Staff photographer Mike Morones spent Veterans Day at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia, expecting to capture some powerful images. He was right. Here, Midshipman 1st Class Kieran Simonson plays bagpipes in Section 60 of the cemetery, the resting place for many service members killed since 2001. The officer-in-training said he never had played there before, and wanted to seize the opportunity on such an appropriate day. See more photos at our photo staff’s Line of Sight blog.
Author Tony Lombardo
Halloween is in the rear view, but two very sweet pics arrived in the Navy Times inbox that require sharing. These images show Addie, the 7-year-old daughter of Senior Chief Air Traffic Controller (AW/SW) Kevin Kruse and Wendy McCoy Kruse, decked out in an aircraft carrier costume. Addie, in aquaflage no less, serves as the ship’s island while the rest of the flattop is built around her wheelchair. “The sounds of ‘Anchors Aweigh’ playing as she strolled the neighborhood in the USS Addie made for the best Halloween ever!” Wendy wrote in a message to Navy Times. The Navy spouse…
Two flag officers have been added to the growing list of Navy officials allegedly connected to a large-scale bribery scheme in Asia. The Navy on Friday announced that Vice Adm. Ted Branch, director of Naval Intelligence, and Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, director of Intelligence Operations, are under investigation for “inappropriate conduct” stemming from their relationships with Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. and its CEO Leonard Francis, a larger-than-life character well known in Navy circles and nicknamed “Fat Leonard.” “The allegations against Admirals Branch and Loveless involve inappropriate conduct prior to their current assignments and flag officer rank,” said Rear…
[HTML1] Vice Adm. Bill Moran took command Aug. 2 as your new chief of naval personnel. He’s taking the reins at an uneasy time for Navy manpower. In a short video posted today, Moran acknowledges as much to sailors: “We are in the midst of a challenging operational and fiscal environment,” Moran says. “And as I take the watch, my staff and I are determined to communicate with you, hear what we know, and in some cases, what we don’t know.” Unfortunately, there are a lot of those unknowns right now. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, successfully raised eyebrows last week…
The family and friends of Lt. Michael Murphy share their memories — and discuss the fallen SEAL’s legacy — in a new documentary in theaters on Friday. “Murph: The Protector” is playing in 179 Regal Entertainment Group cinemas across the country. On Friday, check Regal for show times and locations. Murphy, was leading a SEAL mission to locate a high-level militia leader on June 27, 2005, near Asadabad, Kunar province, when militia members spotted them and revealed their position to Taliban fighters. Between 30 and 40 of the enemy opened fire on Murphy’s four-man team. When the primary communicator was…
Hollywood wild man Charlie Sheen has agreed to donate a minimum of $1 million to the USO, the organization announced Monday. That’s the largest single contribution to the non-profit — ever. He technically will donate 1 percent of the profits from his new FX show “Anger Management.” But based on the reviews, it’s a good thing he added that $1 million clause. This makes the third-greatest contribution Sheen has ever made to the troops, behind “Hot Shots” and “Hot Shots: Part Deux.”
For those who missed “Battleship” in theaters (and believe me, there were a lot of you folks), you’ll get your chance this summer to watch it at home. The board-game-turned-bloated-Hollywood-blockbuster will be on sale via Blu-Ray, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on Aug. 28, according to a Universal Studios press release. Here’s Universal’s pitch: “Against all odds, a daring young naval officer and his heroic crew launch an all-out military showdown against a superior alien force in this enthralling, thrill-ride that will have viewers holding their breath through the final gripping face-off.” Yeah … can’t say I held my…
