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Obama - Soldier questioning eligibility - Fox News

Now comes word that U.S. Army Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, a reservist who lives in Florida, is challenging his deployment based on that argument. Reports the Ledger-Enquirer out of Columbus, Georgia: "Cook’s lawyer, Orly Taitz, who has also challenged the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency in other courts, filed a request last week in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and status as a conscientious objector for his client."

Should be on The Grapevine later.

headline and link allowed only http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/07/reservist-balks-at-deployment-challenging-obamas-citizenship-.html

A jury decided last June that Wachovia had violated his rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act, which requires employers to provide workers returning from service a salary, status and seniority similar to what they had before leaving. It was left to Judge Arterton to decide damages.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – An unprecedented security blanket has been draped over the US capital for Barack Obama's inauguration next week, and the threat level to the country's first black president is expected to remain high well beyond his swearing-in. More than 12,500 active troops and military reservists, thousands of metropolitan police as well as personnel from 57 departments around the nation are descending on Washington to protect against any potential terrorist attack during Tuesday's historic ceremony, according to officials. With estimates of up to a record two million people attending, the Department of Homeland Security has designated Obama's inauguration a...

FORT VALLEY, Ga., Jan. 12, 2009 – Army Reserve soldiers conducted an airborne jump here Jan. 9 for a group of civilian employers during the first Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve “Boss-lift” event for the 421st Quartermaster Company, 143rd Sustainment Command. Army Sgt. 1st Class Larry Carter, a jump master with the Army Reserve’s 421st Quartermaster Company, 143rd Sustainment Command, prepares to jump out of an Air Force C-130 during an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve “Boss-lift” event Jan. 9, 2009, in Fort Valley, Ga. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ian Morales  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

CAMP VICTORY, Dec. 28, 2008 – Soldiers serving in the Army Reserve long had the stigma of being second-class soldiers. "Be all you can be ... one weekend a month," was a taunt used by drill sergeants for reservist recruits. A transformation in the role of the Reserve and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan make frequent deployments a reality for these "weekend warriors," and many reservists are looking at their part-time service more as a second career. "It's good to have the Reserve as a cushion, a back-up in case somethinggoes wrong. I don't have a 40-hour a...

John P. Pryor, 42, of Moorestown, the dedicated leader of the University of Pennsylvania's trauma team and a decorated major in the Army Reserve who wrote eloquently about the painful parallels between battlefield deaths and urban homicides, was killed on Christmas by enemy fire in Iraq while serving as a combat surgeon.

John P. Pryor, 42, of Moorestown, the dedicated leader of the University of Pennsylvania's trauma team and a decorated major in the Army Reserve who wrote eloquently about the painful parallels between battlefield deaths and urban homicides, was killed on Christmas by enemy fire in Iraq while serving as a combat surgeon. Dr. Pryor deployed Dec. 6 and was with a risky frontline surgical unit when he was killed by shrapnel from a mortar round. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq. Dr. Pryor, who was experienced and cool under pressure, was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and...

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has signed on to an Army Reserve program that allows the company and the Army to work together to recruit and train people interested in serving in the military and working for the giant retailer. Wal-Mart, the world's largest private employer, has more than 1.4 million U.S. employees. An agreement signed Tuesday obligates Wal-Mart to interview and consider all qualified, participating soldiers for employment after they complete military occupational specialty training.

LOS ANGELES Authorities are offering a $50,000 for information in the drive-by shooting death of a U.S. Navy reservist outside an El Sereno liquor store in 2007. Jesus Guevara, 24, a U.S. Navy reservist, was walking from the liquor store at 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2007 toward his parked car when someone fired at him from a dark-colored, mid-size car, wounding him in the back, police said. He died three hours later at a hospital. "It's not fair to lose him, to not have him around," Guevara's aunt, Maria Corona said. "We miss him terribly every day.... The irresponsible...

Michael Serricchio had all he had ever hoped for in a career by the summer of 2001. At 29, he was working in the pressure cooker world of securities trading, managing millions of dollars for hundreds of investors and planning to support a family on the $200,000 he was collecting in commissions. He also was a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. (snip) But, he says, his welcome back was less than what he had hoped for. After a three-month delay, he said, Wachovia made a salary and employment offer that was so unsatisfactory it amounted to an effective...

