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The Internet is chock-full of the heartwarming reunions between soldiers and their beloved dogs. But a cat named Finn proves that felines can miss their owners just as much as their canine counterparts. In the adorable video, Finn, one very chatty Ragdoll, paces by the door and meows in anticipation. Finally the door opens and soldier Nick (only identified by his first name in the video) strides in to be enthusiastically greeted by Finn and Nick’s girlfriend, who is filming the reunion on her smartphone. Boo, the couple's Siamese cat, patiently awaits in the background. After Finn rubs on Nick’s...

The Department of Veterans Affairs is making amends to an 89-year-old World War II vet whose monthly veteran benefit check was slashed from $300 to $6 to recoup an overpayment he never knew about.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - A letter recently donated to the libraries at the University of Georgia gives an eyewitness account of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the Civil War. The letter is from Joseph Short to his wife, Nancy. It is part of the collection of William Joseph and Nancy Wallis Short family papers recently donated by Roger Rowell to UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain began at 8 a.m. on June 27, 1864. By noon it was over, and Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman had lost the battle and 3,000 of...

“For a while I flew by the ship, I approached at 300 feet so he could see my landing gear and see what was going on,” Mahoney said. “At this point it was time to figure out, how do I get the jet back on the deck safely with only three landing gear?” The plan was to use a stool on the deck to stabilize the nose of the jet while Mahoney made a vertical landing using only the lights on the ship and assistance via radio from “Paddles.” “The ship had this amazing invention, called a stool, that was...

Mahoney slowed down and called for help. He was flying solo and communicated with a landing signal officer, who can act as a co-pilot of sorts from the ground. Mahoney approached the USS Bataan at about 300 feet, so the LSO could see the landing gear and diagnose the issue. The LSO, nicknamed "Paddles," confirmed that the nose gear did not come back down. It was then that Mahoney was informed of a stool built for this particular situation. By lining up the nose of the jet with this invention, it was possible for the pilot to conduct a vertical...

Amy Adams made one American soldier's flight to L.A. much nicer. Before her plane from Detroit took off, the Oscar-nominated actress, who was booked for a first-class seat, noticed a man in uniform at the gate. She then privately asked to switch seats with the soldier, who had been ticketed for coach.

The ultimate historical traveler's guide to the American Revolution Nearly 150 chronologically arranged entries on everything from meeting halls to battlefields Includes contemporary accounts and the writings of leading historians, offering site-by-site details and an overview of the Revolution Written for the vast and ever-growing crowd of history tourists In 1996, Congress commissioned the National Park Service to compile a list of sites and landmarks connected with the American Revolution that it deemed vital to preserve for future generations. Some of these sites are well known--Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Fort Ticonderoga--and in no danger of being lost; others less so--...

Neat video of a rather interesting (if ultimately unsuccessful) U.S. attack helicopter design from the early 1970s.

Ryan Pitts will wear the nation's highest award for combat valor, but the humble and soft-spoken Medal of Honor recipient who continued to fight after being wounded in one of Afghanistan's bloodiest battles insisted Thursday that the medal belongs to all of his comrades who fought and died that day. Pitts, now a 28-year-old married father of one, will receive the medal next month at the White House. The citation says Pitts fought off enemy fighters on July 13, 2008, in Wanat, Afghanistan. Despite losing blood from wounds in both legs and an arm, he continued to fire at about...

Marine Cpl. John Dolezal poses with Cchaz, a Belgian Malinois, at Twentynine Palms in California. (Wondering about that spelling? Dogs bred at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the military’s primary canine facility, are given names that begin with a double letter.)   This photo and the ones below it are part of photographer Adam Ferguson's touching series about military working dogs to be published in the June issue of National Geographic magazine.   The scouting, tracking and sentry skills of dogs have been used on the front lines of some of the most dangerous battlefields in history. Working dogs...

