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Secretary of State Debra Bowen conceded the second spot in a Los Angeles-area congressional race Thursday, leaving the runoff between Democrat Janice Hahn and Republican Craig Huey. Bowen, a Democrat who represented the Southland's coastal cities in the Legislature for more than a decade, had been considered a front-runner in the contest to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jane Harman.

Republican Craig Huey, an advertising executive, could make a surprise advance in California's Democratic-leaning 36th District special election, according to initial results in Tuesday's race to replace Democrat Jane Harman. Due to the Los Angeles County district's Democratic lean, two Democrats were expected to top last night's "jungle primary," which featured 16 candidates of all parties running on a single ballot. But Huey narrowly edged out California Secretary of State Debra Bowen (D) by 206 votes for the second-place spot, according to preliminary results. Staff for Bowen on Tuesday night noted that 9,811 votes remained to be counted. "We are...

A Marine Corps helicopter known as one of the Vietnam Era's most iconic aircraft is officially history. The Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469 ) and Marine Light Attack Training Squadron 303 (HMLA-T 303) honored the UH-1N Huey in a farewell ceremony at MCAS Camp Pendleton Friday afternoon. The old "November" model huey is being replaced by the next generation, UH-1Y "Yankee" aircraft, which flies faster, lifts more and uses more powerful weapons. The Yankee is also equipped with advanced computer operating systems that mimic video-gaming system controls and displays. Crews with HMLA-469 were the first to use the...

YAKIMA, Wash. -- An icon of the Vietnam War, a faithful conveyer of American troops across the globe and savior to countless lost or injured civilians, the Huey helicopter’s long Army service is ending. For the medevac detachment at the Army’s Yakima Training Center, that distinguished career concluded Wednesday. More than 50 years after the first models lifted off, the Army is retiring the few single-bladed UH-1 variants still sitting on the flightline. Wednesday’s retirement ceremony at the training center was a bittersweet moment for the pilots, crewmen and passengers who came to know the Huey as a reliable machine...

The first S-70iTM BLACK HAWK helicopter has successfully completed its first flight, officially launching an international variant and the newest Sikorsky Aircraft product to follow in the legacy of the BLACK HAWK helicopter. Aircraft 0001, the first in the new product line, was built at PZL Mielec, a Sikorsky Aircraft company in Poland. PZL Mielec has been established as the hub of the S-70i program for international customers. The successful first flight of the S-70i aircraft took place on July 1 at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center. "Aeronautical history was made with the first flight of the S-70i BLACK HAWK...

A ROYAL New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) helicopter crashed this morning, killing three and injuring one, as the aircraft made its way to a ceremony marking the nation's day of remembrance for its military personnel, The New Zealand Herald reported. The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed the RNZAF Iroquois helicopter was one of three from Ohakea Air Base going to New Zealand's capital, Wellington, for an Anzac Day dawn service. Police were alerted to the crash at 6:45am local time. They could not confirm if all four passengers on board were Air Force personnel.

The Brazilian Air Force has received the first three Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters. The handing-over ceremony and a military parade in this connection took place at the Brazilian air base of Porto Velho in the southwestern Amazon region on Saturday. A Russian delegation headed by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev participated in the ceremony. Rosoboronexport’s director-general Anatoly Isaikin and the Rostvertol Rostov-based helicopter plant’s director-general Boris Slyusar also arrived at the base. Brazil's representatives were Defence Minister Nelson Jobim and the Air Force commander in chief. Rosoboronexport concluded the contract in 2008 to supply Russian transport and combat...

A fast-food restaurant in this western Ontario city served cheeseburgers to a Canadian Forces pilot Thursday — while his helicopter was parked outside. Michelle Patterson said Friday she thought something was wrong when she looked out one of the windows of the A&W restaurant. All she saw was flying dust. "I thought, 'Oh gee,' and I went over to the side of our building and there was a helicopter there with a police car," she said. Moments later, the helicopter pilot walks into the restaurant. "He said he was here to pick up some supper before taking off again," said...

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley ,11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and...