EVERETT -- Eleven years ago, Sabrina M. Weiner graduated as a valedictorian at Kamiak High School near Everett. She was a National Merit Scholar, aiming for a bright future after earning a Navy ROTC scholarship to Stanford University. Two months ago, Weiner, 27, forfeited her Navy career after seven years on active and reserve duty, during which she rose to the rank of lieutenant. In a rare instance involving a commissioned officer, Weiner was arrested and given a choice between a court-martial or less-than-honorable discharge after refusing to serve in Iraq. Speaking publicly for the first time about it, Weiner...

PEORIA - This weekend figures to be a busy one for those involved with military in the Peoria area. Forty Marine reservists from Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion are headed home this morning after seven months in Iraq. Then, at 9 a.m. Sunday, 60 Illinois Army National Guard members will leave Peoria and head to Indiana to begin training for a yearlong deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission known as Kosovo Force 10 (KFOR10). In both cases, the public is welcome to attend the ceremonies but should arrive at least 30 minutes before. Parking might...

Reserve search-and-rescue crews based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base will begin deploying to the Middle East next week. About 80 reservists with the 943rd Rescue Group, which specializes in combat search and rescue, are scheduled to leave in the first of three deployments, said Master Sgt. Shawn McCowan, a unit spokesman. The 943rd will deploy along with members of its parent unit, the 920th Rescue Wing, for more than a year, McCowan said. He wouldn't say when the unit would leave or exactly where the reservists will be sent due to security concerns, which is standard military procedure. The unit...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2008 – The Army Reserve has evolved into an operational force that is endowed with training, leadership and skills comparable to the active-duty component, the Army Reserve’s senior enlisted soldier said. Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie said he was impressed by the quality of reservists he met over the holidays in Afghanistan and Iraq, and during a massive re-enlistment ceremony in Iraq in which he participated during January. “You can go to the theater, … and you can’t distinguish between the active-duty, National Guard or Army Reserve soldiers because that skill set and that quality is so...

State Sen. Ernie Chambers sent a letter to President Bush complaining about a Nebraska police officer and Army Reserve officer who allegedly left a noose hanging in the work area of a black woman, an Army Reserve sergeant under his command. The behavior is conduct unbecoming an officer, Chambers said in the letter, providing details of the alleged mid-October incident and the victim’s response. An Army Reserve spokeswoman verified the military is investigating an equal opportunity complaint on the incident. Bellevue Police Chief John Stacey will also investigate the incident after receiving a letter from Chambers Friday, but said Detective...

A maintenance Marine with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 makes a last-minute adjustments on a AH-1W “Super Cobra” before it lifts off, Sept. 29.(personal note he is not using the hellfire missile as a step, there is actually one on the side of the aircraft click the pic for a closer look )AL ASAD, Iraq (Oct. 12, 2007) -- There is a new sheriff patrolling the Iraqi skies, but service members on the ground will still see the same level of professional support from the air. The “Red Dogs” of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 arrived in Iraq...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2007 – When Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Timothy Stoeckle deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004, he never heard a word from his employer -- not a card, note or thank you. He eventually left that job and went to work for the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Delaware. Since taking that job, he has again gotten the call to serve, and the difference has been like night and day, Stoeckle said. Cards, e-mails and care packages of support were constant during his most recent 120-day deployment to Afghanistan, he said. He was shown...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A Florida soldier who enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks plans to sue the military, fighting his fifth order to combat, according to a Local 6 report. Twenty-six-year-old Erik Botta, who is a Port St. Lucie reservist, signed up for the service days after the Sept. 11 attacks. He did a tour in Afghanistan and three in Iraq, but he said enough is enough.

After serving in Afghanistan and three times in Iraq, an Army Reserve sergeant from Port St. Lucie recoiled at still another deployment. BY AMY DRISCOLL adriscoll@MiamiHerald.com CARL JUSTE / MIAMI HERALD STAFF Erik Botta is an Army Reservist who has done four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now being called for a fifth tour. Audio | Interview with Erik Botta Slide show | Called to duty PORT ST. LUCIE -- Erik Botta believes he's done right by his country. Days after 9/11, as a young Army reservist, he volunteered to go to war. He was soon in...

