Soldier of the Week – Army National Guard Major Troy Scott

By Adria Markovic
YC/Co-Publisher
June 22, 2014

We at the Chronicle will be choosing a veteran to honor each week. We hope that you will pass this story around to everyone you know. If you see a vet out in the public, please stop and salute them and thank them for their service. This week we are honoring Major Troy Scott.

We have the world’s largest, baddest army,” said Major Troy Scott of the Army National Guard, while explaining how easily stereotypes against other nations’ militaries can often arise. “But when you’re building a coalition, you have to get past those obstacles.” MAJ Scott ‘s deployment to eastern Afghanistan in 2008- his first and for which he has received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for his service- was spent in the company of those whom many back home may not have expected.

Two thirds of the “Herculean” Task Force he commanded were members of the Polish military brigade – not American soldiers. MAJ Scott was assigned as Senior U.S. Advisor to the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, operating as the Deputy Commander of the 1200 man Task Force White Eagle- predominately Poles- from March 2008 to October 2008.

It was the only coalition battalion-size task force under the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. On October 31, 2008 the Polish Military Contingent assumed responsibility of their own Brigade battle space, with MAJ Scott continuing on as advisor to the Polish brigade. Said MAJ Scott, “Sometimes U.S. Forces, we look at ourselves- and rightly so- as a superior force.” But, he explained, to watch one of our NATO partners (particularly the Poles) operate in Afghanistan and exceed expectations proved to be a tremendously gratifying experience

There has been a further impact to maintaining such a partnership as well. Keeping the Poles in Afghanistan allows the U.S. to keep 3 times the number of our soldiers out of Afghanistan. “The value is expediential- a combat multiplier,” he said. It was MAJ Scott’s job to ensure that the American expectations were understandable for the Poles, for whom English was not their second language, but their third. Scott, who had no previous experience with the Polish military or even the Polish language, observed the melding of two differing armies and cultures, fighting alongside one another for a shared goal in a foreign space.

Learning the land and history of the region was key to both MAJ Scott and his Task Force. During his deployment, his brigade participated in the largest coalition movement of personnel in Afghanistan, moving battle spaces from the Paktika province to the Ghazni province. “You have to be a little bit politician, engineer, city planner, lawyer,” described MAJ Scott. For his service and leadership, MAJ Scott has also been recommended for the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross.

 

Source: Our Military

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Patient of the Week – Alexis

By St. Jude
PIO
June 14, 2014

Alexis is 7 years old

Diagnosis:

Alexis was found to suffer from neuroblastoma in April 2008.

Alexis colors quietly alongside her little sister, listening patiently as her sister chatters on about her drawing. Her sister loves to talk, but Alexis is shy. Their mom loves these moments, watching the girls play together. “They’re like best friends,” she said. “Alexis is a good big sister. She’s very patient.”

Alexis’ calm demeanor belies that fact that she has been battling neuroblastoma for more than half of her life.

Alexis was just 2 years old when she first walked through the doors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Treatment for neuroblastoma is complicated. Alexis has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, a bone marrow transplant and multiple surgeries. Her cancer has come back twice, and each time, St. Jude has been there for her family.

When Alexis first arrived at St. Jude, her family didn’t know that St. Jude would not only cover the costs of Alexis’ treatment, but also housing, food and travel. “St. Jude took our worry away,” said her mom. “Then, we were able to focus on the most important thing—her treatment.”

Alexis’ family is grateful for St. Jude donors. “There’s just not enough you can say to someone who gives without ever seeing St. Jude,” said her mom. “Their generosity is overwhelming.”

Today, Alexis is home and doing well. She loves board games, drawing and playing with her little sister. Alexis returns to St. Jude for regular checkups.

 

Source: St Jude

Editor’s Note: To help give hope to children such as Alexis who are fighting life-threatening illnesses, please become a Partner In Hope.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

 

Officers of the Week- Off. Igor Soldo and Off. Alyn Beck

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
June 14, 2014

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle, will never forget those police officers, who have given their lives on a daily bases to protect us all.. Each week we will honor one with their stories.

This week we are honoring: Police Officer Igor Soldo and Police Officer Alyn Beck

Both officers were shot and killed from ambush while eating lunch at a pizza restaurant in the 300 block of North Nellis Boulevard. Two subjects, a male and a female, approached them at their table and shot them execution style without warning. Despite being wounded, one of the officers returned fire before being incapacitated. The subjects then stole both officers’ weapons and ammunition and ran to a nearby Walmart, where they shot and killed a civilian. Responding officers followed the two into the Walmart and exchanged gunfire with the two. The male subject was killed by rifle fire from a responding officer and the female then committed suicide. Officer Soldo had served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for eight years.

