Latest news with #WWIIVeteran
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Watch a 98-Year-Old World War II Vet Absolutely Demolish a Tesla With a Tank
A 98-year-old World War II veteran, who served in the British Army, absolutely destroyed a Tesla vehicle with the license plate "FASCIM" in a recently shared YouTube video. As first spotted by Gizmodo, veteran Ken Turner used a Sherman tank, one of the most widely used tanks used by the US and its western allies against the Nazis in World War II, to turn a navy blue Tesla into a pancake. The video was uploaded by the British anti-Brexit and anti-conservative political group Led by Donkeys to send a clear message. "Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is using his immense power to support the far-right in Europe, and his money comes from Tesla cars," the group wrote in the video's caption. "We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again." The symbolic stunt highlights Musk's embrace of extremist and racist views. The mercurial CEO has used his considerable platform to further unhinged conspiracy theories and spread hurtful anti-immigrant rhetoric. And who could forget president Donald Trump's post-inauguration celebration, during which Musk performed not just one but two Nazi salutes? He has appeared at a rally for the Alternative for Germany party — a growing, far-right nationalist contingency boasting ties to neo-Nazism — and attended meetings with Italian right-wing populist political party Lega. As a result, anti-Musk sentiment has soared, giving life to an international protest movement, dubbed "Tesla Takedown." It's a terrifying new predicament, with experts warning of the rise of technofeudalism, ruled by a tiny number of "broligarchs," like Musk. To some, it's an eerie deja vu of some of the darkest chapters in recent human history. "I'm old enough to have seen fascism the first time around, now it's coming back," said veteran Turner in the latest video — before crushing the Tesla in a tank. More on Elon Musk: As Sales Continue to Plummet, Tesla Is Considering a Massive Payday for Elon Musk
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Trump surprises 104-year-old WWII veteran with birthday message after viral TikTok invite
President Donald Trump helped a World War II veteran make his birthday wish come true on Thursday. Ohio resident Denver Moore, who just turned 104, is a longtime supporter of the president. He went viral in March after inviting Trump to his upcoming birthday party in a TikTok video that has since amassed over 890,000 views. "President Trump… I'm gonna be 104 in May, and I'm inviting you to my birthday party in Canal Fulton," he said in the video. "I got to vote for you again, and I hope I can vote for you some more." On Thursday, Moore found out he had received a video message from the president delivered by his congressman, Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio. "Hi, Denver!" Trump says in the video message. "I want to wish you a very happy 104th birthday from your all-time favorite president. That's me, Donald Trump," he continues. "And I'm sorry we weren't able to get to your party. I would love to get to your party, but I'm working on Russia, Ukraine, China, and all sorts of other places, and I know you want us to do well." "But I want just to thank you for your incredible service to our nation and for your support for making America great again. A very, very special man you are, and happy birthday," he continued. Trump is currently wrapping up a whirlwind historic tour to the Middle East. On Thursday he arrived in the United Arab Emirates, the first U.S. president to travel to the nation in nearly 20 years. Moore, who lives at Danbury Senior Living facility in Massillon, a town just south of Cleveland, reacted to the message in a report by WEWS News 5 Cleveland reporter Rob Powers. After watching the video, Moore joked about Trump fulfilling his birthday wish, "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy." Moore spoke to Fox News Digital in April about his birthday request to his "favorite president" going viral. After the video was posted in March, people from all over the country – and even as far away as Africa – reached out to him to cheer him on, sending messages and birthday cards to the veteran. "It's been quite a ride," Moore said. Congressman Rulli told Fox News Digital that when he saw the viral video of Moore, he was "struck not only by the incredible milestone of his life but also by his deep sense of patriotism and service." "I was even more surprised to learn that this remarkable WWII veteran was a resident at a facility right in my district," he said. The congressman said he reached out to the White House to see if President Trump could honor Moore's "heartfelt request." "President Trump and his team went above and beyond, recording a special video message just for him. I am incredibly grateful to the compassionate team at Danbury Senior Living, who worked hand in hand with my office to ensure Mr. Moore's birthday was truly unforgettable," Rulli said. "His life and service are a testament to the spirit of our nation, and I'm proud we could celebrate him in such a meaningful way," he added. Moore has been a longtime supporter of Trump and says he agrees with most of the actions he's taken. "He may make a mistake or two, but he's doing most everything right," he previously told Fox News Digital. Moore served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII before working for the U.S. Postal Service. He raised three children with his late wife Thelma Lee, to whom he was married for 75 years before she died in 2022 at age 95. Moore's family and friends say he is still mentally sharp and stays physically active, despite his advanced age. That could be his secret to living a long healthy life. "I was always active, doing something. I carried mail for 20 years, walking, and that was good. I grew up on a farm. We did everything. And if we didn't have anything to do, we created something. So it's just this: stay active," he said about his advice for living a long life. He added, "Marry the right woman and live with her all of her life."
