Every great career begins with a foundation built on service, discipline, and heart - and for Darrel Kalinski, those values have guided every chapter of his life. From the athletic fields of his youth to the operating rooms of major hospitals, his story is one of dedication, resilience, and a steady pursuit of excellence. "I've always believed that if you're going to do something, you do it with integrity and purpose," Kalinski says. "That principle has carried me through every stage of my life - from the Navy to healthcare to fatherhood."
An army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who served two tours in Iraq was deported on Friday morning from an immigration detention facility in Florence, Arizona. Arizona state representative Raquel Teran told Fox 10 Phoenix that Jose Barco, a Venezuelan-born veteran whose family fled Cuba as refugees, was deported at 4am from Arizona. Anna Stout, a volunteer on Barco's defense team, told Denver 7 his team was not notified of plans for his deportation and his family was initially not told of where they would be taking him. Jose was not able to reach out to his family before any of this initiated, she told the news outlet, adding that the process has been frustrating.
Veterans and loved ones gathered at the Spirit Garden outside Toronto's city hall on Saturday for a ceremony honouring Indigenous veterans. With beaded poppies, music and sacred offerings, about 100 attendees paid homage to the lives lost in service. Indigenous Veterans Day was first commemorated in 1994 and is celebrated across the country on Nov. 8. Rob Baskey, senator for the Metis Nation of Ontario Veterans Council, said Indigenous Veterans Day honours Indigenous members of the military, but also remembers the injustice they faced.
When people hear my name these days, it's usually followed by "former British soldier captured in Mariupol." Or worse, "foreign fighter" as if I'd spent my weekends pledging allegiance to some jihad. The truth is simpler: I was a Ukrainian Marine. Why journalists find it so hard to say that without choking on their morning coffee, or realising they're parroting a Russian talking point is beyond me.
Derek Huffman relocated his family to Russia via a Kremlin-backed visa scheme, aiming for traditional values. Initially, he assumed a non-combat role but now finds himself near the Ukraine front.
"If [music] had anything but piano and organ, like if it had electric guitar or drums, it was considered Satanic or bad," he says, highlighting the extremism of his parents' beliefs. "We weren't allowed to go to movie theaters, we weren't allowed to watch movies, we didn't have TV. All the girls in our house had to wear skirts ... even to bed, I had to wear skirts."
Thinking of the long-term impact of a military career, I realized that 20-plus years as a SEAL could mean serious bodily injuries and strained personal relationships. I couldnât afford to go down that path.
