This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Dave Hardin

  • 1st Lt. Michael Pence gets Wings

    1st Lt. Michael Pence gets Wings

    Vice President Mike Pence takes the stage with his son Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence, third from left, who was among seven aviators earning their Wings of Gold at Naval Air Station Meridian in Meridian, Miss., on Friday. (Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star via AP)

    The son of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has graduated from naval aviator training in Mississippi with his father looking on.

    The Meridian Star reports Marine 1st Lt. Michael Pence was among seven pilots pinned with golden wings Friday at Naval Air Station Meridian in Mississippi.

    The vice president presented each graduate with a challenge coin.

    Both Pences declined interviews.

    Congratulations to Lt. Pence and it is refreshing to see something like this happen without all the usual political hyperbole.

  • Monday morning feel good stories

    Monday morning feel good stories

    From  Cameron, NC

    A Cameron woman says she shot her husband after he allegedly forced his way into her home with a handgun and assaulted her and a juvenile female, according to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office.

    WTVD reported that Jeffrey Hooks, 60, has been charged with breaking and entering to terrorize and two counts of assault on a female and assault by pointing a gun.

    Deputies responded to the 160 block of Ramona Collins Ct. in Cameron at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. It was there that Jeana Crawford told investigators she shot Hooks.

    Deputies said it is alleged that the two do not live together. Hooks was taken to Cape Fear Valley Hospital with gunshot wounds and remains in serious condition.

    The incident remains under investigation.

    From CAMARILLO, CA

    A woman who’d been held against her will in a California apartment managed to get her captor’s gun and shoot him in self-defense early Saturday, authorities said.

    The shooting was reported around 12:35 a.m. PDT Saturday, and upon arriving, deputies found the man, identified as Raphael Bhatti, 25, of Thousand Oakseway. Deputies confirmed Bhatti had suffered a gunshot wound.

    He was taken to a local hospital, and although serious, the wound was not life-threatening, authorities said.

    Meanwhile, authorities were also dispatched at about the same time to the Villa De Los Robles apartment complex inThousand Oaks, which is nearby. The female victim was found at an apartment and also taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries, authorities said.

    Authorities said they learned Bhatti had held the woman against her will for several hours in an apartment. While the victim was in the apartment, Bhatti injured her, pointed a firearm at her and threatened to kill her, sexually battered her and used force to prevent her from leaving, according to authorities.

    The woman was eventually able to take the gun when Bhatti was distracted and shoot him in self-defense, according to Sgt. Eric Buschow of the Thousand Oaks Police Department.

    Investigators said they found evidence at the residence that backed up the woman’s statement, including two firearms.

    Further investigation revealed Bhatti was a convicted felon with a criminal history in Virginia and Maryland, authorities said.

    A records check of one of the firearms revealed it had been reported as stolen in Prince William County, Virginia. Authorities said they determined Bhatti was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, a felony.

    As of Saturday afternoon, Bhatti was still in the hospital and had not been arrested by authorities, although the investigation was ongoing. Bhatti was to be taken into custody once discharged from the hospital, Buschow said.

  • Gold Star Mothers Day

    Gold Star Mothers Day

    Gold Star Mother’s Sunday September 30, 2018

    The organization was named after the Gold Star that families hung in their windows in honor of the deceased veteran.
    After years of planning, June 4, 1928, twenty-five mothers met in Washington, DC to establish the national organization, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
    The success of our organization continues because of the bond of mutual love, sympathy, and support of the many loyal, capable, and patriotic mothers who while sharing their grief and their pride, have channeled their time, efforts and gifts to lessening the pain of others.
    We stand tall and proud by honoring our children, assisting our veterans, supporting our nation, and healing with each other.
    On May 28, 1918, President Wilson approved a suggestion made by the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defenses that, instead of wearing conventional mourning for relatives who have died in the service of their country, American women should wear a black band on the left arm with a gilt star on the band for each member of the family who has given his life for the nation. After years of planning, June 4, 1928, twenty-five mothers met in Washington, DC to establish the national organization, American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.

    FaceBook Link

     

  • Sunday morning feel good stories

    Sunday morning feel good stories

    From Nashville, TN

    A man has been charged with aggravated burglary after he was found hiding in a homeowner’s closet wearing clothes belonging to a visiting relative.  Officials said the residents returned to their home on 4th Avenue North before 6 p.m. Friday and smelled cigarette smoke.

    They found Herbert Arwood in an upstairs closet. He was wearing clothes that belonged to visiting relatives of the residents.

    Police said Arwood also had a debit card belonging to the family in his pants pocket.

    The residents escorted him out of their home and waited for police, and he was taken into custody.

    Officials said they spoke to a neighbor who told them Arwood had at first entered his home, but Arwood reportedly left when the neighbor called out to him.

    According to police, Arwood stated the blame was all on the residents for leaving their doors unlocked. He reportedly threatened to go back there when he’s released. Further details were not available.

    From Carrollton, TX

    A Denton County grand jury will decide what charges a man should face for shooting and critically injuring another man at a JV football game in Carrollton Thursday night.

