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COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY TAKES PLACE AT
BROCKTON BRANCH OF THE BOSTON VA HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

BROCKTON, MA – Just hours before taking the field at Fenway Park , members of the Boston Red Sox today teamed up with the Red Sox Foundation and volunteers from Covidien, the Massachusetts-based healthcare and medical products company, to thank local veterans for their service by repairing damaged and outdated recreation facilities at the Brockton branch of the Boston Veterans Administration Hospital .

More than 100 Covidien employees joined forces with members of the Red Sox team and their families, including Mike Lowell; Tim and Stacey Wakefield; Jonathan and Ashley Papelbon; Justin and Meryl Masterson; Julio and Sulky Lugo; Jeff Bailey; Mike Timlin; Manager Terry Francona; and Kelli Pedroia, wife of Dustin Pedroia, for the second annual Red Sox “Foundation Nation Community Service Day” on Saturday.

“I have enormous respect and the deepest gratitude for those who serve our nation,” Francona said. “The brave men and women who visit this VA hospital for rehabilitative and health services deserve the best treatment possible. And so the Red Sox are honored to team up with Covidien, the dedicated VA staff and all the volunteers who are working together to help improve the recreation facilities available to New England’s veterans.”

Covidien sponsored the Community Service Day, which was organized by the Red Sox Foundation, the official team charity. Working alongside labor union members donating their skills and young adults from Youth Build, a nonprofit serving low-income youth, Covidien volunteers repaired the VA’s baseball field and resurfaced the crumbling blacktop used by local vets playing wheelchair softball.

The volunteer group also expanded and updated the hospital’s formerly cramped weight room, rehabbed the indoor swimming pool area and made up care packages for hundreds of troops now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan .

Covidien’s Director of Civic Affairs, Teresa Hacunda, said, “We jumped at the opportunity to thank our veterans by working on this project with the Red Sox Foundation and others. Making these much-needed repairs will have a significant positive impact on patient care and rehabilitation, which are key goals of our philanthropic efforts. Covidien employees are honored to give back to those who have given so much for us.”

Staff members of the Red Sox Foundation spent months preparing for this Community Service Day, working with members of Local 17 of the Sheet Metalworkers, Painters Union Local 53, and other Building Tradesmen, all of whom donated their skills and materials to the project. Licensed electricians from Sullivan McLaughlin Company donated their skills, while landscaping work was overseen by Walpole-based Campus Care. New lockers for the veterans were donated by Northern Corp of Southborough. Senator John Kerry also provided support by linking organizers with local labor and veterans groups. In addition, Red Sox Front Office members joined in Saturday’s “extreme makeover” at the Brockton VA campus.

“The men and women who serve our country work together as a team, caring for and backing up one another as they protect us,” said Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner. “And we know it takes teamwork to make good things happen in our community, too. The Red Sox are honored to work with the dedicated volunteers from Covidien, local unions, the talented young people at Youth Build and other supporters of this project as one small way we can say thank you to the veterans in our region.”

“The wounded warriors served by the dedicated staff at this VA Hospital deserve more than our thanks -- they deserve great facilities to help their recovery,” said Papelbon, who attended with his wife, Ashley, and members of his extended family. “My wife and I are proud we could be here to help out a little and salute our veterans and all of the great volunteers who made this project possible.”

Added fellow Red Sox Pitcher Timlin: “The good work everyone has done today is just the start of improvements needed at many of our nation’s veterans service programs. We hope the Red Sox Foundation’s outreach will help inspire other groups and companies to join hands and take on more projects in support of veterans across New England and beyond.”

