Free Republic

NORFOLKCommodore Uriah P. Levy He left home when he was 10, running away to become a cabin boy, and eventually became the first Jewish commodore in the Navy, the highest rank available at the time. On Sunday, the Jewish chapel at Naval Station Norfolk – the oldest land-based Jewish chapel in the Navy – was rededicated to Commodore Uriah P. Levy, 50 years to the day after it was first named after him. Born in Philadelphia in 1792, Levy had a career that spanned pirate-chasing to authorship – he wrote “A Manual of Internal Rules and Regulations for Men-of-War.” It...

We have a building on fire that dries milk and makes cheese. There was a propane explosion earier, and the building is on fire, but an outside propane tank is in danger, they just filled it yesterday with 30,000 gallons, if that thing goes off it will be like a bomb! They are evacuating a square mile, every person, every business, nursing homes, schools. But this is a small town, if it goes, the whole town will shake!

(snip) The Washington Times Watercooler approached ranking member of the Senate armed services committee Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) about his thoughts about this issue. Senator McCain backed away from any direct comments only saying, “That’s a judicial issue and one that I have not drawn any conclusion [on]. The judicial process is moving forward.” A spokeswoman for Mr. McCain later followed up saying the Senator does not comment "on matters that are actively being considered by the courts." Mr. McCain is well known for being a Navy POW during the Vietnam War and endured five and a half years of...

Dec 7 Navy SEALs Courts-Martial PROTEST - Norfolk Virginia SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! Type: Causes - Protest Network: Global Date: Monday, December 7, 2009 Time: 8:00am - 6:00pm Location: Naval Station Norfolk City/Town: Norfolk, VA Description As most of you already know, some of our military’s most elite, the Navy SEALs are under fire from the US Government for none other than bloodying the lip of one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq, the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe & Petty Officer...

The military is throwing the book at three terrorist-hunting Navy SEALs who captured one of the most wanted in Iraq. It seems one of the commandos may have punched Ahmed Hashim Abed, who intelligence reports said planned the bloody ambush of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah, Iraq, five years ago. Instead of plaudits, three SEALs face court-martial in January. And conservatives are expressing outrage to HUMAN EVENTS. Abed, whom the U.S. command designated "Objective Amber," was nabbed in darkness Sept. 3 by a platoon of commandos from SEAL Team 10, based in Norfolk. The next few hours proved...

Race-carding has now progressed from an offensive bullying tactic to a comical farce in the theater of the absurd. First, Janeane Garofalo became the demented poster-harpy of race-carding, then Jessee Jackson jumped the shark by insisting that political loyalties determine racial identity. Now, in Norfolk, Virginia, an animal shelter’s drive to promote adoption of black-colored pets has been condemned for its racial insensitivity.

NORFOLK Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell brought his campaign to Hampton Roads on Saturday, shaking hands and making hand-rolled waffle cones at Doumar’s Cones & Barbecue in Norfolk. “That’s a great American story,” McDonnell said after talking with Al Doumar, the owner, and his son Thad Doumar. “What a great piece of history.” McDonnell shook hands with customers inside and at the drive-in and ate a chocolate ice-cream cone. He faces Democratic state Sen. Creigh Deeds in the Nov. 3 election; Deeds will be campaigning in Hampton Roads on Sunday. In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot, McDonnell said his top...

VIRGINIA BEACH One person was killed and eight others were injured when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a Navy ship during joint training with the Army. The services were doing "fast rope" exercises 20 nautical miles off Fort Story about 8 p.m. Thursday, sliding down a rope from helicopters and landing on the fast combat support ship Arctic, when one of the Army helicopters made a hard landing, said Capt. Cate Mueller, a Navy spokeswoman. It was unclear whether the injured were from the Navy, the Army or both. A Navy news release this morning says that members of...

SNIPPET: "For all his public activity, Bray has rarely, if ever, discussed his life story in detail. His own MAS biography offers vague descriptions of his work as "a long time civil and human rights advocate." A charismatic African-American convert to Islam, Bray spent this entire decade working for Islamist organizations. Prior to joining MAS, Bray was political director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). Those jobs have helped him build a growing public profile and given him access to politicians and policy makers. And that may explain his reluctance to discuss his life before political activism. The Investigative...

