Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

RED SEA -- Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Jesse Sternberg, a native of Warren, Pennsylvania, tightens a net around cargo during a replenishment at sea in the hangar bay aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8). The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dennis Grube/Released) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: DC mayor says 12 fatalities ~~~ UPDATE: A man brandishing an assault rifle, shotgun and handgun opened fire Monday inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard — killing at least seven people and wounding at least five more, including two police officers, military officials and other authorities said. ~~~ UPDATE: Two suspected shooters "are down" at the Washington Navy Yard, according to Ed Zeigler, director of public affairs for Naval District Washington. Zeigler was not able to confirm whether the suspected gunmen had been taken into custody or killed. He also said there have been "multiple deaths" at the Navy Yard. ~~~ Four people are reportedly dead and several others are injured after a person opened fire at the U.S. Naval Yard in Washington, D.C. For continuing coverage go to NBCNews.com . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Navy Seaman Apprentice Devin Zelko, son of Tammi C. Vennard of Derrick City, Pa. and Ted D. Zelko, of Bradford, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Zelko completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a...

HINSDALE, NY – Senator Catharine Young recently awarded a Hinsdale U.S. Navy veteran’s family with the posthumous medals he earned but never received for his bravery and heroism during World War II. At a special ceremony held at the American Legion in Hinsdale on Saturday, Senator Young presented the New York State Medal for Merit and the Conspicuous Service Star to the family of Gunner’s Mate Second Class Loren Briggs. "Petty Officer Briggs’ courage is a credit to himself, the United States Navy, and the entire Hinsdale community. It was an honor to present his family with these long overdue awards, he is truly an inspiration," said Senator Young. The effort to obtain the medals began in July when Petty Officer Briggs’ daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Roger Snyder of Portville, contacted Senator Young’s office to request information about their father’s military service. During the course of compiling the information and gathering discharge papers, her office discovered th...

Navy Seaman Michael L. Lathrop, son of Maureen A. Curcio of Bradford, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Lathrop completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor. Lathrop is a 2005 grad...

OLEAN – Petty Officer James Dyche of Cuba, NY, a U.S. Navy combat veteran of the Persian Gulf, never expected to be honored for his service when he visited Senator Catharine Young’s (R,I,C – Olean) office in October of 2010 to get information regarding his veteran health care benefits. On Friday, however, almost a year after his visit, he was presented the New York State Medal for Merit and the New York State Conspicuous Service Star at a special ceremony in front of friends and family at the American Legion Post in Cuba. “I didn’t even know I was eligible for them at all. When you serve you don’t expect to get awards -- it is not something you dwell on or seek out. But it is very nice to be recognized in this way and I really appreciate Senator Young going out of her way to honor me in this way,” said Petty Officer Dyche. “As soon as we discovered he was eligible for these medals, I had my office start the application process. There are a number of veterans like Petty Officer Dyche wh...

By Dan Toomey Director of Communications OLEAN – Decades after serving aboard the USS Oriskany in the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy veteran Gary Clark of West Almond finally was awarded two service medals honoring the former Petty Officer 3rd Class for his years of wartime service. Over 45 years later, Petty Officer Clark received the thanks he deserved when Senator Catharine Young (R,I,C –Olean) personally pinned the Vietnam Service Medal with one bronze campaign star and the Navy Unit Commendation onto his chest as part of a special ceremony Friday at the Crossroads Conference Center in Belmont. “America’s brave veterans have made unparalleled sacrifices for our country and it was my great honor to present these long overdue awards to Petty Officer Clark. He earned these medals and should have gotten them long ago. I am just glad that his family was finally able to see him get the recognition he deserved,” said Senator Young. Senator Young said the delay resulted from an omission on Petty O...

Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson today introduced H.R. 1832, the Servicemembers’ Telemedicine & E-Health Portability (STEP) Act. The STEP Act will expand the current Department of Defense (DOD) state licensure exemption to allow credentialed health care professionals to work across state borders without having to obtain a new state license. “Members of our military should receive 21st century care and access to treatment regardless of the circumstances and Congress needs to make good on that commitment,” said Thompson. “This legislation removes out-dated requirements under current law so that geographic location is no longer an obstacle to the delivery of care for our Servicemembers.” Currently, the Department of Defense has limited ability to allow its health care professionals to provide care when the patient is in a different state. As a result, many who rely on military care are required to travel long distances to receive treatment, presenting increased financial burdens an...

I had the pleasure -- and great fortune -- to welcome New York Times Bestselling Author Patrick Robinson back to the show on Thursday. That's day his new book "The Delta Solution" hit book stores. For people who are not familiar with Robinson's "Mack Bedford" series -- Mack is a commander with the Navy SEALs. Although the book is not about last week's events involving Osama bin Laden, Robinson is an expert on the SEALs, having done research on them for both fiction and non-fiction books. I found his insights into the elite group fascinating. I hope you do, too. Listen here . You can find more information at PatrickRobinson.com Remember, you can check out books -- and lots of other things -- at the Bradford Area Public Library

Navy Seaman Recruit Mark A. Saporito, son of Diane P. Saporito of Warren, Pa. and Mark A. Saporito, Sr of Bradford, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Saporito completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means ...

Navy Seaman Recruit Paul Michael A. Lehrer, son of Harmony J. Leonard of Bradford, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Lehrer completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.

The Navy's newest guided missile destroyer, the USS Jason Dunham, has arrived at Port Everglades, Florida. The vessel arrived this morning from Bath, Maine, where it was built and christened. The 510-foot ship was named after Marine Corporal Jason Dunham, a native of Scio, New York. Dunham threw himself on a live grenade in April 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died eight days later at the age of 22. He, was honored posthumously with the Medal of Honor in 2006. Dunham was the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in the Iraq war and the first Marine to receive the medal since the Vietnam War. Dunham played in the Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic football game and, during halftime of the 2007 game, his jersey number was retired.

Navy Seaman Benjamin M. Slavinski, son of Kathy A. and Michael F. Slavinski of Bradford, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Slavinski completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor. Slavinski ...

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the selection of the USS John P. Murtha as the name of the 10th San Antonio class Amphibious Transport Dock ship. Mabus made the announcement at John P. Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County airport in Johnstown, Pa. The USS John P. Murtha honors the late U.S. representative and Marine who dedicated his life to serving his country. Murtha served a distinguished 37 years in the Marine Corps and received the Bronze Star with Combat “V,” two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for his service in the Vietnam War, retiring as a colonel in 1990. In his public life, Murtha served the people of Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District from 1974 until his death in 2010. In his position as the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, he oversaw funding issues for the Department of Defense, including the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and the intelligence community. "Both in uniform and in the halls of Congress, ...

Navy Seaman Recruit Joseph J. Montecalvo, son of Mary M. and Vincent J. Montecalvo of Lewis Run, Pa., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Montecalvo completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor. M...

This is the news conference talking about, and video of, the Navy shooting down the rogue satellite.