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Times
10 hours ago
- General
- Times
From music to politics: week in pictures, Scotland — June 7, 2025
Veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday to mark the 81st anniversary of Operation Overlord, a pivotal moment that led to the end of the Second World War. Yves Holbecq, with the Somme Battlefield Pipe Band, played the bagpipes on the beach at sunrise. The group aims to promote the music and history of Scottish soldiers during their time fighting in France. Veterans and onlookers gathered along the coastline to watch the flyovers, ceremonies, parades, reenactments and commemorations. More than 4,000 Allied troops were killed on D-Day in 1944. For more pictures from The Times, follow us on Instagram
CTV News
08-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Local brewery commemorates D-Day with Canadian Navy sailors
A local brewery in Regina is honouring the anniversary of D-Day through a monthly longstanding tradition of theirs – First Firkin Friday. 'We have never had a military promotion at First Firkin Friday before. This was a first,' said Grant Frew, bar and marketing manager at Bushwakker Brewpub. The event introduces a new craft beer every month in an effort to bring the community together and celebrate a milestone. On June 6, a Royal Canadian Navy in Regina - HMCS Queen – participated in the occasion to help commemorate D-Day – which is considered the largest combined land, sea and air invasion in history and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. 'Today is a special commemorative edition of First Firkin Friday where are acknowledging the D-Day efforts of the Allied Forces 81 years ago today,' explained Frew. 'We are very excited to have members of HMCS Queen here to help commemorate that event. We produced a very special beer involving our Regina Pale Ale, Toasted Oak, and sailors really liked their rum so Pusser's Navy Rum was also part of this special beer we created today.' As the Regina Rifles played an instrumental role as part of Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944, one current sailor of HMCS Queen said it is critical to honour the history of those who served, collaboratively. 'The Navy is the community. That's where our people come from, that's where we recruit from,' said Tyrel Beler. 'It's very important that we have close ties with the community to better foster our relations between us so we can continue to exist and help our people out.' HMCS Queen Commanding Officer Aaron Kaytor also shared the importance of paying tribute to the Canadian Navy on the commemorative day. 'It may not be as acknowledged as those brave soldiers who stormed the beaches, but over 100 Canadian ships participated that day or somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 Canadian sailors,' shared Kaytor. 'They participated in mine clearance landings, shore bombardment, as well as escort duty, and without them, those soldiers may have not have made it all the way to the beach so they could do their duty.' Although this is the first time a military unit participated in Bushwakker's firkin Friday event, it will not be the last time sailors visit the brewery, as a model of the HMCS Regina ship will be unveiled later this year. 'There was a small number of modelers who are currently serving members of the current HMCS Regina who have created a model of a previous HMCS Regina and are donating it to the Bushwakker,' explained Kaytor. 'What we've arranged is for that ship model to be presented here sometime in August. I don't have the exact date yet. It's going to be coinciding with a namesake city visit where we have eight to 12 members of the crew of HMCS Regina who will fly to Regina, Saskatchewan and present the model at that event.' The HMCS Queen and the Royal Canadian Navy has been present in Regina for the last 100 years, having first been established in 1923. - With files from Gareth Dillistone
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
WWII Memorial honors 'heroes walking among us'
ASHLAND To mark the 81st anniversary of the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare, hundreds of attendees gathered to witness the unveiling of a monument honoring the thousands of Boyd Countians who served in WWII. Though the skies above were overcast, the rain held off for Friday's ceremony, painting a symbolic nod to D-Day's Operation Overlord where Allied forces began the eventual liberation of Western Europe upon the beaches of France, despite the loss of more than 4,000 allied soldiers. The anniversary of the Normandy invasion is often recognized as the 'beginning of the end,' of the atrocities committed overseas during WWII and invoke remembrance of those brave fathers, brothers and sons at least once a year. However, with the instillation of eight panels depicting the thousands of local names who witnessed the cost of the conflict firsthand, local organizers have ensured their sacrifices will be remembered in Boyd County beyond a calendar date. Members of Ashland Paul G. Blazer High School's JROTC marked the beginning of the ceremony by raising the flags of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. JROTC member Rilee Layman Bohanon was among them, raising a flag mere steps away from the panel that would reveal the name of his great grandfather. 'This stands not only as a tribute, but also as what a community can do together,' Stephen Harris, president elect of Ashland Rotary Club, said. Harris said when he attended a Rotary meeting welcoming its newest members 10 years ago, project spearhead Cheryl Spriggs was organizing the eventual construction of the memorial wall, even before securing a location, design or financial support. As Spriggs's plans continued throughout her term as Ashland City Commissioner, former Ashland Mayor Matt Perkins said the piece of property at the intersection of 17th Street and Carter Avenue was eventually secured. 