Afghanistan

The Department of Defense announced Monday the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. James M. Malachowski, 25, of Westminster, Md., died Sunday while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

A Hagerstown native and 1991 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School who was described by a former assistant principal as “happy-go-lucky” died Saturday in Kandahar province in Afghanistan, according to U.S. military officials. Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin F. Bitner, 37, died after suffering wounds when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense announced Monday. Bitner, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., was an 18-year career soldier in the U.S. Army, according to the Department of Defense.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The war in Afghanistan will get worse before it gets better, President Barack Obama said Wednesday, but he declared his plan to begin withdrawing U.S. forces next year remains on track. "What I've tried to emphasize is the fact that there is going to be some hard fighting over the next several months," Obama said at a White House news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. He spoke as the U.S.-led foreign army in Afghanistan gets ready for a push into the Taliban's birthplace in Kandahar Province.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A magnitude-6.3 earthquake has rattled the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan late Friday night, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The 11:51 p.m. quake was deep, some 124.1 miles below the surface, the USGS said. No tsunami warnings were issued. The USGS said the quake hit some 45 miles southeast of Faizabad, Afghanistan, and 165 miles northeast of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan

Fourth-grade teacher Kathryn Toy, who attended Sharpsburg Elementary School with Capt. Ben Keller, presented an American flag to the school March 19. The flag had flown over Keller's base in Afghanistan and was given in appreciation of the school's support for the soldiers serving our country. The plaque is hanging in the front hall at Sharpsburg Elementary School.

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- Flags are at half-staff across Maryland as the remains of a Marine corporal from Frederick are laid to rest. Cpl. Kurt Shea's funeral Mass was set for Wednesday morning at the Frederick Christian Fellowship complex. The 21-year-old radio operator was killed May 10 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Gov. Martin O'Malley has ordered U.S. and Maryland flags flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset in Shea's memory.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- Having just returned from Afghanistan days earlier, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster said Monday he has an "outlook that is positive" for the Middle Eastern nation, but U.S. troops will be there for another three years. Shuster, R-Pa., told reporters in a conference call about the trip he took with Reps. Brian Baird, John Larson and Bob Inglis. The lawmakers visited Jordan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. When asked about President Obama's proposal to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July 2011, Shuster said he has doubts that will happen.

The remains of a U.S. Marine from Washington County who was killed in combat on New Year’s Day in Afghanistan were returned Monday afternoon to the United States. The Air Force Mortuary Affairs Office in Dover, Del., said the remains of Lance Cpl. Maung Htaik, 20, of Hagerstown, were returned to Dover Air Force Base. Htaik died Saturday in Helmand province while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a news release.

Injured Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Shank no sooner arrived in his hometown of Waynesboro on Tuesday evening than he was looking for a way out of town. He had been separated from his Marine buddy Lance Cpl. Steven Jones since June 4 — the day the MRAP all-terrain vehicle in which they were riding was hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Shank needed to go check on Jones as soon as he was able. Shank, 21, and four others in his unit — the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines — were wounded in the attack, mostly with neck and back injuries.

Pfc. Kevin R. Jaye, a U.S. Army infantryman serving in Afghanistan, will be returning to the United States Friday after suffering numerous serious injuries from a improvised explosive device, his father said Wednesday. Ken Jaye of Smithsburg said his 25-year-old son, who was with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, stepped on the pressure plate of an IED, and it exploded violently, resulting in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. “I'm just glad my son's alive,” Ken Jaye said.

A veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has announced his candidacy for mayor of Chambersburg. Darren Brown, 32, said he wants to review police operations to ensure the most efficient use of tax money, ensure transparency for government operations, and establish and strengthen partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Chambersburg's mayor oversees its borough police department. That position is just one of many that will appear on ballots in the May 21 primary election and Nov. 5 municipal election.

