A 98-Year-Old War Veteran's Liver Was Donated. He Is Believed to Be the Oldest American Organ Donor Ever.
ST. LOUIS — Orville Allen lived a lifetime of service, and when he died at age 98 he had one last thing to give: his liver. Allen, a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War and a longtime educator in rural southeastern Missouri, is the oldest American to ever donate an organ, […]
Explorers Discover Possible Wreckage of World War II Ace Richard Bong's Plane in South Pacific
MADISON, Wis. — Searchers announced Thursday they’ve discovered what they believe is the wreckage of World War II ace Richard Bong’s plane in the South Pacific. The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center in Superior, Wisconsin, and the nonprofit World War II historical preservation group Pacific Wrecks announced in March they were launching a joint […]
Army Will Present Purple Heart to Minnesota Veteran 73 Years After He Was Wounded in Korean War
ST. PAUL, Minn. — After 73 years and a long fight with the U.S. Army, a Korean War veteran from Minnesota who was wounded in combat was set to finally get his Purple Heart medal on Friday. The Army notified Earl Meyer, 96, of St. Peter, last month that it had granted him a Purple […]
Army Whistleblower who Exposed Alleged Australian War Crimes in Afghanistan Is Sentenced to Prison
MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian judge sentenced a former army lawyer to almost six years in prison on Tuesday for leaking to the media classified information that exposed allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan. David McBride, 60, was sentenced in a court in the capital, Canberra, to five years and eight months in prison […]
US Special Operations Leaders Are Having to Do More With Less and Learning From the War in Ukraine
FORT LIBERTY, N.C. (AP) — Forced to do more with less and learning from the war in Ukraine, U.S. special operations commanders are juggling how to add more high-tech experts to their teams while still cutting their overall forces by about 5,000 troops over the next five years. The conflicting pressures are forcing a broader […]
Congress Honors Deceased Korean War Hero With Lying in Honor Ceremony
WASHINGTON — Congress gave one of its highest final tributes on Monday — a lying in honor ceremony at the Capitol — to Ralph Puckett Jr., who led an outnumbered company in battle during the Korean War and was the last surviving veteran of that war to receive the Medal of Honor. Puckett, who retired […]
Rare Tribute of Lying in Honor at Capitol Bestowed to Korean War Hero Col. Ralph Puckett
Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett, who was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War before his death earlier this month, will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol, congressional leaders announced this week. Puckett, who was an Army Ranger, will receive the rare tribute of lying under the Capitol rotunda on […]
Civil War General William T. Sherman’s Military Sword, Family Bible and Other Personal Items to Go to the Highest Bidder
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Adam Fleischer, a Columbus auctioneer, was searching through artifacts from Civil War Union General William T. Sherman’s descendants’ home, cataloguing them for potential sale, when an assistant called him into the other room. The assistant, rare book specialist Danielle Linn, had discovered a handwritten inscription in the margins of another famous Ohioans’ […]
Army Ranger Legend and Last Living Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient Ralph Puckett Dies at 97
When Ralph Puckett was chosen to lead a new Ranger company in 1950, he said a prayer: “Dear God, don’t let me get a bunch of guys — good guys — killed.” In late November 1950, the then-Army lieutenant was leading the 8th Ranger Company in a daring assault against entrenched North Korean machine guns […]
‘Combat Con Artists’ of World War II Who Hoodwinked Nazis Get Long Overdue Top Honor from Congress
All warfare is based on deception, Chinese strategist Sun Tzu once said. The battlefield flimflam practiced by the Army’s top-secret 23rd Headquarters Special Troops unit during World War II took that ancient advice to another level as the “Ghost Army” in the drive to liberate Europe. From D-Day to the crossing of the Rhine, the […]