Thursday, July 28 2011 12:32 PM EDT2011-07-28 17:32:48 GMT
For local flavor, WTVM talked with a Columbus soldier about his life as a brat. Lt. Gen. Bill Caldwell, whose father spent his career in the Army, now heads up the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. More >>
Thursday, July 21 2011 9:45 AM EDT2011-07-21 13:45:24 GMT
Whatever you do, try to avoid the words ‘mess hall' when discussing the buildings at Fort Benning where food is served. Marshall Fowler says that phrase is part of your father's Army.
Friday, March 22 2013 5:43 PM EDT2013-03-22 21:43:06 GMT
Just as colleges invite high school football recruits to visit their campuses, the military has a similar program.More >>
Just as colleges invite high school football recruits to visit their campuses, the military has a similar program. It's called The Army Strong Experience, a chance for young people to find out what the military is all about. More >>
Thursday, March 14 2013 3:31 PM EDT2013-03-14 19:31:31 GMT
It's well documented that the Army trains new recruits when they enter the service, but it may surprise you that soldiers are also given training as they plan to leave the military.More >>
It's well documented that the Army trains new recruits when they enter the service, but it may surprise you that soldiers are also given training as they plan to leave the military.More >>
Thursday, January 31 2013 11:09 AM EST2013-01-31 16:09:20 GMT
If you see a smile on the faces of Fort Benning family members, there's a reason why: their loved ones are getting ready to come home from the Middle East.More >>
If you see a smile on the faces of Fort Benning family members, there's a reason why: their loved ones are getting ready to come home from the Middle East.More >>
Wednesday, January 16 2013 6:43 PM EST2013-01-16 23:43:55 GMT
A number of soldiers at Ft. Benning, GA planned a ski trip this weekend in east Tennessee. Too bad it's not going to happen. "Unfortunately the weather hasn't really cooperated with us", says BrittanyMore >>
The troops have gone whitewater rafting, ridden a zip line, even taken in a baseball game in Atlanta.More >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 8:12 PM EDT2013-05-26 00:12:02 GMT
An abandoned warehouse went up in flames Friday night and sent two firefighters two a hospital. One of those firefighters was discharged, but the other still remains in medical care. He is in stableMore >>
An abandoned warehouse went up in flames Friday night and sent two firefighters two a hospital. One of those firefighters was discharged, but the other still remains in medical care. He is in stableMore >>
Saturday, May 25 2013 1:22 AM EDT2013-05-25 05:22:07 GMT
Most people don't consider that the key to your home could be the key to danger. When you buy a mass produced lock there are very good chances that someone else has the key to your home!More >>
Most people don't consider that the key to your home could be the key to danger. When you buy a mass produced lock there are very good chances that someone else has the key to your home!More >>
Ricardo Strozier pleads guilty to gruesome murder of radio DJ Heath Jackson
Friday, May 24 2013 9:33 PM EDT2013-05-25 01:33:02 GMT
Ricardo Strozier, 24, pleaded guilty to the murder of Christian radio disc jockey Heath Jackson Friday morning. Judge Gil McBride sentenced Strozier to two life sentences plus 10 years. District attorneyMore >>
Ricardo Strozier, 24, pleaded guilty to the murder of Christian radio disc jockey Heath Jackson Friday morning. Judge Gil McBride sentenced Strozier to two life sentences plus 10 years. More >>
By Chuck Leonard
COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - Stars and stripes can be found on more than just flags. Military uniforms also carry them as insignia. But what's a soldier to do if he or she loses one? They can always get a replacement at a specialty store in Columbus, which has been serving the military for almost 50 years.
Paul Voorhees was a teenager when his father started Ranger Joe's at the corner of 10th and Broadway. Back then it was called Columbus Army Surplus, but a friendly colonel changed all that.
"We sold him some uniforms and he got to liking my dad", says Voorhees, "...and before it was over he was calling him Joe." That's right, he began calling Jack Voorhees, Joe, and he wasn't alone. "Not long after that the Rangers from 3rd Ranger Company were coming down here to talk to us, and they were calling him Joe. So that's how the store got the name Ranger Joe's, which was between 1963 and '65."
Voorhees says parking was always a problem downtown, so in 1976 Ranger Joe's relocated to Victory Drive. Business went through the roof!
