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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The oldest surviving officer from the Battle of Iwo Jima has died. Lt. Gen. Larry Snowden died over the weekend at the age of 95 in the state Capitol. Those who knew him called him a Marine's Marine, and a general's general. Snowden was a 23-year-old captain, commanding 200 men at Iwo Jima. Snowden told News4Jax in 2013 that one of WWII’s most famous battles was far different than the romanticized version. “I've read many accounts that says when the flag went up, the troops all over the island stood up and cheered. No way," Snowden said....

Louis Zamperini, a former Olympic runner and war hero who survived 47 days at sea and three years in a Japanese POW camp after his plane crashed in the Pacific during World War II, died of pneumonia late Wednesday. He was 97. "After a 40-day long battle for his life, he peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives," Zamperini's family said in a statement, according to Deadline. "His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days." The Olean, N.Y., native's astonishing...

WASHINGTON — Over the past decade, more than 1,000 veterans may have died as a result of misconduct by employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a report released Tuesday by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. “Too many men and women who bravely fought for our freedom are losing their lives, not at the hands of terrorists or enemy combatants, but from friendly fire in the form of medical malpractice and neglect by the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Coburn said in a letter addressed to taxpayers, which was attached to the report. In a press release, Coburn said the...

Eli Wallach, the actor best known for his roles in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and The Godfather franchise, has died. He was 98.

Eli Wallach, the enduring and artful character actor who starred as weaselly Mexican hombres in the 1960s film classics The Magnificent Seven and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, has died. He was 98. Wallach, who won a Tony Award in 1951 for playing Alvaro in Tennessee Williams’ original production of The Rose Tattoo, made his movie debut as a cotton-gin owner trying to seduce a virgin in Elia Kazan’s Baby Doll (1956) and worked steadily well into his nineties, died Tuesday, his daughter Katherine told The New York Times. No other details of his death were

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —Chester Nez, the last original Navajo Code Talker, has passed away in his Albuquerque home. Nez was recruited with 28 other Native Americans by the U.S. Marines to create a code the Japanese couldn't crack during World War II. Nez went into kidney failure Wednesday morning. He was 93. "Many people have met him," said Judy Avila, a friend and author of Nez's memoir. "When you meet him, you're charmed by him." He was the last living member of the group. "There were a lot of people and naysayers who said, 'How can these young Navajo men help...

A 94-year-old man who fought for the U.S. in World War II is heading to France for D-Day ceremonies, a journey he nearly wasn't able to make because he didn't have the proof of his citizenship needed to get a passport. But after getting some help from social media and his local congressman to overcome his financial and passport issues, Sherwin Callander, of Alabama, was set to board a plane Monday night for Paris. Callander heard last month about ceremonies for the 70th anniversary of D-Day and said he thought it would be meaningful to attend. He hadn't been back...

Friends and family are mourning the death of a national hero. William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, a South Philly native and World War II vet who was portrayed on the television miniseries, “Band of Brothers,” died on Saturday at the age of 90. Guarnere's son, William Guarnere Jr., confirmed Sunday that his father died at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Guarnere was rushed to the hospital early Saturday and died of a ruptured aneurysm early Saturday night. Born in South Philadelphia on April 28, in 1923, Guarnere was a non-commissioned officer with the legendary Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry...

To all FReepers far and wide I have been hearing here and there about DC Chapter members who will be in DC this Sunday for the Million Vets March. Lets gather under my tall U.S.-Gadston flag. I am hoping to get there around 8AM I will be making some signs. If anyone has a sign idea just let me know. If you want a specific saying for yourself, let me know so I can save it for you. Most public bathrooms are closed due to the shut down. Hopefully the backers of the Million Vet March have order a couple...

Just when you thought Bill Maher couldn’t say anything more offensive than he already has, he outdoes himself.

For much of this last week, according to the spokespeople for the National Park Service, the NPS has asserted that the White House specifically ordered that they barricade the open air memorial commemorating the sacrifice and service of the veterans of World War II. In multiple statements to the press NPS spokespeople made it clear that they were directly instructed by the White House specifically to shut the memorial that had previously never been closed. How do you close something that by design is intended to be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?...

