Tony

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The U.S. Navy now has two Aegis guided-missile destroyers — the USS Gravely and the USS Jason Dunham — in the Caribbean, as well as the destroyer USS Sampson and the cruiser USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean off Latin America, according to a defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe ongoing operations. That military presence is set to expand. Three amphibious assault ships — a force that encompasses more than 4,000 sailors and Marines — would be entering the waters off Latin America by next week, the official said.

It’s time to check your pantry, assess your grocery needs and make plans to stretch your grocery dollars. The Defense Commissary Agency’s September Sidewalk Sale events are upon us. Extra savings will be offered on a variety of products at all 176 stateside commissary stores, to include Alaska and Hawaii, during three- or four-day sales at the stores.

Veterans Health Care: How to apply for VA health care

Q&A: Understanding Eligibility and Coverage With TRICARE Prime Remote

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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED/ ROUTINE R 281445Z AUG 25 MID180001999640U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 182/25 MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N2N6/AUG// SUBJ/2025 ASSOCIATION OF OLD CROWS OUTSTANDING NAVY UNIT AWARD WINNERS// REF/A/DOC/AOC/24FEB2025// AMPN/AOC LETTER TO CNO FOR ANNUAL AWARD NOMINATIONS// POC/BIXBY/CTTCM/OPNAV N2N6WT/TEL: (571)256-8542/ EMAIL: GARY.W.BIXBY2.MIL(AT)US.NAVY.MIL// RMKS/1. Congratulations to the following commands for their selection as the 2025 Association of Old Crows Outstanding Navy Unit Award Winners: a. Shore: Naval Expeditionary Intelligence Command (NEIC) b. Sea: USS LABOON (DDG-58) c. Air: Helicopter Maritime Strike Weapons School Atlantic (HSMWSL) 2. These unit award winners made significant contributions to the Information Operations and Electromagnetic Warfare community and their successes are noteworthy. BRAVO ZULU for their outstanding efforts and for a job well done! 3. Released by VADM Karl O. Thomas, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, OPNAV N2N6.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED/

The request came weeks after the Republican administration deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to target crime, immigration and homelessness, and two months after it sent troops to Los Angeles.

Since 2015, the Mrs. Sybil Stockdale Ombudsman of the Year Award has recognized four Navy Family Ombudsmen annually for their extraordinary service, compassion, and commitment to supporting Navy families. The 2025 recipients are: • Mrs. Jaime Huffaker, USS DEXTROUS (MCM 13), U.S. Fleet Forces Command • Mrs. Jessica Pugh, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72), U.S. Pacific Fleet • Mrs. Seira De Veau, Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific • Mrs. Nicole Standeford, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 54 (VR-54), Navy Reserve Force Nominated by their commanding officers, each ombudsman was selected for going above and beyond in building trust, anticipating needs, and connecting families to vital resources. “These recipients embody the very best of what it means to serve in this role,” said Holly Schefcik, ombudsman program analyst at Commander, Navy Installations Command. “They exceeded expectations with confidence, compassion, and dedication.” Ombudsmen serve as a vital link between Navy commands and families, especially during deployments, mobilizations, and emergencies. Their work behind the scenes helps ensure families are informed and supported, enabling Sailors to stay mission focused. “What sets them apart is their consistency, their ability to solve problems, and the comfort and clarity they provide when it’s needed most,” Schefcik added. The award honors the legacy of Sybil Stockdale, who led national support efforts for families of POWs during her husband’s seven-and-a-half-year captivity in Southeast Asia. Her tireless advocacy helped lay the foundation for today’s Navy Family Ombudsman Program, which now includes more than 2,000 volunteers. Serving as an ombudsman is not without its emotional weight. “The hardest part is that it can be an emotional roller coaster,” said Pugh. “You may face heartbreaking situations—family emergencies, deaths, or mental health crises. You have to set aside your own emotions to help others.” Despite the challenges, most ombudsmen say the role is profoundly rewarding. “You truly make a difference in the lives of the families you support,” said Pugh. “There’s so much important work happening quietly in the background,” added Standeford. “I had several friends that were proud of their impact in the role, they quickly advised me to seek out these opportunities as my calling,” said Huffaker. “I remember being a new military spouse during a deployment and not knowing where to turn,” added Pugh. “That experience inspired me to be the resource I once needed.” Congratulations to this year’s recipients—and to all Navy Family Ombudsmen. Thank you for your strength, your service, and the steady support you provide. The Navy Family Ombudsman Program was created in 1970 by then-CNO Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., to improve communication between commands and the families of Sailors. For more information on the Navy Family Ombudsman Program, visit https://ffr.cnic.navy.mil/Family-Readiness/Fleet-And-Family-Support-Program/Work-and-Family-Life/Ombudsman-Program/

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his proposal to admit hundreds of thousands of Chinese students, saying the US is "honored" to host them and warning that the American college system would "go to hell" without them. Facing growing anger from his political base, Trump dismissed criticism of the plan as "insulting" and pointed to his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of a broader strategy of engagement.

