Latest news with #Remembrance
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fallen soldiers honored at Mountain Home National Cemetery
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Veterans and families of fallen soldiers gathered at the Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City for a ceremony Monday in honor of Memorial Day. The ceremony included a missing soldier table presentation, a wreath laying by gold star families and a rendering of honors. 'It's just a solemn remembrance to those who have passed, to have the P.O.W./M.I.A. table set up,' said Richard Munoz, Director of Mountain Home. 'So not only to remember those that we know by name, but also to remember those that we do not know that have no name.' Munoz said he served in the Marine Corps for 20 years. 'We do this job because it's a calling,' Munoz said. 'We do it because we constantly serve our families, our nation. It's a way of continued service to our families.' Munoz said it's also important to honor those who have served, whom we don't know. 'Keep on remembering those that they don't even know, that have gone before them to provide the freedoms that we cherish today.' Army Veteran Ludwig 'Lou' Pesch immigrated to the U.S in the 1960s and served in the Vietnam War. 'Memorial Day is more than what you see here,' Pesch said. 'I was a Boy Scout in Belgium. There were 4,000 American soldiers who were buried there in the Battle of the Bulge in my area.' Keynote speaker Colonel Henry Reyes served in the Army National Guard. 'I think it's important for them to see that everybody still remembers who they are and how important they are to this nation,' said Reyes. 'We do have a lot of people, especially here at Mountain Home and the Tri-Cities area that went through the different wars and do have issues both physical and mental and how important it is that we also remember them as well.' Reyes also said not only should people thank the service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice on the field, but also the family members they left behind. 'A lot of people don't think about when a veteran has passed away, how the families feel and how they go and what all the different things they go through,' said Reyes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Surprise party for veteran, 90, hosted by Evesham army cadets
A group of cadets in Worcestershire have surprised a 90-year-old veteran with a special birthday Evesham troop organised the celebration for Korean War veteran Ken Ricketts, who has been a dedicated and loyal participant in Remembrance parades, but ill health meant he has struggled recently to play as active a role as he would like son Andy contacted Hereford & Worcester Army Cadet Force (ACF) earlier this year to ask if they would help him mark the milestone birthday."The ACF always encourages cadets to engage with their local communities," said Evesham Troop's detachment commander, Mike Fryer. "When I saw Andy's letter about his father I knew the cadets would want to be involved."He added: "When Ken arrived he thought he was just getting a standard look round the detachment building and maybe a handshake or two."The look on his face when our plans were revealed was truly special." The cadets honoured Mr Rickett's military service with a presentation earlier this week, and delivered warm wishes from the Royal Anglian also celebrated his birthday, with a letter from King Charles III read out by one of the Ricketts, who was himself a cadet in the 1940s, was presented with a specially-engraved glass tankard by the local troop."The veteran community is a special family, and so too is the ACF, we will always do our best to bring the two together," said Gheluvelt battery commander Capt Jamie Edwards."My congratulations to Ken on his birthday milestone, and to the cadets and adult volunteers at Evesham for their hard work in preparing for this event." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Edinburgh Live
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Fans of BBC soap star floored after realising Hollywood brother helped her bag big role
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Fans of the popular BBC soap, EastEnders, are only just realising that one legendary cast member has a very famous brother in the acting industry who helped her bag her first big role. Laila Morse, best known for her role of Mo Harris in the beloved soap, made her debut on the programme back in 2000 as the loud matriarch of the Slater family with her famous one-liners. But what many viewers don't know about Laila is that she didn't make it in the industry until she was 51-years-old- and it was her famous younger brother who helped her get there. Fans were floored when they discovered that Laila, now 79, is the older sister of none other than Hollywood sensation Gary Oldman, reports The Daily Record. Gary, 67, rose to fame in the mid 1980s and made his acting debut in the film Remembrance in 1982. The actor is best known for his roles in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Immortal Beloved, Sid & Nancy, Batman The Dark Knight and Harry Potter where he plays Sirius Black. He's had a wildly successful career, having won three British Academy Film Awards, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his work. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Gary attended drama school as a child while Laila, whose real name is Maureen Oldman, took a very different path as she left school without any qualifications and fell pregnant at 17. She went on to welcome her two children, Gerry and Tracey, during her first marriage to Gerald Bromfield which ended in 1970 after he was jailed for theft. She remarried to a man named Jimmy Bass who she divorced in 2003 after nine years together. Laila worked in hospitality and retail before her acting career finally took off later in life and she has previously credited her brother for helping her get her foot in the door by landing her first role in Gary's 1997 Nil By Mouth film. She then made her TV debut in two episodes of The Bill, as well as TV production of Great Expectations. She previously told Loose Women: "My big brother wrote and directed Nil by Mouth. He just wanted something raw. He was with a friend and he just said, 'she could do that'. I just looked at him and went what? I can't do that. "He said, 'Come back to the hotel and read a bit', which I he went, 'right you're doing it.' That's the first thing I'd ever done." Laila then went on to secure her role as 'Big Mo' in the BBC soap in 2000. She has appeared in the show intermittently for the past two and a half decades, with stints from 2000-2016 and 2018-2022. Mo returned to Albert Square in May last year on a permanent basis with her great grandson Freddie Slater, who is played by Bobby Brazier. Laila and her brother Gary are known to be very close with the siblings spending Christmas Day together at Gary's California home in 2018. In sweet photos, shared by Gary's wife Giselle Schmidt, the family grinned for the camera around the dinner table with another snap showing Laila making a "proper English Christmas dinner" for them to tuck into. Meanwhile back in 2021, the pair enjoyed a sibling trip to Las Vegas. Taking to her Instagram at the time, Laila shared a snap of her and Gary, writing: 'Throwback to our trip to Las Vegas.' EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Daily Record
