Howdy Y’all and Buckle Up for this weeks News 6 Update 

US Army Aviators Take a Knee

Following a terrible month for our army aviation involving two separate crashes and the loss of 12 heroes, all non essential flights were grounded to reset and retrain.

“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand-down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,”

Gen. James C. McConville, the Army’s chief of staff, said in a statement.

“During this stand-down, we will focus on safety and training protocols to ensure our pilots and crews have the knowledge, training and awareness to safely complete their assigned mission.”

They could take to the air once again as soon as the retraining was finished, with a deadline of May 5th for active duty advisors and May 31st for Guard and Reserve.

The training focused on risk mitigation, maintenance, and flight planning.

The two helicopter crashes were not related to each other, with the first happening between blackhawks in fort Campbell, Kentucky and the second between Apaches in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The impact to both these communities, however, is a heavy one. The military is taking this seriously in this short reset and is making sure our pilots come home safe at the end of the day .

This grounding is not unheard of and is standard procedure when training accidents hit a drastic increase. The last grounding was done by the Navy last year when three crashes happened within a week of each other.

Let us hold up our army aviation community as they take back to the skies. The best way to honor the fallen is to arrive back on the ground safe and sound.

Find out more at New York Times.com

Navy Saves Americans in Sudan

The USS Brunswick, along with unmanned United States drones, are leading the charge in rescuing American Citizens from war torn Sudan. The Brunswick is classified as a non-traditional Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport.

A DOD spokesperson has released a statement that says

“The Department of Defense deployed U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to support air and land evacuation routes, which Americans are using.”

It has moved approximately 300 people from Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The journey took about 12 hours in total.

The USS Lewis B. Puller is also on the Red Sea standing by to give aid. This brings the Total of Americans seeking refuge after fleeing Sudan to around 1000.

The past few weeks have been rough for the country of Sudan, as the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by rival commanding generals, have been fighting with little regard to civilians and the casualties left behind.

Rescue efforts are still ongoing, and our brave seamen are working hard to save American lives. 

Find out more at nbc.com.

Flex that Feico for Free

There’s a new legislative proposal up to bat that would provide free credit monitoring for military spouses and other family members.

Active duty service members have enjoyed this perk for the past five years as part of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

This amendment being proposed to include family  members is being spearheaded by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware; Sen. Amy Klobuchar,(clowbashar) D-Minnesota; Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota; and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana.

This amendment would also include national guard members.

This service roughly costs 30 dollars a month out of pocket and would be a welcome way to monitor family finances without an added price tag.

“We owe it to our service members and their families to make sure that their financial well-being is protected while they are protecting our country at home and abroad,” said Carpe in an announcement about the proposal.

“Military families are often more vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches, which can expose personal data like sensitive financial and identification information.”

The legislation is also being endorsed by TransUnion which is one of the three reporting agencies in the US. 

“The current law … provides a safety net for most but not for all of our uniformed services as we would intend,” said Jack Du Teil, president of The Military Coalition, in a statement provided in the senators’ announcement. “The key to oversight is to expand the current law to include all service members — a course of action TMC has long supported.

“We appreciate that this legislation also expands credit monitoring coverage to spouses and dependents of uniformed service members,”

While I’m no finance guru, I appreciate any help I can receive, especially when it’s free! Thanks TransUnion and our legislators for acknowledging that an important part of a soldier’s financial health is the dependents. 

Find out more at militarytimes.com

Today in History

On May 8th, 1886, the first Coca Cola was sold. Originally meant to be a “tonic” to numb nerve pain, Col. John Pemberton originally hoped it would be an answer to his and many other civil war veterans’ morphine addiction. 

It was first sold at his store the  Pemberton’s Eagle Drug and Chemical House in Columbus, GA under the name Pemberton’s French Wine Coca nerve tonic.

When Georgia tightened its prohibition laws against alcohol, the wine was taken out, African kola nut was put in, and coca cola was born with the first bottle being sold at Jacobs Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA on this day.

The cursive Coca Cola logo we all know and love is in Pembertons handwriting. He sold it as a cure for many diseases, including morphine addiction, indigestion, nerve disorders, and headaches. It sold for five cents a glass.

Rumor still has it that the original recipe had actual cocaine, but the recipe for this famous drink….all versions of it…. Are still held under lock and key. 

If you happen to be at Fort Moore, formerly known as Fort Benning, you can still see the original drugstore just minutes from base, or take the day trip to Atlanta and see the Coca Cola museum!

I don’t know you but I will be celebrating the day like I do most days. With a Coke and a smile! 

That’s it for me! I’m Emma Tighe with News 6, where information empowers.