Musselman High School senior Josh Ferguson volunteered to help with the school's Take a Veteran to School celebration Thursday not knowing he would meet a family relative - who served in World War II - for the first time. Charles L. Ferguson, 88, Ferguson's cousin four times removed, was among more than two dozen veterans and active duty soldiers honored at the event. Josh, 17, said he knew of his relative and his service in the military thanks to his grandmother, but had never met his great-grandfather's first cousin, who served in the Army and the Air Force.

When Courtney Ryan left Greencastle to attend Eastern Mennonite University, she never dreamed she'd produce a television documentary. Ryan, 21, a senior at EMU in Harrisonburg, Va., along with 15 other students from her visual and communication arts class produced “Weaving Life: The Life and Death of Peacemaker Dan Terry.” The documentary will air Sunday, Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on channel 3 (WHTM). “Weaving Life,” will air on select ABC-TV stations nationally from Sunday through Dec. 16, according to a news release from EMU. Ryan said Paulette Moore, media arts and peacebuilding professor at EMU oversaw the students who worked on the documentary.

From finding ways to mitigate the devastating effects of improvised explosive devices in Iraq to training future Army officers on the homefront, former Hagerstown resident David Ramsey capped an illustrious military career when he retired earlier this month. The 56-year-old Ramsey said he retired as a colonel on Oct. 1 after 29 years of service. On Saturday, he was among eight people who were inducted into the Maryland Army National Guard Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Camp Fretterd near Reisterstown, Md. “I'm very humbled,” he said of receiving the honor.

Pfc. Kevin R. Jaye, a U.S. Army infantryman serving in Afghanistan, will be returning to the United States Friday after suffering numerous serious injuries from a improvised explosive device, his father said Wednesday. Ken Jaye of Smithsburg said his 25-year-old son, who was with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, stepped on the pressure plate of an IED, and it exploded violently, resulting in the amputation of his right leg below the knee. “I'm just glad my son's alive,” Ken Jaye said.

James Frush got right to the point when asked Monday about the United States' involvement in Afghanistan. “Get out,” he said. “We didn't belong over there in the first place.” Frush, 61, was among Hagerstown residents who responded to questions Monday about how the United States should move forward with its conflict in Afghanistan. Residents talked about whether the United States should be there and when it should leave. Frush said he was against the conflict from the beginning.

Ian Boyer had much to tell all his Facebook friends about on Wednesday night. He told a tale about having a fried-chicken dinner with a group of people he didn't know, even though they had a lot in common. He received more handshakes, backslaps and hearty “thank yous” than he could count. It was the ultimate small town experience. Still, he was confused. His friends were envious. “I'm just doing my job,” said Boyer, a Smithsburg graduate. “It is overwhelming when I come home.

Members of AMVETS Riders Chapter 10 gathered Nov. 27 to send food baskets to a rider friend's son who is serving overseas. Twenty-four food baskets were made and shipped out to Marine Sgt. Kenton Shatzer, a nine-year member of the Marines, who is serving in Afghanistan and is the son of Peggy and Vaughn Shatzer of Hagerstown.

Cynthia Lee (Sullivan) S. R. Newman, 75, of Hagerstown, died Sunday, Dec. 4, at her home from a long illness. Born in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Dr. William J. Sullivan and Claudine G. (Jones) S. Hudson. She helped start Group 51, a concern group in Hagerstown. She and her husband, Augustus Newman, owned Phoenix Manor in Funkstown for several years. She was a compassionate person and a caregiver for family and friends. She and her husband traveled to Turkey often to visit with their second family, the Falays, whom she had known for more than 40 years.

American troops in Afghanistan, along with Afghan women and children, will receive shipments from students at Potomac Heights Elementary School in Hagerstown. The students collected personal necessities, snacks, candy and sunscreen for the soldiers, and hats, gloves and scarves for the women and children. The students collected four boxes of items and a local business, Olde Line Tattoo, matched the donation with another four boxes and paid for the shipping. The unit receiving the supplies was that of the late Ashley White-Stumpf, who was killed in Afghanistan in October.