Rao bulletin 1 August 2017 html edition
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- War on Terrorism Memorial Update 01 ► Why Wait!
- WWII VETS 140 ► Andy Ramotnik | Owed $13 Captivity Pay
Home Depot ► Shoplifting Policy Results in Vet's Firing A 70-year-old Army veteran was fired from a Home Depot in Pearland, Texas, after he tried to stop a trio of shoplifters. Jim Tinney was working at the Houston-area Home Deport last month when he saw three men trying to steal tool sets, reports Houston ABC affiliate KTRK. In an attempt to stop the shoplifters, Tinney threw a paint roller extender toward one of their legs. The shoplifters escaped and were not hurt in the incident, according to the TV station. Two weeks after the incident, Tinney was fired for violating the company’s policy not to confront shoplifters, according to KTRK. Although he admitted that he was aware of the company’s policy, Tinney said his Army training kicked in when he saw the trio attempting to flee the store. "In the Army, they train you to do things like that," Tinney said. "I just automatically went like this and threw the stick at their feet." While Tinney understands clearly that he violated the company’s policy, he believes that being terminated from Home Deport was excessive, according to KTRK. "I think they could have written me up, reprimanded me, but terminate me? That's pretty strong," Tinney told the TV station. "I'm 70 years old. I need to work. I needed that job. I enjoyed working with customers figuring out what they wanted to do. It's fun." Home Depot has not indicated any plans to reinstate Tinney, instead releasing a statement explain why the policy is in place, KTRK reports. “What I can tell you now is that we have a strict policy that only our trained security personnel can pursue and engage shoplifters,” wrote Stephen Holmes, director of corporate communications at The Home Depot. “We've had deaths and serious injury over the years, and no amount of merchandise is more important than the safety of our associates and customers.” The Pearland Police Department had no information on the shoplifting case, according to CBS News. [Source: ArmyTimes | Christopher Diamond | July 18, 2017 ++] *********************** War on Terrorism Memorial Update 01 ► Why Wait! Military veterans of the war on terrorism deserve a memorial. Let’s hope they don’t have to wait as long for it as World War II veterans did theirs. Pittsburgher Andrew Brennan, an Army veteran who flew helicopters in Afghanistan, has been promoting the idea of a national memorial in Washington, D.C., for about three years. Significant obstacles remain. Funding is one of them, but that’s a worry for another day. First, Congress would have to waive a law that permits memorials to be built only 10 years or more after a war is concluded. The war on terror, however, is more nebulous than most. It’s a fight against a concept, a tactic used by non-state actors, not a foreign power. It’s waged on many fronts, not two or three. Unlike other wars, such as World War II, it might never end. But that’s no reason to hold off giving veterans their due. The National WWII Memorial did not open until 2004, 59 years after the war’s end. Now, WWII veterans are dying at a rate of hundreds per day, and there’s a rush to get as many as possible to Washington to see the memorial while they’re still able to travel. The nonprofit Honor Flight Network has cobbled together money and planes to fly tens of thousands of them to Washington. Veterans of the war on terrorism shouldn’t have to wait until they are 80 or 90 to visit their memorial. They reported when called, putting duty before families, careers and convenience. Recognition of their sacrifices should be prompt, too. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) is correct to point out that the 10-year-rule is intended to provide “historical context” to a war. The waiting period theoretically leads to a more fitting tribute. But 10 years is completely arbitrary; historians could provide even better context 20, 30 or 40 years afterward. While much about the war on terrorism remains unknown, the broad outlines are clear. That’s enough to get started. An unconventional war deserves an unconventional memorial, and this one should be built in a way that allows later chapters of the story to be added. Architects will find a way. For inspiration, Congress might look at the example set 75 years ago by the people of Monongahela, Pa., who wasted no time erecting an honor roll to friends and relatives serving during WWII. Their memorial went up in June 1942, the work done by local craftsmen and the space donated by a town businessman. Planning, according to the old Daily Republican newspaper, began soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Two girls with brothers in the military pulled aside a red, white and blue curtain unveiling the honor roll, to which names were to be added each month. For America, the war was just getting started. But folks in Monongahela needed no more context than the empty seats at their dinner tables. Moving on a memorial now would be just thanks to veterans of the war on terrorism. It also might help to steel those of us on the home front. [Source: http://www.freedomsback.com | Editors | July 30, 2017 ++] *********************** WWII VETS 140 ► Andy Ramotnik | Owed $13 Captivity Pay Andy Ramotnik who survived a plane crash and capture by the Germans during World War II has an axe to grind with the Department of Defense, and it centers around $13. Andy Ramotnik flew 42 successful combat missions as a 20-year-old radio operator in the Army Air Corps during World War II, until he was shot down on his 43rd mission and captured. After nearly two years in captivity, he escaped and rejoined American troops in Austria, not far from where he was held. Following his captivity, Ramotnik received a check for $554 — $1 for every day in captivity — but in his eyes, the military came up short, according to WLTV, a Jacksonville, Florida ABC news affiliate, which first broke the story of Ramotnik’s miraculous survival, capture, and escape. 
With the check was a letter from the Department of War that said Ramotnik was being docked $1 for each day he was on the run — or $13 total. According to letter, under the War Claims Act, the government “does not provide for the payment of benefits during a period of escapement.” “That’s the reason I’m unhappy!” Ramotnik exclaimed in an interview with WLTV. More than 70 years later, that still doesn’t sit well with the 94-year-old veteran — who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Now, Ramotnik wants that money back and an explanation from the Department of Defense “I’m paying a penalty?” Ramotnik asked. “Why? I did good.” The mission that set it all in motion launched on Oct. 4, 1943. Ramotnik’s B-25 was on a bombing run to take out a German military target in Italy, when the aircraft’s right engine was hit. As the B-25 plummeted toward the earth, Ramotnik parachuted to safety, but he was floating down toward German lines and was captured moments after he hit the ground. After he was interrogated in Frankfurt, Germany, Ramotnik was transferred to Stalag 17-B a prison camp in Krems, Austria, where he was held for the next 19 months, but he wasn’t idle. The first time Ramotnik escaped was during a forced march, when he and a fellow prisoner made a break for it, but their freedom was short-lived, and they were captured a few days later. They tried again, and in April 1945, pulled off the same stunt, ducking their captors on an unguarded forced march. This time, Ramotnik and his brother-in-arms got away. Not long after their escape, the two heard the news: The Allies had won. They met up with American troops and were granted a 90-day rest period before Ramotnik received his discharge, and then, the letter and the check. His goal now? He just wants to close the books on the whole ordeal, and not feel like he’s been penalized for doing his duty. [Source: Task & Purpose | James Clark | July 26, 2017 ++] *********************** Directory: uploads uploads -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 uploads -> Department of science and humanities department of mathematics part-a questions and answers uploads -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? uploads -> For want of a nail uploads -> Ownership Models There are two different types of ownership models uploads -> Police Militarization uploads -> City of rising star regular meting thursday, july 14, 2016 uploads -> Township of winfield uploads -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 uploads -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program What We Want Now! Download 5.83 Mb. Share with your friends:
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