This Memorial Day Lifetime Movie Network is honoring the men and women who have lost their lives while serving our country and the ones they’ve left behind, The Soul Behind the Soldier. Share Gold Star Wife Nicki and Gold Star Mother Mary Jane’s stories and A+E Networks / Lifetime Moms will donate $1.00 for each video view to a Gold Star Family organization, up to $10,000, May 21- May 28.
On February 24, 2009 Army Wife Nicki Bunting received the devastating news that her husband, Capt. Brian “Bubba” Bunting was killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed along with Capt. Bunting were, Sergeant Schuyler B. Patch, 25, of Owasso Oklahoma, Sergeant Scott B. Stream, 39, of Mattoon, Illinois and Sergeant Daniel J. Thompson, 24, of Madison, Wis. Four days later Nicki learned she was pregnant. This is her story…
Lets help Nicki and Lifetime reach the $10,000 goal.
Barbara Garcia, a survivor of the massive tornado that struck an Oklahoma City suburb, found her dog buried alive under the rubble during her interview with CBS News’ Anna Werner, She was certain he was killed in the tornado.
A fan sent us this story and asked us to share it, and hopefully someone knows this Marine.
Courtesy WSET.com:
For years, Sergeant Bozeman has wondered what happened to a man who he only knew for a few moments, a man whose life he saved during the Vietnam War.
May 4, 1967 is a day that has haunted Sergeant Bozeman for nearly half a century.
“They shot and the helicopter caught on fire and we crashed about a quarter mile away. The helicopter is on fire but there is one marine still stuck in there,” said Bozeman.
Without any hesitation, Bozeman risked his own life to save the life of a man he had never met.
“I threw my machine gun down and hauled ass across the rice paddy, and reached up in the helicopter and got him out,” he said.
Bozeman never knew the name of the man he saved, but counts it a privilege to have done his duty.
Bozeman has been getting help in his search from the reporter at WSET, as well as Senator Warner who has begun an archives search.
“I’m blessed to have lived a long life and have kids and grand kids; I hope he did too,” said Bozeman.
For 46 years now, the same scene plays over and over in his mind.
“I can still see him lying right there in front of me when we picked him up on the stretcher and brought him in the helicopter,” said Bozeman.
Leaving him even more determined to find the man.
“I’d like to sit down and shake his hand and talk about the days in Corps and that fateful day that we met,” said Bozeman.
From the archives search they gathered the following information:
The date the crash happened was May 4, 1967 in Vietnam. The gentleman was an African American Male and was in Delta Company, First Battalion Third Marine. The operation was Operation Beaver Cage.
Here is the interview with Mr. Bozeman, if anyone knows the Marine he is asking about, shoot us an email. Or email the reporter in the original story.
Alayna Adams was living a dream as she prepared to throw out the first pitch Thursday night before thousands of Tampa Bay Rays fans at Tropicana Field.
Her father, a lieutenant colonel stationed in Afghanistan for most of the past two years, appeared on the stadium video screen. He said hello and told his daughter he would see her soon.
The 9-year-old Dunedin girl launched the ball and watched it bounce across the turf toward home plate.
A man wearing a Rays uniform and a catcher’s mask and pads squatted behind the plate. As the ball rolled toward him, he stepped forward and scooped the ball in his glove.
Alayna thought there was something odd about the way he caught the ball. It wasn’t quite how a professional ballplayer would do it.
The man at the plate stood and lifted his mask. It was her father, Lt. Col. Will Adams.
She sprinted to him. He swept her into his arms.
I know all to well how it feels to hold your children and wife after a long deployment, maybe thats why these type’s of reunions send chills up my spine.
So we have received several emails concerning this fraud, James Edward Coombs. One Soldier out of Fort Bragg, sent it to us and said it was part of their safety brief, to avoid this guy as he was pan handling at Wal Mart and several other places.
He approached several Soldiers, asking for money, and they knew he was a fraud immediately, so they reported him to CID and the local police. After doing some checking, Mr. Coombs has an extensive criminal record, not to mention some open warrants.
