LYNCHBURG, Va. Eight rings: Thats how many times the end of watch bell sounded for retired Navy Command Master Chief Horace Ellis. Virginia State Police said the 78-year-olds car hit a tractor-trailer stopped at the intersection of Cottontown and Forest Roads. Ellis came down to monument terrace as much as he could to have fellowship with them. We honor his service, Steve Bozeman, Monument Terrace organizer, said. He lived large and he loved life and above all he liked running, Stone said.

FILE - In this March 27, 2019, file photo Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, left, speaks with Veterans Health Administration Executive in Charge, Dr. Richard Stone, second from left, before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. To handle a possible second wave of COVID-19, it would need a six-month supply. A future pandemic wave may test all of us in our preparation, Stone told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. The Associated Press previously reported that VA health care facilities struggled with shortages of workers and protective equipment, forcing employees to reuse masks for days or weeks, even as VA leaders denied that it lacked adequate supplies. As of Tuesday, VA had 1,665 staff cases of COVID-19, including 133 that were considered active. At least 33 VA employees have died of the virus, according to VA data.

Marrable's daughter, Laquana Ross, said last week she is not upset with the VA over the ants, but wanted her father's story to prompt change. Stone's statement said that the director of the regional VA network was placed on immediate administrative leave. Scott Isaacks, the Charleston, South Carolina, VA Medical Center director, will take over the position. In a statement to CNN affiliate WSB, the VA said the bedrooms at the facility have been stripped, cleaned and inspected for ants. She told the station she had asked the staff about bumps on her father and was told it was ants.