Pretty soon the United States of America will not have any friends... Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark's foreign minister had the top U.S. diplomat in the country summoned for talks after the main national public broadcaster reported Wednesday that at least three people with connections to President Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland.

It was a Friday last November when Robert H. got the news: He would no longer be able to see his VA therapist. After nearly two decades as a Marine and military contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan, he had been working through PTSD with the same VA psychologist for 10 years after a suicide attempt.

President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create National Guard units in Washington, D.C., and across the country that would be designated to tamp down civil protests and ensure public safety -- a job that historically and legally has belonged to civilian law enforcement.

To be totally clear, the military, which includes the Navy, is a department that is supposed to be apolitical. The United States is a constitutional republic. What is happening now goes against what our country stands for. America Tips Into Fascism Caudle became chief of naval operations as Defense Secretary Pete Hedgehog has ousted a growing list of military leaders with little or no explanation. Remarks at a swearing-in ceremony at Washington Navy Yard offered several nods to the admiral being in close alignment with the Trump administration leaders above him. CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED/ ROUTINE R 251412Z AUG 25 MID180001990066U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 177/25 MSGID/NAVADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/CNO/AUG// SUBJ/ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE// RMKS/1. Effective 25 August 2025, I have assumed all duties as the 34th Chief of Naval Operations. 2. All current orders and directives remain in effect until further notice. 3. Released by ADM Daryl L. Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations. BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED/

It is clear that a significant part of the dorsum of the hand is coated in makeup, presumably to obscure an underlying bruise. Such a bruise would most likely be from a blood draw or infusion, and not from “handshakes” as the Press Secretary has told us. None of this is breaking news, and I have posted about Trump’s presumed cardiovascular issues before, but I saw a video today that provided a full view of both of his hands, the same press appearance from which the images below are taken. Unlike previous images, these actually struck me as worsening pathology. Here’s why:

In mid-2014, during training flights off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia, F/A-18 pilot and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Ryan Graves began to notice something strange. The radar returns looked off—phantom blips moving with unfathomable speed and precision. At first he dismissed it as a glitch. But then the anomalies returned, recorded by the fighter jets’ sophisticated sensors. They would hover in place—and then dart away at supersonic speeds. They were recorded from the ocean’s surface to 40,000 feet.

The wife of an active-duty Coast Guardsman was arrested this week by federal immigration authorities in the family residential section of the U.S. Naval Air Station at Key West, Fla., after she was flagged in a routine security check, officials said Saturday.

If another country were to bomb an American-owned factory on foreign soil, one might expect—at the very least—harsh condemnation from the sitting U.S. president. The anticipated response from a president who enjoys a reputation as both a champion of American business and a tough guy on the world stage would be even fiercer.

On Thursday, Zelensky accused Russia of trying to “wriggle out” of holding a summit to discuss peace, accusing it of continuing “massive attacks” on Ukraine. The same day, Russia launched one of its most comprehensive aerial attacks of the war, forcing millions of Ukrainians to take shelter. An American-owned factory was among the targets, and at least 15 workers were injured there, NBC reported. Trump, 79, has been promoting himself as the should-be winner of a Nobel Peace Prize. As such, ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, something he once declared he would do on day one of his presidency, has been among the president’s top priorities—but also is among his biggest flops, at least to date.

Hedgehog also fired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who is chief of the Navy Reserve, as well as Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command, another U.S. official said.

WASHINGTON — The Defense Health Agency that oversees more than 700 military hospitals and clinics worldwide disclosed Thursday that it made a buyout offer to an unidentified number of civilian personnel to be considered for lump-sum payouts to leave their jobs under a restructuring of the federal agency. Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2025-08-21/defense-health-agency-buyouts-18837223.html Source - Stars and Stripes

Navy Installations Command has launched a campaign to raise awareness among parents and caregivers about window safety in military housing after two small children fell to their deaths from windows this summer at Naval Base San Diego. Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2025-08-21/navy-safety-falling-windows-18839844.html Source - Stars and Stripes

A pilot is safe following a crash of a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet while flying off the Virginia coast on Wednesday morning, according to the service. The pilot, assigned to the “Rampagers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83 ejected during a routine training flight around 9:50 a.m. While the Navy release did not say where the pilot ejected, the “Rampagers” are based out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.