Latest news with #memorials
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Permian Basin Veterans Honored in D.C.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) —Nearly 100 West Texas veterans recently traveled to Washington, D.C., on a three-day journey to visit the memorials built in their honor — a trip filled with reflection, remembrance and healing, made possible by the nonprofit Permian Basin Honor Flight. The organization, based in West Texas, provides all-expenses-paid trips to Washington for local veterans to see the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and other sites of national significance. Veterans visited a total of 14 memorials and museums over the course of the trip. Wesley Smith, who took over as flight director in 2023, said the program's goal is simple: to give these heroes the recognition and gratitude they deserve while there's still time. 'The Honor Flight is for us to bring those war heroes to this memorial, to the Korean Memorial, to the Vietnam Memorial before it's too late — to honor them and serve them and show them the respect that they so deserve, and to show them the world is changing,' Smith said. 'It's not going to be the same world these Vietnam vets came home to. And to show the Korean War vets they're never going to be forgotten. The history books tell them it's the 'forgotten war,' but it's not…' Smith has been involved with the Honor Flight team since 2015 and served as board president from 2018 to 2019. 'absolutely love getting to lead men and women heroes to care for them and honor them with the upmost respect that they deserve,' he said. The trip is made possible entirely through community fundraising and sponsorships. Each veteran's flight, lodging, meals, and transportation cost about $2,000 — none of which is charged to the veteran. 'So we have to raise that money all year long or these vets don't get to come up here,' Smith said. 'The last thing we want to do is say, 'Hey, you've been selected for a beautiful trip, but you owe us money.' And we're not going to do that. So it takes a community — it takes all community efforts to bring this together and make this happen The emotional impact of the trip was evident in conversations with veterans and their guardians. 'Going through this and being out here and how therapeutic it is — and getting to kinda rehash some of the things and let some of the emotions out that maybe you've held up a long time — is great,' said Danny Davis of Midland, who volunteered as a guardian for the trip. 'To the workers, I would say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm so grateful I was chosen for this flight, and I've enjoyed it,' said Trinand, a Vietnam veteran on the trip. 'The personnel, the people — our friends. They are my friends. We're brothers because of the war, but now we're friends because we have met.' For some, the visit to the memorials brought back powerful memories — and a sense of closure. 'I would suggest that they all come here and visit the memorials,' said Vietnam veteran William Tolbert. 'I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and I wouldn't want to come here in the summertime, but it's really impressive.' 'Oh man, this trip has been awesome — just honoring our vets that set the pace for us, you know, led the way,' said Army veteran Manuel Payan. 'It's an honor just to be around them. And it's great to just make new friends, especially with people like that that served.' In addition to moments of solemn reflection, the trip also included time for connection and celebration — from dancing to storytelling — as veterans connected and made new memories together. The Permian Basin Honor Flight continues its mission through year-round fundraising to ensure future generations of veterans receive the honor and healing they've earned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Britain's most callous crooks: Iron thieves hunted by police after stealing two metal military memorial plaques from churchyard
Callous iron theives are being hunted by police after stealing two metal military memorials from a villiage churchyard. Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway. Thieves are said to have carried out the cruel operation under the cover of night, with locals fearing they will be melted down into scrap metal. Jonathan Pout, the head gardener of Christ Church Luton, in Chatham, Kent, was horrified to discover the bare spaces on Saturday, May 24. Now the church is offering a £500 reward for information which leads to their return. A spokesperson for the church said: 'We are beyond sad to announce that our first world war memorials have been stolen from the lychgate. 'For over a hundred years these have been in place, honouring those from this area who gave everything for us to be free. 'If anyone knows anything about this desecration, please do contact us.' They added: 'We have very kindly been offered £500 as a reward for information given which leads to the retrieval of our memorial plaques.' Devastated parishioners have been left in tears after the plaques - which held the name of the town's 150 First World War heroes for more than 100 years - were ripped from the wooden gateway Reverend Andrea Leonard, 65, who has headed up the church since 2015, said the plaques had been taken under the cover of darkness on Friday night. The plaques were secured to the walls with security bolts - leading Reverend Leonard to believe they were stolen by someone who knew what they were doing, as opposed to opportunists. She said: 'There were definitely tears. It's part of the church, it's part of the community, and in a way it's part of people's relatives. 'People say 'oh my great uncle was on that list', and people recognise the names on there. 'If the church had been broken into and a computer stolen I'd have said 'oh, we can get another one'. 'But this is desecration. It's horrible. The fact that someone can have that lack of respect for people that gave everything for us to be free is just shocking.' Following a donation, the church is offering a £500 reward for any information which could lead to recovery of the memorials, which immortalised the names of over 150 army and navy soldiers. Failing recovery, Reverend Leonard says the plaques will be replaced with replicas made of less valuable materials. She said: 'Because we're a military area, we've already had veterans' associations saying that they would help us with fundraising to make replacements that are not worth stealing, made of something different. 'We've got enough photographs as well to have all the names, so that's not going to be an issue, I don't think.' The reverend now believes the plaques are going to be used for scrap metal, and may already be destroyed. She added: 'Initially, after the shock had settled in, people were very angry. The whole community is very angry as well. 'But, as a Christian community we have to respond in a different way - we don't want to make a lynch mob to go out and find someone. 'We've got to work on committing that person to justice. We want to see justice done, but we don't want to be vindictive.'
