Tag Archives: military

An “Army” of Volunteers Restore 14 Veteran’s Graves

After months of hard and detailed work, combing through death certificates, military and cemetery records, and contacting many families, the job was completed. The abandoned graves of 14 fallen soldiers have been restored with new headstones, fence posts, flagpoles, and flags. The wars that these veterans served in were from World War l to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. “We had a mission, and we got our mission done,” said Ed Messer, the senior vice commander of VFW Post 7369 of Naples. He says that the project was sparked by a call from a granddaughter, looking for information about her grandfather’s grave. Messer explained that the graveyard was prone to floods, and the original headstones had sunk several inches into the ground. Then, trucks started using the area as an access point, as there was no sign of any gravestones anymore. “Nobody knew they were there,” Messer said, “it wasn’t someone being neglectful.”

In my opinion, this idea really shows how much good there is in society today, hidden under all of the hate and sadness occurring at the moment. The fact that this group of people took it upon themselves to care for the graves of forgotten soldiers, and made sure they were honored for serving our country, proves that mankind is still helping one another, and that our people are always united through and through.

~Brendan

Five Terrorists for one Soldier?!

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban on June 30, 2014. The United States broke it’s policy of not negotiating with terrorists when they exchanged five high-level terrorists for Sergeant Bowe. Even if the trade wasn’t fair, we still saved a loyal soldier, right? Kind of, but since his rescue many stories of him abandoning his post, which lead to his capture have arisen. Now, while this doesn’t look good as for being a smart decision, there were some other factors. One of these factors was the reports of the Sergeant being in ill health. This rumor appears to be true, as after he was rescued he was immediately taken to Germany for medical care. Another factor is that the terrorists have to stay in the country Qatari for at least one year. During this time they will be under constant surveillance to make sure they do not engage in military activities.

I have some mixed thoughts on what happened. In my opinion, it was not a good trade, very far from it. At the same time though, I believe we have the responsibility to save as many American lives as we can. We did, no doubt, save his life. In the end I believe it was worthwhile to save him, though the United States should be ready in case those terrorists try something against us. There is no fact to whether this decision was a good one or a bad one, that is up to you.

~Nick

F-22 Raptor: Sucking the Oxygen from Pilots

It has come to people’s awareness that F-22 Raptors have been giving pilots a lack of oxygen while mid-flight. Many pilots of this  jet have suffered hypoxia, an extreme medical condition in which a lower-than-normal concentration of oxygen is delivered to the body. Hypoxia will occur with any interruption of normal respiration. This problem with the F-22  has still not been resolved, but pilots have been known to have been breathing in bits of charcoal due to a new air filter trying to end the problem. Air Force General Mike Hostage said that a number of F-22 pilots were refusing to pilot the aircraft. Many pilots have said that until this problem is solved, they would not fly the jet. Others however had asked to change the jet they are flying. Hostage did not say how many pilots out of all 200 refused to fly again, but replied that it was a “small number”.

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Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes recently interviewed two pilots of the F-22, Maj. Jeremy Gordon and Capt. Joshua Wilson. Gordon and Wilson have decided to quit piloting the F-22 because they say during some flights they and other pilots have experienced oxygen deprivation and major disorientation.They are both concerned about their safety while flying, along with the long-term health effects of getting hypoxia.  I believe that this problem may endanger not only the pilots, but the communities and places the jets are flying over. What has me thinking is why the U.S. Air Force has not been committed to fixing the problem?  I have also been thinking, why is the Air Force even letting their pilots continue to fly the jet? In this case, it seems that the Air Force is using the pilots to test the problem. I think this is very unsafe and irresponsible.

~Josh Perlroth

A Day to Remember

December 7,1941. A date everyone remembers. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The day that marked the start of a new war. It has been 70 years to this day, that many lives were lost. Thousand of people went to pay tribute to those lost through memorials around the county.

I could not imagine how those men were feeling as the attack started. The warning sirens going off and people yelling orders. Imagine their heart. It must have been ready to beat right out of there chest. I am sorry for the family’s of those who have lost someone in the attack. I always think to myself, someday they will be reunited again. They died serving our country.

~Averye Bassett