August 19, 2015 - SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. Jonathan Greenert, visited the crew of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego Aug. 17. After serving for seven years as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan, the George Washington conducted a hull-swap with … [Read more...]
Small-Town Army NCO Shaped by Family, War, Football
FORT MEADE, Md. (Soldiers, Aug. 19, 2015) -- Russ Currie had not yet been born when his uncle, Jerry Lee Patrick, was killed in Vietnam. An icon in his hometown of Eustis, Florida, Patrick was an accomplished football player, who had wanted to join the Army since he was a kid. At the high school's traditional "class night" the week of graduation, the somewhat reserved teenager … [Read more...]
President Proclaims Employer Support of Guard, Reserve Week
WASHINGTON August 18, 2015 — It's National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, according to a proclamation issued Friday by President Barack Obama. Obama called upon all Americans to join him “in expressing our heartfelt thanks to the members of the National Guard and Reserve and their civilian employers.” Here is the text of the … [Read more...]
Charlie Fink Remembers Vietnam, Operation Starlite 50 Years After
LAKE BUTLER, Florida -- Charles "Charlie" Darrow Fink never imagined that his good friend would be shot dead right next to him during a firefight in Vietnam during Operation Starlite. When Fink enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1964, the United States had increased its involvement in Vietnam. He realized that being deployed to a war was a very likely possibility. However, nothing … [Read more...]
Motivated by Education, Opportunity: Airman Finds Second Home with AF
August 18, 2015 - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) -- (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series. These stories focus on individual Airmen, highlighting their Air Force story.) Many words are used to describe the United States; some call it the land of plenty, freedom or equality, but at least one Airman regards it as the land of opportunity. Airman 1st Class … [Read more...]