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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Veterans remain central to D-Day anniversary ceremonies
The Brief D-Day marks the day allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. D-Day was the largest amphibious invasion in military history. June 6 marks the anniversary of D-Day, the day allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy and changed the course of World War II. The invasion was unprecedented in scale and audacity and implemented the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to punch a hole in Adolf Hitler's defenses in Western Europe. Today, though the D-Day generation of veterans are smaller, they remain a crucial reminder of what June 6 means as they continue to spread the message that they fought so hard for 81 years ago: Freedom is worth defending. About 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of 2024, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Dig deeper At the Normandy American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha, the resting place for nearly 9,400 American war dead, workers and visitors rubbed sand from the beach onto the white gravestones, so the engraved names stand out. Wally King, a sprightly 101-year-old, shared a few words at the grave of Henry Shurlds Jr. Shurlds who flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighters like King and was shot down and killed on Aug. 19, 1944. What they're saying When "most veterans from World War II came home, they didn't want to talk about the war. So they didn't pass those experiences on to their children and grandchildren," King said. "In a way, that's good because there's enough unpleasantness, bloodshed, agony in war, and perhaps we don't need to emphasize it," he added. "But the sacrifice needs to be emphasized and celebrated." Jack Stowe, a 98-year-old who served in the Navy, shared that he still receives "the sweetest letters" from kids he has met on previous trips. "The French people here, they're so good to us … they want to talk to us, they want to sit down and they want their kids around us," he said. Jake Larson, 102, survived machine gunfire while storming Omaha beach on D-Day. "We are the lucky ones … They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive," Larson said. What does "D" stand for in D-Day? It depends on who you ask. The backstory Some say it stands for designated day, decision day, doomsday or even death day, according to the U.S. military. Others also said it merely stands for "Day," as in Day-Day. There have been other instances in history which utilized D-Day as a coded designation for the day of any important invasion or military operation, the U.S. military said. Referencing Stephen Ambrose's book, "D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II," the U.S. Army's first use of D-Day was in 1918. "For military planners (and later historians), the days before and after a D-Day were indicated using plus and minus signs: D-4 meant four days before a D-Day, while D+7 meant seven days after a D-Day," according to the U.S. Army website. An unknown person allegedly wrote to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Allied supreme commander for Operation Overlord, and asked what the "D" meant. His executive assistant at the time, Brigadier Gen. Robert Schultz answered: "General Eisenhower asked me to respond to your letter. Be advised that any amphibious operation has a 'departed date'; therefore the shortened term 'D-Day' is used," the Army's website reads. The sea landings started at 6:30 a.m., just after dawn, targeting five code-named beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword. The operation also included actions inland, including overnight parachute landings on strategic German sites and U.S. Army Rangers scaling cliffs to take out German gun positions. By the numbers Around 11,000 Allied aircraft, 7,000 ships and boats, and thousands of other vehicles were involved. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, including 2,501 Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle — and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities — killed around 20,000 French civilians. The exact German casualties aren't known, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. About 22,000 German soldiers are among the many buried around Normandy. The Source Information for this article was taken from previous reporting by The Associated Press, FOX News and previous reporting by FOX Local. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Axios
16 hours ago
- General
- Axios
Where America's remaining WWII veterans live
As the nation remembers D-Day on Friday's 81st anniversary, a dwindling number of World War II veterans remain with us. There were about 66,100 living WWII vets nationwide as of 2024, per U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs projections. By the numbers: California (7,455), Florida (5,511) and Pennsylvania (3,930) — all populous states, broadly speaking — have the most living WWII veterans per state as of 2024. New Hampshire (63.5), Rhode Island (41.9) and Connecticut (35) have the most per 100,000 residents overall. Zoom out: Cities nationwide and abroad are holding events to commemorate Friday's anniversary.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Haaland criticizes Trump cuts to VA in Santa Fe campaign stop
