Free Republic

One million Americans have now died from the coronavirus, according to an announcement made Thursday by President Joe Biden, marking a long-dreaded milestone for an incomprehensible tragedy. "Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19. One million empty chairs around the dinner table. Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic. Jill and I pray for each of them," Biden said in a statement. "As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember."

COVINGTON, La. – An untested procedure to plug the blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico seemed to be working, officials said Thursday, but new estimates showed the spill has already surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the worst in U.S. history. A team of scientists trying to determine how much oil has been flowing since the offshore rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20 and sank two days later found the rate was more than twice and possibly up to five times as high as previously thought. The fallout from the spill has stretched all the way to Washington, where...

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Littrell, a B-52 pilot deployed to a forward operating location with the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, just reached 5,000 flying hours in the B-52 during a combat mission over Afghanistan. He has been flying the B-52 for 19 years. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. John Rohrer U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Littrell Forward Deployed B-52 Pilot Surpasses 5,000 Hours By Master Sgt. Scott King 40th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, April 6, 2006 — Reaching milestones is not uncommon in the Air Force, but some milestones...