Jason Dennis
Anchor
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Jason rejoined the WTVM staff in August 2007 and now anchors News Leader 9 at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00. He has 15 years of experience in the TV news business, most of that time in Columbus and East Alabama. Jason graduated from Elon College in N.C. in 1998 and immediately started his first job as reporter and anchor at WDTV in Bridgeport, W.V. Jason became WTVM's East Alabama Bureau Chief in 1999, working out of our Opelika newsroom. He then moved to Columbus, working with the station as the senior police, courts & military reporter until 2004. From there, Jason moved to Birmingham, AL and worked for 3 years as a reporter and fill-in anchor at WBRC Fox 6, which is now part of our Raycom team. Married since 2000, Jason's wife Shana is a home health physical therapist in Columbus. They now live in Midland with their two wonderful children - Olivia and Zachary. Jason's interests include going to church, running, playing sports like tennis, golf and basketball, along with traveling and watching movies. The most important thing in Jason's life is his faith in God. Jason was born in Galveston, Texas in 1976 and grew up mainly in the mountains of western North Carolina, near Asheville, where Jason's parents and sister still live.
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A combat hero and Medal of Honor recipient from Sumter County finally returned home this week, 73 years after dying in the Korean War.
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Throughout this Military Appreciation Month, WTVM has partnered with Navy Federal Credit Union to collect snacks for care packages that USO Georgia can deliver to troops on Fort Moore.
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Fort Benning will officially become Fort Moore during a ceremony at Doughboy Stadium on May 11.
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A week from now, Fort Benning will officially change its name to Fort Moore. Signs are already being switched, including an iconic one this week.
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As votes continue on Capitol Hill over the debt ceiling, leaders connected to the White House are sounding the alarm about sweeping cuts impacting military veterans across the nation. News Leader 9 spoke to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs about it.
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Some of the toughest soldiers in the world have been battling it out on Fort Benning. We are taking you inside the Best Ranger competition that just wrapped up a couple days ago.
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Our latest guest on the “Run The Race” podcast is my pro partner and dance instructor/choreographer Tracie Chamblee, who began dancing at age 5 and has been teaching dance for a total of two decades.
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Recruiting continues to be a struggle for the Army and the other U.S. military branches, a challenge made tougher by an increase in civilian opportunities for people who would be soldiers.
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We are just a few weeks away from some exciting competitions on Fort Benning. Infantry Week includes the battle for Best Ranger. We’ve got more details, including how you can watch some of the action.
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In less than a month, News Leader 9 anchor Jason Dennis will be taking to the dance floor in the annual event Dancing stars of Columbus.
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This month marks 20 years since the start of the Iraq War, where many Fort Benning troops were involved.
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A decades-old blood donor ban was recently lifted by the Food and Drug Administration, potentially increasing the nation’s blood supply – by allowing millions more veterans to now donate. It involves those who served certain places in certain years overseas.
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A revival broke out from a regular Wednesday chapel service at Asbury University in the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky.
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Popular faith-based filmmakers, based in Albany Georgia, have a new film out on DVD, a movie they shot in the Chattahoochee Valley, that tackles a controversial topic and their first project based on a true story.
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Fort Benning will become Fort Moore later this year. The story of the namesakes is told best by their children. News leader 9 got an exclusive tour from their kids of the East Alabama home of Lt. General Hal Moore and his wife Julie.
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A century-old civil rights pioneer and war veteran in South Mississippi is sharing significant moments that have left an imprint on in the local and national community, during this Black History Month.
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3rd ID soldiers in Georgia have been busy preparing for their tests happening this week for three different expert badges.
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Alabama is giving back to those who have served our country, through a new effort in the state designed to give active service members and veterans opportunities for education and jobs.
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A woman from East Alabama went from college softball player to Army officer to beauty queen. Her latest job is with the 1st Space Brigade. This soldier shared about her job and journey with us.
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A jewelry store robbery at a mall out west is caught on camera, and that same camera also caught how marine recruits stepping in to help with the take-down.
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A special event called “Wreaths Across America” is happening across the nation on Saturday, December 17 including in the Fort Mitchell section of Fort Benning, where people have sponsored close to 10,000 wreaths to be laid on graves of our country’s fallen heroes.