Here is one from the Fayettville, NC police department:
Alert
WANTED ALERT Larceny of Motor Vehicle James Edward COOMBS, W/M
WANTED ALERT
Larceny of Motor Vehicle
James Edward COOMBS, W/M DOB 01/14/1974
Suspect is wanted for the Larceny of a 2000 Dodge Dakota truck. Coombs is 5’2” and weighs 170 pounds. The Warrant lists an address of 1203 Heritage Way, Cameron, NC. Subject is Homeless. 483-TIPS
Some of his past charges:
Charges:
FTA: M: 2ND DEG TRESPASS/ M: POSS DRUG PARA/SUPV PROBATION
F: POSS STLN MV
M: DWLR
M: POSS DRUG PARA
M: DWLR/ M: DRIVE W/OUT TWO HEADLAMPS
M: 2ND DEG TRESPASS
M: DWLR
A few more:
CREDIT CARD THEFT (PRINCIPAL)
09/10/2000
FELON
CLASS I
CONSOLIDATED FOR JUDGMENT
08057111
POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON (SOLICIT)
Way to many to list here, including another stolen vehicle in the 90′s, and around a dozen worthless checks. You can see the list here: James Coombs Criminal Record
Here are several pics we received from the PDF file put out in the Safety Brief:
This was the sent also with the PDF Attachment:
Attached BOLO sent out by DES/PMO/DPTMS regarding a local civilian (Mr.
James Edward Coombs), posing as an SF Soldier.
. Earlier this week several FBNC Soldiers were approached by a local
civilian who solicited money and a ride, he was in an Army uniform and
claimed to be an SF Soldier.
. He is known to local law enforcement, the JTTF and CID as a fraud.
. He has warrants for his arrest and is considered armed and
dangerous.
FBNC’s Security / Protection experts, ICW Local/State/Federal LE are engaged
and ensuring our ACPs, local patrols and FBNC Team Mates are aware and
cross-talking to preclude his entry to Bragg and ultimate apprehension.
Recommend local commander’s include this information in unit safety briefs.
He has been at this awhile it seems, as thisainthell did a story on him awhile back, but then he was SFC, lately he has promoted himself to Major. Here is the pic courtesy of thisainthell.
So Fort Bragg/Camp Mackall Soldiers, keep your eyes open for this package of douche baggery.
UPDATE 20130515:
The Fayetteville Observer is now reporting that Coombs has been seen in the parking lot of Walmart on Skibo Road.
Coombs has been dressed in military attire while soliciting money at I-95 rest stops, the release said, and arrested at least once for pandering.
Coombs’ criminal record includes convictions for worthless checks, credit card fraud, firearms-related offenses and vehicle theft, according to records at the Department of Public Safety’s Adult Correction division.
Anyone who may have given Coombs money is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 323-1500.
I have heard renditions of our National Anthem sung many times, but this one just blows me away! She sang this at a home gome for a Real Salt Lake match against Vancouver .
Lexi Walker is an 11 Year old girl, and the heart and soul she puts into this rendition has left me speechless. I get chills every time I hear our Anthem, but this one brought me close to tears! American Idol, eat your heart out, this little girl needs to sing at the Super Bowl!!!
Lexi, from a Veteran I want to thank you for moving me with your voice the way you did! Nothing but pure heart and soul in your voice!
So I am sure we have all been following the story out of Ohio about the three missing girls found, and of course Mr. Ramsey who helped rescue them. His personality has given us all a few laughs, but in his latest interview Mr. Ramsey sets an example!
When told by Anderson that the FBI had a reward for finding the women, Mr. Ramsey responded by saying, ” I tell you what you do, you give it to them. Because if folks been following this case since last night, and they been following me since last night you know I got a job anyway.” He then proceeds to pull his paycheck out of his pocket. “Just went and picked it up, paycheck.” he then says ” So yea, take that reward and give it to them.”
You Mr. Ramsey, are a true role model, and I would love to sit and have a few ribs and beers with you someday!
Dayton Daily News reporter Josh Sweigart, reports that a charity local to Dayton, who also had a presence on facebook, misused donations meant for Incarcerated Soldiers.
Cari Johnson, the owner of the organization, signed an agreement with the attorney general’s office to cease operations. She will also pay a $20,000 fine, half of which the attorney general will distribute to charity. Half will pay for the cost of the investigation.
“As we did in this case, we will continue to go after those who misuse contributions given to support our veterans,” Attorney General Mike DeWine said.
