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PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Jan. 20, 2011 – Most soldiers who are deployed miss their homes. But for Army Spc. Steven Starkey and Army Pfc. Andrew Starkey, a large part of what the word “home” represents is just a five-minute walk up the hill. Army Pfc. Andrew Starkey and his father, Army Spc. Steve Starkey of the Iowa Army National Guard pose for a photo Jan. 6, 2011, while deployed to Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Courtesy photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Steven, a 40-year-old mechanic by trade in Council Bluffs, Iowa, works as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic attached to Company...

The son of Libyan dictator Colonel Gadaffi is to celebrate the first anniversary of the Lockerbie bomber's release by giving a party for him. Saif Gadaffi, whose friends include Tony Blair and Lord Mandelson, will attend the revelry for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi in his two-storey house in Tripoli. He will foot the bill for food and drink, following a day's fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. When Megrahi, 58, was released on August 20 last year, Scottish authorities said he had only three months to live and was 'going home to die'.

TOLEDO, Ohio, July 8, 2010 – The O’Connor family from northwestern Ohio prides itself on spirituality and hard work, while giving back to their community. Army Brig. Gen. John “Jack” O’Connor stands for a photo with his parents after his promotion to brigadier general at MacDill Air Force Base, near his parents’ home in Tampa, Fla. The O’Connors, natives of Toledo, Ohio, taught their children by example the importance of giving back to their community. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brandon Babbitt  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Brig. Gen. John “Jack” O’Connor, commanding general of Army Materiel Command...

HARARE - A ZIMBEBWEAN woman killed her infant son and sold one of his ears for US$20 (S$27.95) to a traditional healer wanted for ritual murders in neighbouring Mozambique, police said on Thursday. 'We can confirm that the woman Christine Hofisi from Chipinge (near the Mozambican border) strangled her 18-month-old son to death and cut off his left ear,' deputy national police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka told AFP. 'Hofisi sold the ear to a traditional healer notorious for ritual murders in Mozambique. She sold the ear for US$20 but was given US$10 with the balance to be paid later. 'She is...

6/23/2010 - SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- A father and son are both deployed here as vehicle mechanics. Senior Master Sgt. CJ Slifko, the vehicle fleet manager for the 447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, said he had a tough decision to make toward the end of his six month tour: whether to approve a waiver on the deployment of his 3-level son, Airman 1st Class Ryan Slifko, a vehicle mechanic, to Iraq. "For whatever reason, (the primary person couldn't come) I got an e-mail from Whiteman (Air Force Base, Mo.) asking for a waiver on a 3-level," Sergeant Slifko...

6/17/2010 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Perhaps the biggest challenge of any deployment is the separation from family and friends and missing those momentous occasions in life such as a son's first word, a daughter's high school graduation, a 20-year wedding anniversary or a family reunion. While a military member's time downrange can't be cut short so they can attend these milestone events, these special moments can at least be seen and heard from afar, thanks to modern-day conveniences such as wireless Internet and Web cameras. This was the case for one lieutenant colonel deployed here and her 22-year old...

SCHWEINFURT, Germany, June 17, 2010 – A father and his stepson are pursuing military careers – in the U.S. and Danish armies. Army Master Sgt. William Groene, right, poses with his stepson, Lt. Michel Vester, a Danish cadet at the Royal Danish Army Officers Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark. U.S. Army photo by Nathan Van Schaik   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. William Groene is a master sergeant in the U.S. Army. His stepson, Michel Vester, is a Danish cadet enrolled at the Royal Danish Army Officers Academy at the Frederiksborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. "I met his mother back...

Chief of Staff's son marking bar-mitzvah; Ben-Gvir detained for heckling White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel prayed with his son, who is celebrating his bar-mitzvah, at the Western Wall and inserted a note into its stones on Thursday, after police misled the media into believing Emanuel is on his way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and heading there. Following the maneuver, Emanuel's security allowed him to join his son at the Western Wall. Earlier, Emanuel and his family toured Jerusalem's Old City, and met with Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz. A bar-mitzva celebration for Emanuel's son, Zach,...

Like everyone else, I have days when my outlook on life isn't exactly as Christian as it should be. The cloudy days with no sun are days that can sometimes be harder to get through. My zip and zest for life seems to wane. I realize that a day without the son of God is much much worse. The words of Jesus inspire me and make everything tolerable. The days without a sun are one thing, a day with out the son of God would seem to be intolerable to me now.