They pledged to leave no man behind, so for 43 years the mystery of what happened to Huey 808 has tortured veterans of the First Air Cavalry. The helicopter and its four-man crew failed to return from a routine mission in December 1965, soon after braving enemy fire at the battle of Ia Drang, America's first great clash of arms in Vietnam. Pilots spent months scouring the jungle looking for traces of a crash site, and for years afterwards, comrades of the lost crew made trips to the steamy hill villages of the Central Highlands looking for clues to what...

In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries—often with surprising results. More than fifteen years since its original publication, the number one New York Times bestseller, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young is still required reading in all branches of the military. Now Moore and Galloway revisit their relationships with ten American veterans of the battle—men such as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley and helicopter pilot Bruce "Old Snake" Crandall—as well as...

Scientists have uncovered remarkably preserved fossils – including feathers and webbed feet – of the oldest known relatives of modern birds, which also shores up the theory that birds evolved from aquatic environments. Little is known about birds from the age of dinosaurs, since fossils that date back to the early Cretaceous Period – some 105 to 115 million years ago – are have rarely been found, the discovery reported in Friday's issue of the journal Science is particularly exciting for those trying to fill gaps in the avian family tree. “I was totally blown away. I was stunned,” said...

Five fossil specimens of a near-modern bird found in the Gansu Province of northwestern China show that early birds likely evolved in an aquatic environment, according to a study reported today in the journal Science. Their findings suggest that these early modern birds were much like the ducks or loons found today. Gansus yumenesis, which lived some 105 to 115 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period, took modern birds through a watery path out of the dinosaur lineage. The report was co-authored by Peter Dodson of the University of Pennsylvania and his former students Hai-lu You of the...

AL ASAD, Iraq (May 5, 2006) -- A distinctive beating is heard overhead as two attack helicopters circle ground forces patrolling the western Al Anbar Province of Iraq. The slim, grasshopper-like powerhouses and barrel-chested gunships belong to the pioneers of close air combat support, the Gunrunners of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. Both the AH-1W Super Cobra and the UH-1N Huey, are organic to the squadron. The aircraft, as a team, are capable of distributing massive amounts of firepower to both ground and air opposing forces. The Gunrunners returned to...

The crew at Wings and Rotors Air Museum in Murrieta think it's high time Vietnam veterans get their due. Museum volunteers and military veterans have restored two Vietnam War-vintage helicopters and are working to return an F-4 Phantom jet to the skies. Those helicopters will fly and be on display today and Sunday at the March Field Airfest at March Air Reserve Base. "The Vietnam era is not well-represented at air shows," said Shayne Meder, an Air Force veteran, who paints and restores aircraft and works at Wings and Rotors. "People see World War II airplanes and modern airplanes. But...

Finding a package on the doorstep is usually a pleasant surprise this time of year. Tate Jones showed up for work Wednesday and found a Vietnam War-era Huey helicopter waiting for him. The Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History was actually expecting the delivery, although the timing was fuzzy. It took benefactor Hayes Otoupalik most of Tuesday to line up transport for the helicopter. “They had her up in the air again for a while,” Otoupalik said of the effort to move the helicopter from his Evaro Hill home to Fort Missoula. The UH1H gunship had rested there since 1993,...

CAMP AL QAIM, Iraq (Nov. 18, 2005) -- The UH-1 Huey helicopter is one of the oldest aircraft in the Marine Corps’ war arsenal. Like its counterpart, the AH-1 Cobra, Hueys have been around since the days of Vietnam, and in Iraq, the helicopters named for utility are living up to their title. At Camp Al Qaim, Iraq, a detachment from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 provides the rotary wing close-air support for the ground forces in the area. They know firsthand the importance of the less glorified cousin of the Cobra. Hueys fly with crews of four, two...

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CAMPBELL, Calif. (AP) - Seven weeks after a motorist intentionally killed a gaggle of ducks at a car wash, police say the case is going cold."We're reaching a dead end in the investigation," Campbell police Capt. Russ Patterson said Saturday An Aug. 5 surveillance videotape showed a man driving up and intentionally heading for the ducks, crushing several with his car. The driver mows down several more ducks before jumping out of his car and killing some with his hands. The attack went on for 16 minutes. Ten ducks were killed. Police received 50 to 75 calls a day in...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...