Free Republic

FORT HUACHUCA — The community is invited to honor personnel retiring from active service during the quarterly Installation Retirement Ceremony at 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19. The quarterly retirement ceremonies recognize our retiring personnel who have served their country with distinction. In the ceremony, the Fort Huachuca community pays tribute to these retirees and their families who have helped ensure the defense of our nation during a significant period of its history. The public is welcome to attend, but those without DoD-issued ID cards must stop at the Visitor Control Center at the Van Deman Gate to apply for a...

Kamil al-Khatib, the deputy head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, is accusing Arab officials of giving a green light to "Judaizing actions" around the al-Aqsa Mosque. He also says that the officials incite against the Islamic Movement in order to ban its activities and neutralize the group in its struggle. During an interview with the Hamas newspaper Falastin, Khatib expressed his wonder over the usefulness provided by Arab officials when "Rabbi Yehuda Glick walks around the al-Aqsa courtyard and provokes Muslims around the world?" He further claimed that "His [Glick's] settlers hold Talmudic ceremonies and settler weddings around the...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – In time-honored tradition, the show went on. Despite the training-run death earlier in the day of a luger from the country of Georgia, the Olympics' opening ceremonies were launched Friday night with a jubilant countdown by the crowd filling BC Place Stadium. The festive mood, and the opening rain of confetti, contrasted sharply with the grief that befell the games earlier in the day when luger Nodar Kumaritashvili of the republic of Georgia died in a horrific crash on the sliding track at Whistler. "This is a very sad day," said a visibly shaken Jacques Rogge,...

12/7/2007 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- Veterans' memorials and gravesites across the nation will be adorned with remembrance wreaths on Dec. 15 in stirring, solemn tributes to the courage and sacrifice of those who have guarded and preserved the nation throughout history. Through Wreaths Across America, Civil Air Patrol members join with Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine, in remembering the nation's departed veterans. CAP units will lead 132 of the 268 observances this year, and will participate with other color and honor guards in approximately 25 additional locations. This year, for the first time ever, members...

FORT HUACHUCA — In the 1880s, a cavalry troop change-of-command ceremony on Brown Parade Field consisted of many solders on horseback. The days of horse-mounted soldiers are about gone, except for a few memorial or special units. So, it was that a small group — less than a squad — took part in the handover of the command of B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) on the parade field Thursday. Dressed in the blue wool uniforms troopers wore in the late 1880s, at a time when the 4th Cavalry was stationed on the post, honorary Capt. Rodney T. Preuss...

SACRAMENTO — A tax-exempt group set up to create jobs is being used by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to bankroll a pair of splashy bill-signing events designed to attract publicity as he runs for reelection. Unlike contributions to Schwarzenegger's campaign account, donations to the nonprofit are not subject to caps or disclosure requirements. Schwarzenegger this week staged carefully choreographed ceremonies against the picturesque backdrops of Malibu and San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island, signing legislation to curb emissions that contribute to global warming. The events were meant to showcase the governor's environmental credentials at a time when he wants to maximize his...

CHICAGO, May 28, 2006 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff offered condolences here yesterday to families of fallen servicemembers, many observing their first Memorial Day as Gold Star families, and assured them the country will never forget their sacrifice. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Gen. Peter Pace signs a message for a Gold Star parent at the conclusion of the Chicago Memorial Day parade May 27. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "I don't know what words I could possible say to you that...

MILAN, Italy (CNS) -- Liturgies celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI are undergoing changes, said the papal master of liturgical ceremonies. Archbishop Piero Marini, who also served as master of ceremonies for Pope John Paul II, said that with Pope Benedict "I have to be a little more attentive because he is an expert in liturgy." "But it gives me satisfaction because he always recognizes the work that has been done, and we talk about it together," said the 64-year-old Italian, who has worked at the Vatican since 1965. In a March 20 interview with the Milan-based online news site, Affari...

An Oregon State University researcher is using modern technology to unravel the mysteries of an ancient South American culture. The Inca empire marked momentous state occasions with a ritual called capacocha. These ceremonies linked the capital of Cuzco to remote Inca provinces through the sacrifice of children and the burial of precious objects. OSU researcher Leah Minc used neutron activation analysis to identify the compositional elements of 15th century pottery found in several sacred burial sites. Establishing the artifacts' makeup allowed her to pinpoint their origins, and ultimately to better understand the capacocha. The findings were published in the March...

On the 30th anniversary of the end of the war, Vietnam veterans will be given the "homecoming celebration they never received" at a conference organizers hope will draw 100,000people."During those three decades, the brave men and women who served in that conflict have never been given the recognition that they deserve for their heroic sacrifices in service to our country," the organizers, Operation Homecoming USA, say in a statement."Now, the time for that recognition has come."

<p>BERKELEY, Calif. - Ward Connerly, who led the fight to drop race-based admissions at the University of California, wants the system to stop sponsoring race-themed activities such as separate ceremonies for black graduates.</p> <p>Connerly, a member of UC's governing board of regents, is proposing a ban on using UC funds for extracurricular events designed for specific race, ethnic or sexual orientation groups.</p>

US army bases hit ahead of Sept 11 ceremonies September 11 2002 at 10:44AM Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan - Attacks were reported on three US bases in Afghanistan on Wednesday, just hours before ceremonies to commemorate the attacks on the United States last September 11. The US military said a gunman fired on Bagram Air Base, the US military headquarters in Afghanistan, while the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) news agency said rockets were fired at US Special Forces bases near the eastern towns of Khost and Gardez. No casualties were reported, but the attacks highlighted the continuing instability in Afghanistan...