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On a crisp fall day in a cemetery in Queens, a Marine Corps honor guard blew taps over the country's oldest female Marine. Sgt. Miriam Cohen did not die jumping on a hand grenade, or storming the beaches of Normandy or battling the Japanese on Iwo Jima. Most appropriately, she died on Veteran's Day, one day after the 234th birthday of the United States Marines Corps. Cohen lived nearly half as long: She would have been 102 on Dec. 13. When World War II threatened civilization, this beautiful, gutsy Brooklyn gal answered the call of a bugle, just like the...

SIERRA VISTA — Don Schoen started a slightly more than 27-year career in the Air Force as a fighter pilot during World War II with the Army Air Forces. There were about two years of training to become a pilot, said Schoen. It was September 1944 when Don arrived in Europe after sailing from the East Coast of the U.S. for five days. And it was after arriving at an air base in England that he got his first look at and first ride in a C model of the P-51. After five days of local terrain flying, he and...

Sarah Robinson was just a teenager when World War II broke out. She endured the Blitz, watching for fires during Luftwaffe air raids armed with a bucket of sand. Often she would walk ten miles home from work in the blackout, with bombs falling around her. As soon as she turned 18, she joined the Royal Navy to do her bit for the war effort. Hers was a small part in a huge, history-making enterprise, and her contribution epitomises her generation's sense of service and sacrifice. Nearly 400,000 Britons died. Millions more were scarred by the experience, physically and mentally....

Disabled Iraq veteran, Luis Montalvan, says that he was repeatedly discriminated against at a Brooklyn McDonald's. According to Montalvan, these conflicts culminated in an assault that sent him to the emergency room. Now, Montalvan is suing McDonald's for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination, and assault and battery.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009 – Retired Army Col. Lewis L. Millett, who earned the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading what reportedly was the last major American bayonet charge, died Nov 14. Retired Army Col. Lewis L. Millet wears his Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and other medals earned in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He served as honorary colonel of the 27th Infantry Regiment Association, and was active in veterans events almost to his death Nov. 14, 2009. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Millett, 88, died in Loma...

Army veteran William "Bill" Burtner survived Vietnam and dedicated his life to helping other veterans. On Monday, Burtner was about to enter a Midlothian bank to deposit money the south suburb's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2580 had raised during a benefit. He never made it inside. Burtner, 65, was assaulted and robbed outside the bank. He died Wednesday night at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An autopsy today concluded Burtner died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease and fractured ribs from the assault, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. It ruled the death a homicide. ... The...

A burial at Arlington National Cemetery Friday had all the trimmings of a proper military funeral except one thing, the soldier’s remains. It's theft in front of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. has left the family distraught. The urn containing the remains of bronze star and two purple hearts winner Army Colonel Norbert Otto Schmidt was taken from his family’s SUV just before the funeral. The thieves also stole a computer and other items from the vehicle. The ceremony had to be moved to a different part of the cemetery but the gravestone will be moved to its proper...

Vernon Davis, who turns 90 on Nov. 14, served in World War II. “Three years, 10 months, and seven days,” Davis said with an ever-present smile. You might think that Davis participates among a litany of veterans organizations, parades, events and such. Fighting was fierce during those culminating days and nights of World War II. By April 20, Vernon along with less than 50 other men navigated to the top of Mike Ridge on Okinawa. About 500 well-fortified Japanese were their foes. According to a citation given to him, Vernon and the band of less then 50 men had “slept...

Let us not forget that Veterans Day is also the birthday of one of America's greatest veteran warriors, General George S. Patton, Jr. THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY by George S. Patton, Jr. Through the travail of the ages, Midst the pomp and toil of war, Have I fought and strove and perished Countless times upon this star ... So as through a glass, and darkly The age long strife I see Where I fought in many guises, Many names, but always me. ... So forever in the future, Shall I battle as of yore, Dying to be born a fighter,...

Veteran's Day Tribute 2010

I posted this yesterday, but I wanted to post it again on Veteran's Day. I just had to share this tribute to our Veteran's. This video is an encouragement for citizens to stand for freedom and to stand for those who stood for us throughout history- those who paved the way for freedom, and those who continue to give their lives to serve our Country. God Bless You. And please post your tributes and memorials to honor our Veteran's and all who are serving in our military. Click here to watch Cry Freedom: A Veteran Tribute

From Concord to New Orleans. From the Northwest Territory to the American west. From the Philippines to San Juan Hill. From Europe before 1920 to Europe controlled by the Axis powers. From Korea and Vietnam to the Middle East. They have worn everything from the everyday to specialized outfits. They started with crude single shots and now use precision weapons. They've been shot down by their own government and hailed as heroes. They're doctors and lawyers, tradesmen and farmers. They are all different races, creeds, colors, nationalities, and faiths. They come from places as large as New York City and...

