WASHINGTON — Navy criminal authorities are investigating whether two members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 strangled to death an Army Green Beret on assignment in Mali in June, military officials say.
Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar, a 34-year-old veteran of two deployments to Afghanistan, was found dead on June 4 in the embassy housing he shared in the Malian capital, Bamako, with several other Special Operations forces assigned to the West African nation to help with training and counterterrorism missions.
The soldier’s superiors in Stuttgart, Germany, almost immediately suspected foul play, and dispatched an investigating officer to the scene within 24 hours, military officials said. Agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command spent months on the case before handing it off last month to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
No one has been charged in Sergeant Melgar’s death, which a military medical examiner ruled to be a homicide — strangulation, said three military officials briefed on the autopsy results. The two Navy SEALs, who have not been identified, were flown out of Mali soon after the episode and were placed on administrative leave.
The death has been shrouded in mystery, and the biggest unanswered question is why Sergeant Melgar was killed. “NCIS does not discuss the details of ongoing investigations,” Ed Buice, the agency’s spokesman, said in an email, confirming that his agency took over the case on Sept. 25.”
Follow me on Twitter and don’t go into Walmart:
https://twitter.com/BKactual/status/924127972751171589
WASHINGTON — Navy criminal authorities are investigating whether two members of the Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 strangled to death an Army Green Beret on assignment in Mali in June, military officials say.
Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar, a 34-year-old veteran of two deployments to Afghanistan, was found dead on June 4 in the embassy housing he shared in the Malian capital, Bamako, with several other Special Operations forces assigned to the West African nation to help with training and counterterrorism missions.
The soldier’s superiors in Stuttgart, Germany, almost immediately suspected foul play, and dispatched an investigating officer to the scene within 24 hours, military officials said. Agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command spent months on the case before handing it off last month to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
No one has been charged in Sergeant Melgar’s death, which a military medical examiner ruled to be a homicide — strangulation, said three military officials briefed on the autopsy results. The two Navy SEALs, who have not been identified, were flown out of Mali soon after the episode and were placed on administrative leave.
The death has been shrouded in mystery, and the biggest unanswered question is why Sergeant Melgar was killed. “NCIS does not discuss the details of ongoing investigations,” Ed Buice, the agency’s spokesman, said in an email, confirming that his agency took over the case on Sept. 25.”
Follow me on Twitter and don’t go into Walmart:
https://twitter.com/BKactual/status/924127972751171589
Two civilian mariners were rescued at sea by a U.S. Navy ship after being stranded in the Pacific Ocean for almost five months.
The two mariners were well off course: They left Honolulu on their sailboat in the spring, bound for Tahiti, 2,600 miles away in the South Pacific, but were rescued in the western Pacific 900 miles southeast of Japan.
Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava, both from Honolulu, and their two dogs were rescued on Wednesday by the USS Ashland (LSD 48), an amphibious transport dock ship.”
📺🔊: #USSAshland rescues two mariners and their dogs stranded in Pacific Ocean for months – https://t.co/u4ntPRLtHL via @Amphib7FLT pic.twitter.com/t7e50EwTjt
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) October 26, 2017
During a spell of bad weather on May 30, their sailboat’s engine stopped running for good. But the pair continued sailing toward Tahiti, believing they could make it to land.
Two months into their voyage, they began issuing daily distress radio calls. But there were no ships close enough to receive the messages.
On Tuesday a Taiwanese fishing vessel discovered the pair 900 miles from Japan, nearly 5,000 miles from their planned destination.
The vessel reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard in Guam for assistance, and it was determined that the Ashland was in the best position to pick up the stranded mariners.
Appel said they survived for so long at sea thanks to the water purifiers on the sailboat and the year’s worth of food they had on board, including oatmeal, pasta and rice.
“The U.S. Navy is postured to assist any distressed mariner of any nationality during any type of situation,” said Cmdr. Steven Wasson, the Ashland’s commanding officer.”
