CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan (AP) - A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester fought her way through an enemy ambush south of Baghdad, killing three insurgents with her M-4 rifle to save fellow soldiers' lives -- and yesterday became the first woman since World War II to win the Silver Star medal for valor in combat.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - An elite Navy SEAL who threw himself on top of a grenade in Iraq to save his comrades will be posthumously awarded the nation's highest military tribute, a White House spokeswoman said Monday. The Medal of Honor will be awarded to Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor. His family will receive the medal during a White House ceremony April 8.
Monsoor is the fourth person to receive the honor since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Monsoor, a platoon machine gunner, had received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions pulling a wounded SEAL to safety during a May 9, 2006, firefight in Ramadi.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his sacrfice in Ramadi.
After dodging traffic to snag a parcel in the street, its caretaker steered it to its rightful place.
Like a lot of other people, Paris Getty dodged and then drove by the 18- by 12-inch package lying in the middle of a South St. Paul street on Thursday morning.
But then he turned his car around and went back to investigate. "It didn't look like garbage," he said. Darting through traffic, Getty grabbed the 12-pound U.S. Postal package, which was stamped "URGENT."
The package had made its way from California and was supposed to be delivered to an Apple Valley company that deals in precious metals. "I thought, 'Wow, I wonder what's in it?'" said Getty, 57, of St. Paul. "But then I said, 'No, it's none of my business.'"
Not to mention that it's a federal offense to tamper with U.S. mail.
"I like to go to bed and sleep well," Getty said. "I don't want to do anything dishonest.
"If someone gives me too much change at the store, I tell them about it. I've not always been that way in my life."
Getty, a former crack addict and lawyer who was disbarred in 1995, has changed his life in the years since. He's helped neighborhood crime watch groups bust up crack houses and is studying to become a chemical dependency counselor.
"Sometimes we cannot directly undo the specific wrongs we have done, but perhaps we are given opportunities to make amends by preventing other wrongs from taking place," Getty said. "Leaving the package would have been wrong. Not picking it up and giving it to its rightful owner would have been wrong."
So Getty called BCC Precious Metals, informing the company's owner that he had the package.
Coincidentally, BCC owner Len Barber once worked at Contour Adjustable Bed Co., where Getty now works, though they didn't know each other. A company employee came immediately to retrieve the package, Getty said.
Barber declined to disclose the contents of the package, which was meant for one of his clients. But grateful for Getty's honesty, he gave the good Samaritan a 1925 silver dollar.
"I have no idea what it's worth," Getty said. "But I don't care. I didn't do it for the money. ... It was someone else's property. ... And it didn't cost me anything to stop my car."
The U.S. Postal Service also is grateful.
Postal spokesman Pete Nowacki said the carrier who had picked up the package, along with other express mail at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, noticed the gate on his van was slightly open when he arrived at his first stop in West St. Paul.
The driver inventoried the truck and discovered the package was missing. He reported it to the St. Paul Post Office and immediately retraced his route in search of the package. Two other carriers also were sent from downtown St. Paul to search for the missing parcel. Unbeknownst to them, Getty had already picked up the box.
"The latch probably malfunctioned," Nowacki said. "It could have happened if [the driver] hit a pothole."
The Postal Service is now inspecting the latches on each of the seven special delivery vans, he said.
"We are grateful that there are good Samaritans," Nowacki said. "You do expect folks to do the right thing, and it actually kind of brightens your day when it happens that way.'
bcc precious metals looks like coin dealer....this package could have been worth a ton...
I'd keep it and let the SSP post office insurance foot the bill for how many times they lose the mail of mine and many others on our route. Put us on a regular route already.
See any video anywhere of his "conversation" in the penalty box? I thought for sure someone would have posted it on the web somewhere... Funniest thing I have seen in a long time :smile:
I got teary eye'd when I saw this on tv last nite...