Women have served in military conflict, in one position or another, since the American War of Independence. Now, women are in most, if not all parts of the US Military. Many have been awarded honors for their bravery and service. But only one has earned the right to wear the Medal of Honor.

This is my first vanity post, so I apologize if I posted incorrectly, but I just had to share this tribute to our Veteran's. This video is an encouragement for citizens to stand for freedom and to stand for those who stood for us throughout history- those who paved the way for freedom, and those who continue to give their lives to serve our Country. God Bless you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIO1daVaIo

In 1973, Canadian broadcaster Gordon Sinclair (CFRB) gave a message over the air that we should remember today. This was during the end years of Vietnam. Ford was president, the oil embargos had not yet taken place, and the US was in turmoil because of the unpopular war.

We hail those that wore the uniform of the US Armed Forces every November 11. We honor the Greatest Generation, we finally honor those that fought the Cong, we honor those that have fought in the Middle East. But more times than not, we as a people, tend to forget those of another conflict. Korean War Vets, it seems, get lost in the shuffling of history.

During the Clinton reign, posters and bumper showed up stating 'America...the only place where a veteran sleeps in a box and a draft dodger is in the White House.' This was meant as a statement against the way that returning heroes are treated. We notice them in every large city and encounter them in every town. But, in this fast paced society, we don't see them. We cross the street.....

Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries Washington, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Steve Buyer and House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Howard P. “Buck” McKeon offered three amendments to the Pelosi healthcare bill that would protect America’s Veterans and military TRICARE beneficiaries. The healthcare legislation, which is expected to be voted on in the full House in the coming days limits veteran’s and service member’s health care choices and places veterans and military health care unnecessarily at risk by not clearly excluding military...

This duo is being raffled off to raise funds for the Healing Heroes Network, a charity that benefits injured Veterans. So buying a ticket or 10 is a chance to win these fantastic Shelbys, and support a worthy cause. The 1967 example is a verified Shelby original, number 3139 in the Shelby Registry. The 2010 GT is a one-of-a-kind special edition done up in the same Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes as the old-timer. It has been dubbed the Patriot Edition and features a host of aftermarket changes that make it more closely match its ancestor.If you'd like...

The National Commander, Clarence Hill, said this to the Hoosier Legionnaire, in the Sept/Oct 2009 issue. "For more than a century, disabled military retirees had to unfairly forfeit portions of their retirement pay to offset their disability, even though they were the only Americans required to do this. Finally, after way too long, .......

A friend of a friend in Midland, Texas is protesting the federal government's spending and push for nationalized healthcare. Thomas Flournoy, a WWII veteran, is flying his flag upside down, as a sign of distress. From KWES: One Midlander says enough is enough with the federal government. He says outragous spending and a push for Nationalized healthcare has put him over the top. Now, he's not only protesting, but sending out a sign of distress. On Tuesday, NewsWest 9 spoke with the World War II Veteran who is telling everyone to fly their flags upside down. "We've got to concentrate...

Veterans Day is coming up, but there are few vets who have a story to tell like Mario Avignone.His life was changed during World War II when he was stationed near the monastery inhabited by St. Pio of Pietrelcina. Avignone, a salt-of-the-earth Chicagoan, and two fellow soldiers befriended the stigmatic miracle worker. Since then, he expresses his devotion to the saint by sharing his experiences with others, visiting the sick, and praying with the aid of relics.After a talk Avignone gave at St. Mary of the Angels Church on the city’s North Side, the 90-year-old veteran, over a meal...

'The British serviceman who first fired on Japanese forces during World War Two has died at the age of 90. Jim Mariner was on board the gunboat HMS Peterel when he secured his place in history at about 4am on December 7, 1941. The vessel was in China's Shanghai Harbour and the crew had been issued with cutlasses and told they should be prepared to die defending the ship. It was the last commissioned Royal Navy craft on the Yangtze River and had been stripped of most of her weapons. She had a skeleton crew and was clearly in no...

CHICAGO -- If you're looking for somebody to cheer for during Sunday's marathon, Steve Baskis is your man. The 23-year-old Iraq veteran lost his sight last year when a roadside bomb exploded next to the vehicle he was driving. One of his best friends, Victor Cota, was just a few feet away from him at the time and lost his life. Instead of falling apart, though, Baskis did exactly the opposite. He needed an outlet for competitiveness and he wanted to show people that life doesn't end just because you lose your vision. After numerous surgeries to repair his injuries,...

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - World War II pilot Bernerd Harding feels he has finally completed his mission—65 years after his B-24, nicknamed Georgette, was shot down over Germany. Harding, now 90, flew Friday from Laconia to Manchester aboard the Witchcraft—the last B-24 still flying.

