Free Republic

...Lt. Col. Mike "Vago" Hilkert, a pilot with the 303rd Fighter Squadron, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross last month for heroism during what has been described as "one of the most intense combat rescue missions of the Afghanistan war." During that six-hour fight on April 23, 2011, Hilkert not only coordinated the warfighting efforts of 21 aircraft over dozens of frequencies, but he also intentionally put himself and his plane in harm's way repeatedly to draw enemy fire away from rescue helicopters. The Air Force said Hilkert also helped save the lives of more than 30 people....

The NFL, Nike and Subway, in an incredibly insulting slap in the face to the 86% of Americans that own and cherish their companion animals, has gone out of its way to hire the only person they feel appropriate to promote their products, Michael “DOGKILLER” Vick. O.J. Simpson wasn’t available. I figure they want everyone that handles their products to feel just like Michael “DOG KILLER” Vick felt when he had his hands around the throat of his dog, choking the life out of it for losing a fight. As they slide their feet into their shoes, they can think...

Jefferson J. DeBlanc, seated in the cockpit of a F4F Wildcat fighter plane, found ways to beat death for three years. But on Thanksgiving Day, DeBlanc, a Marine pilot in World War II's Pacific Theater, passed away from complications related to pneumonia. He was 86. So many World War II veterans have died recently that we don't often pause to pay them the honor they're due. DeBlanc may provide a chance to make up for it. DeBlanc wore the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor. DeBlanc, born in Lockport, enlisted in the Marines five months before Pearl Harbor....

It wasn’t for keeps or to park in his garage, but being surprised with the type of aircraft he used to shoot down six Japanese fighter planes over the Pacific Ocean in 1943 set up a memorable day for retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot Jeff DeBlanc, 86, of St. Martinville. “I am so very humbled and it’s so nice to see everyone who came out to do this for me,” said DeBlanc as he looked into the crowd sprinkled with young uniformed officers. “As one Marine to another I look at them as veterans that survived the war just like...

The Raptor in the Real World By John A. Tirpak, Executive Editor In little more than a year, the Air Force has transformed its newly operational F-22 into something remarkable—a weapon of true intimidation. The Raptor has proved itself time and time again in USAF’s toughest wargames. In live exercises, it has trounced the best “opponents” USAF can muster. It hits them at unprecedented speeds and altitudes—and with impunity. The F-22 does this while in the hands of operators—not test pilots, but rank and file fighter pilots. They consider it to be nearly as reliable as mature F-15 and F-16...

Shootout : Iwo Jima: Fight to the Death. Friday November 03 08:00 PM The Battle of Iwo Jima is best known for the famous flag-raising photograph taken on Mt. Suribachi, but there's an untold story behind the picture. Just before the photo was snapped, there was a bloody shootout on the mountain crest. This is just one of the true stories told by veterans of one of the Pacific's bloodiest battlefields, where 70,000 US Marines fought 21,000 entrenched Japanese over eight square miles of death. Follow the men of the 5th Pioneer Battalion as they fight off a savage, last-ditch...

GREEN BAY, WI (AP) -- A man accused of staging dog fights at his home faces sentencing in June after reaching a plea deal rather than go to trial Friday. Ngia Vang, 45, of Green Bay entered an Alford plea to one count of instigating animal fights, and a second count was dismissed. In that type of plea, a defendant maintains his innocence but concedes the evidence is sufficient for a conviction. The charges were filed in November after police and an animal control officer found that Vang's basement had blood-spattered drywall, duct tape, collars and sticks for prying dogs'...

AUSTIN — Spurred by the biggest dogfight bust in recent Texas history — in eastern Bexar County last January — a San Antonio lawmaker is trying to increase penalties for those who engage in or profit from rooster and dog bouts. Under the proposal, House Bill 2222 by Democratic Rep. Jose Menendez, people involved in dogfights or cockfights or who share in their earnings or allow their property to be used for them could be charged with a state jail felony. Currently such offenses are misdemeanors. The bill also would increase the penalty for being a spectator at such events...

NEW GREEK AIRSPACE VIOLATIONS BY TURKISH JETS Athens, 28 March 2003 (20:51 UTC+2) Eighteen Turkish F-16 fighter jets violated international air traffic regulations ten times today, while two violations of the Greek airspace were also recorded over the Aegean. The Turkish fighter jets flew in seven formations over the sea region between the Aegean islands of Lesvos and Limnos and east of the island of Rhodes. Four of the formations were armed and Greek Air Force aircraft engaged in eight dogfights.