Something remarkable happened in a college softball game last Saturday in Ellensburg, Wash. At least, I am conditioned to think it was remarkable, since it involved an act of sportsmanship, with two players helping an injured opponent complete the home run she had just slugged.
Why this generous act should seem so unusual probably stems from the normal range of bulked-up baseball players, police-blotter football players, diving soccer and hockey players and other high-profile professionals.
The moment of grace came after Sara Tucholsky, a diminutive senior for Western Oregon, hit what looked like a three-run homer against Central Washington. Never in her 21 years had Tucholsky propelled a ball over a fence, so she did not have her home run trot in order, gazing in awe, missing first base. When she turned back to touch the bag, her right knee buckled, and she went down, crying and crawling back to first base.
Pam Knox, the Western Oregon coach, made sure no teammates touched Tucholsky, which would have automatically made her unable to advance. The umpires ruled that if Tucholsky could not make it around the bases, two runs would score but she would be credited with only a single. (“She’ll kill me if I take it away from her,” Knox thought.)
Then Mallory Holtman, the powerful first baseman for Central Washington, said words that brought a chill to everybody who heard them:
“Excuse me, would it be O.K. if we carried her around and she touched each bag?”
The umpires huddled and said it would be legal, so Holtman and the Central Washington shortstop, Liz Wallace, lifted Tucholsky, hands crossed under her, and carried her to second base, and gently lowered her so she could touch the base. Then Holtman and Wallace started to giggle, and so did Tucholsky, through her tears, and the three of them continued this odd procession to third base and home to a standing ovation.
“Everybody was crying,” Knox recalled on Tuesday. “It was an away game, and our four fans were crying. We couldn’t hit after that.”
The extra run made it easier for Western Oregon to win the second game, 4-2, and sweep the doubleheader. More important, all involved realized they had taken part in an event they would always remember. (Credit where credit is due: I heard about this incident via Jared Max on WCBS-AM news radio Tuesday morning and later I found a nice article by Graham Hays on ESPN.com before making my own calls.)
The question is, where did it come from, this impulsive gesture by Mallory Holtman?
“She hit it over the fence,” Holtman said Tuesday. “She deserved it. Anybody would have done it. I just beat them to it.” She said she had been taught by her coach, Gary Frederick, that “winning is not everything.”
“Mallory didn’t know it was my first home run,” said Tucholsky, whose college career will end with a .153 batting average and exactly one home run. “It just says a lot about them.”
Tucholsky was too immobile to join the handshake line at the end of the game Saturday, but her family has been in touch with Holtman, photographs have been exchanged, the two teams are wrapped in a bond of good feeling we can only wish did not seem so singular, so remarkable.
Do you have any idea what kind of plane that is? I was on one from Kuwait to Iraq... But I wasn't able to see it because they only flew us out at night. It is close to the size of a C130 but it has a jet engine. I have been trying to figure that out for a while now...
The seats in the middle are regular airline seating, but in the sides are strap seats, like what you used to see on the drivers window in race cars in the early '80's. They are actually the place to sit as you get some leg room.
Create A Memory is an annual sports related activity day for underprivileged youth in the Twin Cities. Founded by Ron Zamansky, "CAM" is now entering its 22nd summer and will host more than 450 kids.
got the chance to go 2 this with katie today....wow...
My friend and co-worker Phyllis who is battling breast cancer.
She is staying so positive and looking amazing one month after a double masectomey. She is fighting this giant with humor, faith and the loving support of family and friends.
"Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the BONES." Proverbs 16:24
Introducing the newest member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation Team — Prostate Pete!
Pete's on a mission — get guys to take care of their prostate. Prostate cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in men, but it's 90 percent curable when detected early.
So Pete's helping us kick off Prostate Cancer Awareness Month this September with our No-Fail Prostate Pro Quiz. The quiz is short, funny, and it just might save a life, like yours.
