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LEBANON — An Army reservist who served two tours in Afghanistan is suing the Wilson County school district, claiming it ended his contract to teach high school classes because of his extended service. Capt. John Parker taught criminal justice and coached wrestling at Wilson Central High School and said he was recently told less than a month after returning from deployment that his contract would not be renewed for the coming school year. "It just made me feel that the people I was fighting for were the exact people that were taking my job from me," Parker told WTVF-TV in...

U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Andrew Berry (right) listens to an explanation offered by one of his Iraqi Army counterparts during training near Muqdadiyah, Iraq, May 20, 2006.  Berry, a retired New Jersey police officer, works to train the Iraqi Army to be self-sustaining. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Lee Elder U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Berry Soldier Helps Train Iraqi Army By Spc. Lee Elder 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment MUQDADIYAH, Iraq, June 7, 2006 -- An Army Reserve officer serving in northern Iraq has now had to answer a quick call to service twice. Capt. Andrew Berry, a member...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2006 – An Army Reserve soldier who received care packages from Americans while serving for a year in Iraq is taking that effort to another level through a program he started in Fairfax, Va. Army Sgt. William Dunn (front row, left) takes times to pose with a few "Project We Care" volunteers at the James Lee Community Center in Fairfax County, Va. Boxes of goodies are packaged and shipped over to soldiers deployed in Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Sgt. William Dunn, of the 229th Engineering Company, said that after his tour...

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2006 – When Dorothy Moore was commissioned as a Navy warrant officer in February after a long application and selection process, she was fulfilling a career goal. But, she said, the most rewarding experience of her career had already passed -- her deployment to Iraq. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Dorothy Moore hands out humanitarian supplies to Iraqi children during her 2005 deployment. Moore was commissioned as a warrant officer in February 2006. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "The most important thing in my career was serving in the Middle East supporting Operation...

...Was watching the CBS Evening News tonight (which I'm not usually in the habit of doing) and heard some sad news. ...Not sure if anyone recalls this story from back in November (see below) but apparently Capt. Smathers died last week, after collapsing during Reserve training. Capt. Smathers was an attorney in Maryland. During his year in Iraq, he earned four Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts and an Army Commendation medal during his year in Iraq. Might be nice if we shared our expressions of sympathy, as well as our gratitude for his service to our country. If you'd like...

"A Marine Came For Me" David J. Danelo Proceedings, October 2005 Discuss this article in the eForum. The odyssey of Marine Corporal Ross Craft (center) began with his hunt to find his aunt and uncle, Diane and Richard Angelico, who were missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR On 30 August, the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, shattered two levees, and flooded New Orleans, a local television station ran footage of a Marine on a jet ski zipping through the floodwaters guiding rescue boats to safe evacuation routes. Corporal Ross Craft, a...

ANNISTON, Ala., Aug. 12, 2005 – The staff at Anniston Medical Clinic here misses Naval Reserve Petty Officer 3rd Class Shannon Woodard when she's deployed, but they don't complain. "Shannon is a very good employee, so we kind of miss her when she goes," said Dr. Vishala Chindalore, a rheumatologist and Woodard's boss at the clinic, where Woodard serves as a medical technician doing everything from recording patient information to giving injections. "We're very proud that she's in the Navy." That pride is a two-way street, as Woodard sees it. Since the start of the fiscal year, she has been...

AL ASAD, Iraq (August 2, 2005) -- Al Asad is home to hundreds of aircraft mechanics who are heavily relied upon to keep the aircraft here supporting the mission of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward). Whether they’re working under the blazing sun or during the not much cooler nights, the mechs do their best to maintain combat-ready aircraft. One such Marine is Lance Cpl. Nick Bredehoft, a CH-46E airframes mechanic and aerial observer assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764. After graduating from Hill Crest High School in his native Dallas, Bredehoft attended Richland College. He was preparing to...

BALAD, Iraq, July 29, 2005 – Bernd and Virginia Zoller are two full-time Army Reserve officers with a lot in common, pulling military duty in an uncommon place. First off, the Zollers share the same rank -- lieutenant colonel -- and both are public affairs officers. "We were promoted together here on Dec. 24 in this room," Lt. Col. Virginia Zoller said during a July 27 interview with American Forces Press Service here. And the pair has the same last name, because they're a couple. The Zollers will celebrate their first year of marriage Aug. 29. Virginia, 42, acknowledged she...

7/11/05 Today was a good day, and I want to share with you an experience I had on sacrifice this morning. A fellow Petty Officer came into the office, and he and I have a great rapport. On this day though, he seemed out of touch and in deep thought, about what I had no idea. As he sat down at the computer, you could see his face tense and heavily burdened with something. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, “My wife and kids are in the path of the hurricane and I haven’t been able to...

