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Maryland cemetery to offer burial of military working dogs, service dogs alongside owners

Rachael Kalinyak — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 15:33:01 +0000

A new section in a Maryland cemetery will be open to veterans who wish to be buried alongside their service animals or military working dogs.

Resthaven Memorial Gardens, on the northern edge of Frederick along the Monocacy River, has opened the Faithful Companions Honor Garden, which features larger burial spaces designed to accommodate such final requests.

“Resthaven has been doing pet burials since 1970,” said Jon Cody, the cemetery’s vice president of operations. “We were already doing it for all families and their pets,” but the new honor garden is a first for the cemetery.

The cemetery provides what it calls “courtesy space” to veterans, and will make the same offer to their animals. Maryland law requires money to be set aside for the care and maintenance of each plot, Cody said, so Resthaven asks for a $239.50 contribution for any space in the Faithful Companions Honor Garden. The money goes into a trust fund that has been set up for the future care and maintenance of the cemetery, Cody said.

The “courtesy space” offer will apply to military working dogs and service animals that are adopted by nonmilitary caregivers, he said.

“Our idea was to provide a courtesy space for those combat dogs, giving them the same honor that we would a human veteran,” Cody told the Frederick News-Post.

“It’s an extension of what we do — to memorialize with honor, commitment and dignity,” he added. “We want to make sure the dogs themselves are being honored, and the soldiers, and the bond between them.”

The memorial garden sits empty between the cemetery’s third veterans’ section, called the Veterans Garden of Valor, and its section reserved for pets, called the Garden of Faithful Friends. Commemorative bronze artwork planned for the garden is a “work in progress,” Cody said.

A rendering of the proposed dedication plaque for the Faithful Companions Memorial Gardens at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick, Maryland.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Resthaven

U.S. combat veterans in Africa turn skills to protecting rhinos, fighting PTSD

Rachael Kalinyak — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 18:50:33 +0000

A group of combat veterans has formed a non-profit organization that helps combat both poaching and post traumatic stress, according to The Guardian.

Ryan Tate, 32, a former U.S. Marine, founded the organization called Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife, or Vetpaw. They are trying to protect rhinos and other game in the bush around their base in South Africa.

The former service members have gone through extensive training and are experienced enough to “resist the temptation” of using lethal force against poachers, The Guardian reported.

Rather, the veterans are using “textbook counterinsurgency” according to the British-born former U.S. Special Forces member, Kevin, a former Green Beret who did not want his full name used.

The organization seeks to employ combat veterans and giving them a similar level of brotherhood, intensity and purpose they knew during deployments. That also may help offset the PTSD that Tate told The Guardian “everyone gets” after returning from war.

“[There are] all these veterans with billions of dollars of training and the government doesn’t use them. I saw a need in two places and just put them together,” Tate said.

New documentary highlights 75th anniversary of the Montford Point Marines authorization

Rachael Kalinyak — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:46:02 +0000

June 1 marked the 75th anniversary of the Montford Point Marines authorization, which first allowed African Americans to serve in the Marine Corps.

The U.S. Marine Corps Twitter page recently announced a new documentary that explains the history of the Montford Point Marines and their contribution to the United States Marine Corps.

“Between 1942 and 1949, roughly 20,000 African Americans decided to enlist.,” Capt. Lisa Lawrence, public affairs officer of the 1st Marine Division, said in the documentary.

Initially, according to the official website of the Montford Point Marines, the Marine Corps intended to discharge the newly accepted African American service members after the war, forcing them to return to civilian life and leaving the Marine Corps an all-white organization.

In the documentary, retired United States Marine Corps aviator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, former NASA administrator, said “everybody expected … they’ll quit. They won’t stick it out, yet they did, and they kept coming.”

Soon it became impossible to deny that the Montford Point Marines were just as capable as their white counterparts.

“Those Marines did everything the white Marines did, whether it was segregated camps or whatever, they were not going to be denied the title of U.S. Marine,” Col. Grover Lewis III, at the time the director of security and emergency services at Camp Lejeune, said in the documentary.

