PEARL, Miss.  -- Attorney Jim Hood has extended his condolences to staff of the Pearl Police Department and family of an investigator who died Tuesday.

"Today we are saddened beyond words that we have lost one of the state's finest," said Hood in a statement Monday from his office. "We mourn this loss with our fellow law enforcement officers and we pray for Detective Walter's family, friends and co-workers. Heaven is welcoming a hero today."

OFFICER DOWN MEMORIAL PAGE

Pearl police investigator  Michael J. "Mike" Walter, 37, died on May Day during a shooting while he and other officers were serving a warrant on a sexual battery suspect, who was killed.

Another officer was shot in the hand and leg and a third officer was injured in the forearm by something other than a gunshot.

Walter, a native of San Diego, and his wife Jeanne have an 11-year-old daughter, Bailey.  He played pitcher in the minor leagues for the Houston Astros from 1993 to 2000. He joined the Pearl Police Department in February 2009.

Master Sgt. Pruitt Remembered, to be Buried at Arlington

Master Sgt. Scott Pruitt and fiancee Trisha Lane

GAUTIER -- Gautier native and former resident Scott E. Pruitt will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery this weekend, a week after he was killed in Afghanistan, according to news reports.

Fallen Marine Scott Pruitt of Gautier Remembered
The Mississippi Press(gulflive.com)/Monday, April 30, 2012

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Scott E. Pruitt, 38, died Saturday, April 28, from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat duties in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He will be buried Saturday, May 8, at the cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Pruitt lived in Murrieta, Calif., and his brother, Paul, who verified funeral arrangements, lives in Santa Monica, Calif.

Sgt. Pruitt was a member of the First Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, Camp Pendleton, Calif., where he was a comptroller chief. His specialty was financial management resource analyst, according to The Mississippi Press.

State Senate Honors Fallen Marine
Sun Herald/Wednesday, May 02, 2012

The full Mississippi Senate on Monday signed Resolution 679 honoring the 1992 Pascagoula High graduate. Pruitt began his military service in 1993 and had won numerous medals, including the Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the latter three times. He is the father of two children, 9-year-old Jennifer and Jordyn, 4. Sgt. Pruitt and fiancee Trisha Anderson-Lane were to be married in 2013.

Fallen Marine to be Buried at Arlington
Sun Herald/Tuesday, May 01, 2012

LUCEDALE -- Despite a two-hour delay of Honor Flight on Tuesday morning, A.C. Hillman had a good time and really enjoyed the appreciation bestowed on World War II veterans for their military service some 70 years ago. A Korean War veteran also was among the group.

"It was fine, I enjoyed it," said Hillman. "We had some trouble taking off. It cut us short on seeing some things, in walking and seeing some things." Hillman, 91, traveled in a wheelchair with his son, Al, as guardian.

Honor Flight Arrives to Rousing Welcome Home Ceremony
The Mississippi Press/Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tuesday's departure of the third Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight was delayed when the airplane developed hydraulic problems, said Hillman. He said the flight departed Gulfport at 9 a.m. "on the dot" and arrived in the nation's capital about 11 a.m. "I looked at my watch," he said.

"We went to our World War II Memorial.  We walked and saw the Changing of the Guard, and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he said.

"The rest of the time we were on the bus. We drove around looking at things," he said. "We saw General Lee's home. We drove by the Lincoln Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial" and the Korean War Memorial.

He said they visited the Mississippi column of the World War II Memorial.

67 Years Later, the Homecoming
Sun Herald/Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hillman said his son also had a good time. "He really enjoyed it. They made us feel real good. All kinds of people met us up there," said the father.

He said the apprecation and special treatment started on the airplane ride to the capital and concluded on with a grand Welcome Home celebration at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

"There was a crowd that met us at the airport. They really gave us a welcome home," said Hillman. "There was a crowd of people up there (in Washington, D.C.) that met us. They were telling us how much they appreciated us for what we did."

Pearl Harbor Survivor and Son Make Honor Flight

BEXLEY -- Alderson C. Hillman had expected to get up this morning about 2:30 a.m. to make the drive to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, some 100 miles from his home in George County.

Hillman, 91, and his son, Al, joined 94 other World War II veterans and 63 more guardians for the third Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight headed to Washington, D.C. The veterans will spend the day touring war memorials dedicated to their service and monuments honoring  those who fought in Korean and Vietnam wars. The veterans also view the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, where they watch a changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Four will participate in a wreath-laying.


Today's trip makes the third flight of veterans from Mississippi to the nation's capital. The flights began in May 2011 and are provided free to veterans through donations from business, public, and community donations.

"I feel good about it," said the senior Hillman. "I think it's quite an honor."