CNN
08-05-2025
- General
- CNN
This American soldier witnessed the Nazi surrender. 80 years later, he's still happy to be home
Anderson cooper 360 Watch Louis Graziano's story on 'Anderson Cooper 360,' tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. ET. He's believed to be the last surviving person from inside the room of the little red schoolhouse in Reims, France, where German officers agreed to end World War II in Europe. Eighty years ago, Luciano 'Louis' Graziano witnessed history when the Nazis surrendered. But this former American soldier has no special plans for Thursday, when Victory in Europe, or VE Day, is commemorated, saying every day is special to him now. At 102, Graziano vividly remembers what he saw that day, when it was unclear whether the Germans would sign the surrender document. 'I saw a lot of straight faces,' he told CNN. 'Germans were at the table, there were the British and the French and all the other officers.' One man not there was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was using the schoolhouse as the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force. 'He wasn't in the room, he didn't want to be in the room in case they decided not to sign the surrender,' Graziano said, wearing a World War II veteran baseball cap. But Eisenhower did want to see the defeated officers, so the young American soldier took them to him. 'He wouldn't shake hands with them. They clicked their heels together and he dismissed them,' Graziano said of the meeting. Born in East Aurora, New York to Italian immigrants, Graziano was the youngest of five children. He left school after the eighth grade to work as a mason to help support his family. His mother, sister and brother worked as hairstylists, and he decided to follow in their footsteps. But in 1943, weeks before his 20th birthday, he was drafted into the Army. Graziano completed his military training at various bases across the United States, including Fort Dix, before being shipped to England on the Queen the ocean liner, he slept one night in a bunk but he chose to sleep on deck in a life vest because the quarters were so tight — he felt like he had a better chance of surviving an attack on deck. After spending months in England working in facility operations, Graziano was in the third wave of the D-Day attack on Omaha Beach. 'I drove the gasoline truck onto the beach and got up under the cliff,' he said. 'The Germans were shooting down at us. I got my flamethrower out and shot up underneath … and got rid of that machine gun.' Once in France, Graziano became the utilities foreman in the 102nd Infantry Field Artillery Battalion, meaning he oversaw American-occupied buildings, including the little red schoolhouse. While in Reims, he met his future wife, Eula 'Bobbie' Shaneyfelt, then a Staff Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps. They married in Reims, honeymooned in Paris after the surrender, and eventually moved to Thomson, Georgia, where they raised their family. In the decades since the end of World War II, Graziano has never gone back to France, 'I've been asked to go many times and have my way paid,' he said. 'But I don't care to go on that ocean again.' Graziano isn't doing anything out of the ordinary to celebrate VE Day, though he has interviews lined up with news outlets around the world to share his story. He plans to spend the day at home — fitting for a man whose thoughts were of the US even as he watched the European conflict end. 'I was happy to be in that room,' he said of the surrender. 'I knew I was going to get to go home soon after that.' CNN's Rick Bastien contributed to this story.
CNN
08-05-2025
- General
- CNN
This American soldier witnessed the Nazi surrender. 80 years later, he's still happy to be home
Anderson cooper 360 Watch Louis Graziano's story on 'Anderson Cooper 360,' tonight on CNN at 8 p.m. ET. He's believed to be the last surviving person from inside the room of the little red schoolhouse in Reims, France, where German officers agreed to end World War II in Europe. Eighty years ago, Luciano 'Louis' Graziano witnessed history when the Nazis surrendered. But this former American soldier has no special plans for Thursday, when Victory in Europe, or VE Day, is commemorated, saying every day is special to him now. At 102, Graziano vividly remembers what he saw that day, when it was unclear whether the Germans would sign the surrender document. 'I saw a lot of straight faces,' he told CNN. 'Germans were at the table, there were the British and the French and all the other officers.' One man not there was Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was using the schoolhouse as the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force. 'He wasn't in the room, he didn't want to be in the room in case they decided not to sign the surrender,' Graziano said, wearing a World War II veteran baseball cap. But Eisenhower did want to see the defeated officers, so the young American soldier took them to him. 'He wouldn't shake hands with them. They clicked their heels together and he dismissed them,' Graziano said of the meeting. Born in East Aurora, New York to Italian immigrants, Graziano was the youngest of five children. He left school after the eighth grade to work as a mason to help support his family. His mother, sister and brother worked as hairstylists, and he decided to follow in their footsteps. But in 1943, weeks before his 20th birthday, he was drafted into the Army. Graziano completed his military training at various bases across the United States, including Fort Dix, before being shipped to England on the Queen the ocean liner, he slept one night in a bunk but he chose to sleep on deck in a life vest because the quarters were so tight — he felt like he had a better chance of surviving an attack on deck. After spending months in England working in facility operations, Graziano was in the third wave of the D-Day attack on Omaha Beach. 'I drove the gasoline truck onto the beach and got up under the cliff,' he said. 'The Germans were shooting down at us. I got my flamethrower out and shot up underneath … and got rid of that machine gun.' Once in France, Graziano became the utilities foreman in the 102nd Infantry Field Artillery Battalion, meaning he oversaw American-occupied buildings, including the little red schoolhouse. While in Reims, he met his future wife, Eula 'Bobbie' Shaneyfelt, then a Staff Sergeant in the Women's Army Corps. They married in Reims, honeymooned in Paris after the surrender, and eventually moved to Thomson, Georgia, where they raised their family. In the decades since the end of World War II, Graziano has never gone back to France, 'I've been asked to go many times and have my way paid,' he said. 'But I don't care to go on that ocean again.' Graziano isn't doing anything out of the ordinary to celebrate VE Day, though he has interviews lined up with news outlets around the world to share his story. He plans to spend the day at home — fitting for a man whose thoughts were of the US even as he watched the European conflict end. 'I was happy to be in that room,' he said of the surrender. 'I knew I was going to get to go home soon after that.' CNN's Rick Bastien contributed to this story.