NORFOLK -- A French general is set to take command of NATO's only strategic command in North America, becoming the first non-American officer in the alliance's 60-year history to permanently fill a command post.

My sister, who has lived outside of the US for almost 15 years, is moving back to the Norfolk, VA area in 2 weeks. She tells me that the real estate agents she has contacted have told her that she can't get a decent house for less than $350,000 (one she looked at online was $378k) and the houses in her price range are tiny, basically starter homes. Is this true for that area? Personally I find that hard to believe in this market. She is looking to live in Norfolk (her husband will be working there), Chesapeake, VA Beach,...

NORFOLK A man took off his clothes Friday morning and lay in the lush, sun-bathed grassy median in front of the Circuit Court. Cars whizzed by on St. Paul's Boulevard as the man raised his shorts aloft on a stick. Court administrative assistant Pam Vaughan happened to glance out the window. “Please God tell me that’s not a naked man,” Vaughan screamed. That’s when everyone came running. City employee Lonnie Moore said the man had pulled off his shirt, then his shorts, and took a swig from a water bottle before lying down. Court staff pressed against the narrow windows...

NORFOLK Police have recovered more than 2,000 government checks totaling $103,000 and arrested three men after a hotel mix-up led to what police on Wednesday called a quickly formed conspiracy and theft. Police said a contractor with the U.S. Department of Transportation checked into the Doubletree Hotel Norfolk Airport at 880 N. Military Hwy. on Monday and went out. Meanwhile, the hotel mistakenly checked a second guest into the same room. Acquaintances of the second guest went through the contractor’s luggage, police said, and found and took a laptop and the checks. The checks, in various amounts, were to be...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., April 18 after a successful seven-month deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and maritime security and coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AOR). TR and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 flew 3,105 sorties in support of OEF, with more than 61,000 pounds of ordnance dropped on target in support of coalition forces. "The dedication of the ship's crew and naval aviators enabled TR to successfully complete its mission supporting Sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines on the ground in Afghanistan,"...

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) successfully completed acceptance sea trials April 7-9 off the Virginia Capes and is in final preparation for delivery. Acceptance sea trials are the final test of the ship's readiness to begin fleet service. Navy representatives from the U.S. Navy Board of Inspection and Survey tested and evaluated the ship's systems and performance. Acceptance trials will formally conclude April 10. George H.W. Bush is the nation's 10th, and final, Nimitz-class carrier. The ship is designed to carry all current and future aircraft in its embarked air wing until the completion of her...

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2009 – A ship taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia this morning is now presumed to be under the control of its crew again, Defense Department officials said. The cargo ship Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates early this morning and presumed hijacked, according to information provided by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was assaulted about 300 miles off Somalia’s coast, officials said. The Maersk Alabama is home-ported in Norfolk, Va., and has a crew of about 20 U.S. nationals, John Reinhart, president and CEO...

A mysterious boom and light occurred over the skies of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Va., on Sunday night, but just what caused the phenomenon is still unknown. Calls from local residents to 911 began coming in at around 9:45 p.m. EDT, with some people reporting their doors and windows rattled when the boom went off, according to reports from WVEC-TV. Similar reports in the past often have turned out to involve meteors, which can explode in the atmosphere to create a loud noise and bright flash of light that streaks across the sky. However, often times the source of events...

The mysterious boom and flash of light seen over parts of Virginia Sunday night was not a meteor, but actually exploding space junk from the second stage of a Russian Soyuz rocket falling back to Earth, according to an official with the U.S. Naval Observatory. "I'm pretty convinced that what these folks saw was the second stage of the Soyuz rocket that launched the crew up to the space station," said Jeff Chester of the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. Residents of the areas around Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Va., began calling 911 last night with reports of hearing a...

    ~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean. NS Norfolk, also known as the Norfolk Navy Base, occupies about four miles of waterfront space and seven miles of pier and wharf space of the Hampton Roads peninsula known as Sewell's Point. The land on which the naval station is located was originally the site of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition. During this exposition, high-ranking naval officers agreed that this site...