Today, from 9am to 11am, bikers will be rallying at Washington D.C.’s WWII Memorial that has been closed to the public due to the federal government shutdown. The bikers plan to honor the WWII veterans and show their support. ... Riders!…Kick Stands Up and lets ride for these American Heroes!! America’s Greatest Generation defended our rights 70 years ago. Now it’s time that we defend THEIR rights and ensure they have access to THEIR Memorials. It’s time we show our government that we will no longer tolerate the political thugs that feel they can punish America into submission!! We are...

The National Park Service opened the World War II Memorial Wednesday to veterans visiting from around the country. Carol Johnson, a National Parks Service spokeswoman, said the veterans' groups had been granted access Wednesday because it was deemed a first amendment demonstration. The memorial was still closed to the public, however, and Johnson said other war memorials on the National Mall would also be closed. But veterans could be seen visiting the Vietnam War Memorial about a half-mile away. The memorials were closed and barricaded because of the government shutdown that began Tuesday. Veterans arriving at the World War II...

It appears that the Obama administration is violating the First Rule of Holes. Yesterday the administration looked awful when it “closed” and barricaded the World War II memorial on the Mall. The memorial is, by its nature, open. There is nothing to close. --SNIP-- ...these protesters were marching towards the press gaggle and I was asking them to show their federal IDs to prove they were in fact federal workers. No one wore their federal ID and none would provide it to prove their claim. Then, remarkably, a guy carrying a sign passed by wearing a McDonald’s employee shirt, which...

Twitter photo by Charlie Spiering, the Washington Examiner.The Obama administration is adding more barricades at the World War Two Memorial in Washington, D.C. this morning, according to reporters on the scene.The reinforcements are being put in place apparently to prevent a repeat of yesterday when WWII veterans aided by several Republican Congressmen pushed aside barricades to visit their memorial.Buzzfeed got no response from the White House last night when queried about the administration closing the memorial to veterans.A report last night claimed that the Park Service would arrest veterans who attempt to visit the WWII Memorial.

Above: National Park Service workers setting up new barricades this morning, around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.- Yesterday, the Obama Administration got real petty over the partial government shutdown, sending employees to barricade memorial sites around Washington that are normally open 24/7. Thankfully, one group of WWII vets wasn't having ANY of it - removing barricades, with the help of fantastic GOP Reps. like Steve King (R-IA) and others - and refusing to be denied access to THEIR World War II Memorial. Well today, another group of WWII vets plan to do the same thing at the Lincoln Memorial,...

The White House and the Department of the Interior rejected a request from Rep. Steven Palazzo’s office to have World War II veterans visit the World War II memorial in Washington, the Mississippi Republican told The Daily Caller Tuesday. Palazzo helped the veterans commit an act of civil disobedience against the Park Service Tuesday, when the heroes stormed through barricades around the closed memorial.

TOLEDO -- Locally in the Glass City, we can see the affects of the government shutdown at our museums, monuments, and national parks. The gates are closed and locked, denying access completely to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. TSA employees were still working at Toledo Express Airport, but when WNWO called the TSA to find out if they would be affected, there was a message that said the public relations representative did not have access to her voicemail or email due to the government shutdown. In a letter from Marcy Kaptur's office in the 9th District, it read, "...only services...

WASHINGTON — Wheelchair-bound elderly veterans pushed aside barricades to tour the World War II Memorial Tuesday morning, in defiance of the government shutdown which closed all of the memorials in the nation’s capital. The four bus loads of veterans — visiting from Mississippi as part of a once-in-a-lifetime Honor Flight tour — ignored National Park Police instructions not to enter the site as lawmakers and tourists cheered them on. “We didn’t come this far not to get in,” one veteran proclaimed. The scene was both emotional and comical at once. After it was clear they had lost control of the...

Monument Honoring WWII Japanese-American Soldiers Defaced Police Not Sure If Vandalism Is Hate Crime POSTED: 2:27 pm PST March 23, 2004 UPDATED: 7:43 pm PST March 23, 2004 LOS ANGELES -- Police are trying to find those responsible for defacing a monument to Japanese-Americans who fought during World War II even as their loved ones were held in internment camps at home. About 20 star-like symbols, each surrounded by a circle, were carved into the Little Tokyo monument at Temple and Alameda streets, said Diane Tanaka of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation. The vandalism, discovered last Friday, occurred some...