It s not just vaccine mandates, but also the idea of vaccine passports that have caused controversy in the US. Despite already being used in other nations, prominent Republicans like Donald Trump Jr have opposed passports as well, making it hard to combat the coronavirus in the US. From the public, the fear of vaccines appears to have spread to the US military as well, if you believe Massie.
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Gerald Allen receives a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Osan Air Base on December 29, 2020, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. (United States Forces Korea via Getty Images)
Stearns often flew a C141 Starlifter, the polar opposite of the tiny two-seater she owns now. Massive, four-engine jets with swept overhead wings, they looked like spaniels of the sky. But they were workhorses for the U.S. presence in Vietnam, carrying as much 35.5 tons of freight or around 80 litters for wounded troopers.
It was one of Stearns duties, as an aerovac (aeromedical evacuation) pilot, to ferry seriously wounded troops to hospitals in Japan or the Philippines. Occasionally the plane was shot at, and Stearns remembers narrow escapes: The guardian angels were with me, she said.
Sometimes the Starlifter s load was silent, filled with coffins.
Another objective of the Memorial Day observances is to “give some education to younger generations so they know what it’s all about, said Chief William Carl, president of the Collier County Veterans Council. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears spent on behalf of all Americans, said Carl, a retired Coast Guard officer.
Here are some of the Memorial Day events that will be held in Southwest Florida on May 31.
NAPLES
Annual Memorial Day commemoration: Begins at 10 a.m. May 31 at Hodges Funeral Home’s Naples Memorial Gardens, 525 111th Ave. N.
A musical prelude begins at 9:30 a.m. The Pine Ridge Middle School Symphonic Band will perform, and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Boy Scouts as a way to involve the younger generation in a holiday devoted to honoring veterans.
After months apart, one military mom paid her kids a surprise visit after her overseas deployment. Author: Alex Littlehales (WVEC) Updated: 8:14 PM EDT April 30, 2021
YORKTOWN, Va. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder.
And for U.S. Air Force TSgt. Lauren Brent, the time she s spent far away from home only makes her time back stateside all the more special.
“It’s been so long, part of it feels strange being back home but also great.
Brent, a 2005 graduate of Grafton High School, deployed overseas to Saudi Arabia on October 4, 2020. Since then, her three children Jayden, Ava, and Camden have been staying with Brent s parents Terry and Donald Shannon in Yorktown.