Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Smethport man escaped injury when his Mack truck crashed on Route 59 at just after noon on Wednesday, and he got some help from some Good Samaritans in uniform. Police say the truck driven by 51-year-old John Baker left the road, hit a guardrail and then went down a steep embankment and hit a tree. US Army National Guard soldiers Specialists Beau Gross and Sean Davis and Privates First Class Robert Harper and Robert Micale travelling in a US Army vehicle stopped and rendered aid. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Members of Charlie Company end the annual Memorial Day parade in downtown Bradford and begin the ceremonies in Veterans Square. Stan Black, US Air Force (Ret.) places a wreath on the Air Force Cross (left). This is the 60th year Elmer DeLucia (right) has marched in the Memorial Day parade. Elmer reminds us that the anniversary of D-Day is coming up next week. Steve Jones of Charlie Company (front and center) performs with a dance troupe from Elizabethtown following the parade and prior to the ceremonies in Veterans Square. The dancers (minus Jones) gave an encore performance following the ceremonies.

Here are some scenes from Monday's Memorial Day service in Veterans Square. Members of PA National Guard Company C, 1st Battalion 112th Infantray (Charlie Company) pay tribute to fallen soldiers. Ellie Lathrop, chaplain of Frances Sherman VFW Post 212 Ladies Auxiliary places a spray at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. US Army Captain Matthew Selvage delivers the memorial address, and talks about Charlie Company's work in Iraq as well as fallen local soliders Lt. Colonel Richard Berrettini of Eldred, who was a school nurse in Port Allegany, and Master Sergeant Thom Maholic of Bradford. Ray Galle places a wreath in memory of the area's Jewish veterans. Charlie Company performs a rifle salute. ( Sorry I didn't get to this yesterday -- family emergency ~~ A)

Two University of Pittsburgh at Bradford senior ROTC students will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army in a ceremony on campus Saturday, May 1. Lt. Col. Thomas Leitch of the Seneca Battalion of the ROTC program headquartered at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, N.Y., will administer the oath to Christina Rossi, a criminal justice major from Lorton, Va., and David C. Kosakowski, a nursing major from Ridgway. Leitch said that the students are the 16th and 17th Pitt-Bradford students commissioned since Pitt-Bradford began offering ROTC through St. Bonaventure 30 years ago. Rossi enrolled in ROTC as a sophomore and received a three-year scholarship at Pitt-Bradford. She served as a student ambassador and as a peer mentor for incoming freshmen through the TRiO academic support program. Upon completion of the Leadership Development and Assessment Course, Rossi was selected for commissioning as a Military Intelligence Of...

Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/Forest/McKean), a member of the Pennsylvania House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, was honored to welcome 120 soldiers from Company C of the elite 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team to the new, state-of-the-art Bradford Readiness Center during Thursday's official ribbon cutting ceremony. "With approximately 15,000 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Reserve proudly serving in extremely dangerous conditions both at home and around the globe, it is now more important than ever that we provide them with the best possible training facilities," said Rapp. "With a proud history dating back 260 years to Benjamin Franklin, the brave men and women that we are truly privileged to welcome to McKean County today continue to perform above and beyond the call of duty in America's ongoing war and peace time reconstruction efforts. Whether they're serving in a combat zone or delivering emergency relief for natural dis...

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter today introduced a resolution to commend the performance of the 56th Stryker Brigade who in September returned home from a nine month tour in Iraq. “Next week our nation will celebrate Veterans Day – a day to acknowledge the sacrifices made by all those who have worn our nation’s uniform and sacrifice in the name of honor and for the love of country. Pennsylvania’s 56th Stryker Brigade continued this tradition with a successful deployment to Iraq,” said Senator Casey. “For these reasons, I am proud to introduce a Senate resolution recognizing their contributions, valor and honor to our nation, and I know that the people of Pennsylvania and the nation thank them for their service.” “I applaud the members of the 56th Stryker Brigade for their honorable service to our nation while deployed in Iraq,” said Senator Specter. “This Senate resolution is a small token of gratitude for the sacrifices the members have made to keep our n...

Members of the the 56th Stryker Brigade Charlie Company arrived home Sunday at the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Team Readiness Center at Bradford Regional Airport. The 60 members of Charlie Company spent eight months in Iraq. Motorcycle groups, including the Patriot Guard, the American Legion Riders and the Wanderers were among those who took part in the welcome home.

Command Sgts. Maj. Rory Malloy (at right) 1st Cavalry Division, and John Jones (second from right), 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, congratulate Spc. Michael Burke (left), of Ridgway, Pa., Sgt. Christopher Bierbower, of Kane, Pa., and Sgt. 1st Class Steven Jones, of Bradford, Pa., on being selected to represent 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry in the annual Lt. Gen. Milton G. Baker Non-commissioned Officer Leadership Competition. Jones won the non-commissioned officer of the year award, Burke won soldier of the year and Bierbower received the Milton G. Baker Award at the battalion level. They will all now compete in January at the brigade level. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard state competition works similar to Soldier of the Year boards. Baker founded Valley Forge Military Academy. ( Photo by Master Sgt. Sean Whelan ) Thanks Dawn & Steve!

