100-year-old British D-Day veteran dies before he can honor fallen comrades one more time
British army veteran Bill Gladden, who survived a glider landing on D-Day and a bullet that tore through his ankle a few days later, wanted to return to France for the 80th anniversary of the invasion so he could honor the men who didnโt come home.
Papua New Guinea leader takes offense after Biden implies an uncle was eaten by cannibals
Papua New Guineaโs Prime Minister James Marape has accused Joe Biden of disparaging the South Pacific island nation by implying that an uncle of the U.S. president had been eaten by โcannibalsโ there during World War II.
AI-aided virtual conversations with WWII vets are latest feature at New Orleans museum
An interactive exhibit opening Wednesday at the National WWII Museum uses artificial intelligence to let visitors hold virtual conversations with images of veterans, including a Medal of Honor winner who died in 2022.
Federal recognition of Crystal City internment camp still an issue
A national movement that began at St. Maryโs University five years ago continues to push for federal legislation, formally acknowledging the governmentโs internment of German-Americans at a camp in Crystal City, southwest of San Antonio, during World War II.
US official says Solomon Islands leader 'missed opportunity'
The U.S. deputy secretary of state says the prime minister of the Solomon Islands โmissed an important opportunityโ by failing to attend a memorial service to mark the anniversary of a key World War II battle, amid concerns the South Pacific island nation is building closer ties with China.
How the forecast on D-Day changed the course of history
Imagine the pressure of having to accurately forecast the weather with countless lives and the fate of the free world at stake. That's exactly what a team of British and American meteorologists were tasked to do 78 years ago for the battle of D-Day.
Veterans Day legislation targets GI Bill racial inequities
In honor of Veterans Day, a group of Democratic lawmakers is reviving an effort to pay the families of Black veterans who fought on behalf of the nation during World War II for benefits they were denied or prevented from taking full advantage of when they returned home from war.
S. Korean sexual slavery survivor wants UN court judgment
Lee Yong-soo, a South Korean woman who was sexually enslaved by Japan's World War II military, weeps during a press conference at the Press Center in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. Lee called for the leaders of both countries to settle an impasse over the issue by seeking judgment from the International Court of Justice. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL โ A South Korean woman who was sexually enslaved by Japanโs World War II military called for the leaders of both countries to settle an impasse over the issue by seeking judgment from the International Court of Justice. Bilateral tensions over sexual slavery flared again last month when a South Korean court ruled that the Japanese government must give 100 million won ($90,000) to each of 12 victims who filed lawsuits in 2013 over their wartime sufferings. While a lawsuit at the U.N. court could only happen if both countries agree to take their dispute there, it would be illogical for Japan to object when it has already accused South Korean court rulings of violating international law, he said.
Bulgaria: Nationalists honor pro-Nazi general with flowers
Bulgarian far-right nationalists hold torches as they gather in the country's capital, to honour a World War II general known for his anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi activities, in Sofia, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)SOFIA โ Far-right nationalists gathered in Bulgaria's capital Saturday to honor a late World War II general known for his anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi activities. AdThe general served as war minister from 1935 to 1938, and led the pro-Nazi Germany Union of Bulgarian Legions from 1932 until 1943. Contemporary nationalists deny that Lukov was an anti-Semitic fascist or that they are promoting neo-fascism. On Saturday, Bulgarian National Union supporters placed a wreath and flowers in front of Lukovโs former home and held torch lights in tribute.
Russia expels EU diplomats over Navalny as tensions rise
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Swedish and Polish diplomats in St. Petersburg and a German diplomat in Moscow of taking part in what it called โunlawfulโ rallies on Jan. 23. Tens of thousands of people across Russia took to the streets that day to protest Navalny's arrest. The diplomats were declared โpersona non grataโ and were required to leave Russia โshortly,โ a ministry statement said. Navalny accused Artemenkoโs family of exploiting the frail man for their own gain, alleging the case was fabricated and the evidence falsified. โThe judge should burn in hell, and youโre selling your grandfather out,โ Navalny said, as Artemenkoโs grandson testified.
Capt. Tom Moore, WWII vet whose walk cheered UK, dies at 100
Tom Moore, the 100-year-old World War II veteran who captivated the British public in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic with his fundraising efforts, has died, Tuesday Feb. 2, 2021. AdFor three weeks in April, fans were greeted with daily videos of Captain Tom, stooped with age, doggedly pushing his walker in the garden. When Captain Tom finished his 100th lap on April 16, a military honor guard lined the path. The celebration continued on his birthday a few days later, when two World War II-era fighter planes flew overhead in tribute. But it was the public that embraced Captain Tom, flooding the village post office with some 6,000 gifts and 140,000 birthday cards.
Future of Holocaust research in Poland hinges on libel case
It is the first closely watched Holocaust speech case since Poland sought to pass a law in 2018 that would have criminalized the act of falsely blaming Poland for Germanyโs Holocaust crimes. The current case is instead a civil libel case tried under a pre-existing law, yet many scholars believe it will set an important precedent for freedom of Holocaust research. โThis is a case of the Polish state against freedom of research,โ Grabowski told The Associated Press on Monday. Grabowski, a Polish-Canadian whose father was a Polish Holocaust survivor, has faced considerable anti-Semitic harassment by nationalists, both online and at lectures in Canada, France and elsewhere. Maciej Swirski, the head of the organization, said no public money was used to fund the legal case.