Justin Lampert was snacking at a Nathan's hot dog stand at New York-New York early Friday when gunshots exploded inside the casino. Sixteen bullets rained down from the mezzanine onto the casino floor, striking four people. As tourists and employees scattered, Lampert dropped his hot dog and hunkered down. Moving slowly amid the stampede, one man in a cream-colored trench coat walked by clutching a gun in his hand. Lampert said he made eye contact with the man as a magazine dropped out of the Springfield XD 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The man said, "I'm going to (expletive) kill you," Lampert...

A man on a balcony over the New York-New York casino floor opened fire on the gamblers below early Friday, wounding four people before he was tackled by off-duty military reservists, police said. A fifth person was hurt in a crush of people fleeing the casino. "It was crazy, pandemonium," said Jade Jacobson, 28, a tourist from Deland, Fla., whose cousin, a dance teacher from Pennsylvania, was wounded in the leg. "People were running and jumping over slot machines and knocking over chairs," Jacobson said. "All I was thinking was that I could die right now." Police said 16...

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2007 – National Guard and Reserve members now need turn no farther than their computers to get help with employment issues arising from their military service or mobilization. A new link on the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Web site leads reserve-component members to one of some 900 volunteer ESGR ombudsmen. The link is on the right side of the ESGR Web site at www.esgr.mil. Users explain the problem they’re having and provide contact information for both themselves and their employers, and the information is stored on a secure server. ESGR then assigns the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2007 – The military is grateful to the civilian employers of National Guardsmen and reservists who support their employees when they’re called to duty, said Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace saluted employers during a tribute to the troops in Anchorage on Feb. 23. Just prior to leaving Washington, he signed a letter acknowledging the military’s partnership with employers of reserve-component servicemembers. “We quite simply can’t do our nation’s business without the members of our Guard and Reserve,” the chairman said. “They are incredibly valued members of the team. Because...

Greetings From Rancho Mirage By Ben Stein Tuesday Dear Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, National Guard, Reservists, in Iraq, in the Middle East theater, in Afghanistan, in the area near Afghanistan, in any base anywhere in the world, and your families: Let me tell you about why you guys own about 90 percent of the backbone in the whole world right now and should be happy with yourselves and proud of whom you are. It was a dazzlingly hot day here in Rancho Mirage today. I did small errands like going to the bank to pay my mortgage, finding a new...

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., Oct. 23, 2006 -- When asked how it feels to return from a yearlong deployment to Iraq, soldiers of the 655th Transportation Company have a unified response: big smiles. Army Sgt. 1st Class Anazia Patterson welcomes home Birmingham resident Staff Sgt. Christopher Baker at Indianapolis International Airport. The two soldiers were deployed to Iraq with the Jasper, Ala.-based 655th Transportation Company and recently returned to Camp Atterbury, Ind., for processing before returning home. U.S. Army photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. When asked what they accomplished while deployed, the answers vary. But it quickly becomes...

Jane Flasch (Rochester, N.Y.) - Many soldiers have risked their lives serving in Iraq and Afghanistan only to return to home to find their jobs here have been filled by someone else. Infantry Captain Rob Peterson spent almost a year in Iraq guarding convoys from insurgents near the Syrian border. Peterson said, "You had bad guys from across the border trying to blow up convoys. That was their training before you got to Baghdad." When his duty was over, Peterson returned home to face a different kind of pressure. He said, "Here I am chomping at the bit to get...

        ~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ What's Your Pizza Personality?     Welcome to the FReeper Canteen! It's great to have you with all of us!! Thank you to all of our Troops, Veterans, and their families for allowing us to entertain you!          Your Opinions Please!     Main Topic:   If you visit this site, you can take the short little pizza personality quiz. (It will open in a new window!) Then come back to the thread and post what your pizza personality is for all of us to see!...

   Canteen Sports Corner     Welcome to the Canteen Sports Corner! Any stories you see below can be found online somewhere. We're just here to give a sports update of what's happening around the world of sports!! Enjoy!   ~ College Football ~ Match Of The Week Preview: (By MikeFromOhio)   Week Five was a fun week if you were a Buckeye fan. The weekend started out with Auburn getting a severe test at South Carolina in the super tough SEC. Ohio State went to Iowa and dismantled the Hawkeyes. USC was pushed by Washington State and Florida...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 34 from Naval Coastal Warfare Group (NCWG) 1 deployed to Kuwait Aug. 22 and 24 to provide harbor and port security. They are tasked to protect ships carrying supplies for allied forces in Iraq. “This is my second time going over there, and it feels really good to help our troops get what they need to accomplish their mission,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Martin Garcia of NCWRON 34. NCW squadrons use sensor platforms to provide a technical picture of the ports and harbors as they patrol the harbors for...

HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington (Aug. 18, 2006) -- Richard Litto does not like the term “weekend warrior.” In fact, he despises it, and the mere mention of the phrase triggers a standoffish response in a thick, South Boston accent. “I don’t like it,” said Litto, a reserve Marine on active duty at Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. “We’re all Marines regardless of what status we’re in.” And Litto is a true Marine. The 46-year-old sergeant currently serves with Marine Air Support Squadron 6; however, when called up for active duty from the reserves, he wanted to be with the action....

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 -- The Defense Department this month kicked off a program to help prevent activated reservists and National Guardsmen from facing financial hardships. The Reserve Income Replacement Program will pay eligible National Guard and reserve members mobilized for extended or frequent periods the difference between their monthly civilian pre-mobilization income and their current total monthly military compensation. “RIRP is designed to assist those mobilized Guard and reserve members that are experiencing a loss of income while mobilized,” said Tom Bush, principal director of manpower and reserve affairs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense...

JERUSALEM - Israel's government decided Thursday not to expand its battle with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon for now, but authorized the army to call up 30,000 reserve soldiers in case the fighting intensifies. Lebanese officials estimated a civilian death toll as high as 600. With Hezbollah allies Iran and Syria reportedly meeting in Damascus to discuss the crisis, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she was "willing and ready" to return to the region to work for a sustainable peace agreement. But President Bush suggested he would support the offensive for as long as it takes to cripple Hezbollah. He...

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Carlos Domenech Marine Helps Train Army Reservists By Cpl. Ken Melton,Marine Forces Special Operations Command CAMP SANTIAGO, SALINAS, Puerto Rico, July 19, 2006 -- Most people return home to visit family, friends and old hangouts. Cpl. Carlos M. Domenech, a Marine and native of Puerto Rico, got to do that as well as help train his fellow countrymen in the Army ReserveÂ’s 65th Readiness Reserve Command. Domenech and Team-5 of the Foreign Military Training Unit, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, held their Operational Readiness Exercise here recently and the soldiers of the 448th Engineer...

U.S. Army Cpl. Ryan Lugenbill, an ammunition storage specialist with the 592nd Ordnance Detachment, helps U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Lundby and Sgt. Donald Wright unload ammunition from a container, May 8, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Spencer Case Montana Reservists Man Ammo Supply Point The unit collects ammunition from outgoing units and redistribute it to other units for training or combat missions. By U.S. Army Spc. Spencer Case CAMP ADDER, Iraq, June 12, 2006 — Behind the front lines of Iraq, the U.S. soldiers of 1st Platoon, 592nd Ordnance Company are “sustaining the line” by making sure units...

> I assume you have all seen the reports about how Sears is treating its reservist employees who are called up? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up...Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs,for all called up reservist employees for up to two years. I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. > > > >...

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE: The first Air Force reservist chosen to fly the most technologically advanced fighter jet on the planet said his experience with the aircraft so far has been ?eye watering. Maj. Randall W. Cason, an F-16 pilot stationed at 10th Air Force headquarters at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Carswell Field, Texas, was selected by the Air Force as the first member of Air Force Reserve Command to fly the F-22A Raptor. Fighting an F-22 is like being blindfolded and trying to hit a pin he said. Its stealth gives it an overwhelming advantage...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 5, 2006 – The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve honored eight Florida employers here yesterday for exceptional support of their military employees. Eight Florida employers sign 5-Star Statements of Support for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The signing was part of an awards breakfast held to honor the employers with ESGR's Above and Beyond award. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. ESGR, established in 1972, is a Defense Department organization created to provide education, consultation and, if necessary, mediation...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2006 – The National Guard and reserve components are key players in America's ability to fight the war on terror abroad, and respond to security threats and national disasters in the homeland, Defense Department leaders said here yesterday. These components are vital to America's total force strength, and integrated planning is the key to success in the future, Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, said at the second hearing of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves....

