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An Indiana, Pa., man was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles while working on a military-themed reality show for the Discovery Channel. Michael Donatelli, 45, was one of three people, including the pilot, who were killed in the crash, according to Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jason Brandenburg. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. on the Polsa Rosa Ranch in Acton, north of Los Angeles. Officials at the ranch declined to comment. Mr. Donatelli served four tours of duty in Iraq, worked as a Washington, D.C.,...

By a 3-2 majority, the highest military appeals court has upheld Army Ranger 1st  Lt. Michael Behenna's conviction for the unpremediated murder of a detainee and al-Qaeda-operative in Iraq named Ali Mansur. While Michael still could receive clemency, his legal appeals are now officially exhausted. Barring clemency, Michael will remain at Leavenworth military prison until 2024. What a blow. What a disgrace.I just finished reading the majority opinion. It is a chilling document. It contains analysis of whether Michael had "the right to act in self-defense" when the detainee he was questioning about IED attacks that had recently killed two...

Competition to attend the course is fierce, with about 4,000 men eligible to attend each year. Only about half graduate. Of those, only 20% make it through without having to retake various phases. For decades, completion of Ranger School has been the best indicator for determining which young men can handle the enormous responsibility of combat leadership.

A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday. The park ranger encountered Gary Hesterberg with his two small dogs Sunday afternoon at Rancho Corral de Tierra, which was recently incorporated into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said Howard Levitt, a spokesman for the park service. Hesterberg, who said he didn't have identification with him, allegedly gave the ranger a false name, Levitt said. The ranger, who wasn't identified, asked Hesterberg to remain at...

While gun prohibitionists tried to exploit the New Year’s Day slaying of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger, a Seattle-based gun rights forum is already working to set up a memorial fund for Ranger Margaret Anderson’s family. Norm Gildroy, owner of SeattleGuns.net and Wesley Sage, one of the forum’s moderators, moved quickly to demonstrate that it was a lone disturbed individual, not a culture or community, that took the 34-year-old Anderson’s life, stealing her forever from a husband and two small daughters, and a community that liked and respected her. This column already took a hard look at the exploitation,...

The government's pending (2016) 35.5 MPG CAFE fuel economy requirements -- which for the first time apply to trucks as well as passenger cars -- are going to make it very difficult for any automaker to sell trucks in volume in this country. Ford has just dropped the compact-size Ranger from its U.S. model lineup -- making it the first CAFE casualty -- and I predict that larger trucks are on the endangered species list now, too.... Even a small truck with a four-cylinder engine will have a hard time averaging 35.5 MPG....

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an important First Amendment case to decide whether the freedom of speech includes a right to lie about military honors. The justices voted to hear the government’s defense of the Stolen Valor Act, a 5-year-old law that makes it a crime to falsely claim to have earned medals for service in the U.S. armed forces. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last year struck down the law on free-speech grounds and said the government cannot act as the “truth police” to punish lies that cause no direct harm. “The sad fact is,...

It has been a while since I have been here but y'all always provide the BEST information! My son is currently deployed in Afghanistan. He is in a very remote area, no internet and intermittent phone. I finally talked to him on Saturday and he said his Commander has selected him for Ranger School!!!! 1 of 6 in his Company! He is so excited as it is something he was going to volunteer for after his deployment. His Capt. said he would go to Pre-Ranger training. The only thing he is worried about is the 5 mile run. He has...

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 – President Barack Obama today awarded the country’s highest military honor to Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry, an Army Ranger who was shot in both legs and had his hand blown off while saving his fellow soldiers during a firefight in Afghanistan. Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry received the Medal of Honor at a July 12, 2011, White House ceremony for conspicuous gallantry in combat. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Petry became only the second living veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive the award,...

When Army Sergeant First Class Leroy A. Petry receives the Medal of Honor from President Obama next month, the Santa Fe resident will have to make sure the batteries are recharged for the prosthetic right hand he extends to friends and strangers alike. Although custom prohibits medal winners from speaking publicly in advance of their receipt of the honor, three of Petry’s Army Ranger comrades held a news conference in Seattle Thursday to recount his extraordinary heroism and selfless sacrifice in the line of duty.

WASHINGTON — An Army sergeant who lost his right hand throwing an armed grenade away from other wounded soldiers will become only the second living service member from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The White House said Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry will receive the nation's highest military decoration from President Barack Obama in a ceremony July 12. ... The Army News Service said Petry and another soldier came under fire as they searched a courtyard. Petry was shot through both legs and the other soldier also was wounded, the news service...

Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry is someone you should know. Petry will be awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions in Afghanistan on May 26, 2008 – just more than three years ago – when he lost his right hand and suffered shrapnel wounds after he tossed a live grenade away from himself to protect platoon members during combat operations.

