Man pleads guilty to fake military medals

Man pleads guilty to fake military medals

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday May 24, 2010 11:32:29 EDT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A Marshall County man accused of wearing military medals he didn’t earn and illegally possessing firearms has pleaded guilty in a Birmingham court.

Douglas Lee Weaver, 35, had pleaded not guilty in April to charges of fraudulently wearing the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star and the Combat Infantry Badge.
read more here
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/05/ap_fake_medals_052110/

Military must deal with alarming number of suicides

OPINION: Military must deal with alarming number of suicides
By Express-Times opinion staff
May 24, 2010, 12:30AM

We may never know why Austin Gates Benson — a 19-year-old Hellertown resident and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force — took his life earlier this month while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

But we do know this: Gates Benson loved his country. And we know that far too many of our men and women in uniform are dying by their own hand.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there were 160 reported active-duty Army suicides in 2009, up from 140 in 2008. Even though military suicide rates are similar to civilian rates in the U.S., officials say last year’s numbers are alarming because military rates traditionally have been lower than civilian rates.
go here for more
Military must deal with alarming number of suicides

186,000 troops in two wars this Memorial Day

For First Time, More US Troops in Afghanistan than Iraq
May 24, 2010 1:31 PM


ABC News' Luis Martinez reports:

For the first time ever, the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is larger than the number of American forces in Iraq. Pentagon figures show that there are now 94,000 U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan and 92,000 serving in Iraq.

The crossover point for American force levels in both countries was expected to take place this Summer as the Obama administration surges 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan this year and draws down the number of forces in Iraq.

The drawdown plan in Iraq calls for reducing the number of American forces to 50,000 by September 1, a move that will require a major logistical effort over the next three months.
go here for more
More US Troops in Afghanistan than Iraq

CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq

There are times when I am absolutely heartbroken by the lack of news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan. There always seems to be some other story for all the major media stations to jump onto with too little time to remind the American people there are troops risking their lives everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan. What is more heartbreaking is that even when they return home, out of danger from bombs, they are still in danger from bullets but instead of the weapon held in the hands of enemies, the gun is held in their own hand. 18 suicides a day, most committed with guns. The American people are not reminded of the fallen except when a hometown boy or girl comes home for the last time. They are not reminded of the wounded. Most of the time the American people are left on their own to search for news or just get on with their own lives, their own problems, their own families. Few know of the hardships of the families of the military and harder times for the families of National Guards and Reservists.

CNN has done a good job tracking it all. They could have done a better job on the news station itself, but the online work they've done has been outstanding. I search it often because I know it is accurate and very up to date. It looks like CNN has done it again with this site. Take a look at it and remember, just because we are not reminded everyday of the price they pay, they still pay it.

CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq Wars with Launch of “Home and Away”
Ten-Year Project Culminates in Immersive Online Interactive Memorial and Month-long On-Air Programming Honoring Troops
Continuing to develop innovative ways to present its audience with news and information, CNN is combining the unparalleled strengths of its on-air and online platforms to honor every Coalition Forces casualty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
CNN.com has launched “Home and Away,” an immersive interactive which allows users to learn about and pay tribute to more than 6,000 fallen troops from more than 20 countries. Simultaneously, CNN chief national correspondent John King begins a month-long tribute on his week-nightly 7 p.m. ET program, JohnKing, USA, airing one of the fallen’s personal stories each night. On Memorial Day, a special edition of JohnKing, USA, entitled “Home and Away,” will be dedicated entirely to this subject. Throughout these tributes, King will utilize the Magic Wall to go behind the statistics and provide human faces to the sacrifice.
“Each of these casualties has an inspiring and moving story, and we wanted to find an exceptional way to honor the sacrifice every single one of them made,” said Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services. “We hope ‘Home and Away’ serves as an enduring memorial for those that made the ultimate sacrifice while also helping the CNN audience more personally connect with this deeply complex topic.”
“We were so moved by the powerful stories of these service members and those who loved them along the way,” said Michelle Jaconi, Executive Producer, John King, USA. “Our CNN.com colleagues have created a powerful tool that allows us to more deeply engage with our viewers, connecting them to personal tributes from the fallen's family and friends."
Available at www.cnn.com/homeandaway this extensive data visualization project began nearly 10 years ago at the start of the war in Afghanistan. A cross-divisional effort between the CNN Library and CNN.com, a team of researchers, producers, designers, user-experience specialists and developers have gathered information about the casualties of the wars. Evolving from two separate lists of casualties in Afghanistanand Iraq, “Home and Away” tells the story of where and how the lives of these troops began and ended, and is continually enhanced with personal memories from family and friends.
go here for more
CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq

Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home

Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home
Monday, May 24, 2010
By SARA K. SATULLO
The Express-Times
HACKETTSTOWN Cpl. Frankie Giaquinto never dreamed he would miss grass.

But when the U.S. Marine returned from the Afghanistan desert, the first thing he did when getting off the bus was lie down in some.

"It feels good to be home," the Mansfield Township native said Sunday following a surprise welcome home parade. "It is nice to see grass; you don't see any grass over there."

The humble 2006 Warren Hills Regional High School grad had no interest in being the center of attention during his 17 days of leave from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where he first returned April 30. But his family and friends had other plans for him.
read more here
Warren County Marine gets surprise welcome home