Latest news with #MeritoriousServiceMedals
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Navy relieves admiral in charge of unmanned systems office
The Navy relieved the executive officer for unmanned and small combatants programs on Tuesday, the service said. Dr. Brett Seidel, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development & acquisition, dismissed Rear Adm. Kevin Smith as program executive officer for the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants 'due to a loss of confidence based on a complaint substantiated by an Office of the Naval Inspector General investigation,' according to a release. 'The Navy maintains the highest standards for leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,' the release said. Navy relieves CO of Navy Information Operations Command Colorado The release did not provide additional details on Smith's dismissal or the nature of the complaint. The term 'loss of confidence' is a common refrain attached to the departure of a senior military leader. On June 1, 2023, Smith was appointed the program executive officer for the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants, an acquisition authority within Naval Sea Systems Command that helps design, develop and create 'unmanned maritime systems, mine warfare systems, special warfare systems, expeditionary warfare systems and small surface combatants,' according to the service. His awards include three Legion of Merit awards, six Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Smith has been temporarily reassigned to the staff of Naval Sea Systems Command, according to the release. Melissa Kirkendall, executive director for the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants, has temporarily assumed Smith's duties.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The military's only search and rescue dog has retired
The Air Force's search and rescue field is losing a veteran service member. A decorated member of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, Callie retired after six years of service. Yes, Callie is a dog. A dog with years of experience and several deployments. Callie quietly retired earlier this year, but the Air National Guard released more details on the dog's service and farewell ceremony this weekend. Callie, a Dutch Shepherd, helped locate deceased people in disaster zones, assisted in clearing rubble, made 15 military free-fall jumps and accumulated 750 flight hours while serving with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron. During those years, Callie was the military's only certified search and rescue canine. And yes, the dog has its own beret. During her service, she worked with her handler, Master Sgt. Rudy Parsons, who also left 123rd Special Tactics Squadron after 11 years. Both the dog and the handler were awarded Meritorious Service Medals at Callie's retirement ceremony. At the event, Maj. Bryan Hunt, commander of the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, called Callie 'an amazing canine,' per the Air National Guard. 'She also deployed six times in support of state and national-level calls for assistance,' Hunt said. 'Rudy was at her side for all of that. It didn't matter if the call for help came at 2 o'clock in the morning, they were going out the door.' The idea for pararescue dogs came after airmen deployed to Haiti in 2010 in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake. They saw how useful dogs were in helping to locate people trapped in the rubble in Port-au-Prince. Parsons led the effort in developing the program, and in 2019 Callie became the first dog to be fully trained and brought into pararescue work. 'I had always been the sarcastic guy in the room,' Parsons said at Callie's retirement ceremony. 'I always had a really negative quip. But when Callie came into my life, there was a massive shift. I wanted to be more uplifting as opposed to tearing things down.' Military working dogs are not a new invention. The U.S. military has more than 1,500 dogs in service around the branches of the armed forces. But Callie was different. For her work with the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, she had to train to be able to handle very specific conditions. holds certifications in freefall parachute insertion and mountain rescue, among other skills. Since then she has rappelled, ridden on helicopters and snow mobiles and traveled around the country for training and rescue missions. That included missions to Alaska and West Virginia, among other states. It's not been an easy job. The dog has taken several injuries, including knee injuries, eye damage and even a snake bite. While deployed to Mayfield, Kentucky in the wake of a tornado in 2021, she also suffered cuts to her paws and belly as she and her handler trudged through a destroyed candle factory looking for survivors. While Callie was in active service, the military did try training another dog in search and rescue tactics, but was removed from the training. Now officially retired, Callie is still with Parsons. But they're not deploying to disaster zones as special operators. He adopted her after her service ended. Commandant says Marines should have a say in whether they change duty stations Space Force Special Operations Command is on its way Army reverses course on banning fun and games for soldiers in Kuwait A meal card foul-up at Fort Johnson underscores a bigger Army problem Sailor wins $7,500 settlement after his car was towed and auctioned off while deployed
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge Blocks Trump's Efforts to Ban Transgender Troops from Military Service
President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender people from military service was blocked by a federal judge on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes issued a preliminary injunction allowing trans members to continue serving in the military, ruling that the new policy violated the Constitution's equal protection clause. 'Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed — some risking their lives — to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them,' Reyes wrote in a sharply-written opinion. The judge delayed the effect of her order until Friday to give the Trump administration time to appeal. The policy would have expelled transgender troops from the ranks, and followed a January executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in office. In the order, the president claimed that 'expressing a false 'gender identity' divergent from an individual's sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service,' adding that being a transgender service member 'conflicts with a soldier's commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.' The order also directed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to overhaul the Pentagon's policy governing trans service members. A group of transgender members of the military challenged the order seeking to bar them from military service, stating that it violated their constitutional rights. Reyes highlighted that among the plaintiffs pushing back are service members who have served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait, and have earned more than 80 decorations including a Bronze Star, two Global War on Terrorism Service Medals, numerous Meritorious Service Medals, and more. Reyes called declarations that transgender people are not honorable, truthful, or disciplined 'pure conjecture,' further asserting that Trump's executive order and the Defense Department policy 'provide nothing to support Defendants' view that transgender military service is inconsistent with military readiness.' 'The Court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals. In ahealthy democracy, both are positive outcomes,' concluded Reyes. 'We should all agree, however, that every person who has answered the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect. For, as Elmer Davis observed, '[t]his nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.'' More from Rolling Stone Putin Placates Trump, But Dodges Wider Ukrainian Peace Deal Teslas Torched at Las Vegas Facility in 'Targeted Attack' Supreme Court Chief Justice Slams Trump's Call to Impeach Judge Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Knoxville officers who responded to discovery of dynamite honored
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville Police Department has recognized a group of officers who put themselves in harm's way when a large amount of dynamite was discovered at a recycling center last year. Members of the KPD Bomb Squad and UAV team were presented with Meritorious Service Medals, one of the department's highest honors, during a ceremony on Tuesday with Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. How a box of explosives ended up at Knoxville recycling business 'I really appreciate the work that you all do. From time to time, whether it's dynamite on the weekend or a search-and-rescue when it's pouring rain and the men and women of KPD come out, step up, and do what it takes to get the job done safely,' said Police Chief Paul Noel. On October 10, police responded to the CMC Recycling facility along Western Avenue where workers had been cutting the hinges off of a steel box with a blowtorch when it began emitting smoke. Fearing that it might contain explosives, people within a 3,000-foot radius were urged to evacuate. Noel later told 6 News that officers had to wait for the fire on the box to go out before beginning the disposal process. Bomb squad technicians ultimately had to remove dynamite and blasting caps by hand. Police chief breaks down response to discovery of dynamite at Knoxville business The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the origin of the dynamite. Agents determined that the box was originally owned by an elderly Kingsport man who previously owned a construction company. The steel box was thought to be empty before it was sold to a Kingsport recycling company and ultimately ended up in Knoxville. No charges were filed in relation to the incident. 'Thankfully, we don't have too many large boxes of dynamite that come to Knoxville and I hope we never do again,' Kincannon said. 'But when it happened, your training did kick [in] and I had so much confidence when I had the opportunity to speak to you on the scene there that you were handling everything in brave, courageous and safe ways.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