Affected lots have last four digits: DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51 Owners of Ranger 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point centerfire rifle ammunition may want to pause before chambering a round. Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling six lots of the Ranger 223 ammo after determining that the lots may contain incorrect propellant. The last four characters of the affected lot numbers are: DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51. Incorrect propellant in the Ranger 223 may cause firearm damage

The Atlantic Wire noted recently that the World Association of Chefs has named Master Sergeant Mark Morgan of the U.S. Army Rangers as one of the three best pastry chefs in the world. The local newspaper of Fort Monroe, Va., where Morgan is based, reported the news. Morgan earned the distinction at the recent Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, where he represented the U.S. culinary team and won two gold medals. Morgan has also been honored in his day job as an Army Ranger. At some point during his six tours of duty--two in Iraq and four in Afghanistan--he was...

Staff Sgt. Kevin M. Pape, 30, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died in Konar province of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire, according to the Department of Defense.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Few combat commanders will deny the importance of reconnaissance to the success of tactical operations. The opposing force (OPFOR) at the National Training Center (NTC) will attest that the success of any visiting unit operation depends largely on the success of the "Blue" force's (BLUFOR) division and regimental reconnaissance teams. Military Intelligence (MI) soldiers--in particular military occupational specialty 98G (Cryptologic Linguist) and MOS 96R...

What’s the price of defending freedom? 15 years in prison for one Army Ranger. First Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 15 years in prison for doing just that, defending freedom. Behenna was prosecuted for shooting al-Qaeda operative Ali Mansur while escorting the terrorist home.

America's generals love to brag about their all-volunteer Army. That's because they tend to overlook Jeffrey Mellinger. He donned his Army uniform for the first time on April 18, 1972, about the time the Nixon Administration was seeking "peace with honor" in Vietnam and The Godfather was opening on the silver screen. Nearly 37 years later, he's still wearing Army green. Mellinger is, by all accounts, the last active-duty draftee serving in the U.S. Army. "I'm a relic," Mellinger concedes with a self-deprecating laugh. But the last of the nearly 2 million men ordered to serve in the Vietnam-era military...

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Cpl. Librado Luna, U.S. Army, of Taylor, Texas. He will be buried on Nov. 25 in Taylor. Representatives from the Army's Mortuary Office met with Luna’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. In late November 1950, Luna was assigned to the 8th...

Yesterday more than 6,000 people turned out to watch top-ranked Duke play Army before Chaminade beat Manhasset, 11-5, in a game between two nationally-ranked teams. Matt Gibson, Matt Johnson, Bobby Lucas and Michael Pratt each scored two goals for Chaminade. Lacrosse games between the St. Anthony's and Manhasset girls, and the NYPD and FDNY followed. Proceeds went to the Lead the Way Fund, started by Regan's family, and the Indians Rock Community Foundation. Lead the Way supports the families of Army Rangers who have died, been disabled or are currently serving. "There was no fund established to support these guys,...

WASHINGTON -- Duncan Hunter's campaign spokesman said on Wednesday that the Alpine Republican may soldier on until the Republican convention late this summer despite having received only about 1.3 percent of the GOP vote in the first four contests for the presidential nomination. "I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't go right down to the convention. He is not a quitter," said Roy Tyler in a telephone interview one day after former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney breathed new life into his once-faltering presidential campaign with a victory in the Michigan GOP primary. "With Romney coming out, you basically have three...

Outspent 200 plus to 1 by the Romney campaign, Duncan Hunter pulls out a third place finish in the Wyoming caucuses. Duncan’s experience and solid campaign platform resonate with the Wyoming people. Lately, it seems most of the candidates (except John McCain head of the Kennedy wing of the Republican party or the Democrats ) are emulating Duncan Hunter’s position on Illegal immigration, Border security and the Border fence. They will not even touch the China trade imbalance, and currency devaluation or the healthcare crisis and propose a “wait until it destroys our economy strategy”. In lieu of "a chicken...

I agree Mr. Stathis! I have some good news for you and other Republicans or Americans who are disillusioned with the candidates at large. There is a candidate that fits so much of what the conservative base wants. I think he is such a good fit that he is being completely ignored by the national media. I am severely disappointed in the national Republican Party that they have not done more to hold this candidate up. Base Republicans do not want RINOS such as McCain, Huckabee or Guiliani. I know it is a long shot, as this man has not...

Campaigning in New Hampshire today, Duncan Hunter, long shot candidates for President in 2008, announced earlier today that he was to make a major announcement, setting in place speculation that he was ending his bid for the White House. Hunter, Congressman from California’s 52nd District the past 26 years, has been making a bid to be the nominee of the Republican Party and struggling to be noticed, often being ignored by major media sources that seem to prefer other more “polished” candidates. In spite of growing support at the grassroots level and finishing third in the second primary in Wyoming,...