They're winning Halloween so far pic.twitter.com/I0fMFPfC3n
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 29, 2017
I’m so old, I remember when Trump (and me!!!) predicted this would happen:
A church attended by George Washington will take down a memorial to the nation’s first president, a move church leaders say is intended to make the place of worship more welcoming.
The Washington Times reported Friday that Christ Church in Alexandria, Va., will remove memorials of Washington and former Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which stand on either side of the church’s altar.
“The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome,” church leaders said. “Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques.”
Washington began attending the church soon after it opened in 1773, and bought a pew there. He attended for more than 20 years, though he appeared more regularly at Pohick Church, southwest of his estate at Mount Vernon.
Christ Church’s decision to remove the statues comes amid a national debate over whether Confederate statues and monuments should be taken down. That debate resurfaced in August after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., turned violent.
While that debate has focused primarily on Confederate memorials, President Trump suggested shortly after the Charlottesville protests that taking down some memorials would eventually lead to statues of Washington or Thomas Jefferson being removed as well.”
Even got the plates under the feet:
Some people are just better at Halloween than the rest of us. #NYC pic.twitter.com/FCLqH9nqAx
— Meredith Frost (@MeredithFrost) October 29, 2017
Quality control is always important:
Washington (CNN) Investigators have concluded that a $22 million US Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed near Joint Base Andrews, Maryland earlier this year because its engine was improperly assembled and was missing key parts, the service announced Thursday.
The crash occurred April 5 during a routine surface attack training mission.
Shortly after departing Joint Base Andrews, the aircraft “experienced an uncommanded engine acceleration, followed by a loss of thrust,” forcing the pilot to execute “critical action procedures for low altitude engine failure,” according to an Air Force press release.
The pilot was able to safely eject and did not sustain any injuries but the aircraft was destroyed as it hit the ground.
Large portions of the aircraft, including a wing and the fuselage, were found intact after the crash, allowing investigators to identify it as an F-16, police said at the time of the incident.
An investigation into the mishap revealed evidence that “the main engine control was missing a required 600-degree training ring and the anti-rotation pin,” according to the Air Force.
“The misassembled differential pressure pilot valve caused the main engine control to incorrectly meter abnormally high fuel flow to the engine,” the service said. “This led to severe engine overspeed, severe engine over-temperature, engine fire, and, ultimately, a catastrophic engine failure.”
MID-AIR SCARE: Oklahoma City Thunder's plane believed to have hit a bird during flight to Chicago; no injures reported. pic.twitter.com/vmUENYnodR
— ABC News (@ABC) October 28, 2017
It appears that international opinion is not valued:
Military songs rang out across downtown Yangon on Sunday as tens of thousands rallied in defence of Myanmar’s army, an institution accused by the global community of driving Rohingya Muslims from the country.
More than 600,000 Rohingya are said to have fled western Rakhine state to Bangladesh since late August when raids by militants from the minority group were met by ruthless army “clearance operations”.
The United Nations has led global condemnation, calling the crackdown a “textbook” example of ethnic cleansing.
But inside Myanmar, support for the army has surged – an unlikely turnaround for a once feared and hated institution that ruled for 50 years and lost heavily in 2015 polls.
Those elections sent Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party into power, but the Rohingya crisis has put her government on the back foot.
Demonstrators carried banners lauding Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and rebuking the international community for “pressuring the Tatmadaw” – as Myanmar’s army is known.
“The Tatmadaw is essential for the country, it protects our ethnic groups, races and religion,” Nan Aye Aye Kyi, 54, said as the rally snaked through Yangon to the iconic Sule Pagoda.”
How about teaching them to read and do math?:
Students who walked into a Florida grade school classroom were greeted by a shocking scene: an X-rated party reportedly featuring dildos, penis candles and lollipop vaginas.
Parents at the Mater Lakes Academy in Hialeah are furious after a dance teacher threw a surprise party at school Wednesday that included phallic party favors, news station WSVN reported.
The after-school celebration was supposedly for a former student, but hosted guests as young as 11-years-old.”