Some important facts you need to know about prostate cancer:
* More than 186,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008
    * An estimated 28,660 will die from the disease
    * Most prostate cancer is diagnosed in men older than 65
You have got to be kidding me. I am all for having little cartoon caricatures of my body parts... but that dude hangs out near my ass. He is prolly hanging out around Kitch's too. Not cool in my book.
Where is the caricature for breast cancer? I'd much rather she Lefty running around than Prostate Pete.
Could - but wont
CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan (AP) - A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 17, 2005; Page A21
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester fought her way through an enemy ambush south of Baghdad, killing three insurgents with her M-4 rifle to save fellow soldiers' lives -- and yesterday became the first woman since World War II to win the Silver Star medal for valor in combat.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - An elite Navy SEAL who threw himself on top of a grenade in Iraq to save his comrades will be posthumously awarded the nation's highest military tribute, a White House spokeswoman said Monday. The Medal of Honor will be awarded to Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor. His family will receive the medal during a White House ceremony April 8.
Monsoor is the fourth person to receive the honor since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Monsoor, a platoon machine gunner, had received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions pulling a wounded SEAL to safety during a May 9, 2006, firefight in Ramadi.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his sacrfice in Ramadi.
paris getty
After dodging traffic to snag a parcel in the street, its caretaker steered it to its rightful place.
Like a lot of other people, Paris Getty dodged and then drove by the 18- by 12-inch package lying in the middle of a South St. Paul street on Thursday morning.
But then he turned his car around and went back to investigate. "It didn't look like garbage," he said. Darting through traffic, Getty grabbed the 12-pound U.S. Postal package, which was stamped "URGENT."
The package had made its way from California and was supposed to be delivered to an Apple Valley company that deals in precious metals. "I thought, 'Wow, I wonder what's in it?'" said Getty, 57, of St. Paul. "But then I said, 'No, it's none of my business.'"
Not to mention that it's a federal offense to tamper with U.S. mail.
"I like to go to bed and sleep well," Getty said. "I don't want to do anything dishonest.
"If someone gives me too much change at the store, I tell them about it. I've not always been that way in my life."
Getty, a former crack addict and lawyer who was disbarred in 1995, has changed his life in the years since. He's helped neighborhood crime watch groups bust up crack houses and is studying to become a chemical dependency counselor.
"Sometimes we cannot directly undo the specific wrongs we have done, but perhaps we are given opportunities to make amends by preventing other wrongs from taking place," Getty said. "Leaving the package would have been wrong. Not picking it up and giving it to its rightful owner would have been wrong."
So Getty called BCC Precious Metals, informing the company's owner that he had the package.
Coincidentally, BCC owner Len Barber once worked at Contour Adjustable Bed Co., where Getty now works, though they didn't know each other. A company employee came immediately to retrieve the package, Getty said.
Barber declined to disclose the contents of the package, which was meant for one of his clients. But grateful for Getty's honesty, he gave the good Samaritan a 1925 silver dollar.
"I have no idea what it's worth," Getty said. "But I don't care. I didn't do it for the money. ... It was someone else's property. ... And it didn't cost me anything to stop my car."
The U.S. Postal Service also is grateful.
Postal spokesman Pete Nowacki said the carrier who had picked up the package, along with other express mail at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, noticed the gate on his van was slightly open when he arrived at his first stop in West St. Paul.
The driver inventoried the truck and discovered the package was missing. He reported it to the St. Paul Post Office and immediately retraced his route in search of the package. Two other carriers also were sent from downtown St. Paul to search for the missing parcel. Unbeknownst to them, Getty had already picked up the box.
"The latch probably malfunctioned," Nowacki said. "It could have happened if [the driver] hit a pothole."
The Postal Service is now inspecting the latches on each of the seven special delivery vans, he said.
"We are grateful that there are good Samaritans," Nowacki said. "You do expect folks to do the right thing, and it actually kind of brightens your day when it happens that way.'
bcc precious metals looks like coin dealer....this package could have been worth a ton...
