Military and Defense

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, inspired a generation of service members to fight for their country. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II was one of them. After becoming a Green Beret, he went on to save more than a dozen men during a fierce firefight in Afghanistan. Those efforts eventually earned him the Medal of Honor. Shurer was born ...

Each year on Memorial Day, Americans struggle with how best to honor those who have given the last full measure of devotion to the nation. Perhaps the best way to do that is to honor the dreams those people had, Jennie Taylor, a Gold Star wife, said during an interview from her home in North Ogden, Utah. Taylor is the widow ...

This era of Coronavirus is both frightening and a period of great uncertainty that presents challenges for all. There are many factions of vulnerable populations, but amongst that list, our Veterans, unfortunately, stand out as gravely at risk. Right Wire Report is calling on all Americans to make a difference by becoming informed, engaged, fund, and act to make a ...

Although many men were drafted into the military during the Vietnam War, some, like Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John Bobo, volunteered. Bobo never came home from the war, but his sacrifice saved several members of his company. For that, he earned the Medal of Honor. Bobo was born Feb. 14, 1943, in Niagara Falls, New York. He went to nearby ...

Republican lawmakers are urging the Department of Defense to protect religious liberty during the coronavirus pandemic. Republican Georgia Rep. Doug Collins and Republican Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn led lawmakers in pushing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to protect religious liberties of service members targeted by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). “This must end,” the lawmakers wrote. Republican lawmakers are ...

Nearly 7,000 Marines died in the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the last major campaigns of World War II. It was a fight that led to 27 Marines and sailors earning the Medal of Honor. One of those recipients was Marine Corps Platoon Sgt. Joseph R. Julian, whose actions were instrumental in the battle’s success. Julian enlisted in the ...

Extreme bouts of courage can take over a soldier thrust into the front lines of war. Army 1st Lt. Francis Burke is a shining example of one of those cases. In the waning days of World War II, he single-handedly took out a third of the German troops his unit faced in Nuremberg, Germany. For that, he earned the Medal ...

A lot of us wake up in the morning and get ready for another day in our office cubicles. For Idaho Air National Guard Capt. Mike Shufeldt, that cubicle is often a 29,000-pound gunship with space for one and lots of buttons, levers, gauges and switches to play with. Shufeldt’s been flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II for about three years. ...

After biking nearly 12 miles from Long Beach to Compton, California, Joshua Davis was transported by paramedics to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center after being found stabbed with a sword. Davis spent two days at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center before being transferred to the Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy to free up hospital space for COVID-19 patients. “I woke up here, ...

Army 1st Lt. Raymond Beaudoin made it through years of battle during World War II, just to be cut down within reach of its end. But the actions he took to save his platoon will always be remembered, and that’s why he earned the Medal of Honor. Beaudoin was born on July 15, 1918, in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he grew ...

In February, residents of Miami Beach, Florida, weren’t thinking about global pandemics. They were thinking about the 80,000 visitors flooding the Miami Beach Convention Center for the NFL Experience and Super Bowl LIV. A lot can change in two months. Billboards on I-95 still hype the big game held Feb. 2, but ever since the governor issued his “Safer at ...

In a show of national solidarity, the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and the Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, will conduct a series of multi-city flyovers over the next two weeks. America Strong is a collaborative salute from the Navy and Air Force to recognize healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential personnel while standing in ...

Is your military ID card expiring, but with social distancing and various stay-at-home orders in effect, you aren’t sure whether you’ll be able to renew it? The Defense Department has changed the process to allow service members and civilians to temporarily extend the life of their cards as the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic. These extended cards that appear expired ...

The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Vermont (SSN 792), the 19th Virginia-class attack submarine, today, April 18, 2020. Although the traditional public commissioning ceremony was cancelled due to public health safety and restrictions of large public gatherings, the Navy commissioned USS Vermont administratively and transitioned the ship to normal operations. Meanwhile, the Navy is looking at a future opportunity to commemorate ...

Today, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Matthew Donovan signed a department-wide authorization for service members to accrue and retain an additional leave balance of up to 120 days. The department’s actions to stem the spread of COVID-19 has significantly limited the ability of service members to take leave during this national emergency, and we know that leave ...