President George W. Bush and his family traveled to Norfolk VA today to participate in the commissioning ceremony of the George H.W. Bush (CVN 7) in Norfolk, Va. Vice President Cheney and Mrs. Cheney also attended this event. TRANSCRIPT OF THE SPEECH THE PRESIDENT GAVE. PLEASE READ. IT IS AWESOME. SNIFF SNIFF… This was the President’s last scheduled flight on Air Force One as the sitting president The President delivered his weekly radio address. In Focus: Defense.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2009 – With traditional pomp and circumstance and its namesake on hand, the last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush, was commissioned in Norfolk, Va., today. “So what do you give a guy who has been blessed and has just about everything he has ever needed?” President George W. Bush, son of former President George H.W. Bush, joked during the ceremony. “Well, an aircraft carrier.” The story of the USS George H.W. Bush, also known as CVN 77, begins well before its keel-laying in September 2003. It began in the early days of World War...

Former President George H. W. Bush will be honored for his military career when the U.S. Navy commissions its new aircraft carrier Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk. The president's son, President Bush, will speak as the Navy commissions the 1,092-foot CVN-77, which will be named the USS George H.W. Bush. "The president is honored to participate in the commissioning of the USS George H.W. Bush both as the commander in chief and as a proud son," White House spokesman Carlton F. Carroll told The Washington Times. On Friday, workers finished the last details on the nuclear-powered carrier, which towers 20...

Friend -- In the weeks since the election, I've had an opportunity to talk to folks around the state to get a sense of what they would like to see from our leaders in Washington. If this election has proven anything, it's that Virginians and Americans want leaders who focus less on partisan ideology and more on finding solutions that produce results that will get this economy back on the right track. In my conversations across the state, I've heard from community, academic and business leaders who are all focused on the economic downturn and who have all shared new...

In a locally-notorious case of Second Amendment rights violation, the City of Norfolk, Virginia, has thrown in the towel and agreed to pay a settlement of $15,000 to activist Chet Szymecki of Yorktown.

NORFOLK, VA (NNS) -- Nearly 220 Sailors from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 4 returned home Dec. 15 to the Naval Station Norfolk Air Mobility Command terminal after completing a seven-month deployment. While deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, the squadron's primary mission was to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Gulf and help provide security for Iraq's two oil platforms as well as U.S. and Coalition ships in the region. MSO helps maintain security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and economic prosperity. MSO complements the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional...

Here is the Schedule, as released by the Freaks at the Westboro "Baptist Church"... http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html 12/01/2008 5:15 PM - 5:45 PM Virginia Beach, VA Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base 12/03/2008 07:30 AM - 08:00 AM Virginia Beach, VA Fort Story Army Base 12/03/2008 08:45 AM - 09:15 AM Norfolk, VA Norfolk Naval Station 12/03/2008 09:15 AM - 09:45 AM Virginia Beach, VA Oceana Naval Air Station 12/03/2008 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM Portsmouth, VA Portsmouth Naval Medical Center (If you go to counter any of these, this is the one to do so at) 12/03/2008 12:45 PM - 1:15 PM...

The destroyer Barry ran aground Thursday as it was preparing to dock at a port in the Black Sea, the Navy confirmed Friday. The incident happened at about 10:30 a.m. local time, as the Norfolk-based ship was entering the Turkish port of Samsun. The ship ran aground in silt as it was maneuvering in the port’s turning basin, about 200 yards from the pier. A harbor pilot was on board at the time, a Navy official said. Tugs were able to free the ship with assistance from Turkish coast guard divers, and the vessel is currently moored at a Samsun...

The first example to be recorded in Norfolk of a very rare gold Roman brooch was found by a metal detector, it hasd been revealed. Norfolk Museum and Archaeology Service (NMAS) is now keen to acquire the “significant” piece, which dates from the third or fourth century, in order to keep it in the county after it was found in a field in Gunthorpe. Dr Andrew Rogerson, head of the Finds Identification and Recording Service within the NMAS said it was unique within the county and important in the context of our understanding of the late Roman period. “It is...