Due to Covidien’s strong support of wellness in the community, the volunteer day was “sold out,” with over 100 Covidien volunteers choosing to spend a lovely summer Saturday pulling weeds, painting, hauling out debris and assembling new equipment at the VA Hospital. Given the long wait list of volunteers interested in the project, Red Sox Foundation Executive Director Meg Vaillancourt worked with officials at the VA ‘s Brockton Campus to come up with a “Wish List” of items needed and projects that other companies and groups could take on. The “Brockton VA Wish List” will be posted on the team charity’s website at www.redsoxfoundation.org

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2-1-1 VIRGINIA Now Available 24/7 Throughout Virginia
Three-digit number connects residents to health and human services in the region

Arlington, VA (July 10, 2008)-As of Tuesday, July 1st, 2-1-1 service is now available to residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. 2-1-1 VIRGINIA connects residents to free Information and Referrals (I&R) on health and human services in the region. The thee-digit number helps residents navigate the increasingly complex social services system. Whether it is someone facing an electricity cut of notice or a mother looking for a mentor for her child, 2-1-1 VIRGINIA can help callers find the resources in the community that they need. 2-1-1 VIRGINIA became a statewide system in February, when CrisisLink, a nonprofit providing crisis and suicide prevention hotlines for the region since 1969, began answering calls in Northern Virginia.

2-1-1 is not only critical for people looking for help everyday; it can also be critical for public information during disasters and emergencies. During and after the wildfires in San Diego, calls jumped from 3,000 to 25,000 a day, and 2-1-1 provided up-to-date, accurate information for those seeking shelter, information on road closures, and other critical information. The National Governors' Association cited 2-1-1 as a "key strategy for state community preparedness and response plans." 2-1-1 can provide rumor control, and help coordinate volunteers and donations. 2-1-1 also reduces the burden and costs for tax payers, nonprofits, governments, and other human services providers.

2-1-1 VIRGINIA is a program of the Virginia Department of Social Services. 2-1-1 is answered in Northern Virginia by CrisisLink, and throughout the Commonwealth by five other regional providers. All overnight calls to 2-1-1 will be answered by the Council of Community Services in Roanoke. The expanded coverage is essential in providing Virginia residents with free access to Information and Referrals around the clock. The 24/7 coverage will also be key during emergencies and disaster relief efforts.

"We are very excited about 2-1-1 being available 24/7," says CrisisLink's 2-1-1 Call Center Director Jamie Carter. "2-1-1 VIRGINIA now provides high quality, round-the-clock service throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, saving taxpayers time and money."

CrisisLink saves lives and prevents tragedies, giving vital support to those facing life crises, trauma, and suicide, and provides information, education and links to community resources to empower people to help themselves. Since 1969, CrisisLink has answered more than half a million crisis calls, responded to over 25,000 potential suicides, and provided more than a quarter million referrals.

CrisisLink is a public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to CrisisLink are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

CrisisLink saves lives and prevents tragedies every day by providing those facing life crises, trauma, and suicide with support, information, and links to community resources. Since 1969, CrisisLink has fielded over half a million calls, provided a quarter of a million referrals, and answered over 25,000 calls concerning suicide. CrisisLink provides 24/7 crisis and suicide prevention hotline service for the region; information and referrals to more than 4,000 different health & human service programs; youth and senior outreach programs; community training on mental health and suicide prevention; the first comprehensive postvention program in the region with immediate support and support groups for survivors of sudden and traumatic loss; and training for professionals and community members. http://www.crisislink.org

WASHINGTON – The 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, scheduled to take place July 25–29 in Omaha, Neb., will attract more than 500 veterans with disabilities. It has become the largest annual wheelchair sports competition in the world. Veterans from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq will again join their fellow veterans in 17 competitive events being offered in Omaha. (5/12/08)

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Web features to include a live conversation during the program, three audio slide shows and uncensored audio footage

WHAT: Minnesota Public Radio News’ Midday, hosted by Gary Eichten, presents a special one-hour documentary broadcast of The Vietnam Tapes, a collection of audio letters recorded by a soldier in combat, his family in Willmar and his friends in 1970.

WHERE: MPR’s News & Information stations statewide, including 91.1 FM KNOW in the Twin Cities

( St. Paul , Minn. ) June 26, 2008—MPR News’ Midday will present a special one-hour broadcast of rare audio letters between a soldier and his family and friends while serving in Vietnam in 1970 at noon on Friday, July 4, 2008.

