News / Military

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / April 15, 2019 PHOTO: On April 27, 2011, Air Force Maj. Raymond Estelle II was one of nine killed in Kabul, Afghanistan in an insider attack. Now his wife, Air Force Lt. Col. N’Keiba Estelle, has taken command of his old unit at MacDill…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / April 8, 2019 PHOTO: A bulldozer dumps a load of trash into a burn pit just 300 yards from the runway at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in a 2012 photo. (Photo Credit: Mark Rankin) TAMPA — U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis is taking a cue…

News / Military The Pinellas-Pasco judge was sprayed with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. He was 80 when he died of complications from that exposure. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / April 4, 2019 PHOTO: Thomas E. Penick Jr., worked to protect the area’s most vulnerable residents in his more than 25…

News / Military Clarke succeeds retired Army Gen. Raymond A. “Tony” Thomas III to oversee the command stationed at MacDill Air Force Base. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 29, 2019 PHOTO: The new leader of U.S. Special Operations Command, Army Gen. Richard Clarke, speaks during Friday’s change of command ceremony at…

News / Military One of those named is the guard’s deputy commander, who is eligible to take over when the current leader retires April 6. Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t announced a replacement yet. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 29, 2019 PHOTO: Units from the Florida National Guard were sent to the…

News / Military The new U.S. Central Command leader takes over for Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who retired. McKenzie now oversees all U.S. military efforts in the world’s most volatile region. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 28, 2019 PHOTO: Marine Gen. Kenneth Mckenzie Jr. took over command of U.S. Central Command,…

News / Military As the four-star general’s four-decade career draws to a close, he recounts one of the toughest calls he made while leading U.S. Central Command. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 27, 2019 PHOTO: Army Gen. Joseph Votel, center, speaks to sailors and Marines aboard the USS New Orleans, an…

News / Military With nearly a third of Offutt Air Force Base underwater, crews monitored fuel storage areas, mobilized a family assistance program, and canceled a scheduled June 1 air show. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 21, 2019 PHOTO: An aerial view of Offutt Air Force Base and surrounding areas near…

News / Military Andreas O’Keeffe left the comparatively safe duty of flying intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft for the far more dangerous job of helicopter rescue and recovery. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 18, 2019 PHOTO: Air Force Maj. Andreas “Andy” O’Keeffe, 37, was one of seven airmen killed last March…

News / Military Peter Sebastian Cimino, 19, was a deeply religious young man who loved fishing, pasta and cheese, and serving his country. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 12, 2019 PHOTO: Army Pvt. Peter Sebastian Cimino, 19, of Tampa, was found dead March 3 on a military base in Italy. He…

News / Military In the biggest event of kind across the Air Force, some 2,300 students visit the base to see real-world applications for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 8, 2019 PHOTO: Plant High students Annahlia Hernandez, 18, left, and Jacob Sinotte, 17, show their…

News / Military Testifying before a Senate panel, Heather Wilson also supported a ‘Tenants Bill of Rights.’ By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / March 6, 2019 PHOTO: After touring MacDill Air Force Base’s privately-run housing units on recently, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson spoke to the members of military families about their complaints…

News / Military A love that began on a desert Marine base still blooms in Sun City Center By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 21, 2019 PHOTO: Dorothy Hill, then Dorothy Russell, (top row, third from right) at Camp Lejuene, North Carolina with other women Marines in October, 1943. On Feb. 23,…

News / Military Support grows for a ‘bill of rights’ that would help military families deal with the private companies that run substandard on-base housing. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 14, 2019 PHOTO: Amie Norquist, 31, holds her 10-month-old son Ethan in their new home in Riverview in January. After a…

News / Military The SUV was disabled by base security and the driver was taken into custody. The incident was not an act of terrorism or a political statement, police say. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 13, 2019 PHOTO: This 2014 photo shows the S Dale Mabry Highway gate onto MacDill…

News / Military But it remains unknown how many aircraft or airmen from MacDill Air Force took part in the bombings, which have resulted in civilian casualties. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 5, 2019 PHOTO: A KC-135 Stratotanker is seen from another KC-135 as the planes sit on the tarmac at…

News / Military The Nine-O-Nine, a B-17 Flying Fortress, is one of three World War II planes visiting for the Wings of Freedom tour. They’ll be at Tampa Executive Airport until Thursday. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 4, 2019 PHOTO: The B-17 Flying Fortress dubbed Nine-O-Nine, a World War II-era bomber,…

News / Military Donovan created the forerunner of the CIA and Special Forces. He was one of nearly two dozen commando Medal of Honor recipients or family members honored by U.S. Special Operations Command. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 4, 2019 PHOTO: David Donovan, center, receives a plaque from Army Gen.…

News / Military Chelsey Gutierrez was selected for writing about her family’s ordeal: “We feel like pawns in a political game and we’re sick of it.” By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / February 4, 2019 PHOTO: Coast Guard member Chris Gutierrez, 33, and his wife Chelsey Gutierrez, 30, are budgeting their lives as…

