Military families

CLEARFIELD -- The Dilley family got an early Christmas surprise when they were told they were the grand-prize winners of a $20,000 home repair contest.

CARP, Minn. -- It was the kind of thing you'd see at any deer camp -- blaze orange everywhere, coffee brewing on the woodstove, chili heating in the kitchen -- but there was something special happening at the Levasseur camp in Lake of the Woods County on this second Saturday of Minnesota's firearms deer season.

The spirit of camaraderie, of sharing the magic of the hunt with others, was the order of the day.

For Steve Levasseur, who built the 24x38 log cabin that overlooks the Rapid River southwest of Baudette, Minn., about 10 years ago, there's a lot of history here. The small town of Carp exists only in memory now, but it's where Levasseur grew up, where he's hunted and killed his fair share of deer since he started going afield nearly 50 years ago.

These days, Levasseur says, it's not about him shooting a deer. It's about helping others experience the thrill of the hunt and the simple pleasures of camp life.

Deer might not be as abundant this year as they've been some other seasons, but there was no shortage of hospitality last weekend.

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Iraq and Afghanistan have been the focal point for military operations during much of the past decade, but during those years, troops have toiled in other parts of the world, too. Friday at Hill Air Force Base was a reminder of that, as nearly 200 personnel from Hill’s active-duty 388th Fighter Wing and Air Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing left for a joint deployment to the Asia-Pacific region.