NEWS & FEATURES
1
| LINKS |
|
Bulletin Board |
| Legislation |
| Enduring Freedom |
| WW II |
MORE NEWS
FEATURES
|
NEWS WORLD |
STATS & RESOURCES
PHOTOS & ARCHIVES
| Then/Now Archive |
|
Around The Globe |
| 1st Sgt. Photos |
SPECIAL SECTION
LINK PAGES
T H E V E T E R A N S J O U R N A L
P h o t o s & F e a t u r e s
SAN DIEGO (Aug. 15, 2009) Eleven World War II veterans of the battle of Peleliu reunite for a ceremony in the hangar bay of the battle's namesake ship, the Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) in San Diego. Members of the 12th Defense Battalion held their 56th reunion aboard the ship with more than 400 friends, family members, Sailors and Marines in attendance. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Leonard J. Mandap/Released)
NOUMEA, New Caledonia (Sept. 25, 2009) Capt. Thom Burke, commanding officer of the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) receives a wreath to lay at the U.S. war memorial during a ceremony honoring U.S. service members who helped ensure the freedom of New Caledonia during World War II. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Devon Dow/Released)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Surviving members of the famed Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, participate in the ceremony honoring the 65th anniversary of D-Day, at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, June 6, 2009. The group was part of more than two dozen D-Day veterans honored in ceremonies across the Normandy region. U.S. Army photo by Bill Roche. Story
Members of the U.S. Army Europe Band practice in front of the memorial at the American National Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach on Normandy, France, June 6, 2009. Close to 1,000 servicemembers took part in week-long ceremonies honoring the 65th anniversary of D-Day,. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo. Story
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
More than 500 veterans who escorted the unclaimed remains of seven Iowa veterans to their final resting place line the procession route with American flags after providing a motorcycle escort to the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Van Meter, Iowa, April 24, 2009. The ceremony coincided with Des Moines Navy Week, one of 22 Navy Weeks planned across America in 2009. U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Gary Ward.
Brittany Wallace, 17, stands beside her father, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Henline, as they hold the 2009 Military Child Award she received from Texas-based Operation Homefront in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2009. The award honors her for the support she gave her family and father, the lone survivor of a roadside bomb in Iraq that burned 38 percent of his body. DoD photo by Sharon Foster. Story
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I
n M e m o r y O f
Air Force Mourns the Loss of First Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. Former Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul Wesley Airey died March 11 in Panama City, Fla. Chief Airey held the top enlisted from April 3, 1967 to July 31, 1969. During his tenure he worked to change loan establishments charging exorbitant rates outside the air base gates and to improve low retention during the Vietnam Conflict. Chief Airey also led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air Force-level Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. Chief Airey retired August 1, 1970. (U.S. Air Force illustration/Cyndi Smith)
Those in attendance at the March 16 memorial service for the first Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, Paul W. Airey, clap loudly, rejoicing the life of the Air Force legend. This was in response to a request by the eighth Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force, Sam Parish, who said though those present were there to mourn, they should also celebrate the life of Paul W. Airey with "resounding applause." (U.S. Air Force photo/Lisa Norman)
Chief Airey Memorial Service Celebrates Life of AF Hero
by Staff Sgt. Joshua Stevens
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
3/17/2009 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.
(AFNS) -- During his life, he was a dedicated member of the
profession of arms and fervent military supporter who became one of the most
iconic figures of Air Force enlisted heritage and culture -- he was Paul Wesley
Airey, the first Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force.
His death was announced March 11 to a mournful Air
Force and nation. A memorial service in the Tyndall Air Force Base Chapel
March 16 brought everyone from top military officials past and present to the
newest Airmen. No matter the rank, they all came with the common purpose of
paying respect to one of our service's most beloved and cherished leaders.
Those attending the service made their way to the
chapel flanked on each pathway by formations of Airmen from the Tyndall Paul W.
