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When a veteran or member of the armed forces dies, he or she is entitled to a ceremony that includes the presentation of a U.S. flag to a family member and a bugler blowing Taps. Most of the time, there is a three-volley rifle salute if requested by family members. But now, if the deceased served in the Air Force, the three-volley salute is not an option because the Air Force can no longer support riflemen for funeral services for veteran retirees. [....] “To me, without the 21-gun salute, it just does not make it complete a proper military burial,”...

The mother of an injured Army veteran of the Iraq war is selling a rare letter from President Obama to cover her son's medical and personal expenses despite the president's handwritten promise to do "everything we can over the next four years to support your family." Cherry McKimmey told Secrets, "Something good might as well come out of that. It is doing no good lying in my drawer. It means absolutely nothing to me."

Yes, it could get bigger. It also could mean furloughs, hiring freezes and program cancellations if a solution can’t be found. “We are going to do the right thing for veterans and be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson told members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday. “But to succeed, we need the flexibility to use funds to meet veterans needs as they arise.” Without that, he said, “we get to dire circumstances before August. We will have to start denying care to some veterans.” Lawmakers were enraged that the department is only now...

INDIANAPOLIS - Over 1,000 well-wishers have turned out for the funeral of a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who died with no family to plan his final arrangements. There was an overflow crowd at the Lawrence United Methodist Church Tuesday morning for the funeral of Billy Aldridge. He died last month at the age of 80 at a local nursing home. When WTHR shared Mr. Aldridge's story on our Facebook page, the response was overwhelming, with thousands of Facebook fans sharing the post and commenting. Legacy Funeral Home asked the public to help give him a dignified funeral. Turnout is...

Another member of the Greatest Generation leaving and his last wish is to celebrate Halloween by giving out candy one last time. Local news report that traffic was backed up to the interstate Saturday to visit veteran Andy Furlong ( don't you just love his name. Some 4,000 people showed up with candy and gifts for him and to celebrate him and his last wish. Just a wonderful story. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Ill-Army-Veteran-90-Dreams-of-Handing-Out-Halloween-Candy-339015452.html

Some Michigan high school students are redefining the term "extracurricular activity." In addition to club meetings, band practices and football games, University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy teens are also signing up to serve as pallbearers for homeless veterans. Six students recently volunteered to be pallbearers for three dead homeless veterans. Senior Joshua Gonzales is one of the student leaders who helped develop the program. He said this new opportunity for students is "meant to help dignify and respect the human being." The students' initial plan was to carry the caskets for homeless individuals, said the Rev. Karl...

Sioux City, Iowa (CNN)Donald Trump on Tuesday night did something he doesn't normally do: He stepped off the stage and went into the crowd to speak with a voter. A question from a wounded veteran on Tuesday compelled Trump to walk off stage and speak with the man, eye-to-eye, and pledge to do his utmost to move his case forward and help him get the care he needs. "I am going to put pressure on the (Department of Veterans Affairs) like you wouldn't believe," Trump said, asking the veteran for his contact information. "As president, I can guarantee it. As...

The experiences that are common to modern era combat Veterans are so uncommon amongst the rest of American society today that a rather interesting “phenomenon” has taken root – it is the solidification of a unique attitude or way of regarding the world … a “Veterans' Perspective.” It's clear to me that this Veteran’s Perspective is worth trying to consolidate or condense into a single viewpoint. Core Values - Today’s Veterans are all the product of a 100% volunteer force built upon a deep rooted sense of professionalism that comes only from a strong culture of selfless service (or team...

<p>Cumberland County man cannot keep his grandfather's World War II rifle because it is an illegal assault firearm, according to a Sept. 15 New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division decision.</p> <p>The New Jersey State Police seized Danny Burt's M1 carbine and 20 other firearms in April 2013 after a temporary restraining order was lodged against him.</p>

PORTLAND, Ore. — Real-life hero and Army veteran Chris Mintz, who took seven gunshot wounds while protecting classmates at an Oregon college last week, says he considers himself truly blessed to get treatment in a civilian hospital. “As I got in the ambulance, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Dear God, please don’t let them take me to a VA hospital. I don’t want to die waiting for treatment,'” Mintz told reporters from his bedside at Mercy Medical Center, where nurses actually check on him periodically to ask whether he needs anything, such as a blanket or a snack from the...