"It's an institution, "says Maj. John Roscoe, a member of the Georgia Army National Guard. "I mean, since day-one of basic training. I left Bravo right here at Fort Benning and this is where you came when you got a chance to get off duty to get uniforms done and uniforms sewed on."
Ask anyone connected to Fort Benning, and they'll you tell that Ranger Joe's is the go-to store for military stuff. Soldiers come for all sorts of items, Ranger tabs, American flags, and the sales staff is glad to help. Some are even envious, like training coordinator Robert Scroggs.
"This is like a toy store in a sense, a lot of the guys come in here, you know. They just have to keep the paychecks away from their wives, so they can buy stuff."
The store does well with its foot traffic, but most of those "paychecks" are being spent by online customers and catalog shoppers. Voorhees says, seventy-percent of his business now is mail-order. "We sell things around the world. Sometimes we have a thousand customers a day." In fact, he calls his distribution center on Farr Road the best kept secret in Columbus.
What's not a secret is his love for the community and for the men and women in uniform. The soft-spoken Voorhees, who is an ordained minister, wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to the military. "God was at His best when he created the American soldier."
Friday, May 24 2013 9:33 PM EDT2013-05-25 01:33:02 GMT
Ricardo Strozier, 24, pleaded guilty to the murder of Christian radio disc jockey Heath Jackson Friday morning. Judge Gil McBride sentenced Strozier to two life sentences plus 10 years. District attorneyMore >>
Ricardo Strozier, 24, pleaded guilty to the murder of Christian radio disc jockey Heath Jackson Friday morning. Judge Gil McBride sentenced Strozier to two life sentences plus 10 years. More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 5:52 PM EDT2013-05-24 21:52:34 GMT
Anyone who has visited Callaway Gardens prior to May 24, 2013 may have had their credit card information compromised. A credit card processing company notified multiple companies, including Callaway Gardens,More >>
Anyone who has visited Callaway Gardens prior to May 24, 2013 may have had their credit card information compromised. A credit card processing company notified multiple companies, including Callaway Gardens,More >>
Friday, April 17 2009 6:23 PM EDT2009-04-17 23:23:41 GMT
Many of you have heard Heidi's story before... Her haunting experiences as a child in the family's Ellerslie home has been one of the Valley's local legends for the past twenty years. Because of her infamous story and the notoriety that came with it, growing up for this girl was anything but ordinary.More >>
Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup truck on Interstate 5 heading to a camping trip when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust."More >>
The trucker was hauling drilling equipment when his load bumped against the steel framework over an Interstate 5 bridge. He looked in his rearview mirror and watched in horror as the span collapsed into the water behind him....More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 6:36 PM EDT2013-05-24 22:36:47 GMT
A Florida family is speaking out after their daughter becomes involved in a same sex battery case.Laurie and Jim Smith say they are being labeled as gay bashers, but claim their issue is not with the homosexuality,More >>
A Florida family is speaking out after their daughter becomes involved in a same sex battery case.Laurie and Jim Smith say they are being labeled as gay bashers, but claim their issue is not with the homosexuality,More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 4:54 PM EDT2013-05-24 20:54:31 GMT
25 year old Arkebia Albury will face more than just a misdemeanor after shoplifting from Centerville Galleria last night. The Macon mom also ran over her 4 year old son during the getaway. CentervilleMore >>
25 year old Arkebia Albury will face more than just a misdemeanor after shoplifting from Centerville Galleria last night. The Macon mom also ran over her 4 year old son during the getaway. CentervilleMore >>
Saturday, April 27 2013 5:08 PM EDT2013-04-27 21:08:46 GMT
A student at Columbus State University made a shocking discovery Saturday morning. Public Relation's director John Lester told News Leader 9, Giselle Ortiz, 19, was found dead inside her dorm room.More >>
A student at Columbus State University made a shocking discovery Saturday morning. More >>
Wednesday, May 22 2013 11:21 PM EDT2013-05-23 03:21:05 GMT
After months of negotiations between several Alabama state entities, State Bill 286 is heading to the desk of Governor Robert Bentley after passing the House in a 73-28 vote Monday.More >>
After months of negotiations between several Alabama state entities, State Bill 286 is heading to the desk of Governor Robert Bentley after passing the House in a 73-28 vote Monday.More >>
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