DEPLOYED

DEPLOYED

Soldiers depart to support war on terrorism

COLUMBUS — Some 60 soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard’s Company B, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, are scheduled to mobilize for active duty this month in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The soldiers will depart for Camp Atterbury, Ind., and then travel to Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev., to conduct final mission training in preparation for operations in support of the global war on terrorism.

Leaving for Persian Gulf

Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathaniel D. Newkirk has deployed to Southwest Asia in the Persian Gulf region to support the missions of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Joint Task Force Horn of Africa as a member of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW).

Newkirk is normally assigned to the 319th Operations Support Squadron, Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. His wife, Amber, is the daughter of Chris Blakley of Grove City, Pa.

PROMOTION

Master sergeant

Air Force Master Sgt. Adam J. Vizi has been promoted to his present rank while serving as a joint terminal attack controller with the 15th Airlift Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, Hawaii.

He is the son of James and Lyndia Vizi of North Jackson, and his wife, Gina, is the daughter of James and Carla DeBartolo of Boardman. Vizi graduated in 1992 from Ursuline High School, and in 2002 and 2004 received associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force.

Navy recruit advances

Navy Seaman Apprentice Anthony N. Johnson, a 2008 graduate of Keystone Charter School, Greenville, Pa., was promoted to his current rank upon graduation from recruit training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.

VETERANS

Honoring soldier’s memory with clinic name

HERMITAGE, Pa. — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation, introduced last year by U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, D-4th, and U.S. Rep. Phil English of Erie, R-3rd, to honor Marine Sgt. Michael A. Marzano’s dedication and service to the nation by naming the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic here after Marzano.

The Marine was the first soldier from Mercer County, Pa., to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

“By renaming this outpatient clinic, we will honor Sgt. Michael Marzano’s memory and recognize his bravery and sacrifice,” Altmire said.

A native of Greenville, Pa., Marzano grew up with the dream of becoming a Marine. Upon graduating from Sharon High School, Marzano applied to the Marine Corps but was denied entry because of a knee injury he suffered during his senior year of high school. Determined to fulfill his dream, Marzano underwent surgery to correct the condition and continued to reapply to the Marines and was accepted four years later in 1999.

In December 2004, Marzano, then a sergeant, volunteered for a tour of duty in Iraq. On May 8, 2005, after serving only two months in Iraq, the 28-year-old was killed by a suicide bomber while taking part in an offensive against insurgents in the city of Haditha, Al-Anbar Province, Iraq.

Flag Retirement Ceremony

LOWELLVILLE — Lowellville American Legion Post 247 will conduct a Flag Retirement Ceremony on Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. in the front of city hall. Residents may drop off United States flags that are damaged or worn at the city hall year-round in a special container kept inside the police entrance. Any who desire to attend the ceremony are invited to attend. Post 247 will conduct its regular monthly meeting at the close of the flag ceremony.

Listing of veteran-friendly employers available online

COLUMBUS — AMVETS, Department of Ohio, in partnership with the Ohio Air and Army National Guard, has opened a Web site, www.Ohiovetscan.com. Phase I of the program is the listing of veteran-friendly employers with links to employer Web sites, contact information and if available, job openings.

Phase two, scheduled to be online Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2008, will enable veterans, National Guard, Reservists and members of active duty military components to have their resumes posted on the site.

Phase three will be a statewide marketing effort to make employers and veterans aware of www.Ohiovetscan.com. This effort will kick off on Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7, 2008.

Phase four, scheduled for early spring 2009, is a fully automated site that will allow veterans, National Guard, Reservists and members of the active duty components, including employers, to post and update their information as the need arises.

BASIC TRAINING

Air Force: Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew A. Malenic (O’Connor High School, Helotes, Texas, ’05), son of Angie Williams of San Antonio, Texas, and grandson of Meg Malenic of Poland.

Army: Pvt. Lawrence F. Sugden (Gospel Baptist School, Poland, ’97), son of Richard and Rebecca Sugden of Struthers; Army Pvt. Kalen P. Stover (Whitehall Yearling High School, Whitehall, Ohio, ’03), grandson of Thyrel McMillan of Lisbon.

Navy: Seaman Apprentice Christopher S. Dottle (New Castle Senior High School, New Castle, Pa., ’06), son of Debra A. Dottle of New Castle, Pa.; Seaman Apprentice David J. Santana (Miramar High School, Miramar, Fla., ’08), son of Jose J. Santana of Youngstown; Seaman Recruit Jacob S. Griner (Girard High School, ’07), son of Elizabeth A. and Samuel E. Griner of Girard; Seaman Recruit Matthew A. Hofstetter (Niles McKinley High School of Niles, ’08), son of Dennis A. Hofstetter of Warren; Seaman Recruit Justin R. Donato (John Marshall High School, Glen Dale, W.Va., ’06), son of Renee E. Carmichael of McMechen, W.Va., and Mike D. Donato of Hanoverton; Seaman Apprentice Sarah M. Brest (Greenville High School of Greenville, Pa., ’06), daughter of Felicia M. Hough of Madison, Ohio, and Todd F. Brest of Greenville, Pa.

XItems of note for the Armed Forces Digest can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or e-mailed to alcorn@vindy.com.