Free Republic

Kathryn Limbaugh announced Monday that there will be a virtual memorial service for her late husband, conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh, in the coming weeks. "We are in the initial stages of planning a celebration of life that will be able to be viewed by all of the audience and friends and extended family at some point in the near future. We don't have an exact date just yet, we're working on some of the logistics," she said, noting the virtual ceremony was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Jan. 3, 2020, at 12.47 AM LT, a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, along with members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s PMF militias. The attack occurred just outside Baghdad International Airport, in Iraq, where Soleimani had just arrived (from Lebanon or Syria) to bring Iran’s response to a letter that Iraq had sent out on behalf of Saudi Arabia in order to ease tensions between the two countries in the region, according to Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi....

A controversial statue in Washington, D.C., and replicated in Boston, has a history that many people who currently oppose the statues might not know, according to reports. Both statues depict President Abraham Lincoln standing over a kneeling black man who is newly freed from slavery. Critics of the statues claim the image communicates the black man's subservience -- and have called for the statues in both cities to be removed. But the idea for the statue started with a formerly enslaved woman who wanted to pay homage to Lincoln after he was assassinated in 1865, according to the National Park...

Protester critically injured after toppled Confederate statue landed on his head in Portsmouth, Virginia “We could see that his skull was actually showing..”

BOSTON — A monument recognizing the first all-volunteer black regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War was defaced during Sunday's protests. Multiple demonstrations had gathered in Boston peacefully throughout the day, lending their voices to the nationwide anger sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died on Memorial Day after being pinned to the ground by the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. The monument, which stands across from the Massachusetts State House, is currently surrounded in plywood to protect it while it undergoes restoration to reinforce the sword held by Robert Gould...

The Senate’s top Democrat compared the Trump administration’s use of the military to protect the Lincoln Memorial from protester damage to the 1989 Chinese government crackdown and killing of demonstrators in Tiananmen Square. “Rows of camouflaged troops standing at attention on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, like an occupying force defending a critical position,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a Senate floor speech Wednesday. “When you see the image of troops dressed for combat, flanking the Lincoln Memorial, an altar to freedom, you cannot help but think of Tiananmen Square.” President Trump ordered the D.C. National Guard...

Passion City Church Atlanta, GeorgiaTHE VICE PRESIDENT:  Pastor Giglio, Governor Kemp, Secretary Perdue, Secretary Carson, Senator Scott, honored guests, members of the RZIM team, to all those looking on across America and across the world, and especially to Margie, Sarah, Naomi, Nathan, and the entire Zacharias family: It is deeply humbling for my wife, Karen, and me to be here, among so many friends and distinguished leaders, to give thanks for the life and legacy of Ravi Zacharias.The Bible says “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted,” and that is our prayer for you on this day and in...

IRONTON, Ohio (WSAZ) – Even the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t but the brakes on the nation’s oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade. The 152nd Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade went on Monday morning in southeastern Ohio – without spectators. Typically, the event draws more than 30,000 people to the streets of Ironton. It’s recognized by Congress as the longest running Memorial Day parade in the United States. In the midst of the pandemic, organizers say their only way to carry on the tradition was by asking spectators to stay home and watch a livestream of the event. Organizers also shortened the...

"Only the dead have seen the end of war." -PlatoThis is not a political post.  This is an American post.  About an American soldier.  An outstanding milblogger who some of you may have followed.   Respected and mourned from both sides of the political aisle. A Babylon 5 fan. Patriot. Son. Father. Husband. For this Memorial Day, I'd like to bring attention back to a friend of BlackFive's, Major Andrew Olmsted.  He was the first U.S. soldier killed during the Troop Surge, Jan 3, 2008.  Shot by a sniper in As-Sadiyah, Iraq, while pleading with 3 insurgents to surrender so...

On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we commend the brave men and women of our law enforcement community for continually summoning the courage to fulfill their solemn oath to protect and serve. We also pause to remember all those who have lost their lives and who have suffered permanent disabilities defending their communities and the rule of law, including the heroes we have lost this year to the coronavirus. Throughout our Nation’s history, law enforcement officials have never wavered in the face of crisis or tragedy. During uncertain times, law enforcement officers bravely face challenges and continue...

