With the recent tragic event at Fort Hood, I wonder if anyone will stop and consider the operational tempo our men and women in today's military are faced with. I am retired from the USAF. I have a son in the USAF who just returned from a six-month deployment to Afghanistan. Many of the young men and women at places like Fort Hood have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan four and five times for six to 18 months at a time, facing conditions and dangers that most of us can't even imagine. I hear lots of political rhetoric about how great they are and what a wonderful job they are doing. We now debate a plus-up of the number of troops we have in place. ...more

November 9, 2009

I sat at a traffic light at State Road 60 and 22nd Street in Tampa on Thursday as law enforcement agencies escorted a hearse bearing the body of a soldier who had died in service to our country. He was home for burial. I arrived home a short time later and turned on the news to see that numerous brave souls awaiting deployment overseas were killed in Texas. ...more

November 7, 2009

Where is the welcome-home ceremony being held for our troops returning from Iraq? ...more

July 9, 2009

Taunting the United States on its birthday, North Korea fired seven missiles into the Sea of Japan early Saturday in a provocative move that some experts said might have been intended to discourage deployment of new missile defenses against the communist state. ...more

July 5, 2009

It took an army of cookie bakers to turn out the biggest of batches at Sweetie's Delights in Valrico. ...more

April 22, 2009

The 387th Transportation Detachment, an Army Reserve unit stationed in Tampa, have returned from their yearlong deployment supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. ...more

March 14, 2009

Tampa International Airport was the scene of a warm homecoming Thursday morning as military personnel deployed overseas seven months ago returned to emotional spouses and some infants and toddlers who weren't sure whom they were greeting. ...more

March 13, 2009

Tampa International Airport was the scene of a warm homecoming this morning, as soldiers sent overseas seven months ago returned home to emotional wives and some infants and toddlers who weren't sure who they were. ...more

March 12, 2009

Senior Airman Ashley Tubbs is the Air Force Outstanding Security Forces Airman of the Year for the period of Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 30, 2008. Tubbs, a Tampa native, graduated from Plant High School in 2001 and attended Hillsborough Community College before joining the Air Force in 2004. During the Airman's recent 12-month deployment to Iraq, she was part of the Air Force Police Transition Team and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for her efforts. She instructed Iraqi police on law enforcement operations, and trained and mentored more than 3,000 recruits toward independent operations. Tubbs also received the Combat Action Medal after engaging the enemy on three IED strikes resulting in no squadron or battalion casualties. On Jan. 9, she received a commander's coin from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during his visit to Eglin Air Force Base. ...more

February 4, 2009

Family and friends joined the 810th Military Police Company on Saturday for a ceremony to mark its imminent deployment to Iraq. The 170-soldier Combat Support unit will spend up to 10 months in Baghdad, where they will train members of the Iraqi Police Service in law enforcement operations. The 810th will travel to Fort Dix, N.J., on Jan. 24, where they will prepare for their mission for six to eight weeks. Saturday's ceremony took place at the Army Reserve's Medical Command headquarters in Pinellas Park. ...more

January 4, 2009