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#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran William E. Vicars

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Army Veteran William E. Vicars is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Army Veteran William E. Vicars is today’s Veteran of the Day.

William E. Vicars was born in Paris, Illinois, in May 1940 and, a year later, his family moved to Texas. Vicars grew up in El Paso, and graduated from Austin High School. In 1959, he enlisted in the Army and was sent to Ford Ord, Calif., for basic training and advanced individual training (AIT).

Upon completing AIT, Vicars was assigned to the 327th Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He spent a year and a half in the regiment before being transferred to the 18th Infantry Regiment at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany. In 1961, Vicars’ unit was the first unit to move into Berlin during the Berlin Crisis. The regiment stayed at Tempelhof Air Force Base for five months, then returned to Mannheim. At this time, Vicars was discharged as a sergeant and left the Army.

After 45 days, Vicars decided to reenlist. He was stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana, and trained troops for three years. In 1965, he transferred to the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Okinawa, Japan, and on May 4, the regiment deployed to South Vietnam. They were stationed in Biên Hòa, but assisted units across the country. As a staff sergeant, Vicars was a machine gun squadron leader. In the month of May alone, Vicars’ unit was ambushed 17 times. In November 1965, Vicars was wounded in the stomach by a mortar and sent to Fort Sam Houston in Texas to recover.

After recovering, he was assigned to Fort Bliss in his hometown of El Paso. In 1969, he returned to Vietnam as a sergeant first class with the 1st Calvary Division and was stationed in Quần Lợi. Vicars served as a platoon leader, leading 20 soldiers. As a 29-year-old, he was known in his unit as the “old man.” In 1970, his unit started conducting missions in Cambodia. He remained in the field for eight consecutive months. In late 1970, Vicars returned to the United States. Over the next 10 years, he served at Fort Sill in Oklahoma with the 31st Infantry Regiment; in Gelnhausen, Germany, with the 28th Infantry Regiment; and at Fort Carson in Colorado with the 8th Infantry Regiment. In July 1980, Vicars retired as a command sergeant major after 21 years of service.

Following his retirement, Vicars taught Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He worked with the rifle teams in El Paso and at Austin High School for five years, and the Irvin High School for 17 years, dedicating 22 years to ROTC training.

Thank you for your service!


Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.


Writer: Nathaniel Scott

Editors: Alexander Reza, Theresa Lyon

Researchers: Patrick E. Woods, David Charles Deprez

Graphic artist: Kiki Kelley



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U.S. VRK – Wounded Veteran program participant (2014)



U.S. Veterans’ Rowing And Kayaking www.veteransrowing.com.

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#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Luis R. Visot

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Army Veteran Luis R. Visot is today's Veteran of the Day.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Luis R. Visot, who served as the chief of staff for the United States Army Reserve.

Luis R. Visot grew up in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and went to college in Wisconsin at Marquette University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. In 1978, he was commissioned into the Army as a second lieutenant. In addition, he continued his education at the University of Georgia, earning a master’s degree in education in 1980.

Throughout his time in the Army, Visot deployed for Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, the Iraq War and Operation Unified Response. In between the Gulf War and the Iraq War, he served during the Implementation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. By 2014, he earned the title chief of staff for the United States Army Reserve. As chief of staff, Visot was “responsible for the synchronization and integration of the Army Reserve staff and leading its strategic and operational planning, activities and execution.”

While initially only planning to stay in the Army for eight years, Visot enjoyed his service and the opportunities to continue his military education and training. He earned an additional master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College. During his service, he committed himself to the Army’s ideal of selfless service and dedicated his time to showing his appreciation for his soldiers to increase their retention in the Army. When discussing his legacy, Visot said, “My duty and responsibility is to make sure I leave a better Army.”

In 2016, Visot retired as a major general. Throughout his 38 years of service, he received many awards, including an Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. In 2020, Visot received his doctorate in education from George Washington University.

We honor his service.


Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.