With up to 40% of Americans not engaged with local and international events,this would be a great weekend to send a Jimmy Kimmel street actor/reporter to Los Angeles.The outrageous questions he/she would ask of the uninformed would be endless.Can you imagine some young liberal being asked "How Do You Feel About The Iraq Army Invading Russia,and now President Putin is contemplating surrendering being his army is too small to defeat the Iraqian's?,and "As The Nation Of Stanastan Is Invading Iran,Do You Think Secretary Of Defense Kathleen Sebelius Should Send 95,000 troops there to fight off the enemy?

A soldier deployed in Afghanistan may be getting his dog back because strangers rallied to help him after his ex-girlfriend sold the pooch while he was overseas. The family that bought the pooch is also a military family, but were reluctant to surrender the dog because their children had become so attached to it. Robert Gabbert, a soldier based in Fort Carson, Colo., left his 3-year-old Shiba Inu named Baxter with his former girlfriend when he was deployed to Afghanistan in March. Instead of returning the dog to Gabbert's family, the ex-girlfriend sold the dog on Craigslist, supporters of Gabbert's...

'In this touching video, Finn the Ragdoll cat greets his owner, Nick, who is returning home after drill."

President Barack Obama has tapped the vice chief of the Army to take over the U.S. command in Afghanistan later this year as America pulls out its combat troops and leaves a force of about 10,000 to train and advise the Afghan military. …

The Stars and Stripes are at the center of controversy. At least at Larry Murphree’s home. “I want it to go away. It’s such a minor little thing and they keep coming after me,” he explained. “They” is Murphree’s homeowner’s association. He’s lived in the Sweetwater community for years, and been at odds with the HOA for more than two. All over a flag. The veteran decided to put one in his flower pot, and has been fined as a result. “They just sent me a letter that says I owe them around $8,000 and they put a foreclosure lien...

Air Force Staff Sergeant Rowan Coash was on his way to Texas to report for duty when his car broke down unexpectedly. More than 1,000 miles from his destination, he was left on the highway outskirts of Price, Utah. While waiting for a tow truck, he called his friend Erica to tell her about his setback. Erica chose to take action by reaching out to the Facebook community. Anybody out there in Facebook Land near Price, UT and willing to help a soldier? Hundreds of people shared Erica’s post; and Leslie Holmes, a “Good Samaritan” in Price, saw the post and helped...

Army Private Aaron Toppen and his family are members of the same church I attend. I don't know the family personally, I do remember our church praying for Aaron as he attended his last service at our church. Visitation Services for Private Aaron Toppen are tomorrow, June 23rd from 1-9pm. Funeral Tuesday starting at 10am. Any/All Chicago area Freepers who would like to help support Aaron Toppen's family are welcome to attend. Our church is a very large one, expect (and hope) that the turnout will be huge to support the family. My family will be attending the wake tomorrow...

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has envisioned some peculiar and diverse projects over the years, from molten metal-filled missiles, all the way to submarines that can fly. Then there's this new project that aims to create a portable cylinder that can blow up into a nearly impenetrable wall. Because sometimes you just need that. COULD DOUBLE AS A DWELLING The group suggested the idea, which is nicknamed Block Access to Deny Entry (BlockADE), in a request for information that was spotted by io9. In short, it asks for a way to "construct a barrier without human intervention,"...

A Marine from New Hampshire has been killed in Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Brandon Garabrant, 19, was one of three U.S. service members killed by a roadside bomb Friday morning. (SNIP) Garabrant graduated from ConVal Regional High School in Peterborough last year. He had requested to wear his uniform during graduation, but the school did not allow it.

Today would be the 88th birthday of Audie Murphy if he had not died in a plane crash, fittingly enough on Memorial Day weekend, forty-three years ago. In the Fifties actor Audie Murphy achieved stardom, mainly in Westerns. Murphy looked like a typical Hollywood “pretty boy” but he was anything but. From a family of 12 in Texas, he was the sixth child, Murphy had dropped out of school in the fifth grade to help support his dirt poor family after his worthless father ran off. His mother died in 1941. In 1942 he enlisted in the Army at 16,...