Family of Decorated Alabama Veteran with PTSD Shot to Death by Police File Lawsuit
The mother of a 45-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Odenville, Alabama, two years ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the deadly shooting. Gregory Don Bratcher, a decorated veteran with a documented history of PTSD, was killed July 15, 2023, when Odenville police responded to what was described as a […]
Military Honors Bestowed on Illinois Veteran Identified Nearly a Decade After Death
CHICAGO — Standing near the gravestone for the relative he never met, Mark Bailey accepted the crisply folded American flag from the Army officer, hugged it to his chest and closed his eyes. Though the person he called his aunt — born Reba Caroline Bailey — had been estranged, missing for decades and died in […]
Daughter Finds Army Vet Mother Dead in Homeless Camp. Was It Overdose or Death?
The daughters of a U.S. Army veteran whose body was found in a homeless encampment on the edge of downtown are raising concerns about the Los Angeles Police Department’s handling of their mother’s case. Lucrecia Macias Barajas, 46, was found dead May 12 by one of her three daughters after she traced her mother’s cellphone […]
Fort Wainwright Soldier Arrested on Murder Charges in Fairbanks Man's Death
A 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier was arrested Friday on murder charges after Fairbanks officers found a man with an execution-style gunshot wound in an apartment, police said. Adayus Robertson is facing charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering as well as violating probation for two prior open criminal cases. He had his first court appearance […]
Army Veteran Sentenced to Death for Killing 5 Women at a Florida Bank
A former prison guard trainee who executed five women inside a Florida bank almost six years ago was sentenced to death on Monday as his judge called the slayings calculated, heinous and cruel. Zephen Xaver, 27, appeared to gulp but otherwise showed no emotion as Circuit Judge Angela Cowden pronounced the sentence at the Highlands […]
National Guard, Deployed Across Southeast, Sees 'Long Recovery' Ahead as Helene Death Toll Rises
The National Guard said Thursday it has fanned out across states and communities hard hit by Hurricane Helene but warned that recovery from the deadly storm will take time. Guardsmen were assisting in opening up roadways for emergency crews, rescuing families and pets from flooding, delivering food and water, and other key tasks as the […]
20 Years After Death, Pat Tillman Still Inspires Those Who Knew Him Well — And Many He Never Met
Leland High led 35-0 at halftime and coach Terry Hardtke figured enough was enough. Pat Tillman had scored four touchdowns on offense and was dominating defensively in a Central Coast Section playoff game against Andrew Hill. Hardtke told Tillman he was done for the day. “I said, ‘No offense, no defense,’” Hardtke recalled. “He gave […]
Army Financial Counselor Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Gold Star Families of Death Gratuity, Life Insurance Money
A financial counselor for the Army’s Casualty Assistance Center in New Jersey pleaded guilty Monday to wire and securities fraud in a scheme that bilked Gold Star families out of the money awarded them after the death of their service member. Caz Craffy, who also went by Carz Craffey, was responsible for educating surviving family […]
Tripler Hospital Settles Malpractice Lawsuit for $9.5M After Army Wife’s Botched Surgeries Led to Death
The U.S. government will pay $9.5 million to a military family to settle a medical malpractice judgment for a “botched gastric bypass surgery” in 2020. In November 2020, Julie Bond, a 31-year-old Army wife, underwent a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure at Tripler Army Medical Center after being referred to the hospital’s bariatric surgery program by her primary care physician at […]
National Guardsman Arrested at Fort Liberty for Allegedly Trying to Arrange a Revenge Murder over Mother’s Death
A Raleigh man was arrested Saturday morning for trying to hire someone to kill a man involved in a fatal highway crash that killed his mother almost eight years ago. Rhett Michael Barlow, 22, was arrested at Fort Liberty by the Wake Forest Police Department and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. Barlow is accused of soliciting to murder Donald Caulder Jr. […]