The camp was renamed in April 1974 to Camp Johnson in honor of the late Sgt. Maj. Gilbert H. “Hashmark” Johnson. Johnson was one of the first to enlist, a veteran of World War II and Korea, and a distinguished Montford Point drill instructor, according to the website.

Recognizing contributions of these Marines is important, because, as Lawrence states within the documentary, the Montford Point Marines “took the first steps to making the Marine Corps what it is today.”

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the Montford Point Marines authorization.

Watch a just-released documentary: https://t.co/2NtucU3Xjv pic.twitter.com/vMsHCODw78
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) June 1, 2017

7,000 letters in 6 years, one woman gives deployed troops a connection to home

Rachael Kalinyak — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 17:54:07 +0000

A 98-year-old woman has written 7,000 letters to troops overseas in the past six years, WGN Chicago reports.

Alleen Cooper of California first started writing letters to troops during World War II. She sent her son letters when he served in Vietnam and hasn’t stopped since, sending letters to troops serving overseas and to those who have been injured.

“One in Florida, he had to have a new ear. And I’m sure he was very, very depressed,” she told WGN Chicago.

She decided to start counting her letters six years ago and has officially sent 7,000 letters since then. The letters are all hand-written, about four pages in length and each is unique.

WGN Chicago set up a meeting for Cooper to meet one of her correspondents over Skype, Chris Cantos. Cantos is a Marine she began writing to years ago. When he first received her letters, Cantos was deployed to a remote area of Afghanistan where the only method of communication available to him written letters.

During the Skype meeting, Cantos told Cooper and WGN Chicago that he would look forward to her letters. “She would always send us clippings and jokes. She would tell us about her day.”

Although her hands are getting tired, she said her letters will continue. “I decided I’m going to write as long as I can,” she told WGN Chicago.

Suspect accused of punching man with cerebral palsy was convicted of stealing from veterans cemetery

Rachael Kalinyak — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 20:18:44 +0000

A man previously arrested for an unprovoked attack outside a 7-Eleven in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has also stolen from veteran cemeteries, according to The Smoking Gun.

Barry Baker, 29, was charged with battery for attacking a 22-year-old man with cerebral palsy on May 10. The incident was caught on surveillance video and shows Baker mocking the victim before punching him.

Baker’s criminal records, obtained by The Smoking Gun, reveal that he was placed on probation for three years after violating a previous probation sentence for theft of a vehicle. In addition, Baker was convicted of theft in 2007 when he confessed to stealing nearly 250 bronze flag holders from the marked graves of veterans. The holders, estimated to be worth $10,000 total, were taken from two cemeteries in Pennsylvania. Baker sold them to a state scrap company as scrap metal, Smoking Gun reports.

For the 2007 crime, Baker received a sentence with a minimum of eleven and a half months in jail to a maximum of 23 months in custody. He was also ordered to take part in a treatment program for alcohol or drugs and get a mental health evaluation. For his most recent crime, he was charged with assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct, but made the $25,000 bail.

Veterans group condemns Kathy Griffin’s photo depicting Trump’s decapitated head

Rachael Kalinyak — Wed, 31 May 2017 18:35:43 +0000

The group Veterans of Foreign Wars has condemned comedian Kathy Griffin’s photograph, widely shared on social media, depicting her holding a bloody, decapitated head of President Donald Trump.

“The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. strongly condemns comedian Kathy Griffin’s incredibly revolting attack on the president of the United States. Her apology is not accepted. What she did was not humorous nor should it be protected speech or expression. Playing to an audience with a severed head is what our enemies do. The USO should immediately end its relationship with her,” VFW National Commander Brian Duffy said in a statement.

Griffin issued an apology, posting on her Instagram account: “I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.” But the backlash has been swift and serious. CNN announced that it would no longer feature Griffin on its New Year’s Eve coverage with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who posted to Twitter that he was “appalled by the photo.”

“It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate,” Cooper said.

Trump tweetedabout the photograph on Wednesday: “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!”

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton,

also weighed in on Twitter

: “This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president.”

