World War II veterans

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One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies at 107
One of the Last Navajo
Code Talkers Dies at 107
OBITUARY
Oct 21, 2024 8:14 AM CDT

One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies at 107

With the death of John Kinsel Sr., only two of the World War II heroes remain

(Newser) - John Kinsel Sr., one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who transmitted messages during World War II based on the tribe's native language, has died. He was 107, reports the AP . Navajo Nation officials in Window Rock announced Kinsel's death on Saturday. Tribal President Buu Nygren has...

80 Years After WWII Disaster, Navy Exonerates Black Sailors

256 sailors were unjustly punished after California port explosion killed hundreds

(Newser) - The US Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were found to be unjustly punished in 1944 following a horrific port explosion that killed hundreds of service members and exposed racist double standards among the then-segregated ranks, the AP reports.
  • On July 17, 1944, munitions being loaded onto a cargo
...

An Overlooked D-Day Hero Finally Gets His Due

WWII medic Waverly Woodson Jr. posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross

(Newser) - For 30 hours, as mortar shells rained around him on Omaha Beach, Army medic Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr. treated wounded Allied soldiers, even while wounded himself. For that brave act, Woodson has been posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, "the second-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a...

At New Orleans Museum, AI Lets You Talk to WWII Vets

Participants sat for as many as 1K questions each

(Newser) - Olin Pickens sat in his wheelchair facing a life-sized image of himself on a screen, asking it questions about being taken prisoner by German soldiers during World War II. After a pause, his video-recorded twin recalled being given "sauerkraut soup" by his captors before a grueling march. "That...

'Ghost Army' Survivors Get Congress' Highest Honor

Secret WWII units saved thousands of lives by fooling Nazis

(Newser) - With inflatable tanks, radio trickery, costume uniforms, and acting, the American military units that became known as the Ghost Army outwitted the enemy during World War II. Their mission was kept secret for decades, but on Thursday the group stepped out of the shadows as they were awarded the Congressional...

Famous WWII Pic Once More a 'Political Lightning Rod'

Memo said Eisenstaedt's V-J Day pic 'The Kiss' would be pulled from VA venues; VA chief says no

(Newser) - The Veterans Affairs secretary has reversed a department memo that aimed to ban VA displays of the iconic "V-J Day in Times Square" photograph of a Navy sailor kissing a woman he didn't know on the streets of New York at the end of World War II. Secretary...

WWII Vet, 102, Honored for Service in All-Black Mail Unit

Segregated all-female unit cleared massive backlog of letters sent to US troops in Europe

(Newser) - Millions of letters and packages sent to US troops had accumulated in warehouses in Europe by the time Allied troops were pushing toward the heart of Hitler’s Germany near the end of World War II. This wasn’t junk mail—it was the main link between home and the...

Joy, Sadness as WWII Vets Return for D-Day Ceremony

Events were scaled down for 2 years during the pandemic

(Newser) - Joy and sadness in acute doses poured out Monday on the beaches of Normandy. As several dozen D-Day veterans—now all in their 90s—set foot on the sands that claimed so many colleagues, they are thankful for the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed here...

Pearl Harbor Survivors Gather on 80th Anniversary

Last year, they had to stay home

(Newser) - A few dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor and other veterans gathered Tuesday at the site of the bombing 80 years ago to remember those killed in the attack by Japan that launched the US into World War II. The USS Chung-Hoon, a guided missile destroyer, passed in front of the...

Oldest US WWII Vet Celebrates 112th With Drive-By Party

New Orleans honors Lawrence Brooks with music and a parade

(Newser) - A Louisiana man who is the oldest living World War II veteran in the United States has marked his 112th birthday. Lawrence Brooks celebrated Sunday with a drive-by party at his New Orleans home hosted by the National World War II Museum, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. He also...

Reward for Man Who Raised $34M Walking in His Garden

Tom Moore has received a deluge of cards for his 100th birthday

(Newser) - A British World War II veteran wanted to show his appreciation of the National Health Service by completing 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on April 30—with a goal of raising $1,250. Now that he has raised more than 27,000 times that, Britain is...

99-Year-Old Walks in His Garden, Raises $17M

Donations poured in for Tom Moore, who will give funds to health workers

(Newser) - A 99-year-old World War II veteran has raised $17 million for health workers in the UK simply by walking in his yard. Tom Moore set out to complete 100 lengths of his 82-foot garden in Bedfordshire, England, before his 100th birthday on April 30, knocking them off in groups of...

Trump Salutes 'Greatest Americans Who Will Ever Live'

Leaders mark 75 years since Normandy landings

(Newser) - D-Day veterans are "among the very greatest Americans who will ever live," President Trump said Thursday at a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the day thousands of American, British, and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the invasion of Nazi-occupied France. "Their mission...

Why a 90-Year-Old Is Beating Taylor Swift on the Charts

Jim Radford's D-Day memorial song has been re-released

(Newser) - A 90-year-old is currently beating Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Ed Sheeran on Amazon UK's singles chart—but not just any 90-year-old, a D-Day veteran who's out with a tribute to that fateful day in 1944. Jim Radford was just 15 during World War II's D-Day landings—...

Last WWII Doolittle Raider Dies
Last WWII Doolittle Raider Dies
OBITUARY
Apr 10, 2019 12:33 AM CDT

Last WWII Doolittle Raider Dies

Doolittle co-pilot Dick Cole was 103

(Newser) - Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, the last of the 80 Doolittle Tokyo Raiders who carried out the daring US attack on Japan during World War II, died Tuesday at a military hospital in Texas. He was 103. Cole's daughter, Cindy Chal, said he was having some heart...

Last 'Great Escape' Survivor Dies
Last 'Great Escape'
Survivor Dies
OBITUARY
Feb 28, 2019 4:50 AM CST

Last 'Great Escape' Survivor Dies

Dick Churchill thought his name saved his life

(Newser) - The last of the Great Escapers has died. Dick Churchill, a British Royal Air Force veteran who took part in the famous 1944 mass escape from the Stalag Luft III POW camp, died earlier this month at his home in England, the New York Times reports. He was 99. The...

Nation's Oldest WWII Vet Dies at 112
Nation's Oldest Man Is Dead 
OBITUARY
Dec 28, 2018 5:59 AM CST

Nation's Oldest Man Is Dead

Richard Overton, 112, also was oldest WWII vet

(Newser) - A family member says the nation's oldest World War II veteran, who was also believed to be oldest living man in the US, has died in Texas. Richard Overton was 112. Shirley Overton, whose husband was Richard's cousin, says the Army veteran died Thursday evening at a rehab...

Sole Survivor Marks 75th Anniversary of 1st US Raid on Japan

Dick Cole, 101, is last of Doolittle's Tokyo Raiders

(Newser) - At age 101, retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole says his memories are vivid of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders mission that helped change the course of World War II. Now the sole survivor of the original 80-member group, he plans to take part in events Monday and Tuesday at the National...

Female WWII Pilot Is Finally Honored at Arlington

'This now is about closure,' says granddaughter

(Newser) - It took an act of Congress, but World War II pilot Elaine Harmon is finally being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, reports the AP . Harmon died last year at age 95. She was one of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a group of women who flew military aircraft...

Hundreds Attend Funeral of Veteran With No Family

'We serve together, so therefore we should not die alone'

(Newser) - When Army Maj. Jaspen Boothe heard about Serina Vine, she knew she had to do something. Vine, a veteran of World War II, died May 21 at age 91 with no known surviving family. Boothe learned that there were only going to be four people attending Vine's funeral service...

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