US reflects on sacrifice, service during National Medal of Honor Day

The nation paused to remember the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients for National Medal of Honor Day on Monday.

Massachusetts man convicted of murdering US Army veteran in 2013

A Medford, Mass., man was convicted of first-degree murder of a U.S. Army veteran in 2013 during his retrial last week, according to officials.

Historian shares story of Navajo code talkers

Zonnie Gorman grew up hearing her father’s stories about World War II and the work he did on the Pacific front. As she got older she realized his work was not only pivotal to the Allied victory but a testament to the ingenuity and bravery of the Navajo Nation men who were code talkers.

Marine veteran Rep. Mike Gallagher announces plans to leave Congress in April

Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher said he will resign from Congress on April 19. After Gallagher’s resignation takes effect, Republicans will be down to 217 members in the 435-member House.

Korean War veteran said to have died in POW camp to get W.Va. burial in May

During the Battle of Unsan, Cpl Ray Kirby Lilly’s unit held off the attacking Chinese forces so other units could escape the enemy troops that were threatening to overwhelm them. His unit was overrun and cut off, but they kept fighting until they ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender.

‘Master storytellers’: WWII’s Ghost Army receives long-awaited Congressional Gold Medal

Eighty years after they used elaborate trickery to deceive enemy armies about the true size and location of American forces, the surviving members of World War II’s Ghost Army soaked up the appreciation of a nation on Thursday as they received the Congressional Gold Medal.

VA letters to veterans with disability claims are ‘confusing puzzles’ only lawyers can understand, lawmaker contends

The challenges many disabled veterans face trying to decipher VA notification letters — which communicate decisions for compensation and health care — are a focus of House lawmakers who urged the VA to simplify the language.

More women are receiving disability benefits from VA than ever before

More female veterans are receiving disability pay from the Department of Veterans Affairs than ever before, with officials crediting targeted outreach to women, increased eligibility for toxic exposure and improved wait times on military sexual assault claims.

‘Marine’s Marine’ Al Gray, 29th commandant of the Corps, dies at 95

Gen. Al Gray, the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday after a brief stay in hospice care, the service announced.

Lawmaker criticizes Austin after Pentagon officials are a no-show at House hearing on transition program for exiting service members

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Minn., lashed out at Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after no Pentagon officials showed up to testify at a House hearing about changes proposed for the transition assistance program, called TAP, for exiting military members.

‘God’s been good to me’: World War II veteran and Tuskegee Airman celebrates 100th birthday

Glendell Bennett, a World War II veteran who worked alongside civil rights leaders in Chicago after the war, celebrated his 100th birthday this month with a party in Lexington, Ky.

VA aims to emphasize free burial benefits for veterans at national cemeteries

Less than a quarter of veterans and their families take advantage of the free burials, headstones and other services offered at the 158 national veterans cemeteries the VA operates, said Matthew Quinn, the VA’s undersecretary for memorial affairs.

Mother of Navy veteran who was killed by LA police as he held a metal bar will receive $24 million

The settlement — approved Tuesday by the L.A. City Council — marks the final chapter in a shooting that the county district attorney’s office decided in 2020 was legal.

AI-aided virtual conversations with World War II vets are latest feature at New Orleans museum

An interactive exhibit opening at the National WWII Museum will use artificial intelligence to let visitors hold virtual conversations with images of veterans, including a Medal of Honor winner who died in 2022.

Dick Higgins, Navy radioman who survived Pearl Harbor attack, dies at 102

Dick Higgins, the Navy radioman whose amphibious plane was utterly demolished in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor but who survived unscathed, died Tuesday in Bend, Ore. He was 102.

How explorers found Amelia Earhart’s watery grave. Or did they?

The team of Deep Sea Vision, including chief executive officer and former airman, Tony Romeo, was out to solve the greatest aviation mystery of all: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart on July 2, 1937, during her epic flight around the world.

House lawmakers seek more oversight of VA contractors

Lawmakers are demanding to know why the VA has failed to fully respond to a House committee inquiry into how it screens consultants, including interactions with a private contractor that also was an adviser to opioid drug makers.

Backyard mini-Disneyland in Anaheim Hills pays homage to much-loved original

Architect David Sheegog’s scaled-down version, Castle Peak and Thunder Railroad, which he has been working on for about a quarter of a century, is a love letter to Disneyland and Disney animation. But it doesn’t try to re-create the theme park, per se: An equal number of miniatures reference animated films as they do park attractions, some of which no longer exist; there are also references to Florida’s Walt Disney World. But like the actual park, it has enduring appeal and is never quite finished.

Ohio Marine veteran sentenced to prison for attacking 7 officers during Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Michael Mackrell, 42, of Wellington, served in the Marines from 2001 to 2006, including a tour in Iraq. He was sentenced Monday to more than two years in prison for attacking seven police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.