    Police say the shooter and witnesses claim the shooting was in self-defense at the JV game between Hebron High School and Irving Nimitz

    The injured man is in critical condition. Police expect the shooter to at least be charged for having a gun on school property.

    The man who was shot did not want to press charges, but Carrollton police say the case may go forward anyway.

    “It makes me a little leery tonight, so I’m glad I came early to calm my daughter’s fears,” she said.

    “Everybody was obviously shaken,” said Hebron fan Jenny Reynolds. “But everybody’s been kind of reassured. There’s been counselors at their school.”

    Police had extra presence at Friday night’s varsity game in Irving to calm everyone’s concerns.

    Police aren’t releasing the men’s names. From witness accounts, it appears a 47-year-old man from Carrollton feared for his life and shot a 31-year-old Fort Worth man in self-defense. It started inside the stadium at the JV game but escalated when it spilled out into the parking lot.

    “We do have several witnesses who say the man who ended up shot was the primary aggressor in the stands and was causing disturbances for a lot of people in the stands,” said police spokesperson Jolene DeVito. “And it ended up focused on this one man.”

    Police haven’t said what started the argument but say the men didn’t know each other.

    The police department will leave it up to a grand jury to determine if the shooter should be charged for the shooting or be cleared. But according to police, he’s expected to be indicted on one of two other charges for having a gun at a high school game. Unlawful carrying of a weapon or carrying a weapon in a prohibited place. One is a felony while the other a misdemeanor.

    “They are somewhat in conflict the way the laws are written,” DeVito said. “So we, in consultation with the district attorney’s office, decided in this case with these facts it’s best to take it to the grand jury to decide what to do in that case.”

    Lewisville ISD says guns are not allowed on any school property, according to state law.

    JV games typically have a smaller crowd and don’t always have officers present, but that could be re-evaluated in the future.

  • Donations pour in for dying Navy vet holding yard sale to pay for his own funeral

    Donations pour in for dying Navy vet holding yard sale to pay for his own funeral

    A bunch of you have sent in the story about this guy.  I have delayed posting anything because we have yet to confirm his service and these type of stories tend to turn south in a heart beat.  Notwithstanding all that, time may be of the essence in this case.

     

    Two friends who set up a GoFundMe page for a Pennsylvania man who’d been holding yard sales to pay for his own funeral expenses say they’ve received so many donations they are planning to help other veterans in similar situations.

    David Dunkleberger and his friend Ed Sheets pulled into a yard sale in Brownstown last month. The man running it, 66-year-old Willie Davis, said he was selling his belongings to pay for his funeral.

    Davis, who served in the Navy in the 1970s, has been diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer.

    “It broke your heart, hearing the story, and we just decided we had to do something to try and help him, try to make his life a little bit easier,” Sheets told WJAC-TV.

    The cancer was initially misdiagnosed last year and he ended up with an infection, Davis told the Tribune-Democrat newspaper. After a biopsy revealed he had squamous cell carcinoma, Davis was told it had spread into his bones.

    Dunkleberger initially set a $6,000 goal then raised it to $40,000. By Friday morning, over $50,000 had been donated.

    Because of the large number of donations, GoFundMe asked him to include more information about their mission to help Davis, he wrote on the page . He said 100 percent of the funds raised will go to Davis’s funeral and burial costs.

    A second update, after the goal was raised to $40,000 on Thursday, said they would keep raising the goal to help other veterans with funeral costs.

    “We have all agreed that Willie is lucky to have everyone’s support and we hope to find more individuals that can use our support. Thank you all for your help!” he wrote.

    GoFundMe said they will work with Davis’s family members and the campaign’s organizers to make sure the excess funds are managed appropriately.

    Davis has a burial plot near his parents at a cemetery in Culpeper, Virginia, and said he wishes to be interred there.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will pay up to $300 toward burial and funeral expenses for a non-service-related death, if not in a VA hospital at the time of death, according to the department’s website . The VA will also give a $780 plot-interment allowance if not buried in a national cemetery.

    Dunkleberger told the Tribune-Democrat he’s been talking with Davis’ oldest sister to determine how much it will cost to have him transported to Virginia, prepared for burial and then laid to rest.

    Davis told the newspaper he was stunned by the help.

    He said he doesn’t expect to make it until Christmas — “although I’d love to” — and tries to escape negative thoughts by listening to music or watching deer graze in the yard outside his home.

    “Sometimes, you don’t stop to appreciate those types of things until you know they won’t last forever,” Davis said. “I’d love to have more of them.”

    I hate to publish stories when we have not had a chance to verify service but many of you thought this would be a good time to make an exception.   Best regards to Mr. Davis.

  • Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell suspended for misconduct.

    Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell suspended for misconduct.

    The Pentagon’s top enlisted service member has been suspended and temporarily reassigned from his duties pending the outcome of an investigation into an undisclosed allegation of misconduct, officials said Thursday. Army Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell has been the senior enlisted adviser to Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, since December 2015.

    A spokesman for Dunford said Troxell will work as a special assistant to the vice director of Dunford’s staff while the Army’s inspector general investigates. The spokesman, Col. Patrick Ryder, said it would be “inappropriate” to reveal the nature of the alleged misconduct.

