Saluting Fallen NYPD Officer Randolph Holder: Blue Lives Also Matter

My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place---police, firefighters and our armed forces...Sidney Sheldon

Saluting Fallen NYPD Officer Randolph Holder

End of Watch for NYPD Officer Randolph Holder came on October 20, 2015. That's when Holder and his partner, Obmar Wallace, were on patrol in E. Harlem. They were both responding to a call of shots fired. During the pursuit of the suspect, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Officer Holder in the forehead. Officer Wallace returned fire and hit the suspect in the rear as he ran away. As the suspect staggered away bleeding, he was later caught by other police officers and arrested. 

Officer Holder was a five year veteran of the NYPD.  He made 125 arrests and earned six medals. Holder's father and grandfather were also a police officers in their native country of Guyana.  Richard Brodie, a neighbor, said Holder was eager to lend a hand to anyone in need.

The suspect had 28 prior arrests. One of the arrests included a shooting that wounded and 11 year old boy and a 77 year-old man.

Blue Lives Also Matter

To date, 101 police officers have been killed in the line of duty. Thirty-one of those by gunfire. The highest number of police fatalities this year took place in January (14), March (16), May (17) and September (15).

Sources: ODMP, NY Post

RIP + Salute Army Skydiver Sgt. 1st Class Corey Hood; Two Army Female Warriors To Graduate From U.S. Army Ranger School

"My goal in peace and war is to succeed in any mission of the day or night, even though I may die doing so. For I belong to a proud and glorious team." From the Airborne Creed

Sgt. 1st Class Corey Hood, 32,  served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last week, he died doing what he loved best.  During a jump in the Chicago Air and Water Show, he suffered a mid-air collision with another jumper. He was a member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights.

In his career, he logged more than 200 free fall jumps and 75 military static line jumps. He also earned two bronze stars.

The other unidentified jumper survived suffering a broken leg.

Salute Two Female Warriors

Two female warriors will be making history as they graduate this Friday from the U.S. Army Ranger School in Ft. Benning, GA.  Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st. Lt. Shaye Haver will be the first women to ever graduate from the school. Both are West Point graduates.

The women started in a class of 318 last April, a class that also included 19 women. Ninety-six graduates remain.

The Ranger School is one of the toughest in the U.S. military also known as one of the most strenuous mental and physical tests in the world for military personnel. The 62 day course includes swim tests, PT courses, navigation courses 12-mile foot marches, parachute jumps and mountaineering tests.

On This Independence Day Relfect Upon The Declaration of Independence---The Gift That Keeps On Giving

"The cause of America is in great measure the cause of mankind"...Thomas Paine


Our Founders bestowed upon our nation many precious gifts.  What better way to honor their sacrifices, brilliance and their glorious achievement than in the following images:

And let's not forget: "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

2016 Memorial Day Edition

"The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots."...Randy Vader


On this Memorial Day, we honor those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation.

"The dead soldier's silence sings our National Anthem."...Aaron Kilbourn

"The brave die never. They sleep in dust. Their courage nerves a thousand living men."...Minot Savage

"For glory lights the soldier's tomb and beauty weeps the brave."...Joseph Drake

NYPD Officer Down Brian Moore; Happy Angel Birthday To Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy; FDNY Celebrates Its 150 Years

"It's not how these officers died that made them heroes, it's how they lived." Vivian Cross

Honoring NYPD  Officer Brian Moore

The End Of Watch for NYPD Police Officer Moore, 25, came on May 4, 2015. On the previous Saturday, Moore and his partner, Eric Jansen, stopped Demetrius Blackwell after spotting a suspicious object in his waistband. In the course of the stop, Blackwell allegedly pulled out a gun and fired into the police vehicle. Moore was struck in the head twice. He succumbed to his wounds two days later. Blackwell had a rap sheet dating back over 20 years including attempted murder. He served 8 years.

Moore was a five year veteran of the NYPD. He earned two Meritorious Police Duty medals.

Moore is the third line-of-duty death in the NYPD in just the last five months.
ODMP, NY Post, NYPD News


Today Marks The Birthday Of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, Medal of Honor Recipient

Navy SEAL Michael "Murph" Murphy (May 7, 1976-June 28, 2005) was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the war in Afghanistan. The film and the book by the same title, Lone Survivor, was based on the actions of his team during mission Operation Red Wings.