Despite not registering as a nonprofit with the IRS or with the state as a charity, A Dollar to Care organized several events including its “First Annual Patriotic Freedom Ride” in 2012.
The charity’s Facebook page lists its mission: “Our major goal is to be able to help in the event of a financial burden such as food, travel expenses to and from their incarcerated warrior, warriors phone calls home, etc. Our core belief is no military member or their family should ever have to struggle to obtain basic necessities, especially when children are involved.”
A complaint received by the attorney general’s office and obtained by the Dayton Daily News says it’s from the attorney of a soldier the charity claimed to support. It says Johnson was using the names of that soldier and others to raise money, but “not a single soldier’s famliy has stepped up and acknowledged that they have received any support.”
The charity did distribute turkeys, presents and inmate phone cards one holiday season, the agreement between Johnson and the state says. But the charity generally failed to use donations it received for its stated purposes.
The agreement says Johnson will stop operating as a charity, shut down any websites or social media it has and donate any remaining assets to a property charity serving veterans. Failing to comply could mean a $50,000 fine.
Johnson could not be reached for comment Friday. The last post on A Dollar to Care’s facebook page from February said the charity hadn’t operated since November, “given my own personal issues.”
We found the Facebook page, and they have not posted since mid February, and all comments and wall posts are turned off. A Dollar To Care Facebook Page
Also a video from Channel 2 News, Cari claims it was not her who misused the funds.
Mohamed A. Salim, a 39 Year old Army Reservist and Cab Driver who served in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay, says that an executive from an aviation company accused him of being a jihadist and broke his jaw in what activists are calling a hate crime. Salim is a naturalized U.S. citizen and is an Army Reserve Sergeant who has worked in intelligence and as a linguist.
Mohamed A. Salim told The Washington Post that Emerald Aviation President Ed Dahlberg attacked him after he picked him up at Country Club of Fairfax in Northern Virginia at around 2 a.m. on Friday. Dahlberg had been drinking and was told that he would have to finish his open beer before getting into the cab.
Salim recorded audio of the encounter on his cell phone.
Dahlberg can be heard asking Salim, who emigrated from Somalia, to define “jihad” and then lumping him in with “radical fucking Muslims blowing people up all over the world.”
“Denounce those motherfuckers now!” Dahlberg demands. “If you’re a fucking Muslim flying jets into the fucking World Trade Center then fuck you. I will slice your fucking throat right now.”
After Salim threatens to call 911, Dahlberg can be seen grabbing for the cell phone.
Salim said that Dahlberg left the cab, but then returned and broke his jaw before running into the woods.
Dahlberg was charged with misdemeanor assault and police are determining if charges should be elevated to a felony hate crime. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Monday said that medical records and the 11-minute cell phone recording were being used as evidence in the case.
In a statement, Dahlberg’s attorney, Demetry Pikrallidas, admitted that his client “became rather emotional as the discussion turned to jihad and 9/11, and especially heated on the subject of jihadists who want to harm America.”
Pikrallidas insisted that Dahlberg did not assault Salim.
The website for Dahlberg’s company, Emerald Aviation, was offline for four days of “scheduled maintenance” as of Wednesday afternoon. A cached copy of the website listed him as the president and said he had “20 years experience in the field of business and commercial aviation” and was known for “transparent business transactions and always effectively representing the best interests of his clients.”
“I sacrificed for this country,” Salim told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday. “And I myself was fighting the terrorists and I’m against acts of violence. I’m not a terrorist. I’m not a jihadist. I’m American like you.”
“Whether he’s guilty of assault or not is up to a jury to decide, but the video makes it clear that the guy is a bigoted asshole,” Jalopnik’s Patrick George observed on Wednesday. “There’s no excuse for treating someone else this way.”
Seems someone needs a lesson on the difference between a Muslim and an Extremist! Every religion has some sort of extremists, all it takes is a look at the history books.
News4 WOAI confronts several cases of Stolen Valor, cases that were posted by us and several other pages including our friends at thisainthell and the Fake Warrior Project. Included in the report is Tina Kerstens, who will be featured in part 2 of this two part series.
Here is part 1, we will post up part two when it becomes available:(Notice the teaser towards the end of the video)