Midday will air a riveting collection of audio cassettes, including three recorded in the field by Sergeant Dan Kleven, three from his buddies back in Willmar and at Mankato State University—which was shutting down early after the Kent State killings—and five tapes recorded by Kleven's family on their dairy farm in Willmar, Minn.

The tapes offer an intimate view of one man's experience on the front lines in Vietnam and real-time reactions from family and friends back home during this turbulent time in American history.

Midday host Gary Eichten interviewed Kleven at his home in Willmar to hear his reflections on the experience and how it changed him, weaving together material from these insightful archival tapes. MPR News also scanned a collection of highlights from Kleven’s Vietnam photo albums and will display them on the Web site, www.mpr.org.

· Three audio slide shows: The Life of a Grunt in Combat , Vietnam Through a Soldier's Lens, A View From the Home Front

An open online discussion where individuals can share their reactions, images or personal stories will be featured during and after the broadcast. This discussion can be found on MPR's hosted groups on Gather.com, linked from MPR’s Web site.

Listeners are invited to submit their collections of audio letters for a larger upcoming documentary project by American RadioWorks, the documentary unit of Minnesota Public Radio’s parent organization, American Public Media.

MORE INFORMATION, PHOTOGRAPHS AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

Minnesota Public Radio® operates a 37-station radio network serving virtually all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states and produces programming for radio, Internet and face-to-face audiences. Programs produced by Minnesota Public Radio’s parent company, American Public Media,™ reach more than 15 million listeners nationwide each week. Of those, nearly 800,000 listen regionally, in Minnesota and surrounding states. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services can be obtained at www.mpr.org.

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12/17/2007 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) -- The Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, has announced its 2008 airshow schedule. The team is scheduled to perform more than 67 shows in 25 states and Canada, as it commemorates the 55th Anniversary of the "Ambassadors in Blue." Lt. Col. Greg Thomas takes the reigns as the Thunderbirds commander and leader for the 2008 show season.

"The entire team is excited to announce our schedule for 2008," Colonel Thomas said. "It is truly an honor for me to lead the team in commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Thunderbirds." The Thunderbirds will help commemorate another milestone in North America when the team travels to Québec City to perform June 14 and15, honoring the city's 400th anniversary. The Thunderbirds, originally known as the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit, out of Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., were activated May 25, 1953.

"Originally, the Thunderbirds were created in the infancy of the jet age," Colonel Thomas said. "At that time the pilots and crews' mission were to give confidence to the Air Force pilots of the day, showing that they too could handle the speed and power of jet aircraft. "Over the last 55 years, the mission has changed slightly to include recruiting young men and women, retaining the quality Airmen already in service today and representing the 513,000 active-duty, Guard and Reserve members serving at home and abroad," Colonel Thomas said. "The mission might have changed throughout the years, but the pride, professionalism and almost unbelievable attention to detail of our Airmen representing the Air Force's finest has remained unparalleled."

The Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, four civilians and about 110 enlisted people performing in more than 29 Air Force specialties. The 2008 team includes the Air Force's first female lead-solo demonstration pilot, Maj. Samantha Weeks, Thunderbird No. 5, in her second year. The remaining pilots for the 2008 season include: Maj. Chris Austin, Thunderbird No. 2, left wing; Maj. Kirby Ensser, Thunderbird No. 3, right wing; Maj. Scott Poteet, Thunderbird No. 4, slot; and Maj. Tyrone Douglas, Thunderbird No. 6, opposing solo.

Rounding out the list of officers are: Lt. Col. Rob Skelton, Thunderbird No. 7, operations officer; Maj. Anthony Mulhare, Thunderbird No. 8, advance pilot/narrator; Maj. (Dr.) Charla Quayle, Thunderbird No. 9, flight surgeon; Capt. Amy Glisson, Thunderbird No. 10, executive officer; Capt. Charles Ploetz, Thunderbird No. 11, maintenance officer; and Capt. Elizabeth Kreft, Thunderbird No. 12, public affairs officer.

A Thunderbirds' aerial demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines. The pilots perform approximately 40 maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire show, including ground and air, runs about one hour. The airshow season lasts from March to November, with the winter months used to train new members.

