Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2009 – The USS Ingraham was one of the first responders to provide humanitarian relief to victims of a natural disaster in American Samoa, the ship’s commanding officer said. The U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean was hit by an earthquake-caused tsunami Sept. 29. Navy Cmdr. Matthew Ovios explained how his ship’s crew assisted with rescue efforts and humanitarian relief during a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable Oct. 7. The Ingraham was deployed in the western Pacific Ocean and heading to American Samoa for a regular port visit when the crew was notified of a tsunami warning. The crew...

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2007 ? The soldier?s eyelids fluttered as he heard his mother?s voice over the phone. In a coma, it was the first time there had been any response from Army Spc. Jerry De La Cruz since he had arrived to Germany?s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center from the combat zone in Iraq. By holding a cell phone to his ear, a perfect stranger made it possible for Cathy Holcomb to whisper words of encouragement to her son from the other side of the world, telling him that she loved him and wanted him to make it home...