VIRGINIA BEACH Blackbeard, meet Blackwater. Worldwide. The Moyock, N.C., company has a ship in Hampton Roads ready to begin patrolling the Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels against pirates. The company has spoken to about 10 shipping firms but as yet has no takers, said Bill Mathews, Blackwater Worldwide executive vice president. "There's definitely a need and a desire," Mathews said during a tour of the 183-foot vessel, named McArthur, on Friday. It's moored at a commercial pier at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Somali pirates in late September seized a Ukrainian ship loaded with military vehicles in the...

Video is right here.

As you might recall, Norfolk paid VCDL member Danladi Moore $10,000 for unlawfully harassing him for openly carrying a gun. The check was barely in the bank when the Norfolk police did it to him again on a Norfolk bus, as was detailed in the VCDL mini-update on September 22nd. You would think that Norfolk would have learned their lesson (don't forget that Chet Szymecki and his wife, Deborah, each still have lawsuits against Norfolk in federal court over Chet's unlawful arrest last year in Norfolk, too). We need you to join us next Tuesday, October 7th, as we tell...

Lots of Virginia readers are disturbed by a report in the Virginia Pilot yesterday on loosened voter registration rules for college students. Red flagging it: Norfolk election officials on Friday reluctantly loosened procedures for registering college students to vote after protests from presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign and an admonishment from state election officials. The Illinois senator’s campaign complained that the Norfolk registrar’s policy of sending a questionnaire to anyone applying to register from a college campus discouraged students from following through. The State Board of Elections asked general registrar Elisa J. Long to halt the practice. The Norfolk Electoral...

Norfolk election officials on Friday reluctantly loosened procedures for registering college students to vote after protests from presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign and an admonishment from state election officials. The Illinois senator's campaign complained that the Norfolk registrar's policy of sending a questionnaire to anyone applying to register from a college campus discouraged students from following through. The State Board of Elections asked general registrar Elisa J. Long to halt the practice. The Norfolk Electoral Board agreed to that but said in a statement: "This compliance is with the understanding that the Board strongly feels that by doing so, we...

Norfolk elections officials today reluctantly loosened their procedures for registering college students to vote after protests from presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign and an admonishment from state election officials

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) _ Michelle Obama took a break recently from the campaign trail to get her hands messy breading shrimp as she helped prepare a deep-fried dinner with the Food Network's first lady of Southern cooking, Paula Deen. The wife of Democrat Barack Obama got cozy with Deen in the kitchen during a recent taping of the Savannah celebrity cook's TV show "Paula's Party," scheduled to air on the cable network Sept. 20. Michelle Obama and Deen swapped stories about their families' favorite meals as they cooked fried shrimp and french fries at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.,...

Michelle Obama shared a stage this afternoon with six hand-picked military spouses in Norfolk as the campaign announced the formation of “Blue Star Families for Obama.” Obama said families of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan not only are suffering the uncertainty of having loved ones in harm’s way, but also are coping with rising prices and unemployment. She wove details of her husband's plan to support military families into the conversation with the spouses. The wives talked about inadequate child care on bases, education opportunities for children and health care. The event was this afternoon at Old Dominion...

I’ll say this much for the Obamas: No one has more interesting political conversations with second-graders than they do. Something for everyone here — for the righties, some easy snark that the correct way to proceed in Iraq is obvious even to grade-school kids; for the lefties, some even easier snark that it takes someone with the mindset of a grade-school kid to think this is the correct way to proceed; and for the nonpolitical among us, a warm and fuzzy moment at the end. A good time was had by all. Video at link

080722-N-7571S-001 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 22, 2008) A French F-2 Rafale launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during the first integrated U.S. and French carrier qualifications aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is participating in Joint Task Force Exercise "Operation Brimstone" off the Atlantic coast. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder/Released) 080721-N-7241L-009 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 21, 2008) A French Rafale M prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during combined French and American carrier qualifications. This event marks the first...

‘Harassed for being a Christian’- the policeman who objected to gay ribbons and is turning to a tribunal Last updated at 01:08am on 20.07.08    A policeman is taking his force to an employment tribunal, claiming that he has been harassed because of his Christian beliefs.Constable Graham Cogman says he has been persecuted since he objected to wearing ribbons to mark a gay event.The controversy echoes the case of Lillian Ladele, the Christian registrar who successfully took on Islington Council in London over her refusal to conduct civil-partnership ceremonies for gay couples.  Making a stand: PC Graham Cogman says...

