Veterans
They are the fabulous 10.At a luncheon held in Auburn in early November, the Governor's Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) recognized seven individuals who have devoted time and energy to improving the lives of Washington's veterans. Three others also received the award.
Housing
No one disagrees about the importance of a good night's sleep."Everyone needs rest and that comes from a good mattress," David Smith, co-owner of Mattress Depot USA, said. "Getting a good night's sleep makes life a bit easier."Mattress Depot USA specializes in selling quality clearance, mismatched, factory seconds and closeout
Business News
Mo and Angie Aliabadi know how to thank Soldiers and their families. "We benefit from the presence of and sacrifices these men and women (make)," Aliabadi said as he sat in his immaculate office at South Tacoma Auto. "They serve us every day, and we would like to serve them
Archives
Star wasn't about to step outside the doghouse. I couldn't blame the black and white Great Dane. Would you want to walk across 20 feet of wet plywood covered with feces to greet a stranger? Then again a dog is just a dog, and leaving it to live in deplorable conditions is
Schools
Commercial Driver Services (CDS) offers opportunities for individuals to start or advance their careers through a series of excellent local and long-haul truck driving training programs. "We offer individuals a great opportunity to grow in a growing industry," Victor Ratz, who co-owns the business with his wife, Petra, said. "There is
Business News
Craftsmanship and efficiency are at the heart of Blade-Tech Industries' products. "We are efficient, period," Ryan Preece, the company's corporate sales and media relations manager, told me as we walked through the spacious and well-organized plant. "And the craftsmanship we put into our products is second to none." Loquacious and knowledgeable about
Focus
Listening to historical illustrator Alan Archambault talk about a period of history is akin to reliving the event. "I picked up on the vibes of history when I was a boy," Archambault said as we recently sat and talked in one of the four remaining quarters of Fort Steilacoom. Born in Warwick,
Health
Jackson Dennis picked up a toy hammer and began to bang away at plastic play pegs. "He was born at 28 weeks and weighed only one-and-a-half pounds a birth," his grandfather Dan Dennis said. "He spent the next 93 days in intensive care at Mary Bridge." Today, the little guy attends A
Focus
Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg remembers well a bit of advice he received a number of years ago. "A man I respect deeply once told me that you can only keep in life what you can freely give away," the Adjutant General of the State of Washington said. Lowenberg's comments came during remarks
Focus
The Army's first brigade to deploy with Strykers will soon leave for Afghanistan without them. The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division plans on leaving its 300 plus marquee infantry vehicles at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and will instead assume control of different types of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. The move from
Veterans
Pele Pelekane, Post 138, American Legion, holds the colors prior to the start of the Fifth Annual Remembrance Service at the Tacoma War Memorial Park.
Focus
The precision with which the Soldiers assigned to the Washington Army National Guard's Recruit Sustainment Battalion operate impressed Jeanine Riss. "They are so organized, so disciplined, so hard working," she said. The restoration director with Citizens for a Healthy Bay (CHB), Riss said she could not do her work without the efforts
Focus
The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) guards the skies over three-quarters of the continental United States. Headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord's McChord Field, WADS is the larger of two sectors responsible to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Continental NORAD region for peacetime air sovereignty, strategic air defense
Focus
"The Washington Army National Guard stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the regular Army," stated Col. George Abbott, commander, 96th Troop Command, during an award ceremony last February. He made his comments during the presentation of a Purple Heart to Sgt. Justin Smith, A Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, Washington Army National Guard (WANG),
Focus
Staff Sgt. Joe Gallik stood in the driving rain and lightning at the Yakima Training Center and told his platoon they had done a good job. "That was some good shooting," the Washington Army National Guard (WANG) Soldier said. "You guys did a great job out there." During a recent three-week annual
Focus
Looking for a challenge? Think about becoming a member of the Washington National Guard's Counter Drug Task Force (CDTF). Headquartered at Camp Murray, the unit was established by Congressional order in 1988. The CDTF provides support to law enforcement and community-based counter drug operations at the local, state and federal levels. The CDTF's
Focus
For the Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (SFG) (Airborne), Washington Army National Guard (WANG), there is nothing ordinary about their commitment to service. The 19th SFG (A) is one of two National Guard groups in the United States. Headquartered in Utah, the Group has responsibility
Focus
Once Leah Hansen stepped over the line of departure (LD), a test of her leadership skills began. An officer candidate seeking to earn a commission in the Washington Army National Guard (WANG), Hansen and 10 other candidates recently honed their leadership skills during a situational training exercise (STX). To become an officer
Focus
PV2 Cody Peckham waded into a briar patch and carefully began to remove branch after branch of the thick vegetation. "It's not every day you see yourself making a difference," the Soldier, who serves with the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB), said during a short break Saturday at Leach Creek Park
Focus
Since 1855, the Washington National Guard's citizen-soldiers have answered the call of duty. "We are one team, one fight," Brig. Gen. Bert Daugherty, commander, Washington Army National Guard (WANG), deputy director of the Washington Military Department and Assistant Adjutant General, said. "We meet all of the active duty Army's standards." "The future of