FORT WORTH – Dan Walker, an Army war veteran who was honored for gathering and burying a U.S. flag that was burned in protest during the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, has died. He was 81. Walker, who was captured by TV cameras carefully retrieving the flag remnants so they could be buried properly, died Wednesday of prostate cancer at his Fort Worth home. Walker told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after the incident that he felt compelled to act after seeing someone try to stomp out the fire. "I didn't want someone sweeping it up with a broom and...

what a brave soldier... Lieutenant James Adamson was awarded the Military Cross after killing two insurgents during close quarter combat in Helmand's notorious "Green Zone". The 24-year-old officer, a member of the 5th battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, revealed that he shouted "have some of this" before shooting dead a gunman who had just emerged from a maize field. Seconds later and out of ammunition, the lieutenant leapt over a river bank and killed a second insurgent machine-gunner with a single thrust of his bayonet in the man's chest.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- Many Las Cruces residents are angry and feel disrespected after an East Mesa man has been flying a U.S. flag upside down underneath a flag with a swastika on it. The man responsible for flying the flags said it's not meant to disrespect anyone, but rather make a statement. Army National Guard Specialist Anthony Del Bozque said he had to go back and take a closer look at what he was looking at when driving by on Highway 70. “I wanted to go take it down, I wanted to go knock on his door and find...

Charles R. Bond Jr., a retired Air Force major general and one of the last surviving Flying Tigers, died Aug. 18 of dementia at Presbyterian Village North, an assisted living community in Dallas. He was 94. In September 1941, he left the Army Air Forces to volunteer for service in China as part of a secret program, the American Volunteer Group, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, under Gen. Claire Chenault. Made up of about 400 pilots and ground personnel and based in Burma, the Flying Tigers protected military supply routes between China and Burma and helped to get supplies to Chinese...

Take a moment to say a prayer for the passing of another WWII vet, one with the lovely name of Major Jennie Wrinn, Army Nurse Corps, 1914 - 2009. She was on Saipan in 1944 and other islands in the Pacific campaign, then with the US Army of Occupation in Germany 1945-52. Our choir sang The Battle Hyman of the Republic at her memorial service. and it was a privelidge and a pleasure to sing for her. Afterwards at the lunch there were photos of her and her nurse friends on Saipan in beanpot helmets with their arms over one...

MOORHEAD - Heather Arntson had already dialed 911 to report the car that slammed into an SUV carrying her husband, herself and their four children, including a 3-month-old baby and 20-month-old toddler. But when the car’s alleged drunken driver tried to flee the south Moorhead scene, she called 911 again – only, it was now the driver who was probably in the greatest danger. “I said, ‘The suspect’s running now, and he picked the wrong guy because my husband’s an Army Ranger,’ ” she said she told the dispatcher. Her husband, Mike Arntson, was able to chase down the driver...

Friends remember last survivor of the trenches, who died last month at the age of 111, in service at Wells cathedral... They said it many different ways, but the message was essentially the same. In most respects, Henry John "Harry" Patch was an ordinary man...But just about everyone who attended Patch's funeral service in the cathedral city of Wells today also seemed to agree that, somehow, he had become something quite extraordinary. It was not just that he became the last man to remember, first hand, the horrors of the first world war trenches, but also that he became both...

The family of CPT C. Joseph Rosbert has asked the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) to stand in honor for this WWII Flying Tiger Ace as he is laid to his final rest on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) on 06 August, 2009 at approximately 1500 hours from the ANC Administration building, with services at the Columbarium. PGR will be there, standing tall silent and proud in honor of this Hero and his family, friends and comrades at arms. The mission plan follows this brief biographical sketch of our Hero. From the family: "American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers"...

A fly-past of replica planes was held to mark the passing of Britain's oldest World War I veteran this afternoon. Hundreds of people lined the streets to pay their respects to the world's oldest man and British war hero Henry Allingham. The 113-year-old died peacefully in his sleep on July 18 at his care home St Dunstan's, near Brighton. Mr Allingham, who served in the Royal Navy and RAF, was laid to rest with full military honours at a service at St Nicholas's Church in Brighton. As this afternoon's service began, crowds broke into spontaneous applause as his Union Flag-draped...

----- , July 28, 2009 8:42 AM We're hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell "Shifty" Powers. Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the...

Here is a video report on the death of Harry Patch, the last known British World War I veteran. Patch died today at the age of 111. He fought in the ghastly trench warfare that was the trademark of World War I fighting. Below is a video describing what it was like in the trenches . . . . . . (Watch Videos)

Harry Patch, the last British army veteran of World War I, has died at 111, the nursing home where he lived said Saturday. The Fletcher House care home in Wells, southwest England, said Patch died early Saturday. "He just quietly slipped away at 9 a.m. this morning," said care home manager Andrew Larpent. "It was how he would have wanted it, without having to be moved to hospitals but here, peacefully with his friends and carers." Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the whole country would mourn "the passing of a great man." "The noblest of all the generations has left...