Poll Question Should the federal ban on offshore drilling for oil and gas be lifted?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One sailor was treated for first-degree burns and 23 others for heat stress after a fire on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier burned for hours, the Navy said Friday. The U.S. Navy described a fire as "serious" aboard the USS George Washington. There were no fatalities on the ship.

ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN - U.S. pilots flying missions over Iraq come to the region expecting a host of challenges, including swirling sandstorms and urban battlefields filled with a mix of enemies and civilians. But Naval aviators flying off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman said one of the newest difficulties has been the least expected: navigating increasingly crowded airspace in a region that has experienced the world's fastest airline growth in recent years. The mix of U.S. combat aircraft and civilian planes from booming Gulf airlines illustrates the growing divide in the Middle East between countries...

080428-N-7883G-683 SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 28, 2008) The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) prepares to anchor in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. Hong Kong is Kitty Hawk's last scheduled overseas port visit before its return to the United States later this year. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle D. Gahlau (Released)

The National Weather Service confirms three tornadoes touched down in central and southeastern Virginia Monday. Associated Press reports authorities say at least 200 people suffered injuries throughout the Commonwealth. --------- A tornado came ashore on Pier 2 at Naval Station Norfolk, according to spokesperson Terry Davis. She adds that the damage is "superficial," limited to a door, a copule of windows, a section of siding and a few fallen trees.

NORFOLK The Navy will review maintenance and training across the surface fleet after a recent inspection found the Norfolk-based destroyer Stout unfit for sustained combat, a top admiral said Friday. Three months after the ship returned from a deployment to the Horn of Africa, inspectors found inoperable missile and close-in weapon systems, an unsafe flight deck and widespread corrosion. Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of the naval surface force, said the surface fleet will investigate whether the problems are widespread across all ship classes or limited to individual ships. A second ship, the Hawaii-based cruiser Chosin, also failed inspection. Jan...

NORFOLK When the George Washington ties up in Yokosuka, Japan, in August, it will become the first nuclear-powered carrier based in the only nation ever to be attacked by nuclear weapons. While its departure Monday from the East Coast brings both a sentimental and financial loss, its relocation to the Far East means the ship’s crew must bring along as much diplomacy as weaponry. “What people don’t understand they sometimes fear,” said Rear Adm. Philip Cullom, commander of the George Washington Strike Group. “Sometimes it’s a matter of articulating the story so that people understand it.” The carrier’s arrival in...

Attacks on nuclear power stations, oil and gas terminals, Canary Wharf and Heathrow’s control tower were being considered by leaders of the plot to blow up seven transatlantic airliners in mid-flight, a court was told yesterday. Documents found on computer memory sticks at the home of an alleged terrorist ringleader contained a list of targets across Britain – including the gas pipeline between Britain and Belgium. The man, Assad Sarwar, was said to be in contact with terrorist leaders overseas and visited Pakistan a month before his arrest as preparations for the airline attacks were being finalised. Peter Wright, QC,...

NORFOLK The Navy could spend nearly $500 million to ready Mayport Naval Station in Florida for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - perhaps from Norfolk - by 2014. Or it could choose to make no changes in the base's operations. A draft report released Friday by the Navy proposed a range of options for the future of Mayport, the Jacksonville base that lost its only carrier, the John F. Kennedy, when the ship was decommissioned last year. The Navy's decision, expected early next year, could determine whether ships and perhaps thousands of sailors from Hampton Roads relocate to northern Florida. Mark...

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., presidential candidate Barack Obama’s minister, agreed to speak April 13 at Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church long before his sudden notoriety for his strong social commentary. Bank Street’s interim pastor, the Rev. William Dixon, said Wright was invited months ago because he is the nephew of the church’s late minister, the Rev. J.B. Henderson. Wright’s visit will coincide with the church’s celebration of its booster club, formed years ago to fundraise for Henderson’s missionary travels. “We do not know at this point as to what he’ll be speaking about,” Dixon said of Wright. Wright...

A sailor on the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt died Saturday from a severe head injury sustained when the ship hit heavy seas off the coast of Florida, the Navy said Sunday. The sailor's name was not released pending family notification. -snip-