Thanks so much to Capt. Cory Angell! Members of Co. C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, patrol a main road in the town of Zorba, Iraq, before returning to their Joint Security Station in Hor Al Bosh. Staff Sgt. Thomas Bleem, Bradford Pa., takes a knee to pull security during a vehicle stop while on patrol in the farming town of Zorba, Iraq, with Co. C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. Staff Sgt. Steven Jones, Bradford Pa., leads a patrol in the Taji Market with Co. C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. Sgt. Mike Gallo, Pittsburgh, talks with the Soldiers mounted in the Stryker vehicles by radio as they conduct a patrol in Taji Market. The Soldiers are members of Co. C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division – B...

Story and Photo by Sgt. Doug Roles CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A refurbished supply depot at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, will serve as the Iraqi army's new central distribution point for everything from vehicles to clothing. A partnership between U.S. Army Soldiers and their Iraqi army counterparts, here, has not only renovated warehouses at the Taji National Supply Depot, but has brought the latest inventory control techniques to the Iraqi military. "This is their national level logistics center," Col. Tim Fucik said. "We're helping to build their capacity." Fucik, an Army Reservist from Indianapolis, Ind., the senior commander for Joint Depot Team, serves with the 3rd Joint Headquarters Army Assistance Training Team. Fucik's team of fewer than 20 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers, who specialize in logistics, has spent the past year working to renovate the massive storage and distribution site at Camp Taji. The team celebrated the grand opening of a new depot headquar...

An Altoona-area soldier serving with the Army National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team has been killed in Iraq. 20-year-old Spc. Chad Edmundson of Williamsburg died Wednesday of wounds he received when an improvised bomb detonated near his unit while they were on a walking patrol. His death is the second in the 4,000-soldier 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team's deployment. Soldiers from the Bradford Armory are part of the team.

The commander of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade says the troops are still on target to be home in September. About 4,000 soldiers – including members of Charlie Company from the Bradford Armory – started their deployment at Camp Taji, Iraq, in February. During a conference call from Iraq, Colonel Marc Ferraro said despite an uptick in violence over the last couple of weeks, incidents are down considerably compared to a year ago. He said the Iraqi people do not support the insurgent groups and give information to the Army's tiplines. Ferraro said the U.S. soldiers have been working closely with the Iraqi Army and police, and that the army sometimes conducts operations independently of the American forces. The Iraqi police, on the other hand, still need help from the US soldiers, who are acting as police officers in many cases. He says they are teaching the Iraqis how to search vehicles, conduct traffic stops and do other police work. Among the other...

Team Skid Mark from Burritt Appliance Center won the annual outhouse races at Stinkfest on Saturday afternoon in East Bradford. Rolling Thunder, the team from the US Army National Guard came in second. T 'n' T from Togi's took third place.

Pennsylvania soldiers were first to respond to a coalition air strike that killed one alleged insurgent and injured two more Thursday night near Taji, Iraq. Four armed Iraqi men were spotted placing an improvised explosive near an important intersection, according to the Multi-National Division in Iraq. The division called an air strike to the location. Soldiers with the Pennsylvania National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat team were first to respond after the strike. The soldiers administered first aid to the two wounded Iraqis and took them for medical treatment and interrogation. The man killed in the strike was turned over to local authorities for identification. Soldiers didn't find the fourth alleged insurgent in the area. National Guard troops from the Bradford Armory are members of the team.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey introduced a resolution in the United States Senate recognizing the tremendous contributions made by the members of the Pennsylvania National Guard for their service to Pennsylvania and the nation. The 20,000-member strong Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the largest National Guards in the nation, and more than 17,000 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers and airmen have deployed in support of the global war on terrorism. The resolution commends the Pennsylvania National Guard for its meritorious service; honors the men and women who serve, or have served, in its ranks; and encourages the people of the United States to thank the Pennsylvania National Guard for its continued service. “Pennsylvania units have taken part in every conflict America has faced since the Revolutionary War, and contributions made by the men and women of the Pennsylvania National guard to our nation’s security continue to be nothing short of outs...

Thousands of troops from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard have resumed control of a large swath of Iraq north of Baghdad. Col. Marc Ferraro, commander of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said in a conference call today with reporters that the Iraqis have shown a willingness to work with the troops. But he also says the area remains dangerous. In the month since more than 4,000 troops from armories across Pennsylvania have arrived, one soldier has been killed and two have been seriously injured. Ferraro resumed control Tuesday of the mostly rural, 900-square-mile region, based in Taji, Iraq.

Most members of the Army National Guard's 56th Stryker Brigade have arrived in Iraq. They're stationed about 15 miles north of Baghdad. A large part of the unit is in the country conducting ride-alongs with the units they will replace. Communication with the troops is still unstable, and e-mail systems are still being set up.

Members of Bradford and Ridgway's Charlie Company arrived at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, about 48 hours ago, and have started their final training before entering Iraq. Specialist Lorenzo Herrera of Smethport says he's ready to get to work. "I'm anxious. I'm excited to go," Herrera says. "I knew this day was coming … I'm just ready to get over there, do my part and get home safely." This is the only Stryker brigade in the National Guard, and they are equipped with the latest communications and weapons system in the Army. At more than 4,000 troops, this is the largest deployment of the Pennsylvania National Guard since the Korean War. Listen to Spc. Herrera's comments HERE . Thanks to Capt. Cory Angell!