Florida As elected officials and Air Force leaders seek billions to rebuild, the Pentagon says all bases should consider planning for future storms. Next month, the Air Force will visit to begin planning its future. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / January 18, 2019 PHOTO: Col. Brian Laidlaw, commander of the 325th Wing…

News / Military Column By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / January 23, 2019 (Updated January 25, 2019) PHOTO: Members of the Sun Coast Chief Petty Officers Association accept food donations from The Storehouse of America at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. The food will be donated to Coast Guard members affected by the…

News / Military About 50 of the 74 surviving medal winners are expected to attend the annual convention to talk about service, sacrifice and lessons learned. Kids are their target audience. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / January 9, 2019 PHOTO: Medal of Honor recipients Gary Littrell, left, Drew Dix, center and Gary…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / January 7, 2019 PHOTO: Ryan English CEO and Co-founder of FLYMOTION pilots a drone at their Tampa headquarters on 1/4/19, next to him is Unmanned Aerial Systems Operations Manager Rich Gatanis. FLYMOTION is a Tampa based Unmanned Aerial Systems company that works with customers…

News / Military Leaders at the command have said there is more to do in Syria and Afghanistan. But Trump wants troops out of Syria and reductions in Afghanistan. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / December 26, 2018 PHOTO: President Donald Trump, left, at a June Cabinet meeting with Secretary of Defense James…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 22, 2018 PHOTO: Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, in a 2017 interview with the Tampa Bay Times at his office at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. (MONICA HERNDON | Times) TAMPA — In March, President Donald Trump said…