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If you’re looking for something to read or give as a gift this holiday season, a new book is now available about a marine hero who proved what women could do – and made the ultimate sacrifice.
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Now, a group of church youth in Georgia are doing their own cooking competition show to raise money for a ministry and important cause that impacts people locally and around the world.
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“I’m an infantry officer, so this is the home of the infantry. I spent a lot of time here at Fort Benning,” Vietnam War veteran Walter Marm said.
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Student veterans from Auburn University and the University of Alabama completed Operation Iron Ruck this week, an annual event designed to help local vets.
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The holiday season can be difficult for those dealing with loss. That includes local bike shop owner Jason McKenzie, who shared on our “Run The Race” podcast the sad, but powerful story of losing his wife to suicide more than a decade ago, day that still haunts him.
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We recently introduced you to Fort Benning’s new Commanding General and now we’re hearing more from Major General Curtis Buzzard about changes in training, military housing, technology and more.
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Veterans Day is this Friday, but paying tribute to our military veterans doesn’t have to start or end there. Near Coastal Georgia, a national fitness event has been turned into one to honor those who defended our freedoms.
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Military veterans and community leaders came out for a special event Thursday, November 3, called “Heart of Serving,” put on by a Columbus non-profit who needs your help.
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A total of 22 veterans per day die by their own hands, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A Georgia mother has made it her life mission to never lose another veteran to suicide.
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Changes are happening on Fort Benning. In a News leader 9, we sat down with the new Commanding General of the Maneuver Center of Excellence to discuss the post’s upcoming name change, training for war and much more.
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The U.S. Army is going more and more high-tech, as Fort Benning leaders told a group in East Alabama that they need help from industries in the Chattahoochee Valley to stay on the cutting edge.
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A massive World War II ship has become a museum and memorial ship to the men who bravely served their country aboard it. This still fully functional ship just docked in Cincinnati for a long weekend for people to enjoy.
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Traumatic brain injury or TBI has been more frequently diagnosed in military veterans serving in post 9-11 conflicts. Now, doctors are finding new ways to help vets with those debilitating headaches.
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A legendary ranger, with deep roots on Fort Benning, has passed away at 97 years old. The Army’s Best Ranger Competition, which happens every year, is named after him.
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We know a lot about military deployments, with Fort Benning in our back yard. With their dad serving overseas, three students in Virginia went to school, only to get a big surprise.
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Chris and Ashley Reed, who met at Columbus State University, are both on staff at Chi Alpha campus ministry at UGA.
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Would you like to know what it feels like to jump out of a military airplane? A premier soldier center in the Chattahoochee Valley is giving you that chance.
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He’s a hero who served our country selflessly, now living and still serving others an hour south of Columbus.
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More than 430,000 U.S. service members were diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury in the last 20 years. Now, there’s action being taken to modernize their helmets, to save lives on the battlefield.
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The first couple hundred members of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in Georgia have returned from their deployment in Germany.
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Dr. Shawn Cruzen - who’s been the Executive Director of the Coca-Cola Space Science Center in Columbus GA the last 18 years - first gives us his take on God vs. Science, if they are at odds or if they can coexist.
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There are new developments in the process for renaming Army installations, including Fort Benning. The Naming Commission submitted part one of their three part final report to congress this week.
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The military has to meet a certain recruitment goal to maintain its reach around the globe but so far, this year’s rate is the lowest since troops returned home from Vietnam in 1973.
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A serious case of heat exhaustion halfway through a 24 hour race didn’t stop a recent guest on the “Run the Race” podcast, who ended up finishing with 106 miles!
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He’s been part of the Army since he was 17 years old, but when 23-year-old Army Sgt. Nathan Harmon is not leasing soldiers, he runs long-distance races - sometimes more than 100 miles.
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A veteran who lives 30 minutes west of Auburn is doing what he can to help a fellow soldier in Ukraine, and now this man’s assistance is now being recognized by the Ukrainian government.
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After not being able to host the event for a few years because of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual tradition event Freedom Fest is back at the National Infantry Museum in the Columbus Fort Benning area. It will be on Monday, the 4th of July.
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A new state veterans home is coming to Alabama, with construction just beginning on the much-anticipated project that has connections to a hero in Opelika.
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A woman who lives in Columbus ran 277 miles – solo - in 4 1/2 days – finishing on Memorial Day weekend!
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