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 – Swearing to defend the U. S. Constitution, 40 Army Reservists re-enlisted yesterday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building here. Army Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the Army Reserve, speaks at a re-enlistment ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, April 6. Photo by Steven Donald Smith  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "These great American heroes swear and affirm that they will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic," Army Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, chief of the...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, March 30, 2006) – A Department of Defense program is easing the transition from business suit to battle dress uniform and back again for Reserve and Guard members serving throughout the world. The National Committee for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a nationwide network of nearly 4,200 volunteers who facilitate communication between reservists and their civilian employers. “We keep reservists and their civilian employers on the same sheet of music when it comes to employment of military members,” said Findley Brewster, Texas ESGR Area 4 chairman. “If the communication...

CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- Approximately 200 Sailors from Inshore Boat Unit (IBU) 14 and Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit (MIUWU) 101 returned March 4 from an eight-month deployment in the Persian Gulf region. IBU 14, based in St. Louis, and MIUWU 101, based in Everett, Wash., are reserve units assigned to Naval Coastal Warfare Group (NCWG) 1. These Reservists were activated for one year, which consisted of a two-month training cycle, the eight-month deployment, one month of administrative work and one month of terminal leave. While in the Middle East, these Sailors used specialized patrol boats to prevent attacks on...

3/8/2006 - HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Canadian Airmen are participating with Reserve Airmen in a joint international exercise known as ChumEx. As a yearly event, 93rd Fighter Squadron officials here invite air force fighter units with dissimilar aircraft from allied nations to play “war games” and practice dogfighting skills. This year, the 425th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Bagotville, Canada, was the first unit to arrive, bringing five CF-18 Hornets and 15 ground crewmembers to begin the exercise. We “throw out the bait and stir up the fight, which is why it is referred to as ChumEx,” said...

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2006 – Four brothers, all Army Reserve officers, are deploying to Iraq with the same division and are planning to chronicle their experiences in a forthcoming book. (Clockwise from top left) Army Reserve Maj. Matt Holbert, Capts. David and Carlton Holbert, and Lt. Col. Buddy Holbert pose together Feb. 28 prior to their mobilization. The four brothers will deploy to Iraq soon as part of the 108th Division. Courtesy photo   The book's working title is "An American Story -- The Holbert Family: Four Brothers Who Serve." Its publisher, Linda Dennis, hopes to tell the story of...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2006 – Don Esmond, a Vietnam War hero, walked into the Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, Calif., one day in early 2004 and told the staff he wanted the company to develop a hiring program for guardsmen and reservists returning to civilian life from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. David Sweat, left, the parts department manager at Priority Toyota in Chesapeake, Va., said Army National Guard Sgt. Ricardo "Ricky" Velez came to the company about two months after leaving active duty. Velez previously served in Iraq for 14 months. Photo courtesy of James Wallace  (Click photo...

Nobles: Dr. Ward Casscells — or Col. Casscells, depending — for doing something a bit different for the "mid-life crisis." Congressman Henry Bonilla , Dr. S. Ward Casscells, Ms. JuliAnna Potter Actually, it's unfair to describe Dr. Casscells' decision, at 53, to join the Army Reserves as a mid-life crisis, considering all the negative connotations with the term. Still, when the world-renowned cardiologist and university vice president was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2001, something happened. "After I went through that, I wanted to do things I hadn't done before," he told the American Forces Press Service. For proving the...

...Was watching the CBS Evening News tonight (which I'm not usually in the habit of doing) and heard some sad news. ...Not sure if anyone recalls this story from back in November (see below) but apparently Capt. Smathers died last week, after collapsing during Reserve training. Capt. Smathers was an attorney in Maryland. During his year in Iraq, he earned four Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts and an Army Commendation medal during his year in Iraq. Might be nice if we shared our expressions of sympathy, as well as our gratitude for his service to our country. If you'd like...

Bush to Propose Trimming Army Reserve by LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago WASHINGTON - President Bush will use his new budget to propose cutting the size of the Army Reserve to its lowest level in three decades and stripping up to $4 billion from two fighter aircraft programs. ADVERTISEMENT The proposals, likely to face opposition on Capitol Hill, come as the Defense Department struggles to trim personnel costs and other expenses to pay for the war in Iraq and a host of other pricey aircraft and high-tech programs. Bush will send his 2007 budget to Congress...