Sunday, May 09, 2010 08:46 CAMP TAJI – Two U.S. Soldiers here—a mother and her son—were reunited when mom recently made an early Mother's Day visit to the Camp. First Lt. Kenieth Mayweather and his mother, Command Sgt. Maj. Rue Mayweather, greet each other at Camp Taji, Iraq, May 5, 2010. Rue surprised her son with an early Mother's Day visit, when the two toured the Camp together. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Roland Hale Command Sgt. Maj. Rue Mayweather, USF-I, Critical Thinking Cell, traveled here to visit her son, 1st Lt. Kenieth Mayweather, May 5. The two had...

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan, April 20, 2010 – An Afghan National Army Air Corps C-27A Spartan cargo aircraft took off from Kabul International Airport to conduct an International Security Assistance Force mission transporting weapons and cargo for Afghan National Police. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Benjamin Boera, left, and his father, Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael R. Boera, share a laugh aboard an Afghan National Army Air Corps C-27A Spartan aircraft March 28, 2010, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Benjamin Boera, a 5th...

4/13/2010 - CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- An Afghan National Army Air Corps C-27A Spartan cargo aircraft took off from Kabul International Airport to conduct an International Security Assistance Force mission transporting weapons and cargo for Afghanistan National Police. At Camp Bastion, Marine 1st Lt. Benjamin Boera, a 5th Battalion 11th Marines High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Tango Battery platoon commander here, watched the cargo plane land. He swells up with pride because one of the pilots on the mission is his dad, Brig. Gen. Michael R. Boera, a Combined Air Power Transition Force commander and the 438th Air Expeditionary...

JOINT BASE BALAD – Receiving the combat patch is a milestone in any Soldier’s career.  On April 8, a father placed the storied patch on his son's right shoulder here, making the moment even more special for both.Col. Jeff H. Holmes, commander, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), travelled here from Contingency Operating Base Taji to “patch” his son, Spc. Hulon Holmes, a gunner with 3rd Platoon, F Troop, 2-278th ACR. The elder Holmes said it was an honor to put a combat patch on his son and he was glad he was able to make it for...

“The Prodigal Father” (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)Our text today is probably the most familiar and well-loved of all of Jesus’ parables. It is the parable usually called “The Prodigal Son.” But this morning I would like to suggest another name for this story, and that is, “The Prodigal Father.” Yes, “The Prodigal Father”--he really is the hero of this story. Well, first I guess I should explain that word “prodigal” and why we can apply it to both the wayward son and the waiting father. “Prodigal” is an old-timey word, isn’t it? We don’t use it much in our day, other...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Feb. 26, 2010 – Inspired by his son, a noncommissioned officer here shattered the glass roof of his dream by wrestling his way to the top. Inspired by his son, Marco, left, Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Ignacio Ramirezlazos qualified to wrestle in the world championships. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Daniel Boothe  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It’s pretty hard to be a single dad in the Marine Corps,” said Gunnery Sgt. Ignacio Ramirezlazos, training staff noncommissioned officer for the Installation Personnel Administration Center. “I did it to set the example for my son...

The son of prominent Palestinian peace activist confessed Thursday he participated in an attempted terror attack against Israel Defense Forces last month which was documented with a camera belonging to Human rights organization B'Tselem. On January 21 Israel security forces arrested three West Bank Palestinians suspected of involvement with terrorist activity, one of whom was Mohanned Abu-Awwad, 21, whose father, Khaled Abu-Awwad, serves as the General Manager of the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum. The three residents of Beit Ommar, north of Hebron, were detained in a joint operation led by members of both IDF and Shin Bet units.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ – While many women are busy serving as soccer moms and chauffeurs for their children's busy lives, one 37-year-old Tampa, Fla., resident is more closely focused on keeping her family "Army strong." Spc. Jenniffer Davis joined the Army two years ago. An information technician, she currently works at the S6 Help Desk for the 2nd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division during its deployment to Mosul as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While the military has long been a family tradition for Davis -- both her parents are retired Air Force, her mom after 30 years of service,...

Joel Hill at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office say 50 year old Michael Varnadore got into an argument with his mother Mary Jean Varnadore Monday night that resulted in a shooting. The report says Varnadore shoved his 70 year old mother onto a bed at her home on Star Circle in Cowpens. Deputies say The mother shot Varnadore in the leg. They say Varnadore was treated and released for Upstate Carolina Medical Center and was arrested and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in Jerusalem on Friday morning to bury Rabbi Meir Hai, a father of seven who was shot dead by Palestinians near his home in the West Bank a day before. In eulogizing his father, Hai's 16-year-old son Eliyahu urged mourners not to consider seeking revenge for the attack. "The difference between us and them is that we are people, Jews, holy," he said.

However, in my prayers I would lift to God the blue blanket. Then I would offer the Lord a simple petition: “Please, Jesus, bring back to us our son. Bring him back to us for we love him.”