William Vermie, an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis for eight hours, told ABC News that he wasn't allowed to speak with a lawyer at any point throughout his detention. The 39-year-old Vermie, who was injured in combat in Iraq during a 2006-2007 deployment, was tackled and arrested by ICE agents on Jan. 13, while standing with a crowd on a public sidewalk observing ICE agents detaining two young men in his neighborhood.
In the early-morning hours of January 5, 2021, Thomas Webster, a former U.S. Marine and retired police officer, drove south on Interstate 95 toward Washington, D.C. Webster, who was then 54, had been conflicted about whether to attend the "Save America" rally, but Donald Trump had used the word patriot. Webster had joined the military at 19, taken his first plane ride to boot camp in South Carolina, gotten his first taste of lobster tail on a ship in the Mediterranean.
An 88-year-old army veteran received the surprise of a lifetime from strangers around the world thanks to a viral TikTok video that raised $1.8 million for him. The video was recorded and shared by Australian positivity influencer Sam Wetenhoeffer, who was on what he called a US Kindness Tour through the Christmas holiday. Wetenhoeffer met Ed Bambas from Michigan, who was working the checkout line at a Meijer supermarket.
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.
Patrick S. Fragel is a seasoned criminal defence lawyer based in Traverse City, Michigan. With more than 25 years of experience, he has become a respected voice in Michigan's legal community. His journey began long before his time in the courtroom. As a United States Army veteran, he carried with him a strong sense of discipline, resilience, and focus-qualities that would shape his legal career.
Mountaineering, for me, and the outdoors is probably what saved my life. It's my outlet. I want to try to encourage people not to let disabilities limit them.
