Steighner

Christopher Steighner, son of former State Rep. Joseph Steighner and Joan Steighner of Butler, has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army.Steighner, a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, formerly worked for a Washington, D.C.-based public relations firm and in the administration of Gov. Ed Rendell, earned his commission graduating from the Army Officer's Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., on April 14, 2005.While at OCS, he graduated as a Distinguished Military Graduate and as the class Distinguished Leadership Graduate, an award given to the candidate demonstrating the greatest leadership potential. He is one of the only candidates without prior military experience to receive the award in the school's 65-year history.Steighner completed basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., airborne training at Fort Benning, Ga., and the mounted officer basic course and the scout leader's course at Fort Knox, Ky.He now moves on to his first assignment as a cavalry scout platoon leader with the 6th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.——

On Feb. 24, at the Naval Support Activity, Mechanicsburg, Master-at-Arms Chief Petty Officer <B>Shannon Stiteler </B>enlisted for four more years.Originally from Butler, he enlisted in the Navy on April 3, 1990, attended Navy boot camp in Great Lakes Ill., and then engineman class "A" school.He arrived on board the USS A.W. Radford in 1991. From 1994 to 1996, he completed tours on the USS Champion and USS Scout, then went to back to Great Lakes as an instructor.In 2000, he converted to the Navy's master-at-arms, the military police rating, and attended master-at-arms "A" school.After a three-year tour in Naples, Italy, he reported for duty as the supervisor of the active duty military police force at NSA Mechanicsburg. where he directs, coaches and mentors a division of 11 officers.He is the recipient of three Navy Achievement Medals and the Navy's enlisted surface warfare qualification designation.——

<B>Sarah Lunsford</B>, daughter of Phillip and Delana Lunsford from Zelienople, entered the delayed entry program of the Air Force on Nov. 3.Lunsford, a 2005 graduate of Seneca Valley High School, shipped to Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, on March 1.——

<B>Stephen Best</B>, son of Walter and Diana Best of Butler, entered the delayed entry program for the Air Force on Sept. 15 and shipped to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, on March 7.He is a 1999 graduate of Butler High School.