“In the videos, we see how they were preparing for the surprise party. And as the boy walked in, they surprised him with a hat that had a penis attached to the top and a string to be able to pull it so it can get erected,” said an outraged mother, who declined to be identified to WSVN.
She said that she’s not pleased because she never taught her daughter “anything like that.”
“There was a cake that had a lollipop shaped as a vagina,” the mom said.”
Happy Birthday to my man and fellow USAF NCO “Bloodbath” Bob Ross:
Happy Birthday Master Sgt. Bob Ross!
He served for 20 years before retiring as a Master Sergeant. He would be 75 today. pic.twitter.com/Bj1hiquYSB
— Airman Magazine (@AirmanMagazine) October 29, 2017
I am very much looking forward to this open display of mental illness:
Thousands of concerned citizens will take part in a new ritual of sorts: commemorating the anniversary of Donald Trump’s election by screaming at the sky.
Over 4,000 Facebook users have RSVP’d—another 33,000 are interested in attending—to the Nov. 8 event being held in Boston that is literally titled “Scream helplessly at the sky on the anniversary of the election.”
The event is pretty much self-explanatory. On the anniversary of last year’s election, thousands will flock to the Boston Common for a party fueled by despair and aggravation over the contest’s winner—whom 73 million Americans voted against.”This administration has attacked everything about what it means to be American,” Johanna Schulman, a local activist in Cambridge who is working on organizing the event, told Newsweek Friday. “Who wouldn’t feel helpless every day? Coming together reminds us that we are not alone, that we are part of an enormous community of activists who are motivated and angry, whose actions can make a difference.”…
…The upcoming Boston scream party is a departure from taking action against the administration and its agenda. Instead, Americans will be provided the unique opportunity to vent their rage by shouting at the darkening skies above, all the while expecting nothing in return.”
Your employer who tells you what to do is literally a slave owner:
Charles Woodson on MSESPN just said he refuses to use the "o word." Owner. Sports media has gone fucking insane. Truly.
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 29, 2017
Analysts fear criminal groups will use explosive devices attached to drones to attack the U.S. (Reuters)
Mexican police reportedly pulled over four men driving a stolen pick-up truck and discovered a drone carrying an explosive device in the vehicle, leading some analysts to fear drug cartels may have figured out how to arm the devices to attack opponents — including those inside the United States.
Federal police discovered the drone attached to the IED last week during a traffic stop in Guanajunto, where several cartels are known to operate, including the Sinaloa Cartel, Small Wars Journal reported.
Besides the drone, police found phones, an AK-47 and ammunition. An improvised explosive device was taped to the drone, 3Dr Solo Quadcopter, that could reportedly be detonated with a remote control. It was not clear if the four men were a part of any criminal group. The drone had a range of about half a mile, but modifications would have allowed it to fly farther.”
Such a stunning and brave person:
Bruce Maxwell, the MLB player who knelt during the anthem, was arrested after allegedly pointing a gun at a woman. https://t.co/7MWrkFNTvA pic.twitter.com/ED4NEFTEKR
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 29, 2017
Catholic Universities are no place for Catholic beliefs, silly:
WASHINGTON — The definition of the word “marriage” has led to a war of words on the campus of Georgetown University, with allegations a student group that supports marriage between a man and a woman is a hate group.
The heated debate began at the beginning of the school year, with a letter to the editor of a school newspaper, The Hoya, entitled “Confessions of a College Virgin,” by 20-year-old junior student Amelia Irvine.Irvine is the president of a student organization called Love Saxa, which identifies itself as a group “promoting healthy relationships and sexual integrity.”……“Love Saxa’s definition of marriage does not include same-sex couples, as we believe that marriage is a conjugal union on every level — emotional, spiritual, physical and mental — directed toward caring for biological children. To us, marriage is much more than commitment of love between two consenting adults,” she wrote.
Irvine’s opinion piece led to an editorial from The Hoya, the oldest and largest student newspaper at the Jesuit university, entitled “Defund Intolerance.”“Love Saxa’s advocacy of denying individuals’ rights on the basis of their sexual orientations is inherently intolerant,” read the editorial. “The club is antithetical to what a university club should be, and it should be ineligible for any university benefits.”