A.C. Hillman, center, speaks during a ceremony dedicating a portion of U.S. 98 in George County in Mr. Hillman's honor on Wednesday at George County Middle School in Lucedale. Hilllman served as a Marine during World War II. Also shown, from left, are Al Hillman and Wayne Brown, Southern District Transportation Commissioner (Harlan Kirgan/Press-Register/December 07, 2011)

Reporter Harlan Kirgan with The Mississippi Press said this trip for Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight includes the largest number of veterans -- 95 -- to make the daylong tour, which has seen 169 veterans attend since they began in May 2011. Today was the first time veterans did not have a police escort from the Joppa Shrine Temple in Woolmarket to Biloxi-Gulfport International Airport.

Ninety veterans had arrived by 5:45 a.m. for the flight, according to Kim Foster, president of Honor Flight. Takeoff was delayed about 40 minutes because of a mechanical problem, according to the Press report. (Visit Mississsippi Press online for updated reports of the day's tour.)

Hillman said, with some humor, that his son, a resource officer with the George County School District, really wanted to go so the father is making the trip to let his son see all the war memorials. 

Al Hillman refutes that, saying his father and his WWII generation don't really think that they did anything all that special. "He's like a lot of WWII veterans. They are very humble about what they did," said his son. "They went and did a job."

"He'll tell you about the good things; he'll tell you the funny things. He won't tell you about the combat," said Al Hillman, who has talked with his father about the battle experiences.

A.C. Hillman said he does speak to history classes at Lucedale area schools. During a ceremony last year at George County Middle School, he was honored for military service that included being among the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor 70 years ago on Dec. 07, 1941.

About five miles of U.S. 98 was renamed in his honor. "That's something to have a road named after you."

His family also is happy about the road.  "They are all proud they named it after me," said the 91-year-old.

A.G. Hillman, who also is a veteran and a former Lucedale police officer and investigator, said he's proud to serve as a guardian for his father on the Honor Flight. "Who wouldn't be? That's my dad."

The son said he was in tune with his father's military life. "I appreciate it. I appreciate what he did."

The father and son and their World War II companions are expected to return to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport about 7:40 tonight. A crowd of 3,000 plus is expected to greet the veterans for a grand Welcome Home.

Gulfport Police Honor Fallen Officers

HAPPY

 NEW

YEAR!!!!!

2012

U.S. Officially Ends Iraqi War During Ceremonies

During military ceremonies today that folded the U.S. Forces-Iraq flag, U.S. military officially ended the war with Iraq, dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom when the war began almost nine years ago, toppling then-dictator Saddam Hussein.
When fighting started in March 2003 with its campaign of shock and awe, the United States was  rescuing the people of Iraq from a tyrant supposedly armed with nuclear weapons. In general knowledge, it turned out that Saddam never had nuclear weapons, and if he did, they were gone by the time U.S. troops arrived or soon thereafter. 

Still, America had toppled Iraq's leader and thrown its military into disarray. President George Bush and the U.S. were obligated to help establish a new government and put the Middle East country back together while trying to stave off the influence of surrounding nations that, mostly, had been kept at bay by Hussein. That proved to be waaaaay easier said than done as the U.S. and its partners gave their time, effort, money and the lives of military personnel fighting insurgents resistant to the U.S. presence, as well as sectarian violence that also had been mostly under control during Saddam's brutal reign.    

Leon Panetta Announces Official End of War
Fox News/Thursday, December 15, 2011

Today, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the war was worth the blood and expense because ii brought democracy to Iraq. During nine years of conflict, some 4,500 Americans lost their lives, 32,000 were wounded, 100,000 Iraqis were killed, and the U.S. spent $800 billion.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/12/15/iraq-leon-panetta-announces-official-end-war/

By Sunday, all combat troops are expected to be out of Iraq, heading into Kuwait as troops return to the U.S. by, or soon thereafter the Christmas holiday.

Part of Miss. 98 Named for Pearl Harbor Veteran

LUCEDALE -- It's been 70 years coming, but A.C. Hillman will receive honor and appreciation that Americans continue to bestow upon servicemen who fought off the air and naval fighters who attacked the country's Pacific fleet in 1941.

A.C. Hillman, now 91, was aboard the USS Utah when Japanese warplanes and submarines attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7 exactly 70 years ago today. A portion of U.S. 98 will be dedicated in his honor this Pearl Harbor Day.

Hillman and other sailors abandoned ship after using a machine gun aboard the USS California, which sank, to help stop the surprise attack that pulled the United States into World War II, something the country had been trying to directly avoid, though there had been some unofficial aide given to countries in Europe. Until that time, the country's attitude had been one of isolation, though the U.S. government and countries in the Pacific had been afraid of Japanese expansion on the region.

Our history books tell us that some 2,400 military and civilian personnel lost their lives that day. It's estimated that half of those who died were aboard the USS Arizona, which was hit by a torpedo early in the attack and sank quickly. Overall, 1,178 were wounded.