Ask Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland whether she's been getting eight hours of sleep since she hit the campaign trail, and she doesn't hesitate in her response. "No, absolutely not," she said Wednesday. Haaland, the first person to announce her candidacy for governor, said the campaign is a full-time affair. "It's pretty busy," she said. "It's fine, though. I mean, this is what I do best. I feel very comfortable on the road and campaigning, so it's fine. It's [also] fun. I love being with my team and love seeing people in New Mexico." Haaland, a former congresswoman and U.S. Interior secretary, is campaigning in earnest this week in Santa Fe. On Wednesday, she held a news conference to sound the alarm on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cuts under the Trump administration and her plans to address them, from expanding a rural veterans transportation program to all 33 New Mexico counties to investing in state-funded mental health and suicide prevention programs. "Let's be honest about this moment," she said. "We're facing coordinated attacks on our rights, our freedoms and our future. The Trump administration is back, and they're coming directly for our veterans. ... Right now, Trump and Elon Musk are planning to cut 83,000 jobs at the VA. That's nearly double the population of Roswell." Haaland said veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce and nearly 500,000 veterans could lose their jobs if Republicans pass Trump's budget. "That's not to mention the 1.6 million veterans who rely on Medicaid and the 1.2 million veterans who have families that receive food assistance through SNAP, the same program I relied on as a young mother to feed my child," she said. "These are the safety nets that Trump and his cronies are shredding to pay for tax giveaways for billionaires." At the event, Haaland received an early endorsement from Common Defense, which describes itself as the largest grassroots membership organization of progressive veterans. The news conference was followed by a roundtable discussion on veterans' priorities ahead of her summer policy plan rollouts, though the discussion was closed to the news media. On Thursday, Haaland is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the 2025 Next Generation Water Summit, which is being held at the state Capitol. Fundraisers are also on her itinerary. "Campaigns don't run on their own," said Haaland, who is dwarfing every other gubernatorial candidate in fundraising with $3.7 million in campaign contributions so far. "It costs money to travel around New Mexico, and I'm so grateful for everyone who has pitched in and helped us achieve our goals." While Haaland was first out of the gate, she faces stiff competition in the June 2026 primary from Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who raised more than $1 million in the first five weeks of his campaign. Former longtime Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima formerly launched his campaign for governor late last month. Other Democrats are considering a gubernatorial run, too, including Lt. Gov. Howie Morales, who is expected to make a decision this week. On the Republican side, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull is seeking his party's nomination, though his campaign showed signs of trouble when it delayed a formal announcement that had been scheduled for June 2, saying it was choosing to extend a statewide listening tour "to ensure that our platform reflects the real concerns, hopes, and priorities of New Mexicans in every region." "The campaign remains in a strategic growth phase, focused on building the infrastructure, fundraising base, and grassroots team necessary to win both the primary and general election," Hull's campaign wrote in a message to supporters. Haaland, considered the front-runner in the Democratic primary, said she's been "super busy." "We did one tour around New Mexico, and we're slowly but surely getting around to everywhere and getting meetings with our Indian tribes, meeting with tribal leaders and just doing whatever we can to reach out to voters," she said. "For me, it's meeting voters where they are, so we want to make sure that we are getting everywhere because everybody deserves to have a face-to-face conversation with us about our campaign."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. Sen. Cornyn to discuss veterans mental health care in Tyler
TYLER, Texas (KETK) — U.S. Senator John Cornyn R-TX will meet with veterans' mental health advocates in Tyler on Wednesday to discuss his bill centered around evaluating the quality of veteran care. Tesla chargers coming to Longview Target parking lot Senator Cornyn's Veterans Mental Health & Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act will be discussed during a round table meeting starting at 9:45 a.m. at CampV. This act would require organizations to conduct studies that evaluate their veterans mental heath and addiction care programs. These studies would be required for organizations both inside and outside the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more about this bill, visit this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump insults ‘decrepit corpse' Biden days after cancer diagnosis
President Donald Trump's derogatory swipes against his predecessor Joe Biden continued with a post calling the ailing Democrat a 'decrepit corpse.' The latest attack comes a week after Trump wished his predecessor a 'fast and successful recovery' from aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer. It took the form of the current president reposting a message from a MAGA influencer on Truth Social, alleging that Democrats 'stole the 2020 election and hijacked the country using a decrepit corpse as a frontman.' While there remains no credible evidence of corruption in the 2020 election in which Biden trounced Trump, it was the president's endorsement of referring to Biden as a 'corpse' that rang poignant when he shared that message Monday. Screenshots of the repost flooded the internet. Biden, 82, announced on May 18, that he and his family were reviewing options to treat his illness. Trump seemed to put his personal feelings behind him until Memorial Day, when he started the morning with a social media message calling his political rivals 'scum' and singling Biden out as 'incompetent.' Trump, who turns 79 in June, has repeatedly blamed the previous administration for the challenges he's faced since winning the 2024 election against Biden's Vice President, Kamala Harris. Biden didn't address Trump's Memorial Day attacks, though a message posted to the 46th president's Facebook page recognized the holiday. 'On Memorial Day, let us pause to remember and honor the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice so we could live our lives in peace and possibility,' the message read. 'Today we also honor the families they left behind whose hearts still carry the weight of absence.' The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which is preparing for major staff reductions under the Trump administration, calls Memorial Day the nation's 'foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women.' _____
