The WWII Battle of Manila: The Deadliest Urban Battle of the Pacific War
Japanese Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi carried a heavy burden. In November 1942, the USS Washington’s guns had sent his battleship Kirishima to the bottom of the ocean off Guadalcanal. He survived. In Japanese military culture, that survival brought immense disgrace. Two years later, commanding naval forces in Manila, Iwabuchi saw his chance at redemption. General […]
At 103, World War II Veteran Inspires Others with YMCA Workouts
If you’re already thinking about nixing that New Year’s resolution of working out more, less than three weeks into 2026, you may want to look to James Sneed for motivation. The 103-year-old World War II veteran is proving that you’re never too old to stay physically fit. Sneed, who served in the Army, heads to […]
Heart Transplant Saves Ailing Iraq War Veteran
Iraq War veteran Keith McCarter felt something was off in 2010, about a year after he left the Army. It was a feeling that most healthy 25-year-olds never have to experience. “I started to feel super weak and was not eating,” McCarter said. “Come to find out, I was in end-stage heart failure.” He needed […]
Gulf War Veteran, Paralympian Shares Four Simple Ways to Reach Goals
Army veteran and retired world class athlete John Register could have felt sorry for himself after losing his left leg in a training accident prior to the 1996 Summer Olympics. Instead, Register took time to process his grief and develop a plan to forge ahead, even though his dreams and aspirations were challenged in a […]
NY Man Honors Grandfather’s Legacy by Preserving World War II Memorabilia
Brendan Gibbons shared a close bond and a passion for preserving military history with his grandfather, Richard, a World War II veteran. After his grandfather died in 2018, Gibbons could have quit the hobby he shared with his beloved grandfather. But he decided, in order to preserve Richard’s memory, he was going to devote even […]
'Cautiously Optimistic': War Hero’s Medal of Honor Awaits Trump Decision
The paperwork is finished. The decision is not. A Staten Island soldier’s Medal of Honor case has reached the president’s desk more than a decade after his death in Afghanistan, placing the final call in the hands of President Donald Trump. Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, a Staten Island native assigned to the 10th Mountain […]
Korean War Veteran Reunited with Lost Letters from 1952
Ben Gross received quite the surprise recently when letters started arriving at his home that he penned way back in 1952. Gross, 95, is a Korean War veteran. He was shocked and amused recently to be reunited with letters he sent home while in Korea that had been separated and mistakenly sent to addresses that […]
Seminole Warriors Fought the US Military to a Stalemate in the Florida Swamps During America's Deadliest War Against the Native Americans
On the morning of Dec. 28, 1835, a single gunshot rang out in the central Florida wilderness. Chief Micanopy fired the initial shot before one hundred eighty Seminole warriors hidden in the shrubs opened up on 110 unsuspecting U.S. soldiers. Soon after, 108 soldiers were dead. The Second Seminole War had begun. Fewer than 2,000 […]
U.S. World War II Veteran, 103, Receives French Legion of Honor
Leggio “Lee” Sassi’s military career started off as a precocious teenager, lying about his age to enter the Army. Almost 90 years later, he received France’s most prestigious service award. Sassi, 103, was given the French Legion of Honor – similar to the U.S. Medal of Honor – during a special event last week in […]
World War II Veterans, Held Captive at Same POW Camp, Meet More Than 80 Years Later
Les Schrenk and Casey Bukowski already share a special bond as World War II veterans. After all, not many from the Greatest Generation are still alive. But when Schrenk, 102, and Bukowski, 101, met for the first time to celebrate Schrenk’s birthday in November, the veterans realized they shared way more in common than simply […]