Rhode Island

‘Proud moment’: Acting defense secretary grew up in RI, son of a retired Marine general

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2025

‘Proud moment’: Acting defense secretary grew up in RI, son of a retired Marine general

John J. Salesses is a retired major general who appreciates knowing, on a basic level at least, what his four grownup children are up to.

So the 91-year-old Rhode Islander was aware that his second-oldest son, Robert G. Salesses, had reached a pay grade of GS-15 in his job at the Pentagon. That’s the highest pay grade available for federal employees.

Then, about a week ago, Salesses recalls, one of his other sons told him something interesting:

“Bob” was in line to serve as acting U.S. Secretary of Defense in the opening days of the second administration of President Donald J. Trump.

The magnitude of such a responsibility isn’t something that’s fuzzy to someone like Salesses, even at his advanced age.

The Warren retiree once directed the entire U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The reserve force has about 35,000 personnel serving all over the world, he says.

The much bigger job that his son took over on Inauguration Day left the younger Salesses with enormous responsibility at a moment of growing global instability.

Ukraine is being ravaged by the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, with Russian leaders raising the specter of nuclear war on occasion. An Iranian missile attack was part of a recent exchange between Iran and Israel this past fall. Barely a month ago, the largest armada of Chinese warships since the 1990s took to the waters of the South China Sea.

A short assignment?

As of Wednesday, Robert Salesses’ tenure wasn’t expected to be lengthy. Just until the U.S. Senate had confirmed Trump’s pick, either Pete Hegseth or someone else.

The father of the acting secretary, or “SECDEF,” as it’s known in bureaucratic jargon, afforded his son some space. There would be time for catching up later.

Raised in Barrington, exposed to Camp Lejeune

Robert G. Salesses was born in San Diego.

His mother, the late Dolores Ann “Lola” Salesses, and his father opted to raise their family in Barrington.

His father mostly worked the schedule of a Marine reservist. The elder Salesses tought English at Rhode Island College. He held administrative jobs as a dean and vice president for academic affairs.

He did not try to groom his sons for military life. But they were exposed to it during some of his reserve stints at Camp Lejeune.

Robert Salesses went to Rhode Island College and graduated in 1980. He worked in the private sector.

His younger brother, a future military pilot, decided one day that he would join the Marine Corps.

“Bob said, ‘I’m going to go, too,’” their father recalled on Friday.

In the Marines, he would participate in the 1991 liberation of Kuwait during the Gulf War, according to a biography posted online by the Department of Defense.

Some of Robert Salesses’ other jobs in the Marines involved carrying out the withdrawal of critical nuclear stockpiles from former Soviet States, development of multinational counternarcotics policies with Central and South American allies; and crisis planning within the European and Pacific theaters of operation, according to the posted bio.

Hefty U.S. defense responsibilities and a ‘proud moment’

After retiring from the Marines, during his career in the Defense Department, Salesses’ tasks put him in a range of positions. The bio says one of those jobs involved management of $1.2 billion in defense resources.

Another “sensitive” task, it says, involved making sure the secretary of defense and other senior leaders had “the means to execute DoD’s primary mission essential functions.”

The younger Salesses has worked as a professional staff member under the leadership of Democratic and Republican presidents.

“He got to know the defense system pretty well,” his father said Friday. “It’s a proud moment.”

“I think this is his last day,” he added.

He anticipated that his son would continue to serve in the department under the secretary chosen by the president.

And late Friday night, Hegseth, an Army veteran and former “Fox & Friends” co-host, was confirmed by the Senate on a narrow 51-50 vote.

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Rhode Island

Revs edge RIFC in US Open Cup thriller at Pawtucket. Here’s how

Published

5 hours ago

April 15, 2026

Press Room

Revs edge RIFC in US Open Cup thriller at Pawtucket. Here’s how

Revs beat RIFC in penalty kicks in US Open Cup thriller at Centreville Bank Stadium

PAWTUCKET – The final result was all that eluded Rhode Island FC on this showdown Tuesday night against the New England Revolution.

The effort over 120 minutes couldn’t be questioned. No keeper was saving the goal scored by Diego Fagundez. JJ Williams provided an equalizer in the 11^th minute of stoppage time, proof that his side never gave up hope in the second half of regulation.

Penalty kicks were required to decide this Round of 32 meeting in the US Open Cup on April 14, and it was only there where Rhode Island FC came up shy. Donovan Parisian stopped three of the four shots against him and Tanner Beason blasted home the deciding attempt to give New England a 1-1 (3-1) victory against a regional rival.

The Revolution are through to the Round of 16 just like at Centreville Bank Stadium last season, but this was a different sort of match entirely in front of 6,073 fans. Rhode Island FC came to life after an indifferent first half of regulation, pulled even in the 101^st minute and looked the more likely of the two sides to win it in the first 15-minute period of extra time. New England was able to stay the course and avoided an upset as the MLS entry.

“Soccer’s a cruel game sometimes,” Rhode Island FC coach Khano Smith said. “No disappointment on my end. I’m so proud of my team.”

Hamady Diop found the net on the opening shootout attempt for Rhode Island FC, the only player to do so in what could have been a five-round format. The Revolution wrapped it up early when Luca Langoni, Andrew Farrell and Beason all converted from the spot. Parisian dove to his right to deny Jojea Kwizera and twice to his left to stop Leo Afonso and Williams.

“We train them a lot, honestly,” Williams said. “It’s very hard to replicate. It is.”

Each team enjoyed one real chance in extra time. Grant Stoneman cleared off the line for Rhode Island FC after keeper Koke Vegas got a finger on a Langoni shot from the right wing. Parisian was in the right place at the center of his goal to catch a Williams header chest high, an opening created when Aldair Sanchez made room for a cross off the left.

