Latest news with #Giunta
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Largest collegiate wrestling championship draws thousands
BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is hosting its three-day national championship, with 578 male athletes and 195 female athletes competing for a title. The NCWA says this championship is the largest collegiate championship in history. 146 colleges are represented, drawn from nine conferences around the country. 'For them to get here they've gone through a conference championship, probably a state championship, and prior to that a full season of wrestling,' said Jim Giunta, executive director of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. NCWA has a three-year contract with Visit Shreveport-Bossier, this championship is their second of the three. Visit Shreveport-Bossier says this partnership brings thousands of people to the area, supporting economic development. 'We're estimating that these 13,000 attendees, are going to bring in 2 million dollars approximately to the Shreveport Bossier area. That is almost 2,000 room nights that are going to be filled and there's going to be people spending money all across our community,' said Emma Boone, public relations and digital content manager for Visit Shreveport-Bossier. Boone adds that it is not just hotel rooms, but dining at restaurants, exploring attractions, spending money at gas stations, and shopping at our local retail stores. Centenary's basketball player Alisha Green can balance it all On day one of the event, fans were already cheering loudly in the stands. 'The sport is growing exponentially in the women's side of wrestling. It's just exploding. And so, if they want to see some real wrestling, some fans yelling, let me tell you the dads don't really yell for the guys, but boy they yell for the girls,' said Giunta. The full schedule for the championship can be found here on the NCWA 2025 website. Giunta says the finals will take place on Saturday at 2 PM. 'We'll have the stage set up, the smoke, the fireworks, the whole shebang, it'll be fun and exciting if they want to come out and watch we'd love to have them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Medal of Honor Month: Salvatore Augustine Giunta
Specialist Salvatore Giunta served in the Army until June 2011. He was presented with a Medal of Honor of November 16, 2010. Giunta was the first living soldier to receive the honor since Vietnam. He served with Company B, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta was born on January 21, 1985, in Clinton, Iowa. He attended high school in Cedar Rapids and, upon graduating in 2003, joined the United States Army. He was deployed to Afghanistan numerous times during the War on Terrorism. On the night of October 25, 2007, Giunta and his fellow servicemen traveled across a moonlit terrain in the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. They waded through a forest of holly but had little to no cover. Suddenly, Taliban forces emerged, armed with AK-47 rifles and rocket grenades, and an assault began. The American soldiers were instantly overwhelmed by the storm of bullets. The Taliban hit several members of his team, and men began to fall all around him. Sergeant Joshua Brenna, one of his best friends, was hit with eight rounds alone. It seemed at first that the ambush by the Taliban would wipe the Americans out. Soon enough, Giunta himself felt the sting of bullets. One hit his armored vest, and another ricocheted off his back. He knew he had one option: moving forward into the line of fire and taking on the enemy. He and three other soldiers were cornered by the Taliban, which had been firing machine guns at them. Giunta started to throw grenades at the enemy combatants to slow their attacks. The explosions pushed the Taliban back. Soon after, he canvassed the field to locate survivors. Eventually, he spotted a group of Afghan men dragging Sergeant Brennan across the dirt. Giunta fired on them, taking the combatants down one by one. The remaining Afghans dropped Brenna and retreated into the hills. Giunta sprinted across the field to Brennan. Realizing that he was still alive, Giunta grabbed Brenna and carried him back toward the large rocks at the edge of the valley, and they took cover. Brennan was badly wounded and requested morphine. Giunta stayed by his side and spoke encouraging words, telling Brenna to push through. Soon, backup arrived and administered first aid. Giunta assisted the medics with wrapping Brenna's wounds. Shortly after, the evacuation team arrived. Giunta had crossed into the line of fire to save Brennan, and he had successfully taken him back from the Taliban. Giunta's brave action also saved the rest of his team from dying that night. Learn more about the Congressional Medal of Honor Society at or find them on Instagram |Facebook Participate in Medal of Honor Day on March 25 by sharing a recipient's story Support veteran hiring and transition programs in your workplace Teach younger generations about the values of courage, sacrifice, and service Medal of Honor Month isn't just about recognizing history. It's about keeping the mission alive for the future. Observe Medal of Honor March on We Are The Mighty here. Medal of Honor Month: Corporal Dakota Meyer Medal of Honor Month: Earl Plumlee