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
EastEnders icon Mo Harris has famous Hollywood A-lister brother who helped her land soap role
EastEnders fans are only just realising who Mo Harris star Laila Morse's very famous younger brother is after she credited him for getting her into the acting industry. Soap fans are only just realising that one EastEnders legend has a very famous brother in the acting industry who helped her bag her first major role. Laila Morse, best known for her role of Mo Harris in the BBC soap, made her debut on the programme back in 2000 as the loud elder matriarch of the Slater family with her famous one-liners. However, what many viewers don't know about Laila is that she didn't make it in the industry until she was 51-years-old and it was her famous younger brother who helped her get there. Fans have been left floored to discover that Laila, 79, is the older sister of none other than Hollywood sensation Gary Oldman. Gary, 67, rose to fame in the mid 1980s and made his acting debut in the film Remembrance in 1982. The actor is best known for his roles in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Immortal Beloved, Sid & Nancy, Batman The Dark Knight and Harry Potter where he plays Sirius Black. The star has had a very successful career, having won three British Academy Film Awards, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his work over the years. Gary attended drama school as a child while Laila, whose real name is Maureen Oldman, took a very different path as she left school without any qualifications and fell pregnant at 17. She went on to welcome her two children, Gerry and Tracey, during her first marriage to Gerald Bromfield which ended in 1970 after he was jailed for theft. She remarried to a man named Jimmy Bass who she divorced in 2003 after nine years together. Laila worked in hospitality and retail before her acting career finally took off later in life. She has previously credited her brother for helping her get her foot in the door by landing her first role in Gary's 1997 Nil By Mouth film. She then made her TV debut in two episodes of The Bill, as well as TV production of Great Expectations. She previously told Loose Women: "My big brother wrote and directed Nil by Mouth. He just wanted something raw. He was with a friend and he just said, 'she could do that'. I just looked at him and went what? I can't do that. "He said, come back to the hotel and read a bit, which I he went, right you're doing it. That's the first thing I'd ever done." Laila then went on to secure the role of Mo Harris, better known as "Big Mo" in the BBC soap in 2000. She has appeared in the show intermittently for the past two and a half decades, with stints from 2000-2016 and 2018-2022. Mo returned to Albert Square in May last year on a permanent basis with her great grandson Freddie Slater, who is played by Bobby Brazier. Laila and her brother Gary are known to be very close with the siblings spending Christmas Day together at Gary's California home in 2018. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In sweet photos, shared by Gary's wife Giselle Schmidt, the family grinned for the camera around the dinner table with another snap showing Laila making a "proper English Christmas dinner" for them to tuck into. Meanwhile back in 2021, the pair enjoyed a sibling trip to Las Vegas. Taking to her Instagram at the time, Laila shared a snap of her and Gary, writing: 'Throwback to our trip to Las Vegas.'
BBC News
01-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wisbech WW2 veteran joins Royal British Legion aged 102
The Royal British Legion will welcome its newest member on the 80th anniversary of VE Day - thought to be the oldest in the country to sign Eastgate is a 102-year-old World War Two veteran of the Army, who still lives in the town where he was born - Wisbech in Eastgate joined the Royal Artillery as a gunner in March 1942, at the age of will sign up at the town's RBL branch RBL branch on 8 May, saying: "If they will have me, I'll enjoy it; I can take part in church services." Branch chairman Toby North said he was "absolutely thrilled" to welcome Mr Eastgate, although he admitted he thought it was an April's Fool joke when he first heard the news. As a teenage soldier, Mr Eastgate was captured shortly after his regiment arrived in Algiers, Algeria, in November 1942. "I ended up in a camp in Italy and was given the job of treading grapes, bare-footed, but I'll tell you something - I used to do a wee in it and I have never drank any wine since," he said."I had my head shaved and a red diamond sewn on the back of my uniform, but I still made two attempts to escape, one of which was through a sewer, without success though."The gunner was demobbed in 1947 and eventually returned to Wisbech where he re-joined the fruit and potato merchant he had worked at prior to the said he had had "quite a life", but was now "a bit slower in my actions and walking around". Mr North said: "The legion must have members of 100-plus years, but surely no one of the age of 102 has ever joined as a new member."He said he hoped Mr Eastgate would be an active member, taking part in events including laying wreaths on Remembrance Eastgate's son David, 72, and daughter Carol Ann, 76, said they both planed to join the legion alongside their father."We like to try and support our dad as much as we can, and with the help the RBL can offer, it is a nice for dad to join something like that," his son David said. Mr Eastgate said of his long life: "I go to see the doctor regularly and have check-ups - and I keep my fingernails clean, people don't realise that dirt and germs get under them, I have mine manicured."The head office of the Royal British Legion is checking whether Mr Eastgate is its oldest-ever new joiner. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
