Free Republic

A disabled Espanola man was injured and his home ransacked during a home invasion robbery on Espanola Road in Bunnell, authorities said Friday. The 60-year-old man, who uses a wheelchair to get around, told Flagler County sheriff’s deputies that shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday four men, one armed with an aluminum bat, entered his home, threw him on the floor and began kicking and poking him in the head with the bat, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. He described his attackers as being black, between the ages of 20 and 29, wearing dark clothing, and ...

BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) - Adam Arroyo has lived in his Breckenridge apartment for three years but has never experienced a day like this past Monday; when police busted down his door in search of drugs, shooting and killing his dog in the process. "She's over here, chained up, and look at all these bullet holes man. Look at the blood right here," Arroyo explained as he showed Eyewitness cameras where his pit bull mix Cindy had been shot. "She was tied up in the kitchen like I tie her up every single day, and they shot her for no reason."...

President Barack Obama and members of his administration are holding a day-long mental health conference Monday at the White House--and they have asked Hollywood to help lend some star power. Actors Bradley Cooper and Glenn Close are among those invited to participate in the meeting, which features a panel on negative attitudes toward mental illness moderated by Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, a panel on mental health outreach moderated by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and opening remarks from the president and closing remarks from Vice President Joe Biden, Cooper and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. Close in 2009 co-founded...

Valluzzo was armed when Ridgefield police arrived at his home following a call about a possible domestic incident on Friday evening, state police said. He was shot after authorities said he refused to comply with orders to put the gun down and instead raised it on officers. Valluzzo was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police have not identified the officer involved in the shooting. The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reports Valluzzo was a decorated Korean War veteran and founded the Military Museum of Southern New England in 1995.

In the lore of the ancient Romans, Horatius was a soldier who single-handedly fought off an invading army. The Etruscans had attacked in order to impose a despot on Rome and, by holding them back while his comrades destroyed the bridge that was the only practical route to the city, this single warrior saved the free republic. Obamacare is certainly the bridge via which the forces of despotism plan to “fundamentally transform” the United States, and a decorated Iraq veteran named Matt Sissel may be the Horatius who prevents them from crossing. This 32-year-old artist, businessman, and holder of the...

Editor’s Note: Williamsburg resident Joe “Porky” Porcacelli’s oral narrative of his experiences in WWII is available from the Colonel Robert R. McCormick Research Center in Wheaton, IL, http://firstdivisionmuseum.org. Williamsburg Man’s Military Service Gave Close-Up View Of Combat By Etta Pettijohn The epic history of WWII has been told through movies and books, but nobody knows the details better than Joe “Porky” Porcacelli. His personal war experience was loaded with historic names and places - General George S. Patton Jr., D-Day, Omaha Beach, Nazi prison camps, the Nuremberg Trials, and War Correspondent Ernie Pyle, to name a few. >Porcacelli quit high...

Nobody gets the crowds rocking harder than the Motor City Madman, and his appearance at the NRA Convention on Sunday was no exception. This experience, however, began a little different than the others. Sure there was talk of guns and politics and the spirit of the hunt, but that soon gave way to a more somber moment. The moment when the Nuge revealed one of his darkest secrets. "I've got to admit something right here. I feel guilty. You know it's hard to find ammo. I'm sorry … I've got it all. "I'm really sorry about that. I've got...

A blind veteran was forced to defend himself after being attacked in broad daylight. Fifty-one-year-old Gordon Besaw has glaucoma. He and his seeing eye dog, Derby, were headed to the VA Medical Center for treatment Tuesday when police say he was attacked by 27-year-old Christopher Andrew. "He asked me, 'Are you blind?' I said yes," said Besaw. "He said, 'I can make you see before you see God'." Police say Andrew punched the retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier in the head. "He said, 'I can make you see again' and he punched me in the head again," Besaw said....

I am a disabled combat veteran. I served in Iraq and worked in Afghanistan. I took an IED because my country asked me too, and I was injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. I have a Purple Heart and an ARCOM with Valor. I fully expect to be treated differently when I am visiting another country - when I am in America I expect equality and toleration; but what I experienced today is something that I never would have thought I'd have to go through in my own country. The country I fought for! I am a skydiver with...