The 2008 schedule is as follows:

March
15 -- San Angelo, Texas
29 -- Tyndall AFB, Fla.

April
5 and 6 -- Punta Gorda, Fla.
12 and 13 -- Lakeland, Fla.
19 and 20 -- Wilmington, N.C.
26 -- Charleston AFB, S.C.

May
3 and 4 -- March ARB, Calif.
10 and 11 -- Langley AFB, Va.
17 and 18 -- Fort Smith, Ark.
24 -- Tinker AFB, Okla.
28 -- U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. (Invitation only)
31 -- McGuire AFB, N.J.

June
1 -- McGuire AFB, N.J.
7 and 8 -- Rockford, Ill.
14 and 15 -- Québec City
21 -- Klamath Falls, Ore.
24 -- Eielson AFB, Alaska
28 and 29 -- Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

July
4 and 6 -- Battle Creek, Mich.
12 and 13 -- Milwaukee, Wis.
19 and 20 -- McChord AFB, Wash.
23 -- Cheyenne, Wyo.
26 and 27 -- Rochester, N.Y.

August
8 and 10 -- Abbotsford, Canada
16 and 17 -- Offutt AFB, Neb.
20 -- Atlantic City, N.J.
23 and 24 -- Kansas City, Mo.
30 and 31 -- Travis AFB, Calif.

September
6 and 7 -- Westover ARB, Mass.
12 and 13 -- Reno, Nev.
14 -- Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
20 and 21 -- Scott AFB, Ill
27 and 28 -- Salinas, Calif.

October
4 -- Vance AFB, Okla.
11 and 12 -- Fort Worth, Texas
18 and 19 -- Dobbins AFB, Ga.
25 and 26 -- Houston

November
1 and 2 -- Lafayette, La.
8 and 9 -- Nellis AFB, Nev.

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, has announced its show schedule for the 2008 season. Following winter training, the team begins the season at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif., March 8 and will conclude the season Nov. 16 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 68 shows at 35 locations throughout the United States and Canada.

"We are extremely excited to begin our new season and represent the Navy and Marine Corps team with a safe and exciting show for 2008," said Cmdr. Kevin Mannix, the squadron's commanding officer. Demonstration sites are selected in support of U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Department of Defense objectives with safety as a primary consideration. Performances greatly assist in the recruiting and retention goals of the military services, enhance esprit de corps among uniformed men and women, and demonstrate the professional skills and capabilities of the Naval Services to the American public and U.S. Allies.

The Blue Angels schedule is:
March 8: NAF El Centro, Calif.
March 15-16: Sacramento, Calif.
March 29-30: NAS Meridian, Miss.

April 5-6: NAS Kingsville, Texas
April 12-13: Smyrna, Tenn.
April 19-20: Peoria, Ill.
April 26-27: Vidalia, Ga.

May 3-4: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
May 10-11: Barksdale AFB, Bossier City, La.
May 16-18: Andrews AFB, Md.
May 21: USNA, Annapolis, Md.
May 23: USNA Fly-By, Annapolis, Md.
May 24-25: Jones Beach, N.Y.

June 7-8: MCAS Cherry Point, N.C.
June 14-15: Quebec City
June 21-22: Davenport, Iowa
June 28-29: Huntsville, Ala.

July 5-6: Traverse City, Mich.
July 11: Pensacola Beach, Fla.
July 19-20: Duluth, Minn.
July 26-27: Twin Falls, Idaho

Aug. 2-3: Seattle, Wash.
Aug. 8-10: Fairchild AFB, Spokane, Wash.
Aug. 16-17: Chicago, Ill.
Aug. 30: Cleveland, Ohio

Sept. 1: Cleveland, Ohio
Sept. 6-7: NAS Brunswick, Maine
Sept. 13-14 Eau Claire, Wis.
Sept. 20-21 NAS Oceana, Va.
Sept. 27-28 Grand Junction, Colo.

Oct. 4-5: MCAS Miramar, San Diego, Calif.
Oct. 11-12 San Francisco, Calif.
Oct. 18-19 Little Rock, AFB, Ark.
Oct. 25-26 NAS Jacksonville, Fla.

