Gary Beikirch, Green Beret, Medal of Honor, Dies of Cancer at 74 

Green Beret and Medal of Honor recipient Gary Beikirch passed away the day after Christmas after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72. His heroic actions as a Special Forces Medic in an isolated village of Montagnards in Vietnam are the stuff of legends. Badly wounded himself and unable to stand or walk, he had himself carried to various casualties in order to treat their wounds.

Russia Announces 10,000 Troops Being Redeployed From Ukraine Border

In a seeming de-escalation of the security crisis along the Russian-Ukrainian border, Moscow has withdrawn ten-thousand of the estimated 110,000 troops it has positioned near the border. Moscow did this even as it reasserted its demand of a legal guarantee that Ukraine will never be admitted to NATO, that the U.S. cease selling arms to Ukraine and that it act as mediator in negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and European countries.

‘Adieu Timbuktu,’ French Forces Withdraw From Mali After Nine Years

After nine years, French forces will be leaving the troubled nation of Mali where Islamist terrorists attempted to gain a foothold. France is saying that its presence there is not totally ended but will take on a different posture, presumably in the form of military advisors and other military assistance.