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A warning has been issued throughout the state of Florida over scammers targeting veterans, active-duty military members, and their families. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs, through its Operation Senior Shield initiative, has issued a scam alert to tell citizens to verify before they donate to any charity claiming to be raising money for military causes. “Floridians are incredibly generous, especially when it comes to supporting our veterans, active-duty military members, and their families,” the DOEA said in a statement to Military.com. “Unfortunately, scammers understand that generosity and often exploit it by creating fake charities and emotional fundraising appeals that…
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Sitting on the tailgate of my truck, I fire up the new Optimus Gemini II dual-burner camp stove in order to make some coffee and oatmeal to start the day. With a scenic backdrop of snowcapped mountains piercing a pale blue sky, I twist the knobs on the slim silver stove to get the heat settings just right. Moments later, I’ve got oatmeal simmering in one pot while my coffee water boils in a mug next to it. The new Optimus stove, which fits perfectly into my truck-camping regimen, is considered compact. The stove has two burners, making it a…
Toronto sure looks like a rough place these days. Not even by Canadian standards, but ours. Even the U.S. Consulate isn’t safe, as we found out last month.Yeah, that gun control is going just swimmingly, isn’t it? However, I apparently need to give the Toronto cops their due. They made two arrests in the incident, which is good. It’s everything else they announced about the arrests that has me scratching my head.Toronto police announced the arrests Thursday of a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy in the second shooting at the U.S. Consulate in five…
Just hours after a 14-year-old boy shot and killed his grandparents before attacking teachers and classmates at his high school, Thailand’s prime minister is vowing to crack down on legal gun owners by prohibiting their ability to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense. Politicians the world over often rush to “do something” in the wake of a tragedy, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is no different. Three years ago Anutin, who was then the country’s Interior Minister, cracked down on legal gun owners by imposing a freeze on new licenses and prohibiting individuals younger than…
Enlisted Air Force ranks are categorized into three levels: airmen (pay grades E-1 through E-4), noncommissioned officers (E-5 and E-6), and senior noncommissioned officers (E-7 through E-9). Some personnel can enlist at an advanced rank if they have college credits or have participated in Junior ROTC. The highest advanced rank one can enlist with under these programs is airman first class (E-3). The Air Force offers accelerated promotion for service members who agree to enlist for six years. Under this program, enlistees who enter service as an airman basic (E-1) are promoted to airman (E-2) after basic training is finished,…
Within the Air Force, officer ranks follow a clear-cut structure, divided into three categories: company grade, field grade, and general officers. Company grade officers range from O-1 to O-3. Climbing the ranks, next are field grade officers, in the O-4 to O-6 range, taking the helm of mid-level command. Finally, at the top of the hierarchy are general officers, O-7 and above, who oversee strategy. Air Force Company Grade Officer Ranks Second Lieutenant (O-1) The rank of second lieutenant is shown through a single gold bar. Proper forms of address include “second lieutenant” or “lieutenant.” Commissioned airmen sometimes may skip…
Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton will have to take his fight over the “gun-free” state fair to the Texas Supreme Court after an appellate court upheld the ban on Thursday. Paxton, along with several individual plaintiffs, filed suit after the State Fair of Texas announced in 2024 that the lawful carrying of firearms would no longer be allowed. The move came after a shooting during the fair in 2023, one that was committed by someone who couldn’t legally carry a gun. The lawsuit contended that the State Fair of Texas and the…
The newly created Military Spouse Commission has opened an online form to allow those with vested interests in the commission to submit comments. President Donald Trump created the commission on Monday via an executive order to support the lives and experiences of spouses of those enlisted in service. The commission will provide recommendations to address themes including housing, employment, health care and childcare. There are more than 1 million military spouses in the U.S. They are affected by numerous issues including disproportionate levels of unemployment, according to Stars & Stripes. The publication reported that 20% of military spouses are unemployed,…
I really get sick of the claim that mass killings with a firearm only happen in the United States. That’s what the phrase “uniquely American” means when describing the phenomenon. To be fair, we do have more than most people, even if you account for population, but we are also a very different country than most. Thailand, however, seems to also be having a bit of a problem. Despite acting to tighten gun restrictions after previous massacres, it doesn’t look like it did a whole lot of good.Not today, at least, as six people are…
Some military photographs make their importance obvious, while others look ordinary until you learn the story behind the image. Five brothers pose aboard a Navy cruiser. Women sort packages in a crowded warehouse. A pilot stands among children near an airfield. At first glance, photographs could be routine snapshots of military life, but once you learn the story that led up to or followed the camera click, you’ll realize they’re anything but. Each image carries a story of survival, loss, courage or deception that the photograph alone cannot explain. Once you know these stories, it becomes impossible to see the…
Widows of service members who died while serving our country are often faced with a difficult choice, years after their loss. By federal law, a financial benefit known as Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or DIC, equating to about $1,700 per month, ends as soon as a surviving military spouse remarries, or stays in place as long as the spouse remains single through age 55. The organization known as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) has been urging lawmakers to protect the DIC benefit, rather than strip it away, no matter a surviving spouse’s marital status. “The compensation is intended…
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U.S. Navy veteran John Donovan is the newest national commander of the nearly 1 million-member DAV (Disabled American Veterans). The Arkansas native, who himself is disabled, was unanimously elected Aug. 5 during the organization’s 104th national convention, held in Orlando, Fla. He was previously elected as national senior vice commander at DAV’s 2025 national convention in Las Vegas, and most recently served as adjutant for the Department of Arkansas and vice chairperson of DAV’s national board of directors. He also previously served as a national executive committee member for District 21 from 2019 to 2021 and was on DAV’s national…
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The pressure is on in Montana, where two candidates from different parties and with military backgrounds are attempting to defeat a Donald Trump-backed Republican in a U.S. Senate race. Concerns are rising about potential vote splits come November, with a pivotal deadline fast approaching. Seth Bodnar, an independent, graduated from West Point two months before the Sept. 11 attacks and studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar prior to becoming a U.S. Army Green Beret and being deployed to Iraq as an infantry officer. Alani Bankhead, a Democrat, served 21 years in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant…
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Watch full video on YouTube