WASHINGTON - Anxious for an economic recovery, President Donald Trump prepared to field Americans' questions about decisions by some states to allow nonessential businesses to reopen while other states are on virtual lockdown due to the coronavirus. After more than a month of being cooped up at the White House, Trump was returning from a weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland and planned to participate in a “virtual” town hall, hosted Sunday night by Fox News Channel, from inside the Lincoln Memorial. “Hopefully our Country will soon mend,” Trump tweeted. Federal guidelines that encouraged people to stay...

The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial along with a mobile Education Center, is coming to Garland Thursday, Feb. 27, through Sunday, March 1. The exhibit will be on display at Audubon Park, 342 W. Oates Road, and will be open 24 hours a day and free to the public. The City of Garland is leading the effort that will bring the exhibit to the metroplex. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of...

Two students are dead and four are seriously injured after a driver reportedly hopped a curb outside of Moore High School in Moore, Oklahoma, and struck members of the cross-country and track team as they were starting their practice run after school. Moore Police stated that they responded to the scene around 3:30 p.m. on Monday. There, students and staff were administering life-saving care, including CPR. The driver of the truck, Max Townsend, allegedly fled the scene and was taken into custody by Moore Police three blocks away. All six students were rushed to the hospital. One of the students,...

Even though retired NBA legend Kobe Bryant was born and raised a Catholic, he made a few bad turns. But thankfully, the basketball star was able to turn his life around, and it was all thanks to a kind-hearted priest.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial located in Washington D.C. in Judiciary Square was dedicated in 1991 with the names of 12,561 officers who died in the line of duty through the end of 1990. The original design accounted for enough space to add names annually through 2100, assuming that an average of 153 law enforcement line of duty deaths occurred each year.But the country did not stay in 1990 and with the violence and hatred being poured out against law enforcement combined with events such as 9/11, the average number of names added since then has been more than...

The Knights of Columbus in Belleville, Ontario, recently had a tombstone placed in St. James Roman Catholic Cemetery in memory of babies who have been killed by abortion. After posting photos of the memorial on Facebook, the group experienced angry backlash from Facebook users and a women’s group that may have caused the Knights to remove their original post. The tombstone reads: “Life is sacred” along with Jeremiah 1-5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I consecrated you.” It also states: “In memory of all victims of abortion.” The Knights of Columbus...

New Zealand firefighters performed a powerful haka in Auckland on Wednesday to honor the 9/11 first responders. The group were filmed in their service uniforms in two rows as they performed the Maori tradition. A crowd of dignitaries and other firefighters dressed in their operational gear and were seen watching on. Hakas are generally performed as a sign of great respect and are often presented at funerals, celebrations or sporting events. Over 200 firefighters climbed Auckland's Sky Tower as a tribute to those who died in the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Three chiefs from the New York Fire...

Obituary for Col. Ben H. Swett, U.S. Air Force, Retired Col. Ben H. Swett, Ret., passed away on July 20, 2019 in MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital. He had been a resident of Temple Hills, Maryland since 1971. He was born on September 3, 1934 at Saint Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, son of Herbert Elbridge and Marcia Harriet (Fadner) Swett. Though originally named “Herbert Benjamin,” he always used “Ben H.” as his first and middle names. Ben H. Swett attended grade schools in Wisconsin and Colorado, and graduated from Pasadena, Texas, High School in 1951. In 1955, he graduated...

NORFOLK A Circuit Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit by activists that attempted to force the city to move its 112-year-old Confederate monument. In an 11-page order entered Tuesday, Chief Judge Mary Jane Hall said the plaintiffs failed to prove that their constitutional rights were being violated by the continued placement of the Confederate monument. The suit was filed in late March by Roy Perry-Bey, from Newport News, and Ronald Green, who lives in Norfolk. The men represented themselves. They argued that the display of the monument endorsed ideas such as secession, slavery, racial segregation, white supremacy and violence and...

I hope everyone has a meaningful, reflective Memorial Day. The following is a repost, originally published May 30, 2016.... Christian Jacobs hugs the headstone of his father U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Christopher Jacobs as mother Brittany, wipes away a tear in Arlington National Cemetery A friend recently posted this iconic 2007 photo of Christian Golczynski: His father, Marine Staff Sgt. Marc Golczynski, was shot and killed while on patrol during his second tour in Iraq. This photo is all over the internet and is heartbreaking because of the 8 year old's strength in holding back tears during a formal...