The bodies of two Colorado men who gave their lives in the fight against the Islamic State arrived at around 7:40 am at Union Station on Friday morning. They were greeted by a small group of family and friends who traveled there from around Colorado. Jordan MacTaggart of Castle Rock and Levi “Jack” Shirley of Arvada were killed this summer during the fight to liberate Manbij, a Syrian city that was occupied by the Islamic State. Their families have been waiting to be reunited with their remains ... Read more

DENVER (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter presented flags Friday to the families of two men who never joined the U.S. military — but died fighting the Islamic State group in Syria — after their bodies returned to Colorado on Friday. The caskets of Levi Shirley, 24, Jordan MacTaggart, 22, along with that of William Savage, 27, arrived Wednesday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after a complicated journey back to the U.S. without ceremony. From there, Shirley and MacTaggart arrived by train i... Read more

DENVER (CBS4)– The bodies of two Colorado men returned home on Friday, several weeks after they were killed while fighting ISIS in Syria. The return of their remains has given their families some closure. The families of both Levi Shirley and Jordan MacTaggart told CBS4 they are proud of the sacrifices they made as the caskets were removed from Amtrak at Union Station early Friday morning. “He did more than I ever did. I got sent to ‘Nam, he went to Syria and that’s the difference. And we waited... Read more

The bodies of two Coloradans killed fighting ISIS have been returned to the U.S., and are expected to arrive in Denver at Union Station on Friday. Levi Shirley of Arvada died in July and Jordan MacTaggart of Castle Rock was killed in August. They were two of dozens of American citizens who have joined militias in order to fight ISIS outside the purview of the U.S. military, and their deaths were a quandary for the U.S. government. "You can imagine the complications on that sort of thing," nation... Read more

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) introduced new legislation encouraging American businesses to fortify their systems and networks in an effort to mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks and data breaches. The Data Breach Insurance Act (H.R. 6032) provides a two-prong approach by providing a fifteen percent tax credit to companies who purchase data breach insurance coverage and adopt the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework or any oth... Read more

The bodies of three Americans who died fighting Islamic State as volunteers for a Syrian Kurdish militia have begun a return home after a weekslong struggle by their families and the U.S. government to repatriate their remains. The remains of Levi Jonathan Shirley, William Savage and Jordan MacTaggart had been held for weeks in Syrian Kurdistan after they died fighting against Islamic State forces. Later, they were driven across the region—in ambulances displaying their so-called martyr photos—b... Read more

DENVER -- After weeks of agonizing and waiting by their families, the bodies of two Colorado men killed fighting ISIS in Syria are finally back in the United States. Levi "Jack" Shirley, from Arvada, was killed on July 14. Less than a month later another Coloradan died fighting. Jordan MacTaggart, from Castle Rock, was killed August 3. "More than anything he had a huge heart," said Melissa MacTaggart, Jordan's mom. Both men fought alongside Kurdish forces called the People's Protection Unit (YPG... Read more

The remains of three Americans who died in Syria after joining a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia to fight the Islamic State are expected to be repatriated Wednesday, members of their families and a congressional source said. The bodies of Levi Shirley, William Savage and Jordan MacTaggart will arrive on a flight to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, before traveling to their respective home states, said Shirley’s mother, Susan, and Savage’s sister, Brenna. Kurdish groups transported the remains... Read more

Lakewood, CO - U.S. Rep. Perlmutter (CO-07) released the following statement in memory of the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: “Fifteen years have passed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, yet the events of that day remain as a vivid and painful memory for all of us. Today and every day, we remember the thousands of lives lost and the families devastated by the attacks. We also remember the courage demonstrated by so many Americans that day, particularly our remarkab... Read more

ARVADA -- Family and friends gathered to celebrated the life of Levi "Jack" Shirley on what should've been his 25th birthday. They shared memories, lit candles, and sang happy birthday. Shirley, known by his Kurdish nickname 'Agir' was killed in Syria on July 14. He joined Kurdish forces called the People's Protection Units or YPG in order to fight ISIS. He was killed during combat operations in the Syrian city of Manbij. "This is pretty bittersweet. My boy really loved birthdays. There’s no way... Read more