First the video, then a few deep breaths, then some background: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-5kdCdM6So[/youtube] Rather than parades, appliance sales or ribbons one day a year, sailors aboard the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis are paying tribute to veterans on a more personal level — visiting veterans homes as part of the ship’s community-relations efforts. It’s led to one-on-one history lessons and brightened the days of both generations. It also led to the three-minute video above, put together by MCSNs Eric Melone and Jose Hernandez and featuring Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Joseph Hodge during a visit to the Washington Veterans Home in…
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Do you know this sailor? Today someone placed this photo at the base of the Lone Sailor. What is the story? pic.twitter.com/zpEjoZmbxk
— Navy Memorial (@NavyMemorial) July 29, 2013
As with any good mystery in the modern age, this one started on social media: [HTML1] Cherished images, medals, letters, all kinds of items are left at the bases of military memorials, but the Navy Memorial rarely sees such tributes, according to Navy Memorial Foundation curator Mark Weber. It’s not as secluded as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where hundreds of thousands of items have been left by family, friends, brothers-in-arms and four-star generals to honor fallen heroes. Sometimes a veterans group will leave a wreath, unannounced, at the base of the Lone Sailor, Weber said in an email, but that’s…
You’ve heard of wearing your heart on your sleeve? For former president and Navy veteran George H.W. Bush, it’s more like wearing your heart on your head. Bush, 89, shaved his head Wednesday to show support for a 2-year-old cancer patient named Patrick, the 41st president’s office announced. Patrick, whose last name was not released, is the son of a member of Bush’s Secret Service detail. Patrick was losing his hair because of treatment for leukemia, and other members of Bush’s security detail shaved their heads in solidarity. When the former president noticed the bald heads cropping up around him,…
It was a sunny, Sunday morning when bombs started raining down on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago today. In the chaos, more than 2,000 service members died, 21 boats sunk to the bottom of the harbor and most of the 394 planes on the island were either damaged or destroyed. Today, the community of those who remember the attack is shrinking. There are fewer than 3,000 survivors of the attack nationwide, and the national Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbanded Jan. 1, since there were not enough members to keep it together. Most of the population today was not alive for…
The Naval Academy has another viral internet hit, but it’s a little more solemn than the “Gangnam Style” spirit spot a few weeks ago. The Navy Athletics Facebook page posted the below photo on Sunday. As of Wednesday afternoon, the photo has over 22,000 likes and has been shared over 5,000 times. The photo shows Naval Academy midshipmen saluting a bus of World War II veterans, according to the Facebook post. The Navy men’s lacrosse team met the group of 67 vets at Baltimore-Washington International airport while returning home from playing Notre Dame over the weekend. The team had the…
[HTML1] The Walt Disney Company is looking to hire 1,000 veterans over the next three years. Company President and CEO Bob Iger announced the company wide initiative called “Heroes Work Here” on Tuesday, March 13th. There is much more to the new program than just hiring vets. Disney will hold career fairs, offer training and volunteer opportunities. And don’t think you have to head to Orlando just to work at Disney. The company owns ESPN and ABC. Here is a full list of the companies in the Disney family. Want to make your dreams come true? Check out the Disney…
A welcome compromise was reached Monday in federal court in Roanoke, Va., when prosecutors agreed that a Navy veteran of the Persian Gulf War who called a suicide hotline last year and threatened to kill himself with a homemade gun would not be prosecuted if he completes mandatory counseling. The Washington Post story points out three elements of the case that have angered many, particularly veterans’ groups. First, what was the government doing prosecuting a veteran, Sean Duvall, who was reaching out for help — especially at a time when the government is at the same time urging combat veterans…
The idea for Doritos tortilla chips, which brought about a sea change in snacking and became a top seller for Frito-Lay, came from the mind of former Navy man Arch West, who died of natural causes on Sept. 20. He was 97. West joined the Navy in 1943 and served as a gunnery officer onboard destroyer escort Holt in the Pacific during World War II, according to The Dallas Morning News. A chance encounter on a family vacation inspired West to mass-market tortilla chips, according to The Washington Post: “He was on a family vacation in Southern California in 1964…
A woman pleaded guilty in Ohio Wednesday of scamming millions of dollars from Navy veterans, the Roanoke Times reports. Blanca Contreras, associated with an alleged booster group calling itself the U.S. Navy Veterans Association, pleaded guilty in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas to corruption, theft and money laundering. She faces 25 years in jail. Still at large is her alleged partner, Bobby Thompson, who Ohio authorities say used a false identity to raise millions, supposedly on behalf of Navy veterans. Virginia officials say the “group” — its only presence in the state was a mail drop — raised more…