Airey NCO Academy; upon entering the chapel, row after row of pews was filled
with a sea of blue service dress uniforms. All eyes were led to the center of
the chapel, where a painted portrait of Chief Airey was placed with flower
memorials on each side. In front of the portrait stood a podium on top of which
a solitary service cap faced forward to the audience. Continued
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright talks with a World War II veteran at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Memorial Service in Fredericksburg, Texas, Dec. 7, 2008. Cartwright was the guest speaker at the event, observed at The National Museum of the Pacific War in the hometown of U.S. Navy Fleet Adm. Nimitz. served as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, for U.S. and Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright shakes hands with a World War II veteran at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Memorial Service in Fredericksburg, Texas, Dec. 7, 2008. DoD photo by Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PEARL HARBOR (Aug. 19, 2008) U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jeff Wheeler receives an American flag from a Navy honor guard detail during a scattering of ashes ceremony honoring his grandfather and Pearl Harbor survivor, Major Wheeler. Wheeler was a U.S. Navy chief petty officer assigned to the minesweeper USS Widgeon (AM 22) during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ceremony included a religious ceremony, a three-volley rifle salute and a bugler sounding Taps. Also in attendance was Wheeler's local church choir who sang the Navy Hymn. (U.S. Navy photo by Blair Martin/Released)
Photo by Gary Sheftick - October 10, 2008 - Soldier of the Year Spc. David Obray greets a veteran Wednesday at the World War II Memorial in Wahington, D.C.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Rebecca Ingram nears the finish of the national Run for the Fallen’s final 10-kilometer leg at Arlington National Cemetery on the morning of Aug. 24. Photo by Master Sgt. Bob Haskell, National Guard Bureau.
A SISTER'S GRIEF - Heather Jutras Glasgow grieves at her brother's grave in Arlington National Cemetery, Aug. 24, 2008. She, her mother, father and younger brother participated in the last day of "Run for the Fallen," a cross-country memorial event to honor troops who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Defense Dept. photo by Samantha L. Quigley. Story
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Aug. 18, 2008) Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) signs his autograph for Chief Culinary Specialist Steve Fontanilla on a photo taken of the two of them in 1991 in the Secretary of the Navy's flag mess. Inouye, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during World War II, spoke today at a monthly professional development meeting at U.S. Pacific Command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Elisia V. Gonzales/Released)
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Aug. 14, 2008) Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., visits the USS Arizona Memorial. Obama was in Hawaii while on vacation with his family. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael A. Lantron/Released)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New program gives vets advantage in owning a business. Employees of Schneider International, Inc., a trucking company headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., stand outside the headquarters July 1 for a ceremony marking the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Schneider and the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Courtesy photo)
Acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley speaks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Orlando on Aug. 18. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Laviska)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wounded Warriors Train to Climb Mount McKinley
August 12, 2008 - Sgt. 1st Class Matt Nyman climbs a 5.8 pitch on his prosthetic leg. Photo by Maj. Marc Hoffmeist.
August 12, 2008 - Retired U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jon Kuniholm (left) and Army Maj. Marc Hoffmeister pause during roped team movement on Pika Glacier. Photo by courtesy.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Veterans Groups Briefed in Iraq
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Lefebvre, center, Multinational Corps Iraq deputy commanding general, briefs, from left, Julie Cram, deputy assistant to the president and director of public liaison; Robert Hastings, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs; Norbert Ryan, former U.S. Navy vice admiral and president of the Military Officers Association of America; and George Lisicki, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, about the status of operations throughout Iraq, July 30, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Woody Paschall.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leaders and contractors brief a group of veterans' organizations representatives about the design and construction of the new U.S. Embassy Compound, July 29, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Woody Paschall.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Airman Finds Piece of Family History at Lackland
The "Heaven's Above" B-17 sits as a static display at the parade grounds at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Meredith Canales) Read Story
A World War II flight crew stands in front of the "Heaven's Above." Howard Gibbs is center in the back row. (Courtesy photo)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Marine Corps War Memorial
Mary Pero, 75, of Conemaugh, Pa., poses with Jonathan Scharfen, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, for media after receiving her brother's certificate of citizenship at the Marine Corps War Memorial July 29. Her brother, Sgt. Michael Strank, helped raise the American flag atop Iwo Jima's Mount Suribach sixty-three years ago. Photo ByLine: Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook.
Cols. Dave Lapan and Gregg Sturdevant talk with Mary Perot, 75, next to the Marine Corps War Memorial after she was presented with her brother's certificate of citizenship July 29. Her brother, Sgt. Michael Strank and the right-most Marine in the statue, was mortally wounded eight days after Joe Rosenthal captured the now iconic flag raising.
Photo Date Taken: 7/29/2008. Photo By Line: Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________