    “We will wait for a full accounting of the facts and will not presuppose any findings or outcomes,” Ryder said.

    Troxell gained attention earlier this year with a comment on Twitter about threatening to kill Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)  fighters with an entrenching tool, the utility shovel issued to individual soldiers. “ISIS needs to understand their two options when facing us: surrender or die! Surrender & we will safeguard to due process. Otherwise we will kill them with extreme prejudice, even if that means beating them to death with our entrenching tools!”   Link HERE and HERE

    They are being unusually tight-lipped about his suspension.  Only a matter of time until someone from “the other side” finds out what its about and leaks it to the press.  I will not be one of those who rushes to judgment about him, he deserves better.

  • Saturday morning feel good stories.

    Saturday morning feel good stories.

    From FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

    A Fayetteville landlord will not face charges for shooting an intruder.

    The shooting happened Thursday evening in the 5000 block of Birch Road. Darrell Ellison had just fed his dogs when his tenant knocked on the door.

    “A lady and her boyfriend that rent a trailer that I own in Hope Mills, she said they had a fight and she stopped by here to talk about it,” Ellison said.  “If i didn’t shoot him, he would’ve killed her”.

    “I had (the door) locked, and he kicked the lock out,” Ellison said. “He came in the house, grabbed a hold of her and started dragging her through the kitchen, knocking all of my stuff over.”  Ellison, 74, usually keeps his gun at his side, but this time, it was out of reach.  “I had left my gun in the truck, and I went out to the truck and I got my gun, and I come back in through the back door, and he had her right here — beating on her,” Ellison told ABC11

    Ellison said the boyfriend then came after him.
    “I had my gun pointed right there and I told him, ‘John let me loose, (or) I’m (going to) shoot you, Ellison said.
    He paused and added: “Didn’t turn me loose. Boom. That’s it.”  The boyfriend wouldn’t stop the attack so Ellison said he fired a single gunshot.

    Fayetteville Police said the suspect, now identified as John Morelli somehow made it a half mile to Fire Station 12 on Hope Mills Road. Firefighters called police, who later determined that Ellison was acting in self-defense.

    “Like I said, if I hadn’t been able to stop him, he would have killed her – and me probably, too,” Ellison said.

    The blood from the shooting is still visible on Ellison’s doorstep. He said this whole ordeal was a nightmare.

    “I’m just sad about the whole thing that happened, but if I had to do it over again, I would do the same thing. If someone’s life was in danger or mine was in danger, I would do it,” Ellison said.

    From Gettysburg, PA

    A Gettysburg man who was shot by an employee as he tried to rob a pharmacy has been sentenced to nearly 6 1/2 years in federal prison.

    That penalty was imposed on 26-year-old Zachary E. Kuhn by U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo.

    Kuhn pleaded guilty to trying to rob the Antietam Pharmacy in Waynesboro on June 26, 2016. The holdup came to an abrupt end when an employee drew a concealed pistol and shot Kuhn in the right hand and lower back.

    Investigators said Kuhn had a gun and was demanding oxycodone, an addictive pain-killer.

    Rambo ordered Kuhn to spend 3 years on probation after he finishes his 77-month prison term. She also imposed nearly $3,900 in fines and restitution.

    Assistant Federal Public Defender Monica Cliatt argued in a sentencing memorandum that Kuhn is no longer a danger to society because he is partly paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair because of his wounds.

    Drug addiction and mental health problems prompted Kuhn to commit the robbery, she said.

  • Michael Bender – Phony MSgt Recon Marine

    Michael Bender – Phony MSgt Recon Marine

    Military Phony sent us their work on Michael Thomas Bender – who claims he is a retired MSgt of Marines who served from 1984 – 2010 and retired after 26 years.

    He claims that he was in Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance.

    Then, he also claims he was in “3/9 Force Recon Battalion” which must be a super secret unit because nobody has ever heard of it.  Also, he claims GySgt vs. MSgt in his VetFriends profile.

    He works around youth in the US Naval Sea Cadet Program.

    It looks like he lost a foot or two since that uniform was issued, I think we found the incredible shrinking Marine.

    And his profile looks awesome – https://www.region57nscc.org/pmi-bio

    He has a chest full of medals, including a Combat Action Ribbon although you have to look close to see what’s wrong with the CAR in the above photo and the ones below.

    You wouldn’t know it’s the same Marine by looking at his official military records:

    Michael Bender was discharged from the USMC as a Corporal (E-4) vs. a MSgt (E-8).

    There is nothing in his records to support him serving from 1986 – 2010.  The time he spent on active duty is consistent with a Marine that was in the Reserve.  In fact, on his summary sheet, it says he was in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

    The only medal listed is a Rifle Marksman Badge.  There is no Combat Action Ribbon.

    You have to give him credit in this photo – he uses an assortment of ferns and other foliage.  I know you can hardly pick him out in the photo below but stare closely at the center of the screen and you will eventually see a goofy dork like guy with shrubs on his head.