In Virginia, a military stronghold becomes a haven for Afghan refugees
There was a personal connection for Renfroe. Her husband, now retired from the Marine Corps, had deployed to Afghanistan four times. 'He just never talked about any other region the way he did about the people there,' she said.
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Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Indonesian passenger ferry catches fire at sea, killing at least 5
MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people caught fire at sea on Sunday off Sulawesi island in Indonesia, killing at least five people, officials said. More than 280 people were rescued and evacuation efforts were ongoing. The KM Barcelona 5 was headed to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, from Talaud, an island district in the province when it caught fire in waters near Talise, said Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command. He said that three navy ships had been deployed, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far. The rescue operation included assistance from local fishermen, who saved some survivors wearing life jackets as they were drifting to nearby islands in the choppy waters. Rescuers retrieved five bodies, including a pregnant woman. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and no exact figures of passengers and crew members onboard the ferry. 'We are still focusing on evacuation efforts,' Hendrata said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated. Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, jumping into the sea. Orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel. Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed. Residents of Mentawai Islands found several people stranded on July 14 after a speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm the day before, authorities said. All were in good condition. A ferry sank near Indonesia's resort island of Bali early this month, leaving at least 19 dead and 16 others missing. A two-week search operation involved more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.
Toronto Star
14 hours ago
- Toronto Star
D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102
PARIS (AP) — D-Day veteran ″Papa Jake″ Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy's bluffs in 1944 and garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades, has died at 102. Tributes for 'Story Time with Papa Jake' poured in from followers across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, CA., and from towns around Normandy still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis.
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
D-Day veteran and TikTok star ‘Papa Jake' Larson dies at 102
PARIS (AP) — D-Day veteran ″Papa Jake″ Larson, who survived German gunfire on Normandy's bluffs in 1944 and garnered 1.2 million followers on TikTok late in life by sharing stories to commemorate World War II and his fallen comrades, has died at 102. Tributes for 'Story Time with Papa Jake' poured in from followers across the United States, where he had been living in Lafayette, CA., and from towns around Normandy still grateful to Allied forces who helped defeat the occupying Nazis. 'Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young,' his granddaughter McKaela Larson posted on his social media accounts. 'He went peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the very end.″ 'As Papa would say, love you all the mostest,' she wrote. Born Dec. 20, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age since he was only 15 at the time. In January 1942, he was sent overseas and was stationed in Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy. He was among the Allied troops who stormed the Normandy shore on D-Day, June 6, 1944, surviving machine-gun fire when he landed on Omaha Beach. He made it unhurt to the bluffs that overlook the beach, then studded with German gun emplacements that mowed down American soldiers. After D-Day, he fought on through the Battle of the Bulge. In recent years, he made repeated trips to Normandy for D-Day commemorations. 'We are the lucky ones,' Larson told The Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, speaking amid the immaculate rows of graves at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. 'They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive.'