Unwanted virus milestone: UK's civilian dead now tops WWII's
The United Kingdom has suffered its worst civilian loss of life since World War II by a significant number. But the United Kingdom has now suffered its worst civilian loss of life since World War II by a significant number. Here's a look at some of Britain's struggles with civilian deaths during World War II and since. In World War II, the threat to Britain was existential. WORLD WAR II CIVILIAN DEATHSFrom September 1940-May 1941, the U.K. suffered an intensive bombing campaign by Germany's Luftwaffe that struck the biggest cities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Work underway to restore home of 94-year-old war hero
SAN ANTONIO โ Work has finally begun to restore the home of 94-year-old Alfred Guerra, who earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart during World War II while fighting in the Pacific. โItโs the least we can do is make sure that he has a comfortable home to live in,โ Roman said. โItโs veterans helping veterans. But Roman said it may be at least another month before Guerra is able to return to his home. Although his memory is not what it used to be, Guerra said, โI will never forget what you did for me.โRELATED: Efforts underway to help 94-year-old war hero return to his home
Seoul court orders Japan to compensate 12 Korean sex slaves
Portraits of late former South Korean comfort women are displayed near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. A South Korean court on Friday ordered Japan to financially compensate 12 South Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, the first such ruling expected to rekindle animosities between the Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL โ A South Korean court on Friday ordered Japan to financially compensate 12 South Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, a landmark ruling thatโs set to rekindle animosities between the Asian neighbors. Observers say itโs unlikely for Japan to abide by the South Korean court ruling. In 2015, South Koreaโs previous government reached a deal with Japan to resolve the sexual slavery dispute.
KSAT Kids: Today in History, Dec. 16
It was 75 years ago that Hitler launched his last desperate attack to turn the tide for Germany in World War II. At first, German forces drove so deep through the front line in Belgium and Luxembourg that the month-long fighting came to be known as The Battle of the Bulge. When the Germans asked one American commander to surrender, the famous reply came: Nuts!" By Christmas, American troops had turned the tables on the Germans. Veterans are heading and on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 when they will mix with royalty and dignitaries to mark perhaps the greatest battle in U.S. military history.
Chinese Americans who served in WWII honored by Congress
That law made it illegal for Chinese laborers to immigrate to America and limited the Chinese population in the U.S. for more than 60 years. Chinese Americans served in all major branches of the military, including the so-called Flying Tigers, the 14th Air Service that flew missions in the China-Burma-India Theater. For their service to the nation during the war, Chinese-American veterans were honored at a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony Wednesday. Francis B. Wai had been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military award given by the United States. She and other Chinese Americans โanswered the call to duty when our country faced threats to our freedom,โณ Chin said in a videotaped presentation at Wednesdayโs ceremony.
Mechanic: 'Everything perfect' before fatal WWII plane crash
โAnd that morning, everything was perfect,โ Melton told NTSB investigators. I mean, there was no reason not to fly, you know.โThe plane crashed into a maintenance building at the airport while trying to land after the No. Melton told officials that the No. โI donโt know why we werenโt, you know, gaining altitude,โ Melton said. I donโt know what happened.โMcCauley and Foster, 71, of Jacksonville, Florida, tried to return to the airport.
Lidia Menapace, Italian Resistance member, dies at age 96
ROME โ Lidia Brisca Menapace, a Resistance member during World War II who later was an advocate of pacifism and womenโs rights and was elected to the Italian Senate on a Communist party ticket, has died. Italian state radio said she had been hospitalized for several days with COVID-19 in Bolzano, the Alpine city where she had lived in latter decades. As young woman, Lidia Brisca pedaled a bicycle to deliver medicine and messages to Resistance fighters, known as Partisans, based in the countryside of the northern Piedmont region of her birth. She was the first woman to be elected to the provincial legislature of Bolzano, another Alpine province. She remained proud of the Resistance spirit, remarking that she was still a Partisan, because โbeing so is a choice of life."
World War II vet beats COVID-19, marks 104th birthday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. โ An Alabama man who spent World War II repairing bomb-damaged trains in France recovered from a fight with COVID-19 in time to mark his 104th birthday on Thursday. Major Wooten was physically drained and a little fuzzy mentally after battling the new coronavirus but appears to be on the mend, said granddaughter Holley Wooten McDonald. She said her mother recovered from COVID-19, and so did a sister who developed the illness and had to spend a week on a ventilator. In the spring, he was hospitalized with serious heart problems and recovered, McDonald said. For Wooten's birthday, a company erected a yard display that included the Alabama athletics logo, a cake, candles and a patriotic hat.
KSAT Kids: Today in History, Nov. 12
Today is Thursday, Nov. 12, the 317th day of 2020. On Nov. 12, 1975, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas retired because of failing health, ending a record 36-year term. In 1942, the World War II naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. In 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other World War II Japanese leaders were sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal. In 1977, the city of New Orleans elected its first Black mayor, Ernest โDutchโ Morial, the winner of a runoff.
KSAT Kids: Today in History, Nov. 10
Today is Tuesday, Nov. 10, the 315th day of 2020. On Nov. 10, 1775, the U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress. In 1951, customer-dialed long-distance telephone service began as Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, New Jersey, called Alameda, California, Mayor Frank Osborne without operator assistance. In 1975, the U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution equating Zionism with racism (the world body repealed the resolution in Dec. 1991). The ore-hauling ship SS Edmund Fitzgerald mysteriously sank during a storm in Lake Superior with the loss of all 29 crew members.
Dutch Protestant Church admits failing Jews in World War II
Renรฉ de Reuver, speaking on behalf of the General Synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, said the churchโs role began long before Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. โAlso in the war years, the ecclesiastical authorities often lacked the courage to choose a position for the Jewish citizens of our country,โ he added. More than 100,000 Dutch Jews โ 70% of the Jewish community โ didnโt survive World War II. He and his parents, sister and two brothers were sent to a Dutch concentration camp at Westerbork, then transferred to another camp. De Reuver promised that the Protestant Church would work to fight anti-Semitism going forward.