Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ralph Rigby, the last continuously serving active-duty Vietnam War draftee, is retiring after 42 years in the Army.
According to the U.S. Army, Rigby had no plans for a military life when he was drafted at age 19 in 1972. Upon receiving his notice in the mail, his first reaction was to run away and dodge the draft. When he expressed his concerns to his mother, she reminded him that she did not raise a quitter, and that serving his country was a noble calling.
Rigby was first assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey. From there he was trained in power equipment repairing at the United States Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. While he was drafted during the Vietnam War, the servicemember never served there. Instead, his first overseas assignment was in Kwachon, South Korea. According to the Army, Rigby knew that military life was for him after that first deployment. He quickly signed up to remain on activeduty and climbed up through the ranks.
Throughout his lengthy Army career, Rigby took on many roles, from platoon sergeant to engineer equipment maintenance supervisor. His favorite positions were ones that included fixing things. According to his colleagues, his passion and talent for maintenance was one of the defining features of his service. He was always willing to work hard to fix things.
Military Times reported that the soldier's retirement ceremony took place Monday, Nov. 3, which was also his 62nd birthday. He plans to spend his life after service in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"It's mandatory to get old, but only optional to grow up. The Army has allowed me to travel and see things that I would have never seen otherwise. For that, I am thankful," he told the Army.
As part of an ongoing reform of VA legislation, some veterans will receive "choice cards" this week. The cards will enable the former servicemembers to use private medical care providers and have Veterans Affairs pay the bill.
According to Military Times, the program, which was approved by Congress in July, will last for two years. The first veterans to receive their cards must live at least 40 miles from the closest VA facility. Once they get their card in the mail, they can officially register for the program through private medical contractors and get a referral within 5 days. The second round of cards being sent out will go to veterans who are on a VA center waitlist that exceeds 30 days.
Military Times reported that 700,000 veterans will receive cards between these two groups. After December, the 8 million remaining veterans who are signed up for government health programs will get cards as well. They will not be able to use them because they do not fit the card criteria, but they are receiving them in case their future circumstances change and they become eligible for the program.
The initiative aims to help veterans get the care they need while the VA undergoes a vast makeover. This comes after this summer's VA scandal, when long wait times and improper care at the institutions were exposed. In addition to reevaluating facility staffs and implementing the choice cards, officials have started sharing wait times with the public electronically and issued 27 new leases to increase the amount of care available.
"We're hoping that for those veterans, this will all be pretty seamless," Dr. James Tuchschmidt, VA's acting principal deputy under secretary for health, told Military Times.
Active duty drill Sgt. Christiana Ball, winner of the 2013 Rising Star competition put on by Army Entertainment, will perform alongside some of the world's most notable musicians at A Salute to the Troops: In Performance at the White House.
Ball, who is a sergeant with the 787th Military Police Battalion from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, began performing as a child with her eight brothers and sisters, according to Military Times. They toured to entertain local churches, and soon enough the soldier was taking center stage as a soloist.
Music took a back seat when Ball enlisted in 2007, but soon became an active part of her service life. On a deployment to Iraq with the 463rd Military Police Company, she performed using a karaoke machine for the first time and started to learn more about different artists. Growing up she mainly listened to church music, but through her Army friends she became a fan of country and rock and roll.
Ball will perform at the White House on Thursday, Nov. 6. Some additional artists who will be lending their talents to the event include Mary J. Blige and Willy Nelson.
A World War II veteran will be buried 69 years after his death on Monday, Nov. 3.
According to Military Times, the remains of Detroit native Robert McConachie were brought to the Army's Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii in 1987. They were not able to be identified at the time, but advances in technology prompted the lab to re examine the case in 2010.
The source noted that the Marine was killed at Kunishi Ridge in Okinawa, Japan. The lab contacted the relatives of soldiers who fought in this area and whose bodies were never accounted for. By examining dental records and using DNA of McConachie's late brother, provided by living family members, scientists were able to determine that the remains belonged to the soldier, who was only 18 years old when he perished on June 14, 1945.
Military Times reported that the soldier was only 17 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His family spent the years since his death remembering his bravery and keeping his memory alive through various mementos, such as the official declaration of his death, signed by President Truman.
McConachie's nephew, Col. Andy McConachie, helped accompany the remains as they returned to the late soldier's home state on Friday, Oct. 31. They will be laid to rest at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan, reported WWMT.
The Connecticut Veterans Parade, New England's largest veterans parade, drew thousands of observers as it marched through the streets of Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 3.
According to Military Times, 3,000 Connecticut veterans of all ages marched in the parade, including members of Legion and VFW posts and drum corps.
While the event is popular now, it did not always draw a crowd. The town hosted a lightly attended parade until 1990, when the celebration was canceled. In 2000, locals decided that the area needed a tribute to soldiers in their life after service and reinstated the event as the Metro Hartford Parade. Within a year, servicemembers throughout the entire state wanted the opportunity to participate, reported the Hartford Courant.
According to the Hartford Courant, this year's grand marshal was Adm. Melvin G. Williams Jr. Though he is now retired, he spent over 30 years serving in the Navy. The honorary grand marshals were Lt. Col. Lesbia Nieves, the first Latina to earn the title of lieutenant colonel in the Connecticut Army National Guard, former Army Lt. Mark R. Shenkman and Sgt. 1st Class Alex W. Seretny, who has served over 30 months overseas since 2006.
The parade totaled 1.3 miles and started with a ceremony that honored Connecticut's fallen veterans.