“I could go on for minutes talking about the positives,” Smith said. “But for me, if we’re able to play like that, we’re going to win a lot of matches in USL Championship playing that way.”

Amos Shapiro-Thompson’s yellow card for Rhode Island FC was the only noteworthy development through the opening 45 minutes. Both teams were a bit cagey and heavy-legged after playing league matches on Saturday, and a 0-0 tie into the break was just about right. New England needed less than six minutes out of the locker room to pull ahead, as a deep Peyton Miller cross off the left was headed down by Damario McIntosh and thumped home by Fagundez from the top of the penalty area.

“I think we’re all very happy with how we fought,” Rhode Island FC defender Hugo Bacharach said. “We knew we had a great rival in front of us. We thought we could take them down.”

Smith made three attacking substitutions within the next three minutes – Williams, Kwizera and Afonso were summoned from the bench to spark the front line. Parisian got down quickly to his left to deny Afonso in the 82^nd minute before Williams struck for the tying goal. Diop’s searching ball off the left was deflected and Williams was quickest to react, placing his header inside the near post to erase a 1-0 deficit.

“They’re playing in our stadium,” Williams said. “Technically it’s a home game for them, but we had all the energy and momentum from that point on.”

Smith said his players would have at least the next two days off after some covered more than 10 miles in the match. Charleston Battery visit next Wednesday night as Rhode Island FC gets back to league play. The club picked up its first USL Championship win over the weekend thanks to a 3-1 triumph at Lexington SC.

“Their keeper made three great saves,” Smith said. “They’d obviously done their homework. He was excellent.

“He made the difference. That’s all it was.”

Rhode Island FC (1): JJ Williams; assist – Hamady Diop.

New England Revolution (1): Diego Fagundez; assist – Damario McIntosh.

Halftime – 0-0. End of regulation – 1-1. End of extra time – 1-1. Penalty shootout – RIFC 1 (Diop), NER 3 (Luca Langoni, Andrew Farrell, Tanner Beason).

Shots – RIFC 10, NER 8. Saves – Koke Vegas, RIFC, 0; Donovan Parisian, NER, 2. Attendance – 6,073.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

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Rhode Island

Carjacking suspect hits cruisers during chase across 3 RI towns

Published

17 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Carjacking suspect hits cruisers during chase across 3 RI towns

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. (WPRI) — A man is facing charges in three Rhode Island towns after a carjacking investigation led to a police chase Tuesday morning.

Cranston police said Jacob Zhawred, 32, of Johnston, allegedly assaulted a woman in the Stop & Shop parking lot off Garfield Avenue just before 7 a.m., then stole her car and fled.

Jacob Zhawred, 32 (March 2026 booking photo, courtesy Cranston Police Dept.)

Using the victim’s phone that was left inside the vehicle, officers tracked it heading north. Glocester police later attempted to stop the car in the area of Route 44 at St. Eugene’s Church, but authorities said Zhawred took off, crossing multiple residential lawns to evade officers.

Burrillville officers deployed stop sticks on Camp Dixie Road, flattening the car’s tires, but police said Zhawred continued driving on the rims.

During the pursuit, police said he struck multiple cruisers from Cranston, Glocester and Burrillville. He appeared to be under the influence of drugs at the time, according to police.

The chase extended onto Eagle Peak Road and Wallum Lake Road, where police said Zhawred again hit cruisers and tried to cut across a lawn before crashing into a telephone pole.

Zhawred was arrested around 9:40 a.m. and taken to Landmark Medical Center for treatment of his “extensive impairment issues,” police said. He’s since been released from the hospital and is now being held without bail at the ACI.

In Burrillville, he is charged with:

Assault with a deadly weapon (6 counts)
Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in property damage (2 counts)
Vandalism (2 counts)
Possession of a stolen motor vehicle
DUI
Eluding/reckless driving
Resisting arrest

He also faces an eluding/reckless driving charge out of Glocester.

In Cranston, Zhawred is charged with second-degree robbery and shoplifting for allegedly stealing $100 worth of items from a Lowe’s before the carjacking.

Police said the woman he allegedly assaulted is OK, and no one was hurt during the chase.

Cranston Police Chief Michael Winquist also told 12 News that Zhawred was “recently released from prison.”

“He has multiple assault charges, shoplifting charges, breaking and entering, a lengthy criminal history, he has drug charges,” Winquist said. “This is somebody that’s dangerous to the community. I’m happy the officers were able to use teamwork to get this person off the streets.”

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Rhode Island

Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know

Published

1 day ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Severe Tick-Borne Meat, Dairy Allergy Disease On Rise Across RI: What You Need To Know

The tick-borne illness that causes those infected to become severely allergic to meat and dairy products is emerging as an increasing concern in Rhode Island.

The Centers for Disease Control said nearly a half-million people are affected by the condition nationwide — with symptoms that can vary in severity with each exposure to meat or dairy.

See also: Cranston Man Killed In Paramotor Aircraft Crash

The CDC said symptoms include the acute onset of any one or more of the following allergic and/or gastrointestinal symptoms that occur 2–10 hours after ingestion of pork, beef, lamb, any other mammalian meat, or any mammalian-derived product (e.g. gelatin), or within two hours after intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous administration of alpha-gal containing vaccination or medication:

Abdominal pain
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Heartburn/indigestion
Hives
Itching
Anaphylaxis as diagnosed by a provider
Swelling of one or more of the following: lips, tongue, throat, face, eyelids, or other associated structures
Shortness of breath
Cough
Wheezing
Acute episode of hypotension