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) - When the gunshots started at Umpqua Community College, some people mistook them for falling books. But Army veteran Chris Mintz quickly recognized the threat. "He was in the military and knew what it was," said Mintz's aunt, Wanda Mintz. He was hit in both legs, his stomach, his back and in the hand, but the bullets did not hit any of his vital organs. He has two rods in his legs and is going to be in a wheelchair for the foreseeable future, she said.

Army Veteran Robbed, Shot and Paralyzed as Violent Crime Spirals Out of Control in St. Louis Around 10:30 p.m., Chris Sanna and his girlfriend were walking to their vehicle near Walnut Street and Memorial Drive when a black sedan pulled up to them. Two male suspects were inside the black sedan. The driver of the sedan exited the vehicle and demanded the victims’ property at gunpoint. “After she gave him her purse, he pulled a gun,” Candis said. “That’s when they turned to run, and he shot at them twice.”

Looking at the results you would think the results of the Military Times survey of troop morale couldn’t possibly be accurate. Released last December, the numbers were brutal. In response to the statement, “The senior military leadership has my best interests at heart,” only 17% agreed, down from 53% in a previous survey conducted in 2009. As for, “Overall officers in the military are good or excellent,” only 39% agreed, down from 78% in the 2009 survey.

Jim Bryan III, 75, of Longboat Key, FL, died Sep. 1, 2015 at Arkansas Hospice from complications of pancreatic cancer. He was born in Harrison, AR in 1940 to the late J.W. and Jane Bryan of Bellefonte, AR. He was preceded in death by his son Joey (who died of a brain tumor in 1981 at age ten) and grandparents Witt and Zula Burns Bryan and Noah and Myrtle Eoff Dearing. He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Ann, son Jim, IV and his wife Ann, son Chris and his wife Jennifer, grandchildren Laura and her newlywed...

Eyewitness says police still have not asked what he and other witnesses saw; victim tried to withdraw complaint, but police refused Cops say retired 4-star general choked delivery driver, resisted arrest; eyewitness says cops over-reacted, dispute didn’t happen the way warrants allege William “Bill” Livsey, 84, of Fayetteville, a retired four-star general and Silver Star recipient for heroism, ordered home delivery for himself and three other companions from a Chinese restaurant just before 7 p.m. Aug. 15. Within a couple of hours that Saturday night, the highly decorated retired officer was handcuffed with bloody arms inside a Fayetteville police unit...

<p>Frederick R. "Fritz" Payne, a World War II fighter ace who left his mark on aviation and wartime history by shooting down six Japanese warplanes during the Battle of Guadalcanal, a bloody, months-long confrontation that helped change the course of the war, has died at age 104.</p>

Larry Yepez credits Marine training. A California Vietnam veteran now has bear attack scars to go along with his battle wounds. Crediting his Marine Corps training, Larry Yepez, 66, says he fought off a 250-pound bear outside his Mariposa County home last week. I could feel his strength. I felt like a little rag doll underneath him ... the bear was about 10 feet away and despite his yelling "get away," the animal continued toward him, jumped on him and knocked him down. ... I could hear the crunching ... when he bit down (on my wrist). He ripped towards...

Navy Veteran John Arnold of Priest River, Idaho, received a letter from the VA informing him that he is no longer allowed to purchase or own guns, When the Department of Veterans Affairs determines a veteran unable to take care of his financial affairs, it reports the assessment to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Once NICS gets the report, it labels the veteran “incapacitated,” which means that he along with his family members who live in the same household are barred by law from buying or owning firearms. On July 30, 2015, Navy Veteran John Arnold...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealander who was the last surviving pilot from the specialized World War II "Dambuster" mission targeting German infrastructure died Tuesday. Les Munro was 96...

One of the limits to the legal use of deadly force was illustrated by a recent incident in Detroit, Michigan.  A disabled veteran caught a robbery suspect, and attempted to hold him for police.  After about five minutes, the suspect ran away.  The vet shot in the air in an attempt to stop the suspect, but it did not work.  From clickondetroit.com(with video): "The criminal hit me with something in the back of my head," the veteran said. He did not want to be named in this story. The robber was trying to steal the man's gold chain. He...