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A frail but feisty, partially paralyzed wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet scored a $15 million whistelblower’s reward after uncovering a massive Medicaid fraud scheme -- with the help of his trusty calculator. “From my wheelchair, on a ventilator and oxygen, I have spent the last seven years in this fight. Sometimes, the good guy wins,’’ said plucky Richard West, 63, of Tuckerton, NJ. The savvy senior said he first smelled a rat when he went to the dentist in 2004 -- and was told his Medicaid benefits had maxed out. West returned home and scoured his own, meticulously kept records, discovering that...

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., June 21, 2011 – An Air Force Space Command chief master sergeant used the occasion of her retirement ceremony here to take care of one last troop -- her father, who was presented with the Bronze Star Medal he earned four decades ago. Army Col. Timothy Coffin, deputy commander of Space and Missile Defense Command and Army Strategic Command, pins the Bronze Star on retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Porter as his daughter, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Nancy Geisler, looks on during her retirement ceremony June 13, 2011, at Peterson Air Force Base,...

A vet's body lies alone in a cooled room in the Gates of Heaven Funeral Home in Detroit, thanks to the grace of its 66-year-old owner, Joseph Norris, who said, "My heart told me I had to do this."

I suppose his actions qualify him as posing a severe domestic terrorist threat.

Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus. "Racist!" some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.

Wounded War Vet Reunites With Vt. GI Who Saved HimBy John Curran Associated Press Published 12/12/2010 South Burlington, Vt. -- The last time they were together, it was in the wreckage of a roadside bombing in Afghanistan Sgt. Edward Matayka, a 33-year-old Vermont National Guard medic, had been mortally wounded. Specialist David Schwerer, of White River Junction, was among those who gave him first aid, applying tourniquets that saved his life but couldn't save his legs. Yesterday, Matayka got to say thank you, welcoming Schwerer home from a yearlong deployment in an emotional reunion at a ceremony for returning troops....

Franklyn Wynne (Tony) Plemmons, age 86, born September 8, 1924 in Asheville, NC and formerly of Oglethorpe, GA, residing in Marble, NC passed away Thursday, November 25, 2010 at his residence. Affectionately called (Tony) by his family and friends, Tony was very proud of his Native American heritage as an enrolled member of the Ioway Tribe of KS and NE. He was also a decorated veteran of WWII serving in the US Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater with the 7th Air Force, 11th bomb group, 431st squadron as Flight Engineer and machine gunner on a B‐24 bomber participating...

EPSOM – He admits he could have communicated his message in a more sensitive way. But a school board member who told young children at a Veterans Day assembly that "liberalism" and "progressivism" were among five "isms" he considered to be "enemies of the Constitution" is standing by his remarks. "People are way too politically correct, to the point of foolishness," said Gordon Ellis, who resigned Wednesday as chairman of the Epsom School Board after an outcry from teachers over his remarks. "I'm a very blunt person," he said, adding that if he gave another speech to young students, "I'd...

Darren Huff, who has been charged with “riot” and “intimidation” by the Monroe County, TN court as well as federal firearms violations. He maintains his innocence and is scheduled to go to trial in Monroe County on December 1 with co-defendant Walter Francis Fitzpatrick, III. In Part 1 of Mr. Huff’s interview, he stated that he was arrested on April 30 for something which he states “never happened.”

When the 112th Congress is sworn in, all eight Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans in the House will be Republicans.

I never expected to write this letter, but my Mom e-mailed me to get information about my career for a writeup on Veterans Day, and as this is the first such holiday in 22 years when I will not be on active duty, I felt compelled to let you know why I decided to quit. Quit is a strong word, I know. Everyone I’ve talked to has repeated that I’ve had a marvelous career and that I’ve retired with honor. Maybe that’s true on paper; I guess that it’s reflected by the record. But that’s not how I feel. I...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It was just 10 hours after John Kriesel had learned he won Minnesota House Seat 57A; he stood in front of a barrage of cameras and reporters in room 125 of the State Capitol. "Well, compromise is what keeps me from having to sleep on the couch every night," the newly elected Republican from Cottage Grove said when asked about the state's budget. And that was the beginning of his political career. "Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, he makes us a better body," House Minority leader Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove remarked.

Legislation addressing the developing veterinarian shortage in rural America that was introduced by Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb, was approved last week by the House of Representatives. The legislation authorizes the secretary of agriculture to award competitive grants to help develop, implement and sustain veterinary services. The bill will now go to the Senate. Smith said America's food animal veterinary work force is facing a critical shortage in the public, private, industrial and academic sectors. Large-animal veterinarians, in particular, Smith said, are integral to small, rural communities. However the number of vets per animal - especially in rural areas - is...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Gary Pfleider II served his country for six years before he became a member of the new generation of disabled veterans. Pfleider, a former Oregon National Guard soldier, was shot by a sniper while on patrol in Iraq in September 2007. He has only vague memories of the event, but now must live with a permanent reminder -- a brace he'll have to wear on his leg for the rest of his life. "I remember grabbing a hold of my leg, and realizing I had blood on my hands," he said. "And from that point on until...

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, trying to save his campaign for the Democrat party's nomination for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd after he was exposed for falsely claiming to have served in the Vietnam War, turned for support today to a veteran who himself was accused of wearing service medals and rank he had not earned.The man, Elliot Storm, actually served in Vietnam, unlike Blumenthal, however Storm was called out by the POW Network several years ago for embellishing his decorations.According to Ct News Junkie, Storm was invited by Blumenthal's campaign to stand with Blumenthal at...

My name is Tim Burns and I am NOT a politician. I don't claim to know "how Washington works" because I don't believe that it does. I've never secured wasteful pork barrel spending and I don't spend more than I have. I am a businessman, who is tired of the massive government spending, trillions of dollars of debt and the corruption in Congress.

A MUST SEE video!

The Army says that the soldier whose family was found dead this morning and who is in the hospital himself with a life-threatening wound had recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan. The solider, a 21-year-old military policeman identified as Spc. Kip Lynch, serves with the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Richardson. He and his 19-year-old wife, Racquell Lynch, and their 8-month old daughter, Kyrista Lynch, lived off base in a South Anchorage apartment. His wife and daughter were found shot to death in the apartment. Lynch, of Jacksonville, Fla., is in critical condition...

Lt. Nick Radosevich had his orders. Soon he would ship out to England and begin bombing targets deep inside Nazi territory. He sought an edge, a good-luck charm. He met a girl. They had some drinks and dinner. Her cocker spaniel had recently delivered puppies. "That's it,'' the handsome 26-year-old pilot said. He picked out a jet black female and named her Penelope — Penny for short. He attached a small metal cylinder to her collar that contained contact information in case Penny should get lost. 2/Lt. Nick Radosevich, 734th Squadron, 453rd Bomb Group. For the long trip from March...

FORT HUACHUCA — Stunned. That’s the word used by Larry Chavez to describe his feelings at a Saturday morning ceremony to honor his late father, a soldier who served in combat during World War II. It was a simple, short ceremony that was years in the making, remembering Pfc. Mack Chavez, who began his Army service in November 1942 and ended them in September 1945. On the stage of the Fitch Auditorium in Alvardo Hall were the late soldier’s son and Col. Michael Joiner, the chief of staff of the Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca. On the large...