World War II veterans honored with prestigious French military decoration
LA MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two American World War II veterans, Bob Wilson and Peter Sanzo, were honored with the French Legion of Honour on Thursday at the American Legion in La Mesa.
The prestigious award, presented by the Consul General of France in Los Angeles, recognizes their outstanding service during the war. Wilson, 105, and Sanzo, 103, stood proudly as they received the medals, a testament to their bravery and dedication.
'I wish my wife was here,' said Wilson, reflecting on the accomplishment and his 72-year marriage to his late wife.
Memorial Day: Hundreds pay tribute at Miramar National Cemetery
'This is amazing. There's no words,' expressed Sanzo, overwhelmed by the honor.
Sanzo served as a tank operator in the U.S. Army, participating in significant campaigns such as Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
'He saw really horrific battles,' his daughter, Judi Sanzo, said. 'He nearly died at Battle of the Bulge. He was hospitalized for almost 12 months. His family thought he had died because they found his dog tags and they sent them home.'
Wilson, a U.S. Navy veteran, served during the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach and continued his military career through the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This service inspired his granddaughter to follow in his footsteps.
As the ceremony concluded, Sanzo issued a salute to the applause of the audience, while Wilson expressed his gratitude with a simple, 'Thank you very much.'
The ceremony was a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by these veterans, who remain humble and proud of their contributions to history.
All facts from this article were gathered by FOX 5/KUSI journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by FOX 5/KUSI staff.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump announces new steel and aluminium tariffs in blow to global markets
Donald Trump has announced plans to double tariffs on steel imports from next week, intensifying his trade war and unsettling global markets. Addressing a rally of steel workers in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on Friday, the US president revealed that tariffs would rise from 25% to 50%, claiming the measure "will even further secure the steel industry in the United States." Mr Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that the new tariffs, which also apply to aluminium imports, would take effect from Wednesday. He declared that American "industries are coming back like never before." "This will be yet another BIG jolt of great news for our wonderful steel and aluminum (sic) workers," he wrote, adding: "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" In a separate statement, he said: "We don't want America's future to be built with shoddy steel from Shanghai - we want it built with the strength and the pride of Pittsburgh!" However, a UK government source told Sky News that Britain will remain exempt from the new tariff rates, following the signing of a US-UK trade deal earlier this month. The source highlighted this agreement as evidence of why reaching an early arrangement with the Trump administration had been critical. Under the deal, the US agreed to "promptly construct a quota at most favoured nation (MFN) rates" for British steel, aluminium and derivative products. The escalation follows Mr Trump's claim earlier that China had "totally violated" an agreement designed to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions on critical minerals. "So much for being Mr Nice Guy," he wrote on his social media platform. Initially, Mr Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports in March as part of an effort to protect US manufacturing and jobs, making foreign imports less appealing to domestic industries. These increased tariffs threaten to raise costs for American consumers, affecting products from cars to canned soft drinks. Trump previously warned Canada it could face tariffs of up to 50% on steel imports, prompting Ontario's provincial government to threaten to increase electricity charges by 25% to American customers. Ontario supplies electricity to more than 1.5 million US homes and businesses in Minnesota, New York, and Michigan. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney previously described the potential tariffs as an "attack" on Canadian workers, families, and businesses. Currently, roughly a quarter of steel used in the US is imported, predominantly from countries including Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Germany. In 2024, the US imported 6.6 million tonnes of steel from Canada and 3.5 million tonnes from Mexico. The US also heavily relies on imported aluminium, receiving 3.2 million tonnes from Canada last year.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
We must ‘get real' about Trump abandoning Ukraine, Europe admits
