celebrities on the list, Coast Guard public affairs officer Anastasia Devlin said. “They did a celebrity thing, but five of the 50 were rescuers nationwide,” Devlin said. “They took in a lot of pictures and his was selected.” Miramontez is deserving of the honor, Devlin said. “Oh, yes. He looks a little Italian. The tall, dark and handsome type,” she said. While...

For two years, Troy Greene pushed ahead with a probe that authorities say ultimately crippled a violent, drug-dealing street gang on St. Paul's West Side. The St. Paul police officer saw his efforts recognized today when he won the Minnesota Peace Officer of the Year Award during a ceremony in Alexandria. Greene led a local and federal task force that landed indictments against 26 gang members and drug dealers earlier this year. The award comes from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.

An Army officer who was born and raised in Honolulu is refusing to go with his unit to Iraq because he says the basis of the war is illegal and immoral. 27-year-old First Lieutenant Ehren Watada is with the Stryker unit out of Fort Lewis, Washington. Watada is the son of former state Campaign Spending Commission executive director Bob Watada. "I feel that we have been lied to and betrayed by this administration," Watada said Tuesday in a telephone interview with the Seattle Times from Fort Lewis. "It is the duty, the obligation of every soldier, and specifically the officers,...