'This piece of property represents grit and determination,' Perkins said, explaining a list of WWII veterans used to be displayed at the local post office but was eventually removed, sparking Spriggs and community members' commitment to restore a tribute to the greatest generation. Current Ashland Mayor Chuck Charles said the wall ensures recognition of 'the human cost of conflict ... serv(ing) as a tangible way to see the impact of war.' Charles said the wall allows the community to remember, reflect and respect. For Spriggs's determination, Charles presented the former commissioner with a key to the city. Spriggs said it has been 10 years since she brought the idea to her fellow Rotarians and she has spent the last 7 years working alongside numerous community members and organizations to gather every name deployed from Ashland or Boyd County for their spot on the wall, secure financial donations and collaborated with Kim Jenkins, Highlands Museum & Discovery Center director, and VisitAKY's Brandy Clark on the overall design of the panels and site layout. Spriggs said Clark was the brain child behind fitting more than 6,000 names on the four panels, both sides depicting iconic WWII imagery from a distance. 'Virtually everybody in this town was touched by WWII,' Spriggs said, sharing the story of Griffith Street — roughly the size of two blocks — from where 30 men were drafted. Spriggs also recognized the Henderson family, who sent all four sons overseas and would go years without knowing their location or if they were still alive. Spriggs said though D-Day was not the end of the war, eventually thousands of servicemen would return from the Pacific, Europe, Africa and beyond, back home to Boyd County. 'There were heroes walking among us everywhere,' Spriggs said, recognizing that some families were not so lucky, as hundreds of local men were killed in action, taken prisoner or are described only as missing in action, each of them now bare a golden star alongside their name on the wall. As the population of WWII Veterans continues to dwindle, community members on Friday hope the monument in the heart of Ashland will serve as a reminder of those that sacrificed for a future they would never see.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On 81st anniversary of D-Day, one US Navy veteran's son is the first American Pope
On this 81st anniversary of D-Day, the Pentagon has shared a powerful connection between the Vatican and the U.S. military. Pope Leo XIV's father, Louis Marius Prevost, served as a Navy officer during the historic 1944 Normandy landings. Prevost, born in Chicago in 1920, was commissioned into the Navy in November 1943. He served as the executive officer of a tank landing ship during Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France June 6, 1944. World War Ii Veterans Travel To Normandy For Emotional D-day Commemoration Later, he commanded an infantry landing craft in Operation Dragoon, the August 1944 Allied landing in southern the war, Prevost returned to Illinois, where he became superintendent of Brookwood School District 167 and later principal of Mount Carmel Elementary School in Chicago. He was also a catechist, teaching Christian Sox Installing Pope Leo Xiv Graphic Near His 2005 World Series Seat Prevost married Mildred Agnes Martinez in 1949, and they had three sons, including Robert Francis Prevost, who was elected Pope Leo XIV May 8, 2025, becoming the first American-born this week, Pope Leo XIV signed a baseball at the Vatican, a nod to his Chicago roots and lifelong support for the White Sox. The team has honored him with a commemorative installation at Guaranteed Rate Field. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Vatican for comment but has not yet received a response. Read On The Fox News AppOriginal article source: On 81st anniversary of D-Day, one US Navy veteran's son is the first American Pope
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
D-Day's Legacy: Aging Heroes Urge Freedom's Remembrance
On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in an assault that would be the beginning of the end for Nazi-occupied Western Europe. Operation Overlord, as the invasion was called, stands not only as a military triumph but also as a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the responsibility of remembrance—remembering those who lost their lives for our freedom. The human cost of that day and the weeks that followed was staggering. More than 4,400 Allied soldiers died on D-Day alone. Germany suffered approximately 320,000 total battle casualties during the campaign, with 30,000 killed, 80,000 wounded, and around 210,000 reported missing: over 70% of the missing were later confirmed as prisoners of war, according to German Military records. In contrast, the United States recorded around 135,000 casualties, with 29,000 killed and the rest either wounded or missing. The UK suffered around 65,000 battle casualties, with 11,000 killed and 54,000 wounded or missing. However, these sacrifices laid the groundwork for breaking the Nazi grip on Europe and expediting the collapse of the Third Reich. Today, on the beaches of Normandy, veterans and their families gathered to honor those who never came home. Parachute jumps, flyovers, and solemn parades paid tribute to a generation that reshaped the world. Among those honored was 101-year-old Harold Terens, a radio repairman who served with the Allied forces alongside centenarians Arlester Brown and Wally King, per AP News. As the years pass, the number of D-Day veterans able to attend these commemorations continues to dwindle. Only 23 veterans were present at this year's ceremony, down from 50 last year. With every passing year, the responsibility to carry forward their stories grows more and more important. Figures like 104-year-old nurse Betty Huffman-Rosevear and 'Papa Jake' Larson have turned to social media to share their experiences with younger generations of Americans, ensuring that the memory of D-Day lives on beyond the pages of history books and transitions to the screen-addicted era. Larson's YouTube channel, Story Time With Papa Jake, recently hit 16 thousand subscribers as of publication. D-Day was not just a gritty American victory; it was a shared triumph achieved by a collection of countries: Britain, Canada, Poland, Norway, and countless others, whose soldiers fought side by side to liberate Europe. With each passing year, that call to keep the memory of D-Day grows more pressing. Now, more than ever, we must honor D-Day not as a distant story but as a reminder of our responsibility to stand up for freedom – and never forget the price paid for it.
