D-Day Veteran and TikTok Star 'Papa Jake' Larson Dies at 102
PARIS (AP) — D-Day veteran ″Papa Jake″ Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy’s bluffs in 1944 and then garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades, has died at 102. An animated speaker who charmed strangers young and old with his […]
Army Veteran and US Citizen Arrested in California Immigration Raid Warns It Could Happen to Anyone
A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle and pinned down by federal agents who arrested him. George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at […]
Military Honors Bestowed on Illinois Veteran Identified Nearly a Decade After Death
CHICAGO — Standing near the gravestone for the relative he never met, Mark Bailey accepted the crisply folded American flag from the Army officer, hugged it to his chest and closed his eyes. Though the person he called his aunt — born Reba Caroline Bailey — had been estranged, missing for decades and died in […]
Victim of Idaho Attack on Firefighters Was Veteran of National Guard
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his former roommate, T.J. Franks Jr., […]
LA Army Veteran with Purple Heart Self-Deports to South Korea Under Threat of Deportation
An Army veteran who grew up in Van Nuys and was awarded a Purple Heart self-deported to South Korea last week as he was threatened with being detained and deported by federal immigration forces. On Monday, veteran Sae Joon Park, who legally immigrated from South Korea when he was seven years old, grew up in […]
Trump Nominates Army Veteran, VA Adviser as Under Secretary for Benefits
Karen Brazell, a senior adviser to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, has been nominated to head the Veterans Benefits Administration — the section of the VA that manages $189 billion in benefits for nearly six million veterans and family members. The White House sent a notification Monday to the Senate committee that will […]
As National Guard Arrived in Los Angeles, VA Docs Scrambled to Make Sure Veteran Patients Received Care
As protests in Los Angeles became more widespread and some turned violent over the weekend, leaders of the Veterans Affairs L.A. Ambulatory Care Center made the tough call to close the facility, which serves thousands of patients a week. The center is one of four federal buildings in a block in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo […]
Police Search for Army Veteran Father of 3 Dead Girls in Washington State
A man in central Washington state is wanted on suspicion of murder after his three young daughters were reported missing and then found dead. Authorities asked the public Tuesday for help finding Travis Decker, 32, who is wanted for three counts of murder and kidnapping, according to police in Wenatchee, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) […]
Army Veteran and 'Walking Tall' Actor Joe Don Baker Dies at 89
When was the last time you stood up and applauded a movie? That’s the question the trailer for the vigilante film “Walking Tall” asked American audiences in 1973. The movie was a smash hit for Cinerama and made its lead actor, Joe Don Baker, an equally instant hit. Baker had been a mainstay supporting actor […]
Jail Staff Laughed at Dying Veteran Left Strapped to Chair in Texas, Suit Says
The family of Glenn Earl Smallwood Jr., a 33-year-old U.S. Army veteran who needed immediate medical attention but was instead taken to jail and strapped to a restraint chair until he was no longer responsive, is suing over his death, according to their legal counsel. Civil rights attorney Erik Heipt, who represents the family, said […]