British and French officials drawing up plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have discussed the need to 'get real' about Donald Trump abandoning the country. Officials agreed to shift the focus from deploying European troops to back up any ceasefire to sustaining Kyiv's long-term defence against Russia's invasion without American support. There is now a genuine concern that the US president will follow through on his threat to walk away from his role as a mediator, having failed to bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. 'Let's get real and admit the US will never be on board,' a Western official told the Telegraph, describing the dire mood at the meeting in the Hague. A European diplomat added: 'It was mostly about how to sustain the necessary support to Ukraine when we assume that the US would only continue providing some specific assets, such as intelligence. 'We also agreed on the need to step up economic pressure on Russia.' The meeting in the Dutch capital, attended by 'political directors' from foreign ministries, marked a stark change in roles of the 'coalition of the willing' devised by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to uphold a possible ceasefire being pursued by the Americans. Sir Keir and Mr Macron have been pushing the 'coalition of the willing' proposal under which European allies would use their soldiers to help enforce any peace deal. More than 30 nations have indicated support, although only a handful have publicly offered to put troops on the ground in Ukraine. A central question had been whether Washington is willing to provide what has been described by UK figures as a 'security guarantee' or a 'back-up' for this force. The group still hasn't publicly conceded that its intentions have changed, with the chances of peace dwindling the longer Putin holds out against international pressure for a truce. The European nations also agreed to invite Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, to the Nato summit in The Hague next month. His attendance had previously been in doubt after Mr Trump's vocal opposition to Ukraine joining the Western military alliance. General Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy, said on Friday: 'We've said that, to us, Ukraine coming into Nato is not on the table. 'And we're not the only country that says that. You know, I can probably give you four countries in Nato, and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come into Nato.' It is likely the coalition will continue to support the Trump peace efforts in public at the request of Ukrainian officials, who fear not doing so will result in the US leader ending weapons shipments and intelligence sharing. Although Washington has not signed off on deliveries of new weapons since Mr Trump took office, it continues to ship hardware agreed under Joe Biden's tenure. The US has also signed off on sales of domestically-produced kit, such as spares for F-16 fighter jets, to Ukraine, as well as allowing European nations to deliver American-made equipment. The meeting in the Dutch capital comes ahead of a key week of diplomacy. On Monday, Britain's national security adviser is expected to attend the next round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. Gen Kellogg told ABC News: 'We'll have what we call the E3. That is the national security advisers from Germany, France, and Great Britain…When we were in London, they kind of helped us mould a term sheet for Ukraine.' Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct negotiations in more than three years in the Turkish capital earlier this month. On Friday, the Kremlin said it would only discuss the conditions of a ceasefire at the talks in Istanbul after Kyiv demanded to see a peace memorandum prior to negotiations. Ukraine said it wanted to see a document setting out Russia's peace proposal before committing to sending officials to Istanbul. Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, said: 'In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions.' Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, announced the second round of talks earlier this week after Donald Trump further criticised Vladimir Putin. The US president had called his Russian counterpart 'crazy' and accused him of 'playing with fire' before appearing to give him a two-week deadline to secure a deal. Next week, Britain and Germany will also host a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of 50 nations coordinating military aid to Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump tells US steelworkers he's going to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50%
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelworkers he's doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50% to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for a metal used to make housing, autos and other goods. In a post later on his Truth Social platform, he added that aluminum tariffs would also be doubled to 50%. He said both tariff hikes would go into effect Wednesday. Trump spoke at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in suburban Pittsburgh, where he also discussed a details-to-come deal under which Japan's Nippon Steel will invest in the iconic American steelmaker. Trump told reporters after he arrived back in Washington that he still has to approve the deal. 'I have to approve the final deal with Nippon and we haven't seen that final deal yet, but they've made a very big commitment and it's a very big investment,' he said. Though Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he reversed course and announced an agreement last week for 'partial ownership' by Nippon. It's unclear, though, if the deal his administration helped broker has been finalized or how ownership would be structured. Nippon Steel has never said it is backing off its bid to outright buy and control U.S. Steel as a wholly owned subsidiary, even as it increased the amount of money it promised to invest in U.S. Steel plants and gave guarantees that it wouldn't lay off workers or close plants as it sought federal approval of the acquisition. 