The Department of Defense issued a statement on Oct. 30 declaring it would be training more medical workers to handle domestic Ebola cases.
Currently, there is one 30-person team comprised of Army, Air Force and Navy public health specialists. The group, which was hand-picked for related experience and skill level, recently received infectious disease training at the San Antonio Military Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, according to Military Times. Their role will be to arrive at medical centers treating Ebola patients no later than 72 hours after a confirmed diagnosis. They will help take care of the infected people while instructing the hospital's staff on proper protocol.
The training focused primarily on identifying and treating Ebola while containing the virus and stopping it from spreading. Since the only people to have caught the virus within the U.S. were medical workers treating an infected patient, training health professionals on the proper handling and disposal techniques is the military's top priority.
According to USA Today, the DoD is creating more Ebola-fighting teams in anticipation of requests from the Department of Health and Human Services, which wants to be prepared with plenty of qualified medical professionals in the event of increased U.S. diagnoses.
Two years ago, Staff Sgt. Ryan Frye of 1st BCT, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was crossing a 50-meter field with two of his colleagues when they were the targets of enemy fire.
One of Frye's fellow soldiers, Staff Sgt. Jason Hamane, was able to find cover and return fire to the opposing forces. His other teammate, Spc. Antonio Burnside, was fatally wounded by the enemy, leaving Frye as the primary target for the opponents, reported Military Times.
Eventually, Frye was struck with a round of enemy ammunition from their AK-47s. He experienced an intense ringing in his ears and a rush of pain to his head. Military Times reported that it was only when he reached up to touch his helmet that Frye realized he had been shot.
After spending only 10 days in a medical facility, Frye returned to combat. He gives credit to both his helmet and Hamane's firing at the enemy for saving his life.
In a ceremony on Oct. 30, organized by Program Executive Office Soldier, an organization that works with military uniforms and gear, Frye was recognized for his bravery and received an award featuring the life-saving helmet. He was eager to be reunited with the piece of equipment not only because of its role in saving his life, but also because it reminds him of his last moments with Burnside, his colleague killed during the ambush, noted Military Times.
Prompted by threats from the jihadist terrorist group known as the Islamic State, the U.S. Department of Defense has issued an increased security warning for servicemembers and their families.
According to USA Today, the most official warning issued to date came from the Pentagon, where leaders released an internal memo urging workers to remain vigilant. The memo declared that the government institution could be a potential target for attacks involving guns, bombs or knives, though no specific threat has been made targeting the building.
Because of the militant terrorist group's use of social media, the Marine Corps warned its members to be careful about what images and information they post online. Officials at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa, Florida, recommended servicemembers not display their military affiliations in public, as this could make them a target for "lone wolf" attacks. Similar warnings were issued by leaders at U.S. armed service bases in Europe, reported Military Times.
This increase in caution comes after the murder of two Canadian soldiers by speculated terrorist sympathizers. Government officials believe these small-scale, military personnel-targeted attacks will be one of the main tactics used by the terrorist organization in an attempt to scare and harm Western nations, noted Military Times.
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Roberts is a food service sergeant with 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group. His passion for serving his country does not stop when he is off duty, however. According to a Department of Defense press release, Roberts has put his skills to work at the Boys and Girls Club of Hopkinsville and Christian County, Kentucky.
Roberts first got involved with the organization through his church, which has a connection to the local youth facility. Community leaders knew that Roberts loved food and thought he might be interested in taking on some volunteer work. The minute he started helping out, he knew it was a perfect fit.
According to the release, Roberts' experience cooking for over 100 hungry soldiers came in handy when he started preparing food for the children in the program. That – in addition to making meals for his own children – made him feel right at home as he served up hot food to the kids, many of whom are extremely low income and rely on the institution for their dinner every night.
Roberts spends much of his own money purchasing food and kitchen supplies for the Boys and Girls Club, where he has become a welcomed fixture in the past year.
"He is a positive role model for the young men who come here; they look up to him," Mary Curlin, ministry coordinator for All Nations House of Prayer and a volunteer at the club, told the Department of Defense.
According to Clarksville Online, Roberts has also started coaching the club's football program. He enlisted some of his servicemember colleagues to assist with the team as well, knowing their expertise could lead the youth program to some wins.
The soldier's outstanding community contributions will be recognized at Austin State University's Military Appreciation game, were he will receive his battalion's jersey, noted the source. He attributes receiving the honor to the motto by which he lives his life.
"In all you do take pride in it, always strive for excellence, and when you're passionate about something follow that passion; stay true, stay humble," he told Clarksville Online.
When Congress returns in November, the Senate will vote on whether or not to give the Veterans Affairs Department funding 12 months in advance. If the legislation passes, any government shutdowns or other budget obstacles would not be able to affect funding for VA services, reported Military Times.
The legislation is being called the Putting Veterans First Act, and closely resembles a plan awaiting decision in the House. These acts come after last year's government shutdown, during which many veterans were not able to receive necessary aid for their life after service.
"The result would be no disruptions in services for veterans in the event of any future government shutdown and no danger of cutting off veterans' checks. No one in their right mind wants a repeat of that dark period – and the Putting Veterans Funding First Act would prevent it," said Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, a supporter of the legislation, according to Roll Call.
Military Times reported that a vote in 2009 made it possible for the VA to receive about 85 percent of its budget ahead of time, but the remaining 25 percent is still a crucial amount dedicated to funding important services. The senate will vote on the act Nov. 12.