Veterans

The story of a 24-year-old Georgia graduate student fighting a flesh-eating disease has prompted a microbiologist with the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System to speak out about the infection. Aimee Copeland lost most of her left leg after the flesh-eating bacteria necrotizing faciitis is believed to have entered a cut on her leg, according to the Associated Press, which reports she may also have to have her fingers amputated. The waterborne bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila is believed to have caused the infection.

The report from the State Department was brief: Thomas M. Jennings Jr., a federal worker from Burtonsville on a temporary assignment with NATO peacekeepers, had died in a car crash in Southern Bosnia. Fifteen years later, it turns out that was only part of the story. Unknown to neighbors and friends, Jennings was working for the CIA, the agency acknowledged last week. A veteran covert officer — he told acquaintances he worked for the State Department — he volunteered to go to Sarajevo after the Bosnian war as a U.S.-led force worked to maintain peace.

Ask children what Memorial Day means to them and they'll frequently say: "That's the day that the pools open. " Yet no other observance in America is more somber: It is the day we remember our war dead, pay homage to their sacrifice and courage, and recall the selflessness that embodies military service. Memorial Day also honors the families of the fallen: the mother who hears her child's 21-gun salute; the husband or wife who receives a folded flag; the young son or daughter who knows mom or dad only from a photograph.

The gang at Mission BBQ is inviting the public to have lunch with a group of World War II veterans visting from California. You'll find no sunshine patriots at Mission BBQ , these guys stick to their mission of honoring Americans in uniform every day. So, go, and get there at noon for the daily singing of the National Anthem, and stay for the good barbecue and a chat with the vets.

This July 4th finds us with servicemen and women celebrating Independence Day in other countries, carrying with them the creed that all men and women are created equal and endowed with the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Recently, President Barack Obama announced a drawback of our troops in Afghanistan. Some of those troops will continue with their military careers, while others will transition to civilian life as veterans. I urge Marylanders to be proactive in welcoming home newly-returned veterans and to participate in helping them to transition and readjust to civilian life.

Albert Raim, my father, grew up on Lombard Street. By the end of World War II he had trained the crews who dropped the atomic bombs on Japan in how to fly their B-29s by instruments. Martin Klein, my father-in-law, grew up on Smallwood Street. He was one of the few unwounded soldiers in the first wave to make it to Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 — D-Day. I still find it amazing that these otherwise ordinary men had such a direct impact on two of the most monumental events in world history.

I learned from my parents that public service is the noblest calling any of us can answer. As a boy, I watched my father, a doctor in New York's poorest neighborhoods, treat struggling families and the elderly — often out of his own pocket. I saw my mother raise five children, no easy task for any parent, and challenge each of us to pursue our dreams. Years later, while I was in college, driven by their example and inspired by our nation's men and women in uniform, I answered a call to give back.

Besides giving several injured players a chance to heal and recover, the bye week also provides some of the Ravens' younger players with an opportunity to get more involved in the game plan and get more reps in practice. Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Wednesday's session was a chance to mix the younger players with the veterans. “Everybody is getting work in,” he said. “Everybody is healthy enough. There are a few guys we held out. It's just better for them not to be out here pounding - not that many.

The gang at Mission BBQ is inviting the public to have lunch with a group of World War II veterans visting from California. You'll find no sunshine patriots at Mission BBQ , these guys stick to their mission of honoring Americans in uniform every day. So, go, and get there at noon for the daily singing of the National Anthem, and stay for the good barbecue and a chat with the vets.

Henry Behringer, 87, and Robert Hood, 93, were engaged in a friendly disagreement. Both Army veterans of World War II, the two men sat across the table, shaking their heads, and eyeing each other. Hood had served in France - preparing airfields for the Americans in World War II, and recounted his memories of those days. But the two disagreed about some of the details of the allied liberation of France. Neither one would bend, but that was OK, according to Behringer. After all, their heated discussion was happening over a friendly holiday meal.

I and other retired veterans residing in Maryland will soon be seeking another state in which to live due to the disproportionate impact of the state's new tax legislation on retired veterans. Having served my country for more than 25 years, I find that the People's Republic of Maryland views me as wealthy merely because I have gainful post-retirement employment in addition to my previously-earned retirement income. I moved 16 times in my military career, so I'm well versed in voting with my feet.

