A little more than three years after charges were formally framed against Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez for the  murders Capt. Phillip Esposito and 1st Lt. Louis Allen, the trial is finally coming to a close.

On Monday the defense will start its rebuttal statement, and if things go according to schedule closing arguments should start on [...]

Looks like this is becoming an annual event. The Town of Ramapo in conjunction with the Jewish War veterans PFC Fred Hecht Post # 425 will be sponsoring the second annual “Salute To Veteran” concert on Sunday, Nov. 23.

Featured will be the renowned U.S. Military Academy Concert band. The event will take place at Suffern [...]

Nami-Familya is calling all veterans or members of their families who fear that their loved ones are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, to attend a gathering on Wednesday. As we’ve heard and read too often, suicide and factorss that contribute to suicide such as depression, PTSD, and a rise in drug and alcohol abuse [...]

The defense opened its case in Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez’s fragging court-martial yesterday and its clear that it is trying to paint him as a dim-witted, profanity prone soldier who was none-the-less affable, and hardly the type who would plan the cold-blooded murder of two superior officers.

The problem with that picture is that the prosecution [...]

The military judge presiding over the court-martial of Alberto Martinez delayed the defense case for a day after attorneys told him that they didn’t have witnesses ready to testify on the first day. They will bring witnesses to the stand tomorrow.

The prosecution presented its last witness yesterday. Staff Sgt. Amy Harlan testified that she gave [...]

For all of you who’ve been reading my stories about the court-martial of Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez in the murder of two officers in Iraq, the trial is expected to run until he end of the year. As you know, the 41-year-old Troy, NY, native is being tried for the premeditated murders of Capt. Phillip [...]

As thousands of people decend on Denver for the Democratic National Convention,  Andy Roberts of Suffern will be there to add his voice.

But he’s not there to root for any candidate; Roberts is part of a Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, or IAVA, which is there to meet with delegates and convention guests. The [...]

Maybe this will finally come to an end.

Fort Bragg says tomorrow will start the last phase off pretrial motions in the murder trial of Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez of Troy who is accused in the 2005 killings of Capt. Phillip Esposito of Suffern and 1st. Lt. Louis Allen of Milford, Penn.  Their deaths are considered [...]

June 23, the date the fragging trial of Alberto Martinez was supposed to start, has gone by with no indication when it may eventually start. Yes, people who have been following the case knew that date wouln’t hold because of excruciating legal manouvering. But none the less it gives reason to pause and remember that [...]

Here’s some good news for veterans: New York state has impoved its veteran’s tuition award program by raising the maximum financial aid it gives to the state’s combat veterans to what SUNY charges the state’s veterans for undergrad courses. In simple terms, the maximum award money will equal the tuition costs. The money will be [...]

Stephen Barry of Building Homes for Heroes just called me to tell me about a fundraiser the agency is doing this weekened to raise money for injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It’s a 5 K walk that will be held at Rockland Lake on Sunday, June 15, at 8:30 a.m. All money will go to [...]

Returning soldiers — How about food and fun while you do some business? The Orange County Veteran’s Coalition is putting together informational booths for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom on Saturday, May 17, at Goshen Park in Goshen, NY. Veterans can get information about services for returning soldiers and at [...]

It’s happened again. A scheduled May 15 hearing in the murder trial of Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez has been postponed. A brief press release from Fort Bragg gave no reason and offered no alternative date. In about three weeks, the families of the victims — Army Capt. Phillip Esposito of Suffern and 1st Lt. [...]

Military.com is reporting that the VA and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, have announced a $75 million grant to provide permanent housing for about 10,000 veterans nationwide. That should be welcome news for veterans. The VA says that at least a third of the country’s homeless population has served in [...]

It’s that time of the year again. For the third year in a row, wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan will be coming to Nyack to try their hand at bass fishing. The contest will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Nyack Boat Launch, which is at the foot of [...]