<-------- not a fan of the SSP post office
<---- Fan of Paris Getty
I got teary eye'd when I saw this on tv last nite...
Something remarkable happened in a college softball game last Saturday in Ellensburg, Wash. At least, I am conditioned to think it was remarkable, since it involved an act of sportsmanship, with two players helping an injured opponent complete the home run she had just slugged.
Why this generous act should seem so unusual probably stems from the normal range of bulked-up baseball players, police-blotter football players, diving soccer and hockey players and other high-profile professionals.
The moment of grace came after Sara Tucholsky, a diminutive senior for Western Oregon, hit what looked like a three-run homer against Central Washington. Never in her 21 years had Tucholsky propelled a ball over a fence, so she did not have her home run trot in order, gazing in awe, missing first base. When she turned back to touch the bag, her right knee buckled, and she went down, crying and crawling back to first base.
Pam Knox, the Western Oregon coach, made sure no teammates touched Tucholsky, which would have automatically made her unable to advance. The umpires ruled that if Tucholsky could not make it around the bases, two runs would score but she would be credited with only a single. (“She’ll kill me if I take it away from her,” Knox thought.)
Then Mallory Holtman, the powerful first baseman for Central Washington, said words that brought a chill to everybody who heard them:
“Excuse me, would it be O.K. if we carried her around and she touched each bag?”
The umpires huddled and said it would be legal, so Holtman and the Central Washington shortstop, Liz Wallace, lifted Tucholsky, hands crossed under her, and carried her to second base, and gently lowered her so she could touch the base. Then Holtman and Wallace started to giggle, and so did Tucholsky, through her tears, and the three of them continued this odd procession to third base and home to a standing ovation.
“Everybody was crying,” Knox recalled on Tuesday. “It was an away game, and our four fans were crying. We couldn’t hit after that.”
The extra run made it easier for Western Oregon to win the second game, 4-2, and sweep the doubleheader. More important, all involved realized they had taken part in an event they would always remember. (Credit where credit is due: I heard about this incident via Jared Max on WCBS-AM news radio Tuesday morning and later I found a nice article by Graham Hays on ESPN.com before making my own calls.)
The question is, where did it come from, this impulsive gesture by Mallory Holtman?
“She hit it over the fence,” Holtman said Tuesday. “She deserved it. Anybody would have done it. I just beat them to it.” She said she had been taught by her coach, Gary Frederick, that “winning is not everything.”
Tucholsky was too immobile to join the handshake line at the end of the game Saturday, but her family has been in touch with Holtman, photographs have been exchanged, the two teams are wrapped in a bond of good feeling we can only wish did not seem so singular, so remarkable.
the people in this photo...
The seats in the middle are regular airline seating, but in the sides are strap seats, like what you used to see on the drivers window in race cars in the early '80's. They are actually the place to sit as you get some leg room.
Is your friend on that plane?
reminds me of the "bad guys" on Miami Vice
got the chance to go 2 this with katie today....wow...
very cooler!!!!
thank you Ron.
She is staying so positive and looking amazing one month after a double masectomey. She is fighting this giant with humor, faith and the loving support of family and friends.
"Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the BONES." Proverbs 16:24
Missing you around here Phyl.... :sad:
the person who came up with this :smile:
Thank You!
..their family, friends, scientists, doctors, nurses, $$ donators, celebrities, artists.........us
S↑2C
Pete's on a mission — get guys to take care of their prostate. Prostate cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in men, but it's 90 percent curable when detected early.
So Pete's helping us kick off Prostate Cancer Awareness Month this September with our No-Fail Prostate Pro Quiz. The quiz is short, funny, and it just might save a life, like yours.
Some important facts you need to know about prostate cancer:
* More than 186,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008
    * An estimated 28,660 will die from the disease
    * Most prostate cancer is diagnosed in men older than 65
Are you a prostrate pro?
Where is the caricature for breast cancer? I'd much rather she Lefty running around than Prostate Pete.