Photos

Retired Marine Corps Cpl. Dorothee Irwin, a World War II veteran, sits with her family during the 26th annual Palm Springs Veterans Day Parade in Palm Springs, Calif., Nov. 11, 2023.

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” provide full military honors during the joint funeral of Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Porter M. Pile and Tech. Sgt. James M. Triplett at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Oct. 31, 2023. On Sept. 27, 1944, the B-24H Liberator bomber on which they were serving was part of a large mission to bomb the industrial city of Kassel, Germany. During the mission, the aircraft encountered heavy resistance from enemy ground and air forces which resulted in the rapid loss of 25 Liberators. The men were honored and buried alongside each other in a double interment ceremony.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Prosser presents JoAnn Woodson with the Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge earned by her husband, Army Staff Sgt. Waverly Woodson Jr., during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Oct. 11, 2023. Woodson was part of the first wave of soldiers who stormed Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was cited for bravery, attending to soldiers as well as saving wounded men from drowning, all after being wounded himself. Woodson was never formally presented the Bronze Star because he left Europe quickly to deploy for Japan. He was just approved for the Combat Medic Badge in August.

Army Reserve Capt. Mathew Stevens meets with Curtis Outen, a World War II veteran, on his 102nd birthday in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 16, 2023.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrew Thomas, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency explosive ordnance disposal technician, clears mud from a retention pond during a recovery mission in Wistedt, Germany, Aug. 28, 2023. DPAA personnel conducted an excavation operation to find a U.S. aircraft crew lost over Germany during World War II.

Sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard conduct military funeral honors for Petty Officer 3rd Class Ernest Barchers Jr. at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Aug. 22, 2023. Barchers, who served during World War II and the Korean War, was inurned with his wife of 72 years during the ceremony.

Airmen carry a transfer case during a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency honorable carry ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., July 30, 2023. The transfer case contained possible remains collected during a recovery mission in Italy to locate missing Americans from World War II.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosts Morgan Freeman for a private screening and conversation about Freeman’s documentary on the 761st Tank Battalion at the Pentagon, Aug. 2, 2023.

Service members participate in Liberation Day events in Guam, July 21, 2023, to mark the 79th anniversary of the United States liberating the island from Japanese occupation during World War II.

Retired Army Col. Bruce Clark, son of Army Lt. Col. Arthur Gorham, who was killed in action during Operation Husky, is presented a hometown hero flag during the Operation Husky 80th anniversary commemoration ceremony at the 82nd Airborne Division Monument in Gela, Italy, July 10, 2023. Service members across Italy are remembering Operation Husky, when allies launched a massive amphibious assault on the shores of Sicily in 1943, initiating a campaign to take back the island from the axis powers during World War II.

Army Maj. Gen. Jeff Broadwater, deputy commanding general, V Corps, talks with World War II veteran and former V Corps soldier, Jake Larson, at a welcoming ceremony for WWII veterans during a D-Day commemoration in France, June 1, 2023.

Army 1st Sgt. Christopher Kenney salutes during the national anthems played at a D-Day 79 ceremony in Picauville, France, June 1, 2023.

U.S. and allied forces, World War II veterans and guests participate in the Cabbage Patch Memorial Ceremony in Carentan, France, June 2, 2023. Cabbage Patch Square is where U.S. paratroopers began the bloody battle to liberate the city of Carentan 79 years ago.

U.S. and allied forces, World War II veterans and guests participate in the Cabbage Patch Memorial Ceremony in Carentan, France, June 2, 2023. The Cabbage Patch Square is where 79 years ago, U.S. paratroopers began the bloody, close combat battle to liberate the city of Carentan.

World War II veterans Wilbur Myers and Alan Dunn are welcomed by soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division as they arrive for the D-Day 79 commemoration ceremonies in Normandy, France, June 1, 2023.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Harvey, a Tuskegee Airman, stands in front of the Tuskegee Airman Statue during the Tuskegee Airman wreath-laying ceremony at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 7, 2023. The annual tribute recognizes how the actions of the Tuskegee Airmen changed the Air Force, the military, and the world.

Army Col. Thomas Austin offers condolences to Mary Fisher following the funeral service for Fisher's brother, Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Roy Carney, at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., May 17, 2023. Carney was killed Aug. 1, 1943, when his bomber crashed after getting hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire during Operation Tidal Wave, the U.S. Ninth Air Force’s bombing of Romania’s Ploiesti oil fields and refineries, which fueled the German military during World War II. His remains were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency in June, 2022. Carney‘s awards include a Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and an Air Medal.

Wilfredo Tungol, left, Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project director, and World War II Veteran Oscar Bangui walk with a wreath during the "Araw ng Kagitingan" commemoration in Honolulu, April 10, 2023. The Philippine Day of Valor recognizes the service of Filipino troops and the sacrifice of more than 10,000 Philippine and American service members who lost their lives during the Battle of Bataan and its subsequent march.

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency service members prepare to lift a casket during a disinterment ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, April 4, 2023. Approximately 63 individuals were disinterred as part of the "Enoura Maru" project, an ongoing effort by DPAA to disinter, transport, and identify missing POWs from World War II. The remains were taken to the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, for further scientific analysis and possible identification.

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as "The Old Guard," conduct military funeral honors for Army Pfc. Francis P. Martin at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., March 24, 2023. Martin was killed on January 16, 1945, while serving in France during World War II, but his remains were not identified until last year.