Gone but never forgotten… 6 years today: 

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Annual 2017 Extortion 17 Legacy Ride honoring local heroes was held Saturday, August 5, 2017.

The Extortion 17 Legacy Ride is dedicated in memory of the 30 active duty military and 1 military working dog killed in action on August 6, 2011 when a CH–47 helicopter was shot down by enemy fire in Afghanistan.

This ride provides an opportunity for the community, Gold Star Families and supporters across the world to come together to honor these incredible men.

This year, all proceeds raised from this event will be to honor, protect and preserve the legacies of the 31 fallen warriors from the Extortion 17 mission.

The foundation provides funding and support to the Extortion 17 families, military, law-enforcement, first responders and their families.

The airmen killed were: 

  • Tech. Sgt. John W. Brown, 33, of Tallahassee, Florida
  • Staff Sgt. Andrew W. Harvell, 26, of Long Beach, California; and
  • Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Zerbe, 28, of York, Pennsylvania

All three airmen were assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Field, North Carolina.”

Follow me on twitter as I get especially gross this week on the podcast:

https://twitter.com/BKactual/status/893678125216747522

Ugh, Ospreys: 

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian government said on Sunday it would deploy its armed forces to assist in recovery efforts after the U.S. Marine Corps suspended a search for three Marines missing since their aircraft crashed off Australia’s northeast coast a day earlier.

The Marine Corps said earlier they had shifted from a search-and-rescue effort to a recovery operation, which could last several months, and had notified the next-of-kin of the three missing Marines.

“The transition comes after teams led continuous sustained search efforts supported by aircraft and ships,” the III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan, said.

“As the sea state permits, recovery efforts will be conducted to further search, assess and survey the area …,” they said in a statement.

The U.S. Marines have described the incident involving the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft as a “mishap” and said it was under investigation.”

Crazy body cam footage of Las Vegas Cop shootout:

https://twitter.com/JG4hunniid/status/894192074186248192

Insurance fraud seems likely:

Two sailors stationed on the aircraft carrier George Washington have been charged with arson, reports The Virginian-Pilot.

Timothy Warren Wright II, 24, and Tre’Von Jabri Bishop, 21, were arrested for charges relating to an April 4 fire.

Image courtesy of Reddit

Fire crews were called to the scene of a possible brush fire on Berknor Drive around 1:30 a.m., the Virginian-Pilot reported. Upon arrival, firefighters found a 2016 Dodge Charger on fire.

The Charger belonged to Wright, who was arrested by Portsmouth Police on charges of conspiracy and arson, according to the newspaper.

Bishop was arrested by Virginia Beach fire investigators and agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, according to the Virginian-Pilot.”

Holy. Shit.:

The Chicago Police officer had put her gun on the kitchen counter for only a second. But that was just long enough for a fellow cop, probationary Officer Ruby Falcon, to snatch it and hold it to her head.

Hours earlier, there had been few signs that the night of drinking and dancing in July 2016 would end in bloodshed in a Southwest Side house filled with at least six cops.

 But that’s exactly what happened around 4 a.m. that summer morning: Falcon, authorities say, took her own life using her fellow officer’s weapon.

The whole tragic tale — not publicly known until now — is the subject of a recently filed wrongful-death lawsuit…

…Falcon, 31, believed a former romantic partner — also a probationary officer — was hiding in Deering’s home. She began to yell, telling Deering not to “f—ing lie.” Deering tried to calm her down. She turned to close the door to her basement, where other officers were socializing.

When she turned around, Falcon had Deering’s gun to her head.

Deering pleaded with Falcon. She tried to hand Falcon her cellphone, saying, “here’s your phone, call her, call her.” It wasn’t enough.

“I’m not crazy,” Falcon yelled. “I’m not f—ing crazy. I’m not crazy.”

Then Falcon pulled the trigger.”

Accident or murder? (I’m guessing murder):

(Reuters) – An Iranian soldier opened fire on fellow soldiers at a military firing range south of Tehran on Sunday, killing four and wounding eight, the Iranian army said in a statement.

The shooting took place in the town of Kahrizak, which is about 10 km (6 miles) south of Tehran.

The army said the incident occurred probably because either the shooter had psychological problems or due to “the sudden and accidental swivelling of a weapon.”

Last month, an Iranian serviceman shot dead three fellow soldiers at a barracks in the town of Abyek, about 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Tehran. He also injured six others before shooting himself, the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.