A Harford County Sheriff's Office deputy, who was rushed to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center Thursday night after experiencing a medical emergency, is "improving," a sheriff's office spokesperson said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the sheriff's office is conducting an internal inquiry into what happened to the deputy and the length of time it took to find him, Sheriff Jesse Bane said. Bane identified the deputy Tuesday as Sgt. Noel Raufaste of the agency's Police Services Division. Raufaste, who has been with the agency 10 years, was on duty at the time he became ill, Monica Worrell, spokesperson for the sheriff's office said.

Aberdeen Proving Ground will celebrate Armed Forces Week with a variety of events including a golf tournament, veterans luncheon, and a museum open house. The celebration will be held Monday through Saturday, according to the APG Public Affairs Office, but most events will be concentrated on Wednesday when school bands will play, veterans will be honored and the APG will have an open house showing the public what goes on at the military facility. The public is invited. For more information about the events, call 410-278-4500.

BETHESDA - A mother arrives at the Red Cross office at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on a mission for her son, a 23-year-old soldier and double amputee. He needs a back scratcher. With her bright eyes and wide smile, volunteer Janice Chance gives her that and more - a reassuring rub on the arm and an offer to do anything else she can for the soldier, who is visiting the hospital for tests. In a sense, Chance is here for her own son, too. Marine Capt.

Looking to round out their defensive line rotation, the Ravens has signed veteran nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu, the team announced Wednesday. Kemoeatu will likely replace backup nose tackle Brandon McKinney, who signed with Chuck Pagano and the Indianapolis Colts in free agency. Kemoeatu, 33 got his start as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2002. A Tonga native and a Utah graduate, Kemoeatu played four seasons with the Ravens. He started 16 games and made 30 tackles in 2005, his final season in Baltimore.

Here is a question that the Ravens will have to answer in the coming weeks: Will they be comfortable going into the season without an experienced backup behind Ray Rice? Currently, the three top guys behind Rice on the running back depth chart - second-year players Anthony Allen and Damien Berry and rookie third-round pick Bernard Pierce - will enter training camp with three combined NFL carries. All of those belong to Allen, who carried the ball three times for eight yards in the Ravens' blowout victory over theSt.

Sgt. Miguel Antia, an Army Airborne Ranger whose body is peppered with seven gunshot wounds from a 2005 attack in Iraq, survived that incident only to find himself suffering from a debilitating disease he contracted while on duty in South America last year. Antia has spent the past five months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, battling leishmaniasis, a disease caused by parasites that causes skin sores and spleen damage and nearly paralyzed him permanently. Bedridden until the past couple of months, Antia has since undergone a speedy and somewhat miraculous recovery, leaving him strong enough to participate Thursday in a 13-mile bike ride through Baltimore designed to help other injured veterans.

It's going to be interesting on draft day when the New York Jets are on the clock at No. 16, and then again before the Pittsburgh Steelers select at No. 24. According to several reports, the Jets want to select Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw and the Steelers like Crimson Tide inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower. Who doesn't? So, I imagine there will be some tense moments for general manager Ozzie Newsome and his staff Thursday night because either of these players could have a significant impact on the Ravens.

During his more than 60 years in the news business, Timonium resident Lou Panos crossed paths with people from legendary Baltimore scribeH.L. Mencken to the Kennedy brothers - as in RFK and JFK. Along the way, Panos, 86, who was inducted last week into the Maryland/Delaware/DC Press Association's Hall of Fame, cranked out articles, editorials and columns for the Associated Press for 20 years and later for the Baltimore Sun and the Patuxent...

The Orioles have agreed to terms with veteran free-agent utility man Bill Hall, according to multiple industry sources. He will report to the club's Triple-A team in Norfolk and will replace Josh Bell, who was dealt to the Diamondbacks this weekend after he was designated for assignment. The Orioles like his glove at third base and his ability to hit for power against left-handed pitching. Hall spent most of his 10-year big-league career with Milwaukee, where he had a 35-homer, 85-RBI season in 2006, but the Orioles will be his seventh organization since the beginning of the 2009 season.