Nov. 1-2: Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas
Nov. 8-9: Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Nov. 15: NAS Pensacola, Fla.

For more news from the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron
(Blue Angels), visit www.navy.mil/local/blueangels

The 2008 Professional Airmen’s Conference is planned to convene at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, San Antonio, Texas. 24 – 27 August 2008. More details will be forthcoming.

Air Force Sergeants Association - Veterans News Hour Daily Salutes the Air Force Sergeants Association: For over 40 Years the AFSA has served Air Force enlisted personnel effectively, and with great dedication. We thank AFSA for their service to member veterans, active duty, and ultimately our nation. To learn more about AFSA and how you can become a member please access their Web Site from the link below. Click here to access AFSA Web Site: http://www.afsahq.org

------The following article is submitted by Michael Brown------

The Veterans Upward Bound Project: Battling for a Higher Rung

By Ken Lizotte

At this no-frills graduation ceremony, proud triumph was clearly in the air. Twenty-two adult graduates filed in to occupy their metal seats, lined up before giant floor-to-ceiling windows that peered out on Boston’s South Bay. Every onlooker in this large assembly room sensed (or knew) how much these grads had gone through to get themselves here. These were not your typical school daze graduates. These grads had faced down far deeper life challenges than athletic events, proms, frat parties and campus pranks. These graduates of UMass Boston’s Veterans Upward Bound Project had literally battled their way to get here, fending off job and marriage pressures, kid-raising, unending bills and taxes, and, for many of those present today, the high risk of getting maimed or killed while on duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The academic program they were completing had been no picnic either, of course, as the program’s director Barry Brodsky let everyone know as he opened the ceremony: “Since the 1970s, the staff of the Veterans Upward Bound Project has worked tirelessly to give veterans the very best of an education,” he began. “And we have insisted that our students never lower the bar as they labored here, so that they will be able to leave this program, get into a good college and do the work.”

To this, Joan Becker, Associate Vice Provost at UMass Boston, where the Upward Bound program is based, added: “It’s an honor and a privilege to be here tonight with these graduates, and we have some young children here tonight too. Thank you to all our veterans in the room for making it possible for them to have a safe future.” Addressing the soon-to-be-graduates directly, she bolstered Brodsky's words: “You may have wanted to give up along the way. Some days you may not have wanted to come back here to school, some nights it may have felt just too hard. But you didn’t give up… this was your time, the beginning of a new time in your life when you invested in you. So with stick-to-itiveness, courage, whatever it took each day to keep going, you made sure you kept coming back/ You made sure you would be here tonight to graduate.”

Decked out in their blue caps and gowns, the graduates soaked up these many kudos while obviously relieved and thankful to have made the grade. But seeds of anxiety lurked inside as well, anticipations and fears about what would be next for them. Graduation meant that now they must climb to a loftier rung, a precarious higher level where they very well might fall. After this, each would head to a college with presumably tougher academic standards, and, as well, greater mental challenges and, likely, greater emotional challenges too. Could they hack it?

A large white board on a wall in the back of the room listed in large letters where each graduate would be going from here. Colby College was up there, Regis was up there too. A few would be coming right back here to UMass Boston as full-fledged day students, others to community colleges with names like Mass. Bay, Roxbury or Bunker Hill. All shared the same nagging in their ear: wherever they found themselves a few months from this day, the process they had begun here would not get any easier.

Founded in 1970, the Veterans Upward Bound Project aims to “provide a unique opportunity for men and women veterans of all ages to acquire academic skills required for entry into higher education institutions, and/or to acquire the equivalent of a high school diploma.” Classes are offered evenings over two 16-week cycles that span the academic year. Most of its graduates go on to attend good colleges and universities, an opportunity that would otherwise not have been possible but for the specialized instruction, tutoring and pep talks available to them here.

So on this late spring night, with a color guard of vets culled from Vietnam, Korea, WW II and even WW I, the National Anthem played to utmost attention, no ballgame whoops breaking out before it ended. Here the Anthem was listened to, respected, had meaning. Though a sumptuous catered buffet lay on long tables on a mezzanine above, no one cared about that right now. Though these festivities would work up everyone’s appetites, first came full attention to flag, country and graduates.