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Harry Patch -- the last surviving British soldier from World War I -- died Saturday at the age of 111, Britain's Ministry of Defence said. Patch died peacefully at his care home in the southwestern English city of Wells, the ministry announced. His death came a week after fellow British World War I veteran Henry Allingham died at the age of 113. Patch was the last surviving soldier to have witnessed the horrors of trench warfare in the first World War He fought and was seriously wounded in Ypres, Belgium, in 1917 at the Battle of...

Harry Patch

The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, has died at the age of 111. Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died. He was raised in Coombe Down, near Bath, and had been living at a care home in Wells, Somerset. The oldest WWI veteran Henry Allingham, who served in the Royal Navy and the RAF, died at the age of 113 a week ago.

The Crowley County veterans affairs officer is disputing claims by military historians that he lied about being a prisoner of war. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Ronald Crumley said he is a former POW and that he will prove it at a meeting next week. "All of the allegations will be answered by two people. One is a four-star Marine general and the other is a former assistant U.S. attorney general," Crumley said. "I see how this has happened to other people and I want to take care of it now," Crumley said. Military historian Doug Sterner of Pueblo and...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE MAREZ EAST, Iraq, July 23, 2009 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Hershel L. Mayfield is a Vietnam veteran with 39 years of service. But when he re-enlisted here earlier this month, his mind was on the future and the young people he serves with. Army Sgt. 1st Class Hershel Mayfield, right, receives his re-enlistment certificate from Army Capt. Irvin Morris at Contingency Operating Site Marez East, Iraq, July 7, 2009. Mayfield has served 39 years in the Army, including 37 with the 158th Maintenance Company of the Alabama Army National Guard. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt....

Henry Allingham, the oldest surviving serviceman from the First World War, has died at the age of 113, his care home has said. Mr Allingham served with the Royal Naval Air Service during the Great War, later transferring to the Royal Air Force and serving at Ypres.

Oldest WWI veteran dies aged 113 Henry Allingham was the last surviving founding member of the RAF Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and one of the last surviving World War I servicemen, has died at the age of 113, his care home has said. Mr Allingham served with the Royal Naval Air Service in WWI, later transferring to the Royal Air Force at the time of its creation. Bosses at his Brighton care home said everybody was "saddened by Henry's loss and our sympathy goes to his family". Last month, Mr Allingham, born in 1896, became the world's oldest...

CLACKAMAS -- They came by ones and twos Friday, quietly slipping into the pews at New Hope Community Church. They smiled at the words honoring a man whose faith made him an inspiration and whose exploits in three wars made him a hero. And when the last mournful drone of the bagpipes faded, they said goodbye to Col. Kenneth L. Reusser of Milwaukie, the most decorated U.S. Marine Corps aviator in history. "He was the finest gentleman I've ever met," said Harley Wedel of Fairview, a fellow Korean War veteran. "I'm really going to miss him." Reusser flew an amazing...

From Commander Fitzpatrick's site... "Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506Th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the...

You're a 19 year old kid. You're critically wounded, and dying in the jungle in the Ia Drang Valley ,11-14-1965, LZ X-ray, Vietnam . Your infantry unit is outnumbered 8 - 1, and the enemy fire is so intense, from 100 or 200 yards away, that your own Infantry Commander has ordered the MediVac helicopters to stop coming in. You're lying there, listening to the enemy machine guns, and you know you're not getting out. Your family is 1/2 way around the world, 12,000 miles away, and you'll never see them again. As the world starts to fade in and...

HIS wife once compared him to a Datsun Sunny, suggesting he would "go forever". But on Wednesday night, following surgery in Geelong Hospital, Ted Kenna died a few days after his 90th birthday. There was little about Mr Kenna to distinguish him from the rest of his generation - except for a single moment in 1945, when he made a choice he was compelled to explain over and over for the rest of his life. Winning the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery, was both a privilege and burden. He had met the Queen 13 times and appeared on...

WAR veteran Ted Kenna made an outstanding contribution to the nation and will be remembered for his courage, Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said. Mr Kenna, Australia's last surviving Victoria Cross winner from World War II, died yesterday, aged 90. His death was a sad day for the nation, Ms Gillard said in a joint statement with Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin. "Ted Kenna was a great Australian," they said, adding his story of bravery in New Guinea in 1945 was "extraordinary". "Private Kenna made an outstanding contribution to the nation and he will be remembered for his courage."...

"Among other allegations, Ranghelli and Napper said that unembalmed bodies awaiting cremation were left to decompose in unrefrigerated areas of the funeral home and that bodies of military veterans awaiting burial at Arlington National Cemetery were stored for months on racks in the garage.