Writer: Kimberly Kassis

Editors: Annabelle Colton, Alex Reza, and Wilson S. Sainvil

Researcher: Giacomo Ferrari

Graphics: Kiki Kelley



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Donald Trump awards Medal of Honour to Vietnam War veteran Gary M. Rose



President Trump discusses the operation in Vietnam in which U.S. Army medic Gary M. Rose displayed his heroic actions for the …

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#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Gil Hodges

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MLB Hall of Famer Gil Hodges Veteran of the Day

Marine Corps Veteran Gil Hodges is today’s Veteran of the Day

Gil Hodges was born in April 1924, in Princeton, Indiana. He was the middle of three children and had a decorated high school athletic career. According to a Baseball’s Biggest Sacrifice, he was a four-sport athlete and turned down a Major League Baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers during high school. He attended college at St. Joseph’s in Indiana, and later signed a deal with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943.

Hodges made his major league debut on Oct. 3, 1943, the same day the season ended, and then enlisted in the Marine Corps days later. He completed basic training in San Diego, and in March 1944 was stationed at Pearl Harbor. During his tenure in Hawaii, Hodges often demonstrated his baseball skills playing against other battalions, according to a Baseball in Wartime article.

Hodges was sent to Tinian Island and took part in the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945. In a letter to his family, he described a Japanese kamikaze that “crashed on the bow” of one of the American vessels and was sure that “quite a few” service members were hurt. Hodges wrote that he could “write all day” and still not cover everything he saw.

After the invasion, Hodges stayed on Okinawa working in intelligence and was charged with protecting classified documents during enemy raids. He was stationed on the island until October 1945 and was honorably discharged three months later at the rank of sergeant. He received a Bronze Star for his service during the invasion.

After his military service, Hodges returned to the Dodgers in 1946. He was an eight-time all-star; a winner of the Gold Glove award three times; and won two World Series with Brooklyn, according to Baseball’s Greatest Sacrifice. He later became the manager of the New York Mets, leading them to a World Series in 1969.

During spring training in 1972, Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack shortly before his 48th birthday. He was recently elected to the MLB Hall of Fame on the Golden Days Era ballot.

We honor his service. 


Writer: Ryan Beane

Editors: Nathaniel Scott, Nicolas Nunnally

Researcher: Anthony Mendez

Graphics: Kiki Kelley

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#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente

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Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente, who served as an infantryman in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Roberto Clemente was born in August 1934 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the youngest of seven children.

In 1954, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Clemente from the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft, elevating the young slugger from the minor leagues into MLB. But in 1958, Clemente enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reserve infantryman. For six years until 1964, he spent his off-seasons serving on duty.

Clemente spent six months on active duty at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. At Parris Island, he completed basic training with Platoon 346 of the 3rd Recruit Battalion. Clemente was one of seven in his 130-member platoon promoted to private first class. At Camp Lejeune, he completed infantry training with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Regiment.

When the Pirates began spring training in 1959, it conflicted with Clemente’s military commitment. With the support of Pennsylvania State Senator John M. Walker, the team requested Clemente be allowed to leave military training a month early, which would enable him to participate in spring training. The request was granted.

For his career, Clemente achieved exactly 3,000 hits, as well as 240 home runs and a lifetime batting average of .317. He was a two-time World Series champion (1960, 1971), won the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971. Every year from 1961 to 1972, he won a Gold Glove. And he led the National League in hitting in 1961, 1964, 1965 and 1967.

Outside of baseball, Clemente was heavily involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. On Dec. 31, 1972, eight days after a massive earthquake hit Managua, Nicaragua, Clemente was en route to deliver aid to the victims when his plane crashed, resulting in his death. He was 38.

The following year, the Pirates retired No. 21, his uniform number. Additionally, MLB renamed its Commissioner’s Award in his honor. The award is given to the player each year who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

Clemente was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted in the Puerto Rican Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018.

In May 1973, Clemente was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Citizens Medal. In July 2003, he was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Clemente was said to have three goals in life: be on a World Series championship team, win a batting championship and build a recreation center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He accomplished all three.

The Roberto Clemente Sports City Complex is located in Carolina, just outside of San Juan. The complex provides young people with athletic opportunities in baseball, football, soccer, swimming and tennis.

Numerous other locations, including schools, parks and hospitals are also named in Clemente’s honor, from Puerto Rico all the way to Germany.

We honor his service.


Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.