Another tug-of-war win for the Navy

Rachael Kalinyak — Tue, 30 May 2017 18:13:39 +0000

For the seventh year in a row, the Navy beat the Marines during the New York Fleet Week’s annual tug-of-war competition on May 28, according to the Defense Department.

Each team was comprised of five participants.

Four out of five Marines were body bearers, who “carry caskets at ceremonial funerals in Arlington Cemetery,” Marine Capt. Evita Mosqueda told the Defense Department.

As a result, these Marines receive serious training to meet physical standards. Despite a training regimen that favored the Marines, however, the Navy team came out on top.

Photo Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Carla Giglio

Ensign Jared Smoot told the Defense Department that their secret to success was studying tug-of-war videos and identifying “what angles and physics worked best [for handling the rope].” Smoot, a 6-foot-10 Crown Point, Indiana native added, “It was great to see the fruits of our labor, and see all the time we put in come to fruition.”

The week-long celebration has been held almost every year since 1984. Events included the tug-of-war competition, a performance by the U.S. Coast Guard Silent Drill Team and a performance by Navy Band Northeast.

The celebration provides the citizens of New York and the surrounding region with the opportunity to witness the latest capabilities of maritime services while meeting service members from the Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps. More information on the event can be found at www.fleetweeknewyork.com.

America’s heroes honored at events around the country for Memorial Day weekend

Rachael Kalinyak — Fri, 26 May 2017 15:14:42 +0000

Every year on the last Monday of May, America honors those who have fallen while serving in the armed forces of the United States. Memorial Day events will be held around the country throughout the long weekend as a tribute those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers march along Constitution Avenue in the 2016 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., May 30. The Soldiers in formation were from the 200th Military Police Command, from Fort Meade, Maryland; the 55th Sustainment Brigade, from Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and the Military Intelligence Readiness Command, from Fort Belvoir.

Photo Credit: U.S. Army/Master Sgt. Michel Sauret

The National Memorial Day Parade will be held in Washington, D.C., at 2 p.m. on Monday. Traveling down Constitution Ave., the annual parade features a moving timeline, mapping America’s military history, from the American Revolution to the conflicts of today. The parade is the largest Memorial Day celebration in the country, anticipating an audience in the hundreds of thousands. It will also feature Memorial Day parade traditions that date back to the holiday’s earliest parades, which we held just after the Civil War. The parade route begins on Constitution Ave. at 7th St. N.W. where it then travels west to its endpoint at 17th St. N.W., just past the White House Ellipse and the Washington Monument. The event is free and open to the public.

An up-armored Humvee belonging to the 416th Theater Engineer Command leads a small convoy during the 2014 Chicago Memorial Day Parade.

Photo Credit: U.S. Army/Master Sgt. Michel Sauret

Chicago will host its Memorial Day Parade and Wreath Laying Ceremony on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. at Daley Plaza. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert S. Walsh will serve as the parade’s grand marshal. Walsh is the commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command and Deputy Commandant, Combat Development and Integration. The parade will follow the wreath laying ceremony, stepping off at noon and proceeding south on State St., from Lake St. to Van Buren St. Chicago will also host its 21st Annual Ceremony and Dedication of the Gen. John A. Logan Monument. The Memorial Day ceremony will feature wreath laying and monument rededication, commemorating those who died serving the country. Music will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, with the wreath laying ceremony starting at 11. The monument is located at S. Michigan Ave. and E. 9th St., and the ceremony is free and open to the public. The Chicago Cultural Mile Association will host a Memorial Day luncheon following the ceremony at the Crystal Ballroom at the Blackstone Hotel.

Sailors and Marines man the rails of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as it passes the Statue of Liberty during the 29th annual Fleet Week New York’s Parade of Ships on May 24. Fleet week will continue throughout the Memorial Day weekend in New York City.