WEST ALLIS (WITI) — A Marine Corps veteran was able to stop a man early Tuesday, March 12th from nearly kicking a woman to death. It happened near 102nd and Lincoln, and Wisconsin’s concealed carry law made his efforts possible. Charlie Blackmore was driving home from work at 4:00 a.m. along Lincoln Avenue when he saw something on the sidewalk. Blackmore didn’t realize it was a woman on the ground being kicked in the head and stomach until he got closer. That’s when he jumped out of his car and sprung into action. “I said ‘stop’ and he starts coming...

Abita Springs, La - A man who lives just down the road from 32-year-old Jason Glover is among those in Abita Springs just learning that Glover was shot and later died. "I don't even know what happened," said a neighbor. "Somebody just told me that police shot him." Around 11:00 Friday night, Glover's girlfriend called 9-1-1 saying her boyfriend had a handgun and had threatened to kill her. When deputies arrived, they say Glover got out of his vehicle with a gun and pointed it at a deputy. The deputy shot Glover twice. Glover died Saturday morning in the hospital....

Now, he’s flying with the angels. Tom Griffin, one of just five surviving Doolittle Raiders, died Tuesday night in his sleep at the Fort Thomas VA hospital in Kentucky. He navigated one of 16 North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific during the early dark days of World War II to launch a surprise daylight attack on Tokyo, lifting American morale. The longtime Green Township, Ohio, resident was 96. By his own count, Mr. Griffin cheated death eight times during World War II. The first time was when he took off in...

Former Navy Seal Gabriel Gomez has announced his intention to run in the special election to fill the vacancy left by John Kerry. A private-equity investor, Gomez now has until the end of the month to collect the 10,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot. If successful, we would face state Rep. Dan Winslow, a former Romney staffer, in the primary April 30th. “As I look at Washington," Gomez said in a public statement, "I see a lot of unproductive noise and bickering, and I see two parties attacking each other at all times over every issue. I see...

An Indiana, Pa., man was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles while working on a military-themed reality show for the Discovery Channel. Michael Donatelli, 45, was one of three people, including the pilot, who were killed in the crash, according to Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jason Brandenburg. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. on the Polsa Rosa Ranch in Acton, north of Los Angeles. Officials at the ranch declined to comment. Mr. Donatelli served four tours of duty in Iraq, worked as a Washington, D.C.,...

Just months after returning from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan, U.S. Army National Guard veteran Tyler Barge was embroiled in another fight defending the American flag. This time, it involves the management of his Salem, Va. apartment complex. A small American flag, displayed in a cup of dirt on his patio wall, is a violation of the building’s code, he was told. Barge received a notice informing him he must remove the flag, along with a few other items – a broom and table, for instance – deemed inappropriate.

Nathan Haddad, a decorated combat veteran with multiples deployments to Afghanistan, who has spent spent 12 years serving his Country in the United States Army, is now under Arrest!

Press Release - Washington, DC – Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) today released the following statement on the news that the Department of Defense will lift the ban on women serving in ground combat roles: “As a twice-deployed combat veteran, I have a firsthand appreciation and understanding of the contributions women in uniform make every single day, all around the world. I have had the honor of serving with incredibly talented female soldiers who, if given the opportunity, would serve as great assets in our ground combat units. It is crucial that we shed light on the great value and opportunities...

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's a good news update on a home ransacked and spray painted by a pair of teen burglars in northwest Houston. While the burglars are now in custody, community members and Marines stepped in to help the homeowner -- a 93-year-old World War II veteran. The Marines quickly marched into the defaced home of WWII veteran Elbert Wood, eager to help. "It's important that he knows we're here for him and that we're always his brothers," Major Roberto Rodriguez said. The presence of these local Marines is just one example of the outpouring of support for Wood...

After enduring hours of derision and mockery by the panelists at a Chicago-area guns “forum” Sunday, one man in the audience stood up and addressed the crowd, identified himself as a veteran, and proceeded to give a straightforward but passionate defense of his support for the First and Second Amendments.

Footage from a "Guns and Public Safety Forum" hosted by the New Trier (IL) Democrats on January 20, 2013. A veteran rose to address speakers and defend First and Second Amendments.