Writer: Alexandra Kaiser

Editors: Annabelle Colton, Theresa Lyon

Researcher: Patrick Woods

Graphics: Philip Levine



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Metro-east firefighters help wounded veteran get customized vehicle



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#VeteranOfTheDay Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum

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Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum was born in New York City, New York, in 1918. At age one, he moved to the island of Barbados, where he was raised by his grandparents. When he was 10, he saw his first aircraft in Trinidad.

Newsum graduated from the College of Military Science at the University of Maryland, before joining the New York National Guard. He deployed to Hawaii with the Anti-Aircraft Coast Artillery Corps. However, his ultimate goal was to fly.

Before Newsum returned to the mainland, President Roosevelt signed an executive order which prohibited discrimination in government agencies. After this, Roosevelt planned for 33 Black men, including Newsum, to take a test for potential entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Newsum passed. However, unlike the other men who chose to attend Officers Candidate School, Newsum decided on flight training, which occurred at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama.

Formally known as the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps, the Tuskegee Airmen were composed primarily of Black men. It was established in 1941, and two years later, Newsum joined and became one of its 994 pilots. He flew a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, serving in World War II and the Korean War.

Newsum remained in the Air Force until 1970. He retired at the rank of colonel. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma before moving to Denver and working in public relations for Martin Marietta Aerospace.

In 1989, Newsum, on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen, was the recipient of the Brig. Gen. Noel F. Parish Award for outstanding achievement. Two years later, he was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. Newsum was one of the former Tuskegee Airmen awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2007. He was also one of the founding members of the Hubert L. “Hooks” Jones Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen in Colorado.

Newsum died in January 2013. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado.

We honor his service.


Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.


Writer: Alexandra Kaiser

Editors: Alexander Reza, Theresa Lyon

Researchers: Patrick E. Woods, Giacomo Ferrari

Graphic Designer: Yasmine Pierce



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101-year-old veteran recalls World War II battle in Italy

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Billy Earl Kirby’s own blood helped give Italy’s Rapido River its second name, “Bloody River.”

Kirby, a native of Osage, Texas, was a 23-year-old Army infantryman when he was injured in one of the fiercest battles between American and German forces in World War II.

“Jan. 21, 1944. I will never forget that,” the 101-year-old Kirby said from his room at The Landing, an independent living facility in Wilson.

“It was the battle of Cassino. It was probably one of the biggest battles in Italy,” added Kirby, who formerly lived in Zebulon. “There have been a lot of papers, a lot of books about it. They called it the Bloody River and so forth.”

Kirby, a member of Company K, 143 Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, was a machine gun section leader in the rifle company.

“Our general didn’t want to cross the river at the spot that [Lt. Gen.] Mark Clark picked. He said it would be totally impossible because it was so heavily defended,” Kirby recalled. “Across the river was just as flat as could be over the fence. He wanted to cross further up river where the river was not as deep.”

But the soldiers went across where they were ordered to cross.

“That’s where we were slaughtered,” Kirby said. “This was about the only battle in World War II that I know of where there was a truce. Germans requested for us to come over and pick up our dead. Our division was about destroyed. Out of our company of 200 men, 27 survived. Our National Guard from Texas was destroyed. My machine gun section, the last battle I went into, I didn’t have a man who was there to start with. I had lost them all.”

Some 1,330 Americans were killed or wounded and 770 were captured, while German casualties amount to 64 killed and 179 wounded.

It was one of the U.S. Army’s largest defeats during the war, Kirby said.

Kirby was shot in the shoulder.

“It paralyzed my arm. It severed the nerve,” he said, gesturing with his left arm because some 78 years after his injury, he still can barely raise his right arm.

“It was night when I was wounded, and I guess I was losing so much blood and sleepy,” Kirby recalled. “I just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.”

Two of Kirby’s fellow surviving soldiers came to his aid.

“How we got back across that river, I don’t know,” he said.

Kirby was in the hospital for two years. The first six months were in North Africa and the last 18 months were in Texas.

“I was in a body cast for 18 months, my arms like this. It was the only kind of cast that would hold it,” Kirby said. “I don’t know how they saved my arm. I thought I would lose it. We had some pretty good doctors back then. They did a lot of experimenting. They tried things that they wouldn’t try. That’s where they learned a lot in World War II.”

Kirby still doesn’t have much use of his right arm.

“I can’t raise it up. It shakes all the time,” he said. “If I can touch something, I can stop it from shaking. I don’t feel anything. The nerve is dead.”