News / Military A Tampa connection brings the group’s story to Sundance. By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / January 20, 2017 PHOTO: The makers of Legion of Brothers sought the blessing of Special Operations Command, based in Tampa, for their documentary about the first foot soldiers in the American war against jihadis. (Courtesy…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 20, 2016 PHOTO: The AN/GSC-39C satellite antenna at MacDill Air Force Base, affectionately known as the Golf Ball, is being dismantled. (Courtesy of 6th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill Air Force Base) TAMPA — Technically, it was called the AN/GSC-39C satellite antenna at Building…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 16, 2016 PHOTO: Laura Westley of Dunedin, front and center, reheareses her musical “War Virgin,” which recounts her experiences at the U.S. Military Academy and as a female soldier. Performances are scheduled in St. Petersburg, Boston and West Point, New York. (DIRK SHADD…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 13, 2016 VIDEO: (missing) With his A-4 Skyhawk shot out of the sky, Navy Lt. JG Bradley Smith plummeted to earth at 600 miles an hour. He hit the ejection lever just seconds before it was too late and wound up unconscious in…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 13, 2016 PHOTO: Tara Craver protests Monday outside Bay Pines VA Healthcare System. Her husband was stationed at Camp Lejeune in 1972. (JOHN PENDYGRAFT | Times) ST. PETERSBURG — Tara Craver stood on a grassy strip along Bay Pines Boulevard, across from the…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 10, 2016 PHOTO: Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of Tampa-based U.S. Central Command, visited the USS New Orleans in the Strait of Hormuz during July as part of a tour of 20-nation CentCom region. (HOWARD ALTMAN / Times) TAMPA — Like the rest…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / September 9, 2016 PHOTO: The American University of Afghanistan in Kabul was the scene of an attack on Aug. 25, when at least 13 people were killed and dozens wounded, a government spokesman said. More than two weeks earlier, two professors were kidnapped. (Associated…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 25, 2016 PHOTO: Jill Kelley, whose self published book “Collateral Damage” came out in March, was invited to speak at Yale University as an expert on government overreach. (Associated Press) Jill Kelley of Tampa, who played a role in the fall of CIA…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 23, 2016 PHOTO: A Walgreens photo technician figured out part of the story of Army Spc. Zachary Shannon from photos his mother brought in for processing. The technician, Matthew Bower, paid for the order himself. Courtesy of Kim Allison When Kim Allison visited…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 19, 2016 PHOTO: U.S. Rep. David Jolly, right, presents service awards Friday to Jim Shanyfelt, 89, who served in the Navy in World War II and the Korean War. (DIRK SHADD | Times) Trying to correct his name on some letters of appreciation…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 19, 2016 VIDEO: (missing) It was just a bone fragment, a small piece from a human skull, but pulled from the icy expanse of an Alaska glacier, it proved enough to solve a mystery six decades old. “It stirred everything back up again,”…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 18, 2016 PHOTO: A flight engineer prepares the P-3 Orion aircraft dubbed Kermit for a trip into the eye of a hurricane. New talks with Cuba may help speed the time it takes to reach a storm from the National Oceanographc and Atmospheric…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 17, 2016 PHOTO: A former MacDill Air Force Base commander said a round of base closings is likely, but that MacDill should be in good shape (Times files 2014) ST. PETERSBURG — In Florida, which has 20 military bases, the defense industry accounts…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 12, 2016 PHOTO: The U.S. Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base, was the focus of a critical congressional report on Thursday. (CHRIS URSO | Tampa Tribune 2014) TAMPA — For retired Army intelligence officer D.J. Reyes, a scathing report by congressional…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 11, 2016 PHOTO: Demonstrators chant slogans to support the Islamic State group in front of the provincial government headquarters in the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014. (Associated Press 2014) U.S. Central Command’s intelligence operation altered its analysis to paint a more…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 5, 2016 PHOTO: Craig Gross of Oldsmar, left, speaks about his son with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, center, and Billy Vaughn during a meeting Trump called with Gold Star families on Wednesday in Jacksonville. Gold Star families have lost loved ones to…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / August 1, 2016 PHOTO: In her Brooksville home on Monday, Gold Star mother Talisa Williams holds a photo of her late son, Army Spc. Clarence Williams III, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. (BRENDAN FITTERER | Times) Only a small fraction of American…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / July 29, 2016 The latest salvo in the jihadi cyber war against the United States was fired Thursday via a social media posting from a group supporting the Islamic State. The posting, in the form of an infographic, bragged about successful attempts to hack…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / July 19, 2016 PHOTO: Gavin Long, 29, who served with the Marines in Iraq, killed three law enforcement officers and wounded three others in Baton Rouge, La. (YouTube via AP) Local experts who deal with troubled veterans caution against drawing conclusions from the military…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 30, 2016 PHOTO: An organization described as a public relations arm of the terrorist Islamic State used Twitter pages like this to recruit new members, according to a federal lawsuit. The page had 20,000 followers as of June 2014, the lawsuit says. (Photo…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 24, 2016 PHOTO: Shown with Gen. Raymond “Tony” Thomas III, commander of SOCom at MacDill Air Force Base, Caesar Civitella, right, was inducted into SOCom’s Commando Hall of Honor this year. Courtesy of Caesar Civitella ST. PETERSBURG — The life of Caesar Civitella…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 24, 2016 PHOTO: The Tampa Bay Defense Alliance has emphasized progress at MacDill Air Force Base in reducing gridlock at gates. (Times 2011) TAMPA — Knowing the Pentagon aims to consolidate bases some day, local leaders are touting gains from their partnerships with…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 24, 2016 PHOTO: MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa was on an initial list of 11 bases under consideration to host the new KC-46 Pegasus refueling jets, left, but was passed over a second time. (Courtesy U.S. Air Force) TAMPA — The newest…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 22, 2016 PHOTO: Tim Martin was shot and killed during an altercation at SoHo Backyard in November in Tampa. TAMPA — Relatives of a former Navy SEAL who was shot and killed in a confrontation at a South Tampa restaurant say prosecutors have…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 20, 2016 PHOTO: MacDill is home to 16 KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling jets, which will be moved temporarily while runways are resurfaced. Resurfacing at MacDill takes place about every 15 years. (Times files 2012) TAMPA — MacDill Air Force Base and the skies…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 9, 2016 VIDEO: U.S. Special Operations Command wants to see if it can slap a “Made in the U.S.A.” label on the world’s most popular weapon — the Russian-designed AK-47 assault rifle. In war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, where the United…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 1, 2016 TAMPA — To U.S. Rep. David Jolly and state Sen. Jack Latvala, the line of cars backing up every day on Dale Mabry outside MacDill Air Force Base is more than an inconvenience. “The lineup you have in the morning presents…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 29, 2016 PHOTO: Senior Airman Devon Garner-Klingbeil stands near transfer cases containing the remains of Army Spc. Brittany B. Gordo and Army Sgt. Robert J. Billings on Oct. 15, 2012 at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Gordon…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 26, 2016 TAMPA — FBI director James Comey told a gathering of international commandos and defense industry leaders Wednesday that they must continually adapt to evolving threats from the Middle East. Where al-Qaida fighters focused on long-term planning for large-scale attacks, for instance,…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 24, 2016 TAMPA — Packed with robots and trucks and guns and drones, the Tampa Convention Center’s exhibition hall this week has been transformed into a showroom for the latest in war gadgets. It’s all part of the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference,…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 24, 2016 PHOTO: U.S. and international special operations forces demonstrate combat capabilities outside the Tampa Convention Center during a 2012 convention. (Times 2012) TAMPA — A major annual conference that brings together special operations forces commanders and defense industry leaders kicked into high…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 20, 2016 PHOTO: Courtesy of Tampa Bay Defense Alliance The Tampa Bay Defense Alliance is creating a new trophy to honor civilians who have given distinguished service and contributions to airmen. It will be presented in October. Tampa Bay is well known throughout…

News / Military By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / May 13, 2016 PHOTO: Air Force Maj. Erin Tedesco, a former Tampa school teacher, looking at the ScanEagle drone catapult launching system. Tedesco, 40, is the lead advisor to the program teaching the Afghan National Army how to use the aircraft to gather images…