CBS News
24-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Woman helps change Illinois state law to help repair damaged veteran headstones
After successfully pushing to change state law to help repair and replaced damaged gravestones of Illinois veterans, a Naperville woman is continuing her mission to preserve the legacies of local heroes. Years ago, Staci Boyer, commander of the Judd Kendall VFW Post in Naperville, noticed many of the gravestones of veterans buried at Naperville Cemetery had become badly weathered and worn out, in some cases, left little more than a pile of rocks. She wanted to have them repaired, but ran into a roadblock. State law required permission from a family member, but the damaged headstones were so old, tracking down relatives was difficult. With the help of state lawmakers, she helped change Illinois law to give veterans' organizations the authority to repair headstones that are at least 100 years old. "Before the law, we wouldn't have been able to do anything. We would've tried to find next of kin. We would not have found them, and then the graves would've stayed a pile of rock and debris," Boyer said. Since last summer, Boyer has raised enough money to replace five veteran headstones at Naperville Cemetery. She said all new headstones will be in place by the 4th of July. "I'm proud of our community, you know, for feeling like this is important. People that don't know these veterans but believe that they should be honored this way. That's a beautiful thing," she said. Boyer had bricks engraved at Naperville Cemetery to honor all veterans with damaged headstones.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
SOCO Honor Flight returns home
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — 59 veterans who took a three-day trip to see the memorials built for them in Washington, D.C., walked into Colorado Springs Christian Academy on Saturday, May 10, where they were greeted with a hero's welcome. Many who attended were holding American flags, posters welcoming their loved ones back from their trip, and plenty of emotion after a long and emotional trip full of reflection on fighting for the stars and stripes. Each veteran who went on the trip served at different times in different places. Many who served in the Vietnam War. Three served in World War II, and six served in the Korean War. But the bond of fighting for their country spans their service. Herman Arellano, a Vietnam Veteran, went to reflect on a time when he fought alongside his high school friend. 'He went in a few months before I did, and he got killed two months into Vietnam service and was only 19 years old,' Arellano said. Arellano says he visited the Vietnam Memorial, where he scribed his friend's name off the wall and added that it helped him find a lot of closure. 'I'm really glad I went because it really helped me,' Arellano said. Some who apply to go on the SOCO Honor Flight have to wait around 2 1/2 years before being able to go on this trip. Arellano says he could have gone last year but decided to hold off one more time. 'When I found out they were looking for Korean veterans to go, I decided to wait till now so my brother-in-law and I could go together,' Arellano said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Russia Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Russia probing WWII memorial vandalism in Baltics and Eastern Europe
Russia has said it is conducting a criminal probe into the desecration and destruction of World War II memorials in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. The country's Investigative Committee has described systematic efforts to erase the memory of Soviet soldiers who fought against Nazi Germany. On Wednesday, Russian investigators announced they are looking into 167 such cases across the region. Aleksandr Pakhtusov, a senior official in the Committee's division for war crimes, genocide, and the rehabilitation of Nazism, said the list of defendants includes members of national parliaments and local government bodies. 'In our work, we are guided by national legislation and the decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal,' Pakhtusov said. He added that international agreements also require foreign authorities to preserve such memorials. Over 250 people – citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine among them – have been charged in absentia for damaging Soviet war memorials and burial sites. Russian investigators claim some governments have directly supported the demolition of monuments dedicated to Red Army soldiers who died liberating European cities in 1944–1945. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cited Poland as an example. She said an intergovernmental agreement once protected approximately 570 memorial sites there, but 'now, only a few dozen remain untouched and in their original state.' Video footage below shows the demolition of a Soviet-era war memorial in Siedlce, Poland: Numerous cases of World War II monument removal and desecration have occurred in the Baltic states in recent years. Notably, in August 2022, Latvia dismantled the 79-meter-tall Victory Monument in Riga's Victory Park following a parliamentary vote. The action was part of a broader initiative to eliminate Soviet symbols from public spaces. In Estonia, the 2007 relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn to a military cemetery sparked major protests. The Estonian government later announced plans to remove or relocate up to 244 Soviet-era monuments. Lithuania followed suit in 2022, removing a sculpture titled Soldier from a Soviet cemetery in Kaunas as part of a broader initiative. The actions have drawn strong condemnation from Russia, which accuses European countries of waging a campaign to falsify history. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in 2020, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that 'civilized Europe remains shamefully silent while a sacrilegious war is waged against monuments and memorials dedicated to those who gave their lives to save the peoples of the continent from complete extermination.'
