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The worst submarine disaster in US history is finally getting a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Judy Douglas has waited 56 years for this moment.
Her brother Lt. John Smarz Jr. was one of the 129 men who died when the USS Thresher, the most advanced submarine of its era, sank to the ocean floor during a deep dive test on April 10, 1963, about 220 miles east of Cape Cod. The event remains the worst submarine disaster in U.S. history.
On Thursday, the 79-year-old Douglas, of Shelton, Conn., will gather with other family members of the deceased at Arlington National Cemetery for the unveiling of a memorial in honor of the Thresher crew and the submarine safety program that came afterward, which, Douglas said, she considers part of her brother's legacy. She and about 50 others will be taking a bus down from Norwich organized by the memorial fundraisers, who had raised $60,000 in private donations for the marker.
"Long time coming," Douglas said of the memorial. "I mean it's going to be quite an experience."
'Everybody's overworked' — string of Navy suicides raises concerns over sailor stress and toxic leadership
Editor's Note: This article by Gina Harkins and Patricia Kime originally appeared on Military.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
Three sailors assigned to the same ship died in apparent suicides in the last week, leaving some asking what more leaders can do to support troops as the military grapples with rising rates of self-inflicted deaths.
Chief Electronics Technician Nuclear James Shelton and Airman Ethan Stuart died of apparent suicides on Sept. 19 in separate off-base incidents, said Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, with Naval Air Force Atlantic. Both were assigned to the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is undergoing maintenance in Virginia.
Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vincent Forline, who was also assigned to the Bush, was found dead in an apparent suicide five days prior.
"My heart is broken," Capt. Sean Bailey, the Bush's commanding officer, said in a Facebook post Monday. "... We need All Hands to engage by bringing forward your suggestions and ideas for how we can work together to prevent another suicide. I want to reiterate that there is never any stigma or repercussion from seeking help."
Shelton, Stuart and Forline were the third, fourth and fifth Bush crew members to die by suicide in the last two years. Navy officials say there's no apparent connection between the three. The sailors did not serve in the same departments, Cragg said.
But others argue there is a connection: their command.
A stray bullet cost a Philly rugby star his Army dreams. Then the brass read his story
The man on the phone told Quiana Boston that he had run the Army for President Obama. And that he'd like to try to help her son achieve his dream.
Boston was hopeful, but cautious. Her son, Nasair Boston-Epps, had already lost so much. A star player on his rugby team in North Philadelphia, the Nomads, and a standout cadet at the Philadelphia Military Academy, Nasair was shot last year on his way to his after-school job at McDonald's. It was a stray bullet, and it nearly killed him.
It nearly killed his dream, too: of becoming a physical therapist in the Army, following his grandfather and great-great-grandfather, Vietnam and World War II vets, and his father, a Navy veteran of the Gulf War. But, after a grueling fight to get his strength back and return to the rugby pitch, the gregarious kid built like a tank was rejected when he tried to join the Army.
They said the wounds from the bullet were disqualifying — a snap decision that surprised his doctors, teachers, and recruiters, who all knew that Nasair had recovered fully.
We salute the foul-mouthed Navy vet remembered as 'the most inappropriate guy with the biggest heart'
Per his final demands, Joe Heller was laid in his casket Thursday in a T-shirt featuring the Disney dwarf Grumpy and the middle finger of his right hand extended. He also told his daughters to make sure and place a remote control fart machine in the coffin with him.
"My father always wanted the last laugh," daughter Monique Heller said.
The Essex volunteer firefighter and self-described local "dawg kecher" died on Sept. 8 at age 82, and the off-color obituary written by his youngest daughter has become a nationwide sensation — a lead item on cable news sites, a top story on The Courant's website and a post shared far and wide on social media.
Laced with bawdy humor, the irreverent but loving obit captured Heller's highly inappropriate nature and his golden heart, friends who filled the fire station for a celebration of his life on Thursday evening said.
'I used to be your angel and now, you're mine' — the 9-year-old daughter of a fallen Green Beret eulogizes her dad at his funeral
The 9-year-old daughter of a Green Beret killed in combat in Afghanistan read a touching letter to her father during a memorial service in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
"Dear papi, I miss you a lot. I wish you were still alive," Angie, the daughter of U.S. Army Master Sgt. Luis Deleon-Figueroa said during the service. "It doesn't feel right without you. I want to thank you for being a great hero and a great daddy."
We salute the 87-year-old West Point grad who can still smoke plebes on long ruck marches
Wallace Ward graduated from West Point in 1958. More than 60 years later, at age 87, he's still kicking ass and joining new academy plebes for the annual March Back.