Sergeant, 23, Is First Woman Awarded Silver Star Since World War IIBy John J. Lumpkin Associated Press Writer Published: Jun 16, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - A 23-year-old sergeant with the Kentucky National Guard on Thursday became the first female soldier to receive the Silver Star - the nation's third-highest medal for valor - since World War II. Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, who is from Nashville, Tenn., but serves in a Kentucky unit, received the award for gallantry during a March 20 insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq. Two men from her unit, the 617th Military Police Company of Richmond,...

MOSUL , Iraq – Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) killed several terrorists and captured four people suspected of anti-Iraqi activities in northern Iraq Sunday in combined operations with Iraqi Security Forces. Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment were attacked by terrorists while conducting a raid in a village in northern Al Anbar Province. Iraqi Army and U.S. 2-14th Soldiers quickly overwhelmed the enemy. Following the attack, the units also discovered a weapons cache inside the building the terrorists had used. The suspects are in custody with no MNF or ISF injuries reported.

A tribute to fallen HEROES  from the staff and visitors at FreeRepublic.com, FreedomUSA.org and Veterans for Constitutional Restoration (VetsCoR)  During the course of this country's history brave men and women have stepped forward from time to time, answering the country's call to fight against would-be tyrants, dictators and despots,  and to defend the individual freedom that is our birthright.  Many of these brave men and women have paid the ultimate price. It is to these brave men and women of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine that we dedicate this page, and to...

RALEIGH, N.C. (NNS) -- Former Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class-turned-actor/comedian Bill Cosby took time to honor a local Navy Reservist for her service during his stand-up performance May 15 in Raleigh, N.C. Navy Counselor 1st Class Lauren R. Fyfe contacted Cosby’s management when she found out he was going to be performing in her hometown while she was on leave. All Fyfe said she was hoping for was the opportunity to have Cosby pose in a picture with her holding an American flag she owned. “The flag has been with me everywhere I go in the Navy,” said Fyfe. “Once, I...

Sunday, May 01, 2005 The Battle For Mosul The Deuce-Four Fighting for Mosul Mosul, Northern Iraq As the new map of Iraq unfolds, a picture of progress emerges. The Iraqis who want freedom and democracy are gaining ground. From what I hear about the news back home, this might sound unreal. Nightly tallies of roadside IEDs and suicide car bombers driving headlong into crowds, like the Vietnam body counts on the Huntley-Brinkley Report, are the main summary of events, while most of this country is peaceful. There are seventeen provinces in Iraq, and more than ten are quiet. They are...

Protesters denounced Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' decision not to prosecute an Army reservist who said he held seven Mexican men at gunpoint, saying it could motivate people to take the law into their own hands. "His decision feeds the anti-immigration environment," attorney Danny Ortega said at a news conference held by protesters on Friday. "It could have tragic consequences." Sgt. Patrick Haab, 24, was arrested April 10 after an incident at a rest stop on Interstate 8. He said he drew a revolver that he was wearing legally in Arizona to stop six men who were rushing him, then...

The sergeant stationed just west of Baghdad was once again recounting the dangers of being on the front line - sometimes with dark humor. He referred to how the "muj" (mujahideen or insurgents) were the gang that couldn't shoot straight, but still represented a considerable threat. "They're horrible shots," he wrote in an e-mail to his family, "but every once in awhile they get lucky. We lost another Marine the other day." This is the first war in which American GIs and military families can communicate freely and in real time via e-mail and cellphone, while gathering endless amounts of...

Sargent Patrick Haab, the reservist who was accused of aggravated assault by political showman, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, says that he is the victim in the affair. In an interview on the 14th of April, Haab says that he was at the rest stop near Sentinal, Arizona, when a group of seven men with backpacks confronted him in a threatening manner. His dog inserted himself between the threatening men and Haab, allowing Haab time to access his pistol. Haab then prevented the men from escaping and called authorities. The men were later apprehended and accused Haab of threatening them for no...

April 10, 2005 Hiram Lewis Announces Candidacy for U.S. Senate Against Byrd   by HNN Staff Charleston (HNN) — On the second anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to American forces, Hiram Lewis IV, an Army National Guard Captain, Iraq War Veteran, lawyer and 2004 Attorney General candidate announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate from the base of the Robert C. Byrd statute inside the State Capitol rotunda Saturday afternoon, April 9, 2005.   Stated Lewis: "My candidacy is not a personal vendetta against the senior Senator; rather it is simply time for a change. I am offering up...