Tragic Death On Fort Bragg

2 contractors and a soldier were shot yesterday of Fort Bragg in NC during a live fire training exercise. One of the contractors that was shot died at Womack Army Medical Center. Both contractors work for Echota Technologies Corp., a private corporation that helps military personnel operate tactical ranges on Fort Bragg. The names of the contractors have not been released.

Both OSHA and the Army are investigating the incident. OSHA is conducting it’s own investigation because of the civilian contractors involved.

This tragic accident is sad and unfortunate. It is also a part of life in the military. Our soldiers train with live ammunition, under circumstances that are designed to mimic those of real life situations they may find themselves in. Our soldiers need this training. They place themselves in line of fire, in hostile environments, to protect us. It’s sad when there is an accident because of friendly fire and during a training exercise.

It is also a credit to them that there are not more accidents. Given the amount of training accidents that our military conducts on a daily basis, the occasional accident is expected. Unfortunate as it is, and as sad and heartbreaking for the families of those that are victims to training accidents, the military should not be blamed or harassed because of them.

I continue to support the men and women that serve in our military. My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this latest tragedy. I hope God gives them strength to move on after the latest tragedy on Fort Bragg.

Did Johnny Depp Die In A Car Accident?

I was checking out what was going on in the world this morning when I saw “Is Johnny Depp Dead” as a hot internet keyword search. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors. I watched him back when he was on “21 Jump Street.” “Edward Scissorhands” was filmed partly in the same town that I lived in as a teenager. To me, it was a great movie that showed off his acting range.

Of course, let’s not forget the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies. Yes, he has done a lot of movies in his career. These are my favorite ones of his. So, when I saw that the internet was buzzing about rumors of Johnny Depp’s death, I had to check into it.

It is all just rumors. He was in a car accident and is fine. Rumors have it that he might have been drinking, but those too are just rumors for now. Johnny Depp is alive and (I hope) well. This is just one, in a long line, of celebrity death rumors that seem to always be appearing on the internet. It must be a really slow celebrity gossip weekend. You would think that people had more important things to report, instead of making up false rumors. Especially, in regards to such a serious matter.

For all of you Johnny Depp fans out there, he is alive. With any luck, we will have many years to come of movies starring my favorite character actor. For those of you who started this rumor, GROW UP!

Mythbusters Rocket Expert Erik Gates Dies in Accident

On December 20, 2009, Erik Gates, age 47, died. He fell thirty feet from a skylight at the headquarters of Xirrus Inc. He died at the hospital from the injuries sustained from the fall. Erik Gates is known to my family from his guest appearances on the show Myth Busters.


"He was a good guy," Steve DeGennaro, Xirrus' co-founder (along with Gates' brother, Dirk), tells the paper. "He survived cancer, he jumps with parachutes, he base jumps. He's an active guy who was used to taking precautions. This was a freak accident that shouldn't have happened." - Zap 2 It








I enjoyed watching his appearances on Mythbusters. He will be missed by many fans and friends. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family in their time of sorrow. This was a horrible accident that should not have happened. Proper safety precautions should have been taken on the roof. I hope that others will learn from this. Terrible accidents can happen to anyone and it is extremely important to put safety first.