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The Duffel Brief · the free edition, Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Vol. 15 · No. 130 · Saturday, 31 October 2026

Veterans

Spirit Halloween store to become pop-up ICE detention center

DHS praises seasonal retailer's expertise in occupying abandoned buildings and disappearing overnight

Army FRG unveils haunted house featuring spouses saying ‘I’m fine’

Hasan execution venue double-booked with Comic-Con

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Vol. 15 · No. 130

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Vol. 15 · No. 130 · Deployed worldwide

Saturday

31 October 2026

1418 Zulu

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← Front page
National Guard · Page 2

Radio Shack manager refuses to give National Guard general time off for drill

Gen. Williams couldn't find anyone to cover him.

Filed · 0500

Alexandria, Va. — Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, Virginia’s highest-ranking National Guard officer, was unable to attend drill last weekend when his manager at Radio Shack refused to give him the time off, sources confirmed.

“Mr. Harrison is a grade-A ballbuster,” Williams said of his 19-year-old store manager. “I was several hours late to the Capitol riot response in January because he wouldn’t let me leave until we finished inventorying the beepers.”

Sources say the general’s staff became concerned after Williams failed to report to the Guard headquarters building on Saturday morning. When the executive officer called to see if the general was okay, Williams said his manager could not find another customer service representative to cover his shift.

“This is a real problem in the Guard and Reserves,” said Col. Melvin Tate, Williams’ executive officer. “When I finished up a year at the Army War College, I found out my position as a host at Red Lobster had been filled by some 16-year-old scab.”

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