Presidential candidate Congressman Duncan Hunter did the unexpected today--unexpected by everyone but those who know the character of the man. With the announcement of a press conference today, the mainstream media and political pundits went wild over the probability of Hunter dropping out of the race, especially after being denied entry into two consecutive debates this weekend. They were wrong. In December of 1944, the 101st Airborne Division led by General Anthony McAuliffe was trapped by the Nazis in the town of Bastogne, Belgium during the "Battle of the Bulge". With no hope of escape, the Germans demanded a surrender....

1. We expect promises of change from Democratic candidates, but it's disappointing to watch certain Republican candidates yield to that superficially seductive sound bite, too. It's like the global-warming freight train, which few politicians have displayed the guts and character not to board. 2. It's disappointing to watch candidates from both parties accept the premise that criticizing your opponents' records and pointing out their inconsistencies and lies is engaging in dirty politics. It is not dirty but obligatory to draw distinctions between you and your opponents. Dirty politics is distorting one's record or spreading lies about a candidate. Why do...

BANBAR COMMAND POST, Afghanistan, Oct. 23, 2007 – Army Sgt. Jim McKinzie has always made a living out of getting dirty.  Judging from his smiling face and his combat uniform -- soiled and stained with dirt, oil and gasoline -- it looks like he’s not planning to change that any time soon. Army Sgt. Jim McKinzie, a mechanic, squad leader and truck commander in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, helps secure a drop zone that will soon receive an air supply drop in Afghanistan’s Paktika province, Oct. 10, 2007....

A Ford Ranger pickup truck plowed into the outdoor patio of a cafe in the Minneapolis Seward neighborhood tonight, injuring at least 13 people. The female driver apparently suffered a medical problem and passed out at the wheel of her car when she drove onto the Clicquot Club Cafe's patio at about 7:15 p.m., said Amy Fisher, a spokesman for the cafe. About 30 patrons were on the patio at the time. The cafe is at 2929 E. 25th St. (Ah, there was a driver!) -SNIP- The restaurant, which opened in 2006 in a residential section of Minneapolis' Seward neighborhhod,...

Mary McHugh visited the grave of her finanće, Sgt. James J. Regan, who was killed in Iraq in February

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"If they bring us home....those guys they died for nothing"

WASHINGTON - The 2008 presidential campaign is long on war rhetoric and short on warriors. Despite the high-profile roles of the battle against terrorism and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the presidential campaign, few of the candidates can claim military experience on their resumes. Of the top tier of 2008 candidates, only {See Duncan Hunter below} Republican John McCain has been to war and served in uniform. Yet, while the demand for a president with a military background might be expected to run high in the post-Sept. 11 era, few see that as a determining factor in the 2008...

The Official Investigative Report concerning the Death of CPL Pat Tillman.You've probably heard or read what the media said; now read the official investigative report.

SAN JOSE, Calif. ? Investigators probing the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman found no criminal negligence, a government official said Monday, ending a yearlong inquiry into the conduct of the soldiers who opened fire on him in Afghanistan and a possible subsequent cover up. The Army announced in March 2006 it would open a new investigation into the circumstances of Tillman's death, in response to complaints from the former NFL star's family and congressional representatives that previous probes had left key questions unanswered.

Brian Neuman was a construction worker whose first reaction when he saw the 9/11 attacks was: "I'm going back in," and within weeks he was headed to his old Army Ranger division. "Even in combat, you don't think your entire world could change in the next minute," he said. "I knew we were going to war after that, and I said I want to do this, to be part of this," said Neuman, 34. "I wanted to be the one signing up to go over there rather than some 18-year-old kid who doesn't know what they're doing." He had spent...

My mother just called and let me know that my brother has successfully passed Army Ranger training and will graduate this Friday! I am so excited for him. He has wanted this all his life!!!!

"I honestly don’t remember ever being afraid,” Command Sergeant Major Gary L. Littrell (U.S. Army, ret.) says, recalling a fierce four-day, four-night battle he led against a numerically superior enemy force that had surrounded his battalion and was hell-bent on destroying it. “I just remember being very, very angry, because all of sudden — from the first mortar round that killed one of my best friends and seriously wounded several others — there was this nonstop fighting that lasted for days where the enemy was killing my soldiers. The effect it had on me was extreme anger.”

NEWVILLE, Pa. (Army News Service, May 25, 2006) – The Newville, Pa., Post Office will be named in honor of Newville native Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart May 29 at 3 p.m. Shughart was killed in October, 1993, defending downed helicopter pilot Michael Durant in Mogadishu, Somalia. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest decoration. Durant will speak at the dedication ceremony, and Black Hawk helicopters will fly over the town and land in the community ball field. “Shughart's heroic actions are an example of the exemplary men and women we have serving abroad today to...

