Free Republic

PEORIA - Retired four-star Gen. Wayne Downing, the former commander of the country’s special forces and the president’s point man for counterterrorism in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, died Tuesday evening after a bout with meningitis, news outlets are reporting. MSNBC, whose newscasts Downing, 64, acted as a military advisor for, is reporting that he died after a brief bout with the bacterial infection. Peorian and Medal of Honor recipient, Hal Fritz said he heard from another Medal of Honor recipient that Downing had passed away. Fritz called Downing an unassuming man who never forgot his...