Keynote speaker Fred Green quickly ramped up the focus. “As veterans, because of your time in the service, you have discipline, structure,” he pointed out. “You’re ahead of the game in that way, you have advantages over students younger than you are who are less structured than you are. But it’s still not gonna be easy as you head into college life. You gotta have a system there, you have to let yourself get away by yourself at times, go some place where you can study and think… Always work one assignment ahead… Always prepare for next week, not just for this week, so that if some crisis comes up in your life and you miss the chance to study for that week, you’re ahead of the ballgame.”

Fred’s advice drew from personal experience. Today the Executive Director of the CEO Club of Boston, and formerly a very young CEO at a major insurance firm (age 38), in earlier years he had spent much growing-up time in the merchant marines, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam, plus missions to Malaysia, Africa, Europe and South America. His father had made him do it. “Back when I was in school, I was the class clown,” he recalled. “I had too much freedom. I hated studying. All I was good at was chasing girls! My dad took my freedom away by sending me to the Mass Maritime Academy. This was during the Vietnam War, so by taking away my freedom, he gave me structure and introduced seriousness into my life.”

When his merchant marines service ended, Fred faced a too-typical grim choice as a civilian: Drift into a job with no future or commit himself to a profession that might require extra hours of study and sweat to get ahead. As a young finance manager at an insurance firm, he earned a college degree part-time, went on to study for an advanced degree and hunkered down also to attain professional certification. He pursued all these goals while raising a family and holding down his full-time job.

“When I studied for those insurance exams, I had every hour of every day blocked out,” he told the room. “I once blocked out three hours so I could watch a Super Bowl, then it was back to studying right after the game ended. I used to go right to the library after a long day of work to hit the textbooks, then I’d go home about 7:30 PM, have some dinner, then climb the stairs in my house afterward to study some more. Next day it was up at 6 AM and I’d start all over again. Preparation, motivation, planning, discipline… these are the things that will get you to really work toward your goals. You’re in the process of giving yourself something that will have an impact for the rest of your life. So now is the time to buckle down.”

Fred knew exactly what these graduates could expect. He knew too how they needed to think, and what they needed to do, and what they needed to decide to do. With help from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, he summed the whole thing up: “Great is the art of beginning,” he quoted. “But even greater is the art of ending.” Translation: These graduates’ life challenges were not over with yet.

When Fred sat down, it was time to call the grads up and make it official. Famous quotations were read aloud as each diploma was handed out.

“Well done is better than well said.” --Ben Franklin
“Great minds have purpose, others have wishes.” --Washington Irving
“The great thing is not so much where we are but in what direction we are moving.” --Oliver Wendell Holmes
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot.”--Walter Baycaot

Some got special awards too, meaning a plaque and extra applause. And on the way back to their seats, diplomas and awards in tow, each seemed noticeably lighter, more erect, glowing with pride. Families and friends, and robust recent vets, and older vets consigned to wheelchairs all beamed and sparkled amid the boisterous camaraderie now enlivening the room.

“I salute you as you embark on the next phase of your journey,” Becker told them, amid a final burst of applause for all the new grads. It was a “next phase” that might prove their most formidable mission yet. But each felt equipped to accomplish it, not with a rifle but with the evidence of their completion of this program that they now held in their hands.

Ken Lizotte CMC is Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc. (Concord MA), a consulting firm that transforms business experts and companies into “thoughtleaders.” Author of ”The Expert’s Edge: Become the Go-To Authority People Turn to Every Time” (McGraw Hill), he is a professional speaker at major business events and ongoing seminar leader at Harvard University. Visit his website www.thoughtleading.com

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

"I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender nor retreat". William Barrett Travis, The Alamo, 24 February 1836

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 4, 2008) Flight Deck personnel simulate firefighting and hose-handling techniques on a training aircraft aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting operations off the Atlantic Coast. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Wilyanna Harper/Released)