More than 21 ships were sunk or damaged, including eight battleships. All but two -- USS Arizona and USS Utah -- were raised and used during World War II, according to wikipedia.

Today, numerous services are being held across the nation, including one in Lucedale that will rename a portion of U.S. 98 in George County for Hill.  The section is between Mississippi 198 and the George-Greene County line.

According to wikipedia, U.S. Route 98 is an east-west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Fla., and Apalachicola, Fla., and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida Peninsula. It runs along much of the Gulf Coast between Mobile, Ala., and Crystal River, Fla., including extensive sections closely following the coast between Mobile and St. Marks, Fla.

As of 2005, the highway's western terminus is near Washington, Miss., at U.S. Route 61. Its eastern terminus is Palm Beach, Fla., at State Road A1A.

Ceremonies for the A.C. Hillman Highway take place at 6 p.m. today at the George County Middle School Activities Building, 330 Church St., Lucedale.

Because of the ages of the WWII veterans, most in their 80s and 90s, the national Pearl Harbor Survivors Assocation and it local affiliates will disband this year.

Salute And Honor on Holiday Hiatus

NOTICE TO SALUTE AND HONOR FOLLOWERS:

Except for special events, this blog will not post updates during December 2011.

However, please follow 2011 posts that may be updated and edited for additional coverage of some events during the year.

THANK YOU so very much for your interest, and KEEP FOLLOWING us. 

During this hiatus, please add your comments to 2011 and previous posts. ALSO, let us know what you'd like to see in future posts to SaluteAndHonor.blogspot.com

Vivian Austin -- 228-623-8883

Wounded Warrior Walk to Help Veteran

BILOXI -- The Wounded Warrior Walk across the Biloxi Bay Bridge will help Army Sgt. Sjosterner Ellis of Columbus. 

The walk took place Saturday, Nov. 26, under sunny skies, and saw numerous active duty military personnel, veterans, their family members, and community residents make their way across the expanse between Biloxi and Ocean Springs.

Donna Anderson of Ocean Springs, a wounded warrior case manager at Keesler Air Force Base,      and Ret. Air Force Staff Sgt. Naomi Mathis founded the walk's sponsor, Combat Wounded Veterans of South Mississippi, during February.

www.WoundedWarriorProject.org

CWVSM helps veterans with every day financial problems while they wait for Veteran Administration benefits. So far, according to Anderson, they have provided aid to five veterans who have made the transition back to civilian life.   

Ellis, a Purple Heart recipient, was wounded while serving in Iraq, according to media reports.

Walk Raises Money for Wounded Vets
Sun Herald/Sunday, November 27, 2011
Photo Gallery: Wounded Warriors Project 

South Mississippians Walk for Warriors
WLOX TV-13/Saturday, November 26-27, 2011

Operation Never Forget Wants New Home for Seabee Baldwin

BILOXI -- Claudia Baldwin wants to see the bust of her husband -- Builder Chief Joel Baldwin -- put on permanent display at the Seabee base or at the Naval Construction Training Center. Right now the bust is at Negroto's Gallery in Biloxi, where it was unveiled on Monday.

Operation Never Forget Honors Local Hero
Sun Herald/Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011

Baldwin, a builder chief at Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 (MCB-7), died in Iraq during 2004.

Operation Never Forget, according to the Sun Herald, is a nonprofit charity that memorializes fallen service members with bronze bust statues. About 24 busts have been created since 2007, and more are in progress. Each statue costs about $6,000, and are paid for through community fundraisers, the media quoted Operation officials.

New Faces Join Veterans at Breakfast

Donald Evans (left), who served in the Persia Gulf, and Jimmy Cox, an Army infantryman, attended the Veterans' Breakfast on Monday. Cox was a first-timer, but Evans has attended about 12 years. Assistant Superintendent (top) Bernard Rogers, school board officials Dan Marks and Mike Concannon were at the military celebration for local veterans.

Wally Molby, who turns 80 on Wednesday, served in the Air Force during the Korean War. "This thing here is the most wonderful thing that's happened to me since I've been a veteran."

GAUTIER -- Jimmy Cox was among the first-time veterans who attended the Veterans' Breakfast held Monday at Gautier High School.

Teachers, students, and district officials have sponsored the morning meal and honor program for 12 years.  

"I've been intending to come and I've always been working," said Cox. "I set aside time to come this year."
Cox served in the infantry from 1969 to 1970 during the Vietnam War. "This is wonderful," he said of the breakfast.

Cox's friend Donald Evans has attended the Veterans' Breakfast almost since its inception.

"I do it every year," he said. "I missed the first year."

He comes because of the honor and to meet friends. "A lot of these guys I've been knowing since my childhood. I didn't know they were Vietnam vets."

Evans served in the Navy, and jokingly says that his friends put on the wrong uniform. "These guys just signed the wrong papers."

(Look for more information, quotes and photographs in future updates.)