Somebody asked Kirby if he was scared during his time in the service.

“I only got scared in World War II one time. I got scared when I got on the boat and I stayed scared until I got off coming home,” he said. “There were some times I was more scared than others. I wouldn’t say we were scared as much in combat. You were careful. But the first time, I was.”

Kirby said he and his fellow soldiers had great camaraderie and for many years, the survivors would gather for reunions at both the company and regiment level.

“We were extremely close,” he said.

When they got together, they would never discuss the war.

“The only time we ever talked about the war was the funny things that the happened in war, but we never talked about the fighting,” Kirby said. “We just didn’t want to bring that up to your mind.”

After his discharge from the Army as a staff sergeant in January 1946, Kirby went on to work for the Veterans Administration for several years.

In 1960, the Bronze Star recipient went to work on veterans’ issues for the U.S. House of Representatives. He remained in that role until he retired in 1977.

Kirby was elected national commander for the Disabled American Veterans in 1988.

Kirby called war “the most horrible thing.”

“I can’t understand why politicians want to start a war, why human beings want to start a war. It’s their egos,” he said. “People like dictators, they are the ones you have got to worry about. I don’t think any democratic countries will ever want to go to war. You get more civilians killed than you get military people killed.”

In 2014, a quote from Billy Kirby was unveiled on the walls of the new American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington.

“I shall recall with respect those who fought with me and were scarred with bullets, left limbless by bombs. I shall recall with humility those who were stronger and braver than me, and I shall recall the celebration and joy our nation’s heritage of selfless sacrifice and commitment to the common good,” Kirby is quoted as saying.

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#VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Richard O’Kane

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Navy Veteran Richard O’Kane is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Richard O’Kane, who served as a submarine commander and received a Medal of Honor during World War II.

Richard O’Kane graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1934 and commissioned into the Navy. His first assignments were aboard USS Chester and USS Pruitt before he entered submarine training in New London, Connecticut. After training, he embarked on a four-year stint aboard USS Argonaut until he became the executive officer aboard USS Wahoo shortly after the U.S. entered World War II. Here, O’Kane served in five combat patrols.

In October 1943, O’Kane took command of the newly commissioned USS Tang. In the following months, he led four combat patrols in the Pacific Theater. On his first patrol, Tang sank five Japanese ships near the Caroline and Mariana Islands. His second patrol took him near Palau, where he led seven operations, saving 22 downed U.S. pilots. On his third patrol in the Yellow and East China Seas,he led his crew against Japanese forces, sinking 10 ships. Later, O’Kane and the Tang engaged with Japanese forces near Honshu. By then, his leadership helped establish Tang as one of the most successful U.S. submarines. Still, his story would only grow as Tang embarked on its fifth and final patrol.

In October 1944, O’Kane and his crew spotted a large Japanese convoy near the Taiwan Strait. Deciding to attack it in the night, Tang’s torpedoes hit three ships before evading two other ships attempting to ram it. Those ships collided, allowing O’Kane to fire torpedoes that sunk one of them. By morning, O’Kane spotted another Japanese convoy headed to the Leyte Gulf; he led Tang on its final attack. It fired multiple torpedoes that damaged numerous ships. As Tang fired its last two torpedoes, one hit an enemy ship, but the second curved back toward Tang. While O’Kane attempted to outmaneuver the rogue torpedo, it was too late as it struck Tang. Out of O’Kane’s 87-member crew, only nine survived, including himself. After its destruction, the survivors were captured by the Japanese and became prisoners of war for 10 months.

After the war, O’Kane received a Medal of Honor for his actions during Tang’s final patrol. Tang was officially recognized as having sunk 24 Japanese ships, totaling 93,824 tons. However, O’Kane believed the numbers were actually 33 ships, totaling 116,454 tons. Regardless, these numbers made Tang the most successful U.S. submarine operating during World War II.

Later, O’Kane testified at the trials for Japanese war crimes. He also continued his service in the Navy before retiring in 1957 at the rank of rear admiral.

O’Kane died in 1994 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

We honor his service.


Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.


Writer: Raymond Lin

Editors: Annabelle Colton, Nathaniel Scott

Researchers: Patrick Woods, Kennady Hertz

Graphics: Yasmine Pierce



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