 

Bio & Incident Details

Age: 31
Tour: 8 years, 2 months
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 6/8/2014
Weapon: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect: 1 shot and killed; 1 committed suicide

 

Bio & Incident Details

Age: 41
Tour: 13 years, 10 months
Cause: Gunfire
Incident Date: 6/8/2014
Weapon: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect: 1 shot and killed; 1 committed suicide\

Officer Beck had served with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for 14 years.

 

Source: Odmp

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think dsthebugman@bellsouth.net

Wish of the Week – Three Special Kids

By MWF
June. 14, 2014

Back in October, 8-year-old Nova, who has cystic fibrosis, lived her wish to be a rock star. Make-A-Wish America board member Kevin O’Toole helped her compose “Someday,” an anthem about her rock-star dreams. Nova also starred in a video for “Someday.” More than 200 volunteers stepped forward to help grant her wish.

 

 

 

Next, we have Addy, who wished to be a pop star. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was 4 years old. Today, she’s 5 … and it’s music that keeps her inspired to stay strong. Her wish gave her a starring role in a video as she sang her favorite song. She hit the front page of wish.org in a flash of purple, and also appeared on websites nationwide, including US Weekly.

 

 

 

 

And today, we’re just starting to hear about 17-year-old Kiley’s wish to go perform with the Boston Pops. Her wish included a private lesson with one of the Pops musicians. Kiley plays the piccolo, and is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. I hope to share more about Kiley’s wish in the future. (A colleague pointed out that today is also Kiley Minogue’s birthday … coincidence?)

 

 

 

 

Source: Make a Wish Foundation

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

 

 

 

Wish of the week – Allison

By MWF/PIO
November 15, 2009

Eight-year-old Allison wished for a cruise that she could share with her parents and three siblings who help her stay strong in her battle with leukemia. What she got was a voyage to paradise aboard the Carnival Freedom with many extra special stops along the way.

Allison took full advantage of each port starting with her bus tour of Old San Juan, where she saw beautiful cathedrals and architecture. In St. Thomas, she boarded the Skyride to Paradise Point 700 feet above sea level to catch some panoramic views of the harbor and lots of cruise ships.

In Antigua, Allison and her family headed to Runaway Beach for some fun in the sun – swimming, watching crabs and just digging their toes in the soft sand. Tortola offered Allison and her family more breathtaking views during their tour of the island. Lastly, Allison headed to the Bahamas for a day at the Atlantis Resort.

When she wasn’t island hopping, Allison was enjoying VIP perks on the ship. From a “Bon Voyage” party to milk and cookies in her cabin nightly and the discovery of different towel animals on her bed each day (she liked the orangutan the best), it was an adventure like no other!

Referred by: her mother
Wish Granters: Yenisse Alonso & Richard Kelly
Sponsored by: Lennar Corporation

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Officer of the Week – Police Officer Glen K. Pettit

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
12/09/2001

 

 

 

 

 

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 14, 2009

Police Officer Glen K. Pettit
Shield 3815
Police Academy Video Production Unit
(recovered)

Glen Pettit took on a lot and never let it slow him down. In addition to being a New York City police officer, he was a TV news cameraman, a freelance photographer, a volunteer fireman and a devotee of Irish tradition and music.

Then there was the endless flood of gifts: from care packages of Skippy peanut butter for friends in East Asia to the prized seat he arranged for his mother at a Christmas Eve mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, just a row from the mayor and police commissioner. “If he loved you he loved you completely, and he was going to take care of you,” recalled Tara Felice, one of his six siblings.

Officer Pettit, 30, had joined the department’s video production unit, which makes training and promotional videos. “His greatest love was being behind a camera, composing a shot,” said his partner, Officer Scott Nicholson. The video unit responded to the World Trade Center attack hoping to get footage for an annual promotional tape it makes called “Heroes.”

“Glen was telling us, ‘I’m gonna get in close; you stay and get the establishing shots, get the rescue workers responding,’ ” Officer Nicholson recalled. “I looked over and Glen was running past me, camera in hand, heading toward the towers.”