Photo Credit: U.S. Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Travis Simmons

The Big Apple hosts multiple annual Memorial Day parades in each of the city’s five boroughs. In Queens, the 90th Annual Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade is known to be the largest in New York. The parade begins at 2 p.m. at Jayson Ave. and Northern Blvd., ending at Divine Wisdom Catholic Academy parking lot at Alameda Ave. and Northern Blvd. Following the parade, the U.S. Air Force Band and The Blue Aces will perform at the closing ceremony. In Brooklyn, the 150th Annual King’s County Memorial Day Parade will be held at 11:00 a.m.. The parade route stetches from 78th St. and Third Ave., along Third Ave. to Marine Ave., up to Fourth Ave. and over to John Paul Jones Park on 101st St. and Fourth Ave. Both events, in addition to several others in the city, are free and open to the public. The Navy’s Fleet Week is also underway in New York, continuing throughout Memorial Day weekend, ending on Tuesday.

On the West Coast, the Mount Soledad’s Memorial Day Ceremony near San Diego is a unique service that honors veterans and Gold Star families. There will be a variety of performances including the United States Marine Corps Band and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Color Guard. The San Diego Performance Formation Team, led by John “Flipper” Flippen, will perform a flyover at the ceremony, executing the traditional missing man formation. The keynote speaker this year will be Cpt. Howard C. Warner III, the commanding officer of Naval Base Point Loma, and the master of ceremonies will be radio and television personality Brett Winterble. The ceremony will run from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday and will be held at the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in La Jolla, California.

United Airlines will reimburse soldier for $200 fine

Rachael Kalinyak — Tue, 23 May 2017 19:43:21 +0000

A Texas Army National Guard soldier is to be refunded the $200 United Airlines charged him for his overweight bag, according to Dallas News.

1^st Lt. John Rader was on his way home after nearly two years deployed to Afghanistan. During his layover in Houston, he was told his bag was too heavy, over the 70-pound weight limit. The gear in his bag included a Kevlar vest, two helmets and his boots.

United Airlines’ policysays active military members can have up to five bags checked for free, as long as they remain under 70 pounds each. Without another bag to siphon items into, Rader found himself paying the $200 fine.

The airline released a statement on Thursday saying the $200 fine would be reimbursed as a “gesture of goodwill.”

Rader said in a Fox 7 reporthe wants to try to change the policy, and he doesn’t intend to fly on United again.

“I just want to make sure soldiers are cared for going forward,” he said.

Marine corporal is awarded the highest non-combat medal for his heroic actions during a 2014 car crash

Rachael Kalinyak — Tue, 23 May 2017 15:48:02 +0000

A Marine Corps corporal was awarded the service’s highest honor for non-combat valor for saving a man’s life in a car crash in North Carolina in 2014.

Cpl. David Qualls, a motor transport assistant chief with Marine Wing Support Squadron 471, 4^th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal at the 1^st Battalion, 23^rd Marine Regiment headquarters in Houston, Texas on May 20.

Qualls and Cpl. Nathan Bryson, a Marine veteran who served as a motor transport operator for the Headquarters and Support Battalion at the School of Infantry East at Camp Lejeune, were returning to Camp Geiger when they came upon a multiple vehicular accident on the Sneads Ferry Bridge.

“I just knew something was off,” Qualls said. “We immediately got out and went to help.”

Upon closer inspection, the two realized what was happening — one of the vehicles was slowly catching fire. A white SUV driven by Larry Flesher, an electrical technician from Valdosta, Georgia, had him pinned down with a broken femur, arm and ankle.

“Being a Marine definitely affected my reaction,” Qualls said. “But being a Marine and having another Marine come for help, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. This is what we do.”

“I’m incredibly proud of him, the whole family is,” said his uncle Bert Qualls. “He’s got a great heart and we wouldn’t expect anything different from him. He’s a person of valor.”

According to Federal Regulation code 10 U.S.C. 6246, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal is awarded to “any person who distinguishes them self by heroism not involving conflict with the enemy. For acts of life-saving, or attempted lifesaving, it is required that the action be performed at the risk of one’s own life.”

Lt. Col. Vincent Dawson, executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group 41, Marine Forces Reserve, said the “award recognizes [Qualls’] bravery; putting himself between a fire and a person trapped in a vehicle, and the danger he put himself into.”