Lt. Murphy was killed after exposing himself to enemy fire. He was attempting to get a clear signal in order to communicate with headquarters to get immediate support. In addition to Lt. Murphy, two other SEALs, Danny Dietz and Mathew Axelson, were also killed in the fighting. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, also a Navy Corpsman, was the sole survivor. He later wrote Lone Survivor and was the recipient of the Navy Cross and Purple Heart.

Salute!

FDNY 150 Years Ago...

The Fire Department Of The City Of New York (FDNY) was established in 1965.

It currently has approximately 16,000 employees. The FDNY had 480,000 calls (2013) Of those, over 25,000 were structural fires. 

On September 11, 2001, 343 FDNY firefighters lost their lives.

Honoring Fallen Police Officers; Black Hawk Down Off Florida Coast Kills 11

"It's not how these officers died that made them heroes, it's how they lived."...Vivian Cross

Taps For Too Many Police Officers This March

This March has proven to be a dangerous month for police officers across the nation. Just two days ago, two more police officers were ambushed in Ferguson, MO.  Fortunately, both officers are expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the eight police officers who have died in the line of duty in only the first two weeks of this month. We remember:

Philadelphia Police Officer Robert Wilson, III

Officer Wilson, 30, was shot and killed when he and his partner interrupted a robbery at a video game store on March 5, 2015. Officer Wilson was in the store to purchase a game for his son whose birthday was that same week. Wilson was shot three times during a barrage in which 50 shots were fired. Two subjects were later apprehended.

Officer Wilson was an 8 year veteran of the department. He is survived by his wife and two young sons.

Fulton County (Georgia) Police Officer Terence Avery Green

Officer Green, 48, was shot and killed in an ambush as he and other officers responded to reports of shots fired inside a home on March 4, 2015.

Officer Green was a 22 year veteran of the department. He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells

Deputy Wells, 27, was shot and killed as he and other U.S. Marshals attempted to serve an arrest warrant on a double-murder suspect on March 10, 2015. Shots were fired as the team attempted to take the man into custody. During the shooting, Marshal Wells was struck. He was taken to the hospital but succumbed to his wounds.

Deputy Wells was a four year veteran of the Marshal service. He is survived by his expectant wife.

To date, there have been 23 line of duty deaths. Four died by gunfire (one accidental). Six officers succumbed to heart attacks. Eight died in automobile accidents. Two were struck by vehicles. One died during a vehicle pursuit. Two died from related illnesses.

(Officer Down Memorial Page and National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund)

Black Hawk Down Off Florida Coast Kills 11

Several days ago a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a nighttime training mission of the Gulf Coast of Florida. Seven Marines and four soldiers were killed.

The Louisiana National Guard reported yesterday that two bodies have since been recovered as well as body parts. The search and rescue operation is now a recovery operation. No one is believed to have survived the crash.

The names of the victims have not been released.

USA Today, Military.com

The Waco VA Medical Center To Be Renamed After WWII Hero Petty Officer Doris Miller; PTSD Resources

I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country...Capt. Nathan Hale

Waco VA Medical Center Honors WWII Hero Dorie Miller

Petty Officer Dorie Miller was the first black American to receive the Navy Cross. In 1941, he was a mess attendant and boxing champion aboard the USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After carrying his seriously wounded captain to safety,  Miller got hold of a machine gun and helped rescue other wounded shipmates. Despite not having any training in the use of a machine gun, he was credited with downing three enemy aircraft.

Miller died in action in 1943 aboard the USS Liscome in the South Pacific after it was torpedoed.

The Waco (Texas) Veterans Medical Center will be renamed in Miller's honor tomorrow, Feb. 19, 2015.

Actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. portrayed Petty Officer Miller in the 2001 film, "Pearl Harbor."


PTSD Resources

• All VA centers provide PTSD information and assistance.
• Military One Source: 1.800.273.8255.
• Community MH clinics.
• Employee Assistance Programs.
• Give An Hours: Providing MH services to military personnel and their families. They can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
• National Center for Homeless Veterans. Contact: 1.877.424.3838.
• Vet Centers with locations throughout the country. Contact: 1.800.273.8255 (Also this number can be accessed to assist in suicide prevention).