The Student Activities Commission is expected to hold a hearing on the complaint in the next few days.
Irvine said in a statement that the complaint against Love Saxa and Hoya’s editorial staff are “hateful and intolerant of those who hold traditional views of marriage.” She said that Love Saxa’s views are “in line with those of the Catholic Church.”
USMC NCO stabbed to death in Hawaii:
A 23-year-old Marine was fatally stabbed in Hawaii early Saturday, and two teenage suspects were arrested.
Sgt. William Brown of Memphis, Tenn., got into an altercation on a Waikiki streetcorner and was stabbed multiple times in the chest after 1 a.m., Hawaii News Now reported.
The young Marine was taken to a hospital in critical condition where he later died.”
The suspects, 21-year-old Brad Paul Aliksa, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of second-degree murder in connection with the homicide.
Brown, who was promoted to sergeant on Oct. 1, was stationed at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base and joined the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines in November 2012. Peers described him as a “beloved member” of his unit.
“He had qualities we value in our Marine non-commissioned officers. His death is tragic and the battalion joins his family in grief,” Lt. Col. Steven Eastin said in a statement. “He will always be loved and remembered.”
For a second I didn’t think he’d be able to reach all the way around the guy:
https://twitter.com/Copvids911/status/923700500737900544
Finally, a good legislative idea comes out of Maryland:
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A state senator from the county where three granite business employees were shot and killed last week, allegedly by a coworker, wants to reinstate the death penalty in Maryland.
Senator Robert G. Cassilly, a Republican of Harford County, says he wants lethal injection to be a possible punishment for certain crimes — including the murder of two or more people as part of a single incident, serial murders, murders of law enforcement officials, the murder of a witness to certain kinds of crimes, a murder that occurs during a rape or sex offense and murder during the commission of a hate crime.
Cassilly says he wants the method of execution to be lethal injection with a mixture of heroin and fentanyl.”
MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WAOW) – A Marshfield man is behind bars after police say he was locked inside a beer cooler at a convenience store, had several drinks, and then fled.
Jeremy Van Ert, 38, was charged with retail theft and is currently behind bars on a probation hold.
Authorities said Van Ert walked inside the Marshfield Kwik Trip on Central Avenue on Tuesday night, before midnight.
They said the man was automatically locked inside when the clock hit midnight.”
“The subject found himself locked in the beer cooler, knew that Kwik Trip would not sell him any beer, so he decided to remain in the beer cooler,” said Marshfield Police Chief Rick Gramza. “A customer came by the beer cooler at about 6 a.m. and saw him inside.”
According to the police report, Van Ert drank an 18 ounce bottle of Icehouse Beer and three cans of Four Loko. He also fell over a stack of 30 pack Busch Light Cans.
“This is unique, I’ve been here twenty years. I’ve heard of people being locked inside of buildings, never inside of a beer cooler,” Gramza said.
Van Ert fled the scene and was later arrested by police.”
Some bonus nudity since it’s Halloween weekend:
https://twitter.com/jessicxbigail/status/923927184888254464
Police arrested a man with drugs, airsoft guns and knives while sitting in his vehicle naked at an Owasso park.
Parks are considered a safe place for people to go to enjoy themselves, but an incident Friday night has some people feeling a little uneasy.
Police body camera video captures officers approaching a vehicle Friday just before midnight.
Officers were checking Centennial Park after closing.”
“Observed all of the windows had been covered up except for some small portions that they were able to look through,” said Owasso Lieutenant Nick Boatman.
With guns drawn, police tried to get the man out of the vehicle.
After several minutes, he complied.
“They ended up finding a man that was inside that didn’t have any clothes on, so obviously that was their first indicator that something was wrong,” Boatman said.
Boatman said police found, drugs, airsoft guns, knives, pepper spray, pornography and other items.
They arrested Ronnie Mallett.”
Featured image courtesy of U.S. Army
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