In that case, the shooter, who survived, had suffered from “temporary psychosis”, medical officials told ISNA.”

There’s such a thing as too much PT: 

https://twitter.com/NoChillPosts/status/893215648368791554

Homeowner’s associations are where the jr. high-class presidents live out their days:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A retired U.S. Navy commander is being told to remove a patriotic flag cover on his mailbox because it doesn’t mesh with his homeowner’s association.

“This is a very, very petty thing,” said Tallahassee, Florida, man John Ackert.  “All I’m trying to do is display my feeling of patriotism toward America. I spent 30 years in uniform.”

In a July 26 letter to Ackert, the Southwood Residential Community Association said the reason for the request was to protect the “aesthetic appeal and property values” of the neighborhood.

“As the holiday season has come to a close, please remove the American flag mailbox wrap,” The letter read. “Decorations may be displayed 30 days prior to the associated holiday and must be taken down within 15 days after the holiday.”

The association wants Ackert to either remove the mailbox cover within 15 business days or to submit a request to dispute the order.

Ackert said this is the first time during the four years he’s lived in the neighborhood he’s received such a complaint. Within a month of moving into the house, he added the mailbox cover.

“If somebody had complained about it four years ago, it wouldn’t be such an issue,” Ackert said.

Previously, the association asked him to remove a Navy sticker from his window, along with stickers showing support for the local sheriff’s office and the Special Olympics.”

They must seek out this heretic and destroy him:

A software engineer’s 10-page screed against Google’s diversity initiatives is going viral inside the company, being shared on an internal meme network and Google+. The document’s existence was first reported by Motherboard, and Gizmodo has obtained it in full.”

In the memo, which is the personal opinion of a male Google employee and is titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” the author argues that women are underrepresented in tech not because they face bias and discrimination in the workplace, but because of inherent psychological differences between men and women. “We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism,” he writes, going on to argue that Google’s educational programs for young women may be misguided.

The post comes as Google battles a wage discrimination investigation by the US Department of Labor, which has found that Google routinely pays women less than men in comparable roles.

Gizmodo has reached out to Google for comment on the memo and how the company is addressing employee concerns regarding its content. We will update this article if we hear back.”

The drones will kill us all:

Chinese-made drones that may have been used by U.S. service members in Syria are now banned by the U.S. Army, according to a report.

“Cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media from devices, and secure equipment for follow on direction,” reads the memo from Lt. Gen. Joseph H. Anderson, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for plans and operations. The memo was obtained by the publication Defense One, which said it was also confirmed by two Army officials.

According to the publication, the Army document cites “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products.”

Defense One also quoted Brett Velicovich, whom it described as a former Army intelligence soldier, as indicating the Army’s comments “could have a huge impact on DJI.” Velicovich now runs a Virginia-based consumer drone firm, Expert Drones.

“There are U.S. special operators in Syria using DJI products,” Velicovich told the publication.”

What is going on in Norfolk?:

NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in a series of bomb threats that have disrupted operations this week in Virginia.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is increasing the offered reward from $500 to $2,500.

On Thursday, a bomb threat was written on a bathroom wall at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.

On Wednesday, a bomb threat was called in to Naval Station Norfolk, followed by five more threats targeting Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Virginia Beach.

The bomb threats were determined not to be credible.

Operations were also interrupted in Norfolk on Monday, when a sailor reported seeing a trespassing scuba diver. The sighting proved unfounded.”

That’s terrific:

But what was his time?:

A NAKED streaker attempted to spoil Usain Bolt’s farewell at the World Championships after running onto the track before the 100 metres final.

Bolt’s last 100m race was not only sabotaged by a streaker but also by Justin Gatlin as the Jamaican finished third.

The streaker – who had ‘PEACE + LOVE’ written on his chest – exposed himself to the thousands of spectators at the Olympic Stadium who were eagerly anticipating Bolt’s 100m goodbye.”

(AP Photo)

But before they caught a glimpse of the 30-year-old, they instead watched stewards desperately try and tackle the cheeky impostor.

A steward hauled the man to the ground by tackling him over boards alongside the track.

And a group of officials then escorted him off of the track as one man held a blue Hi-Vis jacket to cover up his manhood.”

What a world. But that’s ok because I’m going to see METALLICA AT PETCO TONIGHT, mothafuckas! @BKactual 

Featured image courtesy of DoD