– The New York Times 12/09/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Patient of the Week – Natalie Tanner

By St. Jude
November 14, 2009

Natalie Tanner
1 year old

 

 

 

Diagnosis:

Natalie was found to suffer from medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor.

Natalie’s Story:

On Mother’s Day 2007, Natalie’s mom noticed that her daughter, who had been such a happy, active baby since she was born three months earlier, could not lift her eyes upward. Natalie’s parents knew something wasn’t right. The next morning, Natalie’s mom took her little girl to the pediatrician. Just 24 hours later, Natalie was in the local hospital, diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare and deadly brain tumor.

The doctor told the family that medulloblastoma in infants is virtually untreatable. Radiation, effective at fighting the cancer, would be too toxic for litte Natalie’s developing brain. Local doctors performed surgery to remove 95 percent of the apricot-sized tumor. But it was up to Natalie’s parents to find a place for her continuing care.

The couple searched desperately for answers, and they were encouraged by the ground-breaking research being done at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Natalie’s mom contacted a St. Jude oncologist and asked him to level with her: With such grim odds, was it even worth it to make the cross-country trip to begin treatment at St. Jude?

“Natalie could be the first one to survive,” he told her.

With that one sentence, the family’s decision to come to St. Jude was made. “That was the type of person I wanted caring for and treating my daughter,” explained Kristen.

 

At St. Jude:

At St. Jude, the family was overwhelmed with all that was provided for them, from Natalie’s medical care to the free housing and meal cards. “The nurses, the doctors, the staff just took us in,” said Natalie’s mom. “They provided for all our needs, emotionally and physically.”

Natalie received months of chemotherapy, but a scan indicated the cancer had spread to her spine. In September, the Tanners put their daughter on hospice care and treasured the time they had left with their precious girl.

Then something amazing happened. Natalie came back to St. Jude for a follow-up scan that showed the cancer was shrinking. Natalie’s doctor said that her turnaround was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Natalie resumed her chemotherapy so that hopefully, the cancer would stay away for good.

Natalie is back home now and thriving. She loves talking, crawling and playing with her older brother.

As strange as it sounds, Natalie’s mom says she’s grateful for all that they’ve experienced. “St. Jude wants their families to have a lot of hope, and to be in a frame of mind where you think good things can happen,” she said.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: St. Jude

Soldier of the Week – Army National Guard Capt. Joel Arends

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 13, 2009

Editor’s Note:
Home State: South Dakota
Awarded: Bronze Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Then-1st Lt. Arends and his team of 30 soldiers operated in and around Baghdad from February 2004 to April 2005. They were responsible for catching a number of terrorists, including one carrying bomb-making materials, jidhadist propaganda and large sums of cash. The terrorist claimed to be a professor at a major university in the United States. They also captured one of Saddam Hussein’s personal bodyguards. Another time, Arends’ team rescued Iraqi civilians from burning vehicles when insurgents attacked a checkpoint near their patrol area. Members of the team rushed into the flames and pulled several Iraqi civilians out of burning vehicles and administered lifesaving medical treatment. For his efforts, Arends was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in March 2005. Arends is now a Captain in the Army Reserve.

Source: Our Military

Firefighter of the week – Battalion Chief Joseph R. Marchbanks Jr.

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 12, 2009

Someone To Brag About

Joseph Marchbanks Jr. was a Battalion Chief in a Harlem firehouse, but he preferred to be called a firefighter. A 22-year veteran, Chief Marchbanks garnered four promotions by the time he died at age 47, but “he wasn’t one to brag,” said his wife, Teresa.

Still, Chief Marchbanks had a lot to brag about.

A Bronx native, he qualified for the police force and the fire department in the same week, chose the latter, never looked back.

“He loved his job,” said his friend (and stickball teammate) Frank McDonagh.

Chief Marchbanks was justifiably proud of his daughter Lauren’s softball team, which he helped coach to a championship in Nanuet, N.Y., where the former city boy lived with his wife and children, Lauren, 14, and Ryan, 8).

At the firehouse, he organized study groups to help others pass tests for promotions. “He taught without you realizing you were learning,” said his friend and colleague, Lieutenant Kevin Guy.

Now Lieutenant Guy would like to do the bragging for him, more than willing to relate more stories about his friend.

“Anything for Joe, anything,” he said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 10, 2001.

Source: Legacy

Editor’ Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Wish of the week – Jonathan

By MWF/PIO
November 6, 2009

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

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