Military Officially Ends Ban on Openly Gay Soldiers

For the past 18 years the U.S. military has followed a policy which essentially banned openly gay soldiers from serving; for quite some time gay rights activists have worked to reverse this ban and today the ban was finally lifted officially. The bill was originally passed a few months ago and today was the selected day for the ban to be lifted and just as expected the ban has now been officially lifted.

To commemorate lifting the ban on openly gay soldiers President Obama officially spoke about the situation. He was very quick to welcome the new policy which will finally allow soldiers and members of the military to be themselves without the fear of being removed. There are currently an estimated 65,000 gay members of the U.S. military and they and the entire gay community have expressed their gratitude for the lift of the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy as well.

This is once again a step in the right direction for equality and openness according to many analysts. The end of the ban on openly gay members of the military marks an end of the 18 year discrimination which and will hopefully lead to more acceptance by everyone. All around the country gay support groups celebrated this outstanding victory as it is truly one of the greatest successes for the entire community and it will surely give the gay community more momentum for future endeavors towards equality and acceptance.

Soldier Awarded Rare Medal of Honor-- Source: AP

The Medal of Honor is one of the highest awards soldiers can get for outstanding and heroic actions while serving. Given the importantance of the award very few are given out though this week one more man has been added to the list of Medal of Honor recipients.

Sergeant 1st class Leroy Petry is that man and he is surely quite humbled by the incredible award. Petry received the award for his actions during a special operation in Afghanistan in 2008. Upon being shot Petry continued with his work and fought through the pain; perhaps the more amazing feat however came in the form of a lifesaving decision. Petry and his squad reportedly saw an enemy explosive land in the area very near to where they were; they believe the explosion would have killed or mortally wounded them so in an instant Petry decided to grab the explosive and throw it out of the area.

In the process of throwing the explosive out of the area the explosive detonated and took Petry’s right hand with it. He says he would not hesitate to the do same again though because his actions were likely what saved his and his squad members lives that day. This outstanding act of heroism and bravery is what earned Petry the right to call himself a Medal of Honor winner. The ceremony was held at the pentagon and as is tradition the medal was officially awarded to Petry by the President himself.

Court Ends Ban on Gay Military Service

Today a United States Federal Appeals court issued a final ruling on the case against banning openly gay people from serving in the military. The ruling marked a huge success for the gay community everywhere as judges agreed that the ban against openly gay soldiers was unnecessary and should be revoked immediately.

You might remember that late last year Congress finally revoked the ban on gays serving but despite 6 months passing they have not actually made any progress as far as removing the old policies. The various branches of the military were given no timeline on how long they had to remove the old policy any unfortunately very little progress has been made. The court ruling today however should force each of the branches to immediately begin revoking the policies established by the ban.

According to those close to the case the overall purpose was to make it clear what would not be tolerated. Because the ban has effectively been lifted they felt it was necessary to expedite the process which is why this second court case came to light. Obviously today they were successful in convincing the court system that not enough have been done. At this time each of the branches will begin modifying their policies as well as investigating any complaints or harassment cases that might be associated with the ban. Once again, this is a large accomplishment according to many in the gay community and they hope that it could lead to more acceptance in all areas of society.

Military Support Group Ships Millionth Disk

This week a nonprofit group called Tunes 4 Troops officially shipped the 1 millionth disk to soldiers overseas. Tunes 4 Troops has only been around for about 5 years so reaching this milestone really is a major accomplishment for them and many soldiers are very thankful for what the group has done.

The overall goal behind Tunes 4 Troops was to send some sort of entertainment to soldiers overseas. The idea reportedly came to Tunes 4 Troops founder, Kaylee Radzyminsk, while she was talking to groups of returning soldiers. The biggest complaint was the lack of entertainment form home so she did what she could to make a difference.

In 5 years Tunes 4 Troops has expanded from a simple music based organization to a full entertainment group. Tunes 4 Troops has been sending thousands of CDs and DVDs each week for 5 years now and they have finally made it to the incredible mark of 1 million disks sent overseas.

Kaylee, now 19 and a member of ROTC at her university, is very happy with how much her simple charity has grown in just 5 years. It started as just a very small collection of music from her and her friends and quickly expanded into a full blown nonprofit organization with various people in charge of running everything. No word on how much more Kaylee and her team is hoping to expand Tunes 4 Troops but it is pretty obvious now that there is no end in sight for this incredible nonprofit group.

White House Wives Throw Baby Shower

This week the two wives of the White House held a baby shower for all the military mothers that are unable to do it themselves. First Lady, Michelle Obama, and Vice President Biden’s Wife, Jill Biden, held a very unique baby shower along with Martha Stewart which was targeted directly at military wives and military families in general.

Of course the baby shower was not only these three women; a group of 40 very special military moms to be were also invited to partake in the event along with the two famous wives. Throughout the entire event Obama and Biden offered their support and encouragement for military families, military wives, and members of the military in general.

Mrs. Obama even took the opportunity to give the women some words of advice. Obama reportedly told the women that the stress of raising a child can be incredibly difficult to handle but the strength given to these women is simply amazing. Most of the women are dealing with finances, children, and all other aspects of a family life that come up; all while their husbands are away fighting in the military and the work these women go through is simply astounding.

Overall the special baby shower was quite a unique experience according to the women who were invited. Of course plenty of military support was given throughout the event as well; the women were also given plenty of gifts and treats that the First Family chose specifically for these women.

Bob Barker Donates Millions to Military Charity

Bob Barker, the always famous television and game show host, has always been considered a great humanitarian. Throughout his career Barker has given millions of dollars to dozens of different charities and it seems that even now that he is in retirement the giving will continue.

Barker announced this week that he would be donating $2 million dollars to a charity dedicated to helping injured soldiers and their families. The donation came during a special ceremony Barker held in order to celebrate and highlight the charity and its cause.

The donation from Barker is not surprising given his past military service. Barker said in an official announcement this week that he felt it was his and other American’s duty to do what they could to help out military families and others in need. Along with his donation he offered words of kindness and encouragement as well which he hoped would bring in donations from millions of fans and supports as well.

The Semper Fi fund has already expressed their gratitude to Mr. Barker for the large donation. At this time they have not announced any special plans regarding the funding though people close to the organization say the organization is clearly very thrilled to receive such a large donation from a high profile celebrity.