The sound of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters echoed off the rugged, snowy ridges, almost 9,000 feet up in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. In the dim first light of dawn, the men of U.S. Army Special Forces detachment Alpha 732 were scanning the fog-bound boulders and trees, searching for Taliban fighters... Ten months later, home from Afghanistan at Hawaii's Camp H.M. Smith, Sgt. Sar stood at attention as he received the Silver Star, the nation's fourth-highest award for valor in combat. He was a reluctant recipient. He felt that what he had done that day in...

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Army News Service, May 9, 2006) – He calls himself “Capt. Arkan.” Arkan is his first name, and he prefers not to have his picture taken. More than a year ago, Arkan arrived at Fort Benning, Ga., to attend the Infantry Captain Career Course and Airborne School – the first Iraqi soldier to do so. Last week, Arkan also became the first Iraqi to attend Ranger School and earn the coveted Ranger tab. As the aide to a three-star Iraqi general, Arkan is aware that divulging too much of himself puts others at risk. But he's effusive...

"...the 21st-century battles for Kandahar and Fallujah were won on wrestling mats and football fields in small towns all over America."

Hurt by Falling Sales of SUVs, Ford Will Face Plant Closings and Thousands of Job Losses DETROIT (AP) -- Ford Motor Co., hurt by falling sales of sport utility vehicles, is expected to close plants and cut thousands of jobs in North America as part of a restructuring program to be announced Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Ford has refused to release details of the plan, dubbed the "Way Forward," which also is expected to include product changes and cuts to Ford's salaried ranks. Ford has about 87,000 hourly workers and 35,000 salaried workers in North America. "It's going to be painful for...

Like Temple, Lou, Murph, others, I too have my own memories of Christmas in uniform. My recollections go back to a time close to when Lou was a captain aboard a carrier in the Indian Ocean. I was a Marine corporal on Okinawa, sitting on my rack in a dingy squad bay, listening over-and-over to a cassette tape of Christmas wishes from family and friends, eating some chocolate-chip cookies Mom had made for me, looking at family pictures, and doing what all American soldiers and sailors have been doing during the month of December since 1775 – dreaming of home.

LONG BEACH — Everyone who saw the raw anguish on Officer Mike Parcells' face as he carried his mortally wounded K-9 partner Ranger to a waiting team of veterinarian medics last week felt his pain. That moment captured on film and played out on TV sets throughout the country clearly showed the dogs that comprise the Long Beach Police Department's K-9 Detail are more than just animals trained to look for dangerous suspects, explosive materials or drugs. But does the dogs' amazing capacity for sniffing out what humans may never find outweigh the emotional toll of losing these trusting animals...

I was born to be a soldier. Not that I was particularly brave or even destined for a distinguished military career, but I think there is something inherent in most Southern boys that predisposes them to the profession of arms. I simply got a bigger dose of it than most.

Military reopens probe of Tillman death Robert Collier 8/23/2005 The Pentagon has reopened an investigation into last year's friendly fire killing of former football star Pat Tillman in combat in Afghanistan, saying it will begin a "review" of a previous Army probe that Tillman's parents and others have strongly criticized. /snip "Hopefully something will come of this," said Mary Tillman. "Many crucial things that happened did not come out in the earlier reports. People above should have been punished," she said, referring to Pat Tillman's commanding officers in Afghanistan. /snip the Army initially told Tillman's family and the public that...

A young American soldier is killed in action in what some view as an ill conceived military action. A grieving parent holds the President of the United States personally responsible, and writes the president a letter to that effect. The parent is given a private audience with the Commander in Chief, and leaves disaffected and largely unsatisfied. The parent later relates that during the meeting the leader of the free world makes the implication that the soldier’s death was largely his own fault for being too aggressive. The level of media coverage surrounding the story is entirely unprecedented…largely by its...

LARIMER COUNTY - A search continued Sunday for a park ranger who went missing Friday. More than 50 people helped scour drainages in the Mummy Range in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday for Jeff Christensen, 31, of Fraser, who was last seen by his co-workers at 11 a.m. Friday at the Chapin Pass Trailhead off Old Fall River Road. Volunteers were called off the search at nightfall and were expected to return to continue the search this morning. Christensen, an experienced mountaineer and EMT, was planning to do a backcountry patrol to the Lawn Lake...

Servicemembers and veterans were among those who got a sneak peek of the film that promotional materials say tells the story of the "most spectacular rescue missions ever to take place in American history: 'the great raid on Cabanatuan.'" The raid was conducted to rescue the more than 500 U.S. prisoners of war who had survived the Bataan Death March through the jungles of the Philippines. Lt. Col. Henry A. Mucci, working from 6th Army Headquarters in Luzon in the Philippines, was charged with figuring out how to free the POWs before the Japanese army's "Kill All" policy was enforced....