Photos: 2016 Memorial Day Ceremony At the Gazebo

Robert Mirto, Esq., was the Master of Ceremonies, and he and all of the honored guests kept their addresses short, so there were no medical emergencies and the parade stepped off earlier than in some past years. US Senator Richard Blumenthal, and First Selectman Jim Zeoli made brief comments, and two students from Orange Elementary Schools read short poems.

National View: David Ignatius – On Syria, the U.S. and Turkey need each other

Here's a positive move by Turkey, a country that often seems to be heading in the wrong direction: Despite Ankara's severe misgivings, it is allowing the U.S. military to fly daily bombing missions from here against the Islamic State - in support of a Syrian Kurdish militia called the YPG that Turkey regards as a terrorist threat. Turkey offered the Incirlik base last year after a dozen years of tepid military relations with the United States, its superpower ally.

Cemeteries prep for Memorial Day

Larry Frounfelkner of Vacaville salutes a tombstone of a U.S. veteran after planting an American flag at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, Saturday. Frounfelkner, a Vietnam veteran, attended the flag planting ceremony to honor his father and father-in-law, whom both served in the U.S. military.

Three Navy Officers Charged in Expanding Bribery and Fraud Scheme

Three current and former Navy officers were charged in documents unsealed Friday for their roles in a massive bribery and fraud scheme involving a Navy contractor. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy of the Southern District of California, Acting Director Dermot O'Reilly of the Department of Defense's Defense Criminal Investigative Service , Director Andrew Traver of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Director Anita Bales of Defense Contract Audit Agency made the announcement.

The Army Chaplain Who Quit Over – Unaccountable …

As a witness to the removal of fallen U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Army Chaplain Christopher John Antal can't recall a time when that solemn ceremony wasn't conducted without the presence of drones passing along the horizon. They were sleek and quiet, making a gentle humming noise as they flew over the flight lines - where aircraft can be parked and serviced - of the Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan, where he was stationed in 2012.

Colin Firth Climbs Aboard Submarine Thriller

Colin Firth is taking the plunge for a new submarine thriller based on the real-life Kursk disaster in August, 2000. The British actor will join The Danish Girl star Matthias Schoenaerts in the film adaptation of the underwater tragedy, which occurred when a torpedo exploded onboard the K-141 Kursk, the pride of the Russian Navy.

By the numbers: Memorial Day and veterans

As the country heads into the Memorial Day weekend, there are over 1.3 million U.S soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on active duty, and more than 150,000 of them are stationed in foreign countries. So far, more than 6,800 U.S. servicemen and women have died during the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and at least 52,000 more have been wounded.