Free Republic

Even at ski resorts, wartime brings hardship. On the slopes of Mammoth Mountain and Alpine Meadows, high along California's Sierra Nevada range, resort operators have grown accustomed to using five leased Army howitzers to blast loose dangerous drifts of snow packed high on mountainsides. "They work really well for avalanche control work," said Pam Murphy, senior vice president for Mammoth Mountain ski resort. But the military wants the big guns back. It needs them for troops fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Army officials came knocking for the artillery cannons a few days ago, saying they had no choice but to...

A Brookhaven unit that distinguished itself during the War Between the States will soon have a monument dedicated to its members in Railroad Park. Roy Wooten, commander of the Brookhaven Light Artillery Sons of Confederate Veterans Chapter, said the historical marker is the result of several years of investigative and cooperative efforts.The marker is being provided by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and its text was proposed by Elbert Hilliard, director."The Brookhaven Light Artillery has her history scattered all over the five states in which she served," Wooten said. "To the best of my knowledge, no real attempt...