'We're here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that will ensure this storied American company stays an American company,' Trump said as he opened an event at one of U.S. Steel's warehouses. 'You're going to stay an American company, you know that, right?' As for the tariffs, Trump said doubling the levies on imported steel 'will even further secure the steel industry in the U.S.' But such a dramatic increase could push prices even higher. Steel prices have climbed 16% since Trump became president in mid-January, according to the government's Producer Price Index. As of March 2025, steel cost $984 a metric ton in the United States, significantly more than the price in Europe ($690) or China ($392), according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The United States produced about three times as much steel as it imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea being the largest sources of steel imports. Analysts have credited tariffs going back to Trump's first term with helping strengthen the domestic steel industry, something that Nippon Steel wanted to capitalize on in its offer to buy U.S. Steel. The United Steelworkers union remained skeptical. Its president, David McCall, said in a statement that the union is most concerned 'with the impact that this merger of U.S. Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work.' Trump stressed the deal would maintain American control of the storied company, which is seen as both a political symbol and an important matter for the country's supply chain, industries like auto manufacturing and national security. Trump, who has been eager to strike deals and announce new investments in the U.S. since retaking the White House, is also trying to satisfy voters, including blue-collar workers, who elected him as he called to protect U.S. manufacturing. U.S. Steel has not publicly communicated any details of a revamped deal to investors. Nippon Steel issued a statement approving of the proposed 'partnership' but also has not disclosed terms. State and federal lawmakers who have been briefed on the matter describe a deal in which Nippon will buy U.S. Steel and spend billions on U.S. Steel facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Minnesota. The company would be overseen by an executive suite and board made up mostly of Americans and protected by the U.S. government's veto power in the form of a 'golden share.' Unionized steelworkers said there is some split opinion in the ranks over Nippon Steel's acquisition, but that sentiment has shifted over time as they became more convinced that U.S. Steel would eventually shut down their Pittsburgh-area plants. Clifford Hammonds, a line feeder at the plant where Trump spoke, said at the very least the deal will help upgrade the aging plant and help increase production. 'It's putting money back into the plant to help rebuild it, because this plant is old, it's falling apart. We ain't really producing as much as we should be because, like I said, this place is old. It's falling apart. We need some type of investment to fix the machines that we've got working,' Hammonds said. No matter the terms, the issue has outsized importance for Trump, who last year repeatedly said he would block the deal and foreign ownership of U.S. Steel, as did former President Joe Biden. Trump promised during the campaign to make the revitalization of American manufacturing a priority of his second term in office. And the fate of U.S. Steel, once the world's largest corporation, could become a political liability in the midterm elections for his Republican Party in the swing state of Pennsylvania and other battleground states dependent on industrial manufacturing. Trump said Sunday he wouldn't approve the deal if U.S. Steel did not remain under U.S. control. He said it will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh. The president closed his remarks Friday by thanking steelworkers. 'With the help of patriots like you, we're going to produce our own metal, unleash our own energy, secure our own future, build our country, control our destiny,' he said. 'We are once again going to put Pennsylvania steel into the backbone of America like never before.' In recent days, Trump and other U.S. officials began promoting Nippon Steel's new commitment to invest $14 billion on top of its $14.9 billion bid, including building a new electric arc furnace steel mill somewhere in the U.S. He was joined onstage Friday by several U.S. Steel workers, including Jason Zugai, vice president of the United Steelworkers local union at the Irvin finishing plant that defied the international union in supporting Nippon Steel's bid to buy U.S. Steel. Zugai, whose father had lost his job in a steel mill years earlier, lobbied local officials and members of Congress to support the deal, believing that U.S. Steel would otherwise shut down its Pittsburgh-area plants eventually. In his remarks, Zugai told Trump, 'I knew you wouldn't let us down' and called Nippon Steel's proposed $14 billion in investments into steel production in the U.S. 'life-changing.' ___ Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.
