A Texas community is coming together to help a 95-year-old World War II veteran with his home repairs.Alfred Guerra, 95, served during the Pacific War and received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery in combat, KENS 5 reported. After Guerra was injured in battle, he returned to the U.S. to live in San Antonio, Texas. Maria Guerra, Alfred’s daughter, said the house where he lives has been standing since before 1942 and has a history of its own. “I often asked my dad how this house is even standing,” Maria Guerra said. She added that it was time to remodel her father’s home, but did not realize at the time the amount of work that had to be done. “One thing after another, everything started falling apart. We noticed part of the house sunk, so we needed to get it fixed,” Maria Guerra said. Maria said the conditions were so poor at her father’s house that she moved him out and started a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family to raise money for the repairs. Thanks to the generosity of a few community partners around San Antonio, the house has an upgraded air conditioning system and insulation, as well as a replaced roof. But the house still has a long way to go before it is livable again. The house is still in dire need of siding, electrical, and plumbing work before the house is in tip-top shape again. Maria appreciates everyone who has helped or donated to the cause so far. As of Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe page raised $4,605 out of its $5,000 goal. “He’s just totally overwhelmed by all of the giving and everybody that’s help to come work on his house, and it’s a blessing,” she said. Guerra is not the only one to receive help from his community to rebuild his home. In March 2020, a Vietnam War veteran received a home makeover free of charge thanks to several community partnerships, and in November 2019, one military veteran with special needs children was gifted thousands of ...
World war ii
‘Don’t Feel A Day Over 21’: World War II Veteran Celebrates 100th Birthday In Palm Springs
PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA) — A World War II veteran was surprised with a small party in a Palm Springs park for her 100th birthday. (credit: CBS) Sylvia Logan’s family surprised her at Sunrise Park, where they all donned masks and greeted her with balloons, including ones shaped in the numerals “100.” The war veteran, who wore a mask that said, “It took me 100 years to look this good,” said she was floating on air. “I turned 100, and I don’t feel a day over 21,” she said with a chuckle. It was during her time in the war that she met her husband, Benton “Woody” Logan. They returned to Palm Springs, where they lived together until he died in 2010 at the age of 93. They had been married for 62 years. ...
‘He’s A Remarkable, Remarkable Man’: World War II Veteran Ralph Perkner Celebrates 100th Birthday In Broomall
BROOMALL, Pa. (CBS) — The rain didn’t dampen the mood this Sunday in Delaware County for a special birthday celebration. A milestone birthday in Broomall. Lt. Ralph Perkner, retired from the U.S. Navy, turns 100. READ MORE: COVID In Montgomery County: Big Drive-Thru Vaccine Distribution Site Under Construction In King Of Prussia “He’s a remarkable, remarkable man,” Tom Murray, Perkner’s son-in-law, said. “I hope if I get as old as he is, I’m half as good as he is.” “It’s a wonderful day,” Perkner said. “And you wonder how you got here, but here I am, so I’m stuck.” A father of five, a World War II veteran honored by his community and family. A man cherished not only for what he’s done but for who he is. “My father-in-law is a very unique individual,” Murray said. What does it feel like? READ MORE: 'I Just Want Him To Come Home': Missing 13-Year-Old Jalen Maxwell's Mother Makes Tearful Plea To Help Find Her Son “100,” Perkner said. “Just his personality, he’s very dry,” Murray said. His family says Perkner swims twice a week and retired from his job as an optometrist recently — at age 90. So, if anyone can see how good 100 looks on them, it’s Ralph Perkner. Even when looking back. “I was a bad kid,” Perkner said. We all want tips, right? How does Perkner do it? MORE NEWS: Whitehall Township Man, Edward Joel Rosario-Jimenez, Charged In Deadly Double Shooting In Lehigh Valley Walmart Parking Lot He says get in trouble when you’re young and then hit the straight and narrow when you age. ...
World War II Enigma Codebreaker And Pittsburgher Julia Parsons Turning 100 This Week
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — In just a few days, a Pittsburgh woman will be celebrating a major milestone. 100 years old! Julia Parsons has committed much of her life to her family, service, and hiding secrets. It was a remarkable time in our history. World War II, which lasted for years, was also the beginning of a new wave. A wave that Julia Parsons was a part of. “I had, had such a fantastic job, it was such an interesting time in my life,” Parsons said. “It was really nice.” While in college, Parsons volunteered for the Navy WAVES — “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.” It was her time there that eventually led her to become part of a select group of women. “Somebody came in and asked does anybody know German? I raised my hand because I had two years of German in high school,” Parsons said. Parsons said she was the only one to have raised her hand, but it was that moment that would forever change her life. She became an Enigma code-breaker and helped uncover the location of German U-boats. “We had to keep it a secret because the Germans had no idea the allies had the ENIGMA machine,” she said. It was during that time she met her husband, who was in the Army and they eventually made their way back to Pittsburgh. Now, years later, Parsons enjoys sharing her stories that were once heavily guarded secrets. She has also found herself involved with the Veterans Breakfast Club. To celebrate her 100th birthday, on Tuesday, the non-profit is hosting a parade near her home in Forest Hills. It’s an age she’s still working to accept. “The first card I opened up, was one of these automatic 100 on it, and I thought, 100? What’s this? And it dawned on me, this was a card for my birthday for 100 years old,” Parsons said. Local first responders and servicemen will lead the parade at noon. Everyone is invited to attend. ...
US Life Expectancy Suffers Greatest Drop Since World War II, CDC Says
Life expectancy in the United States dropped a full year during the beginning half of 2020 due to the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, health officials announced. The drops were greatest among people of color, according to preliminary estimates from the CDC. The life expectancy for black Americans and Hispanic Americans dropped almost three and two years, respectively while the expectancy for white Americans fell 0.8 years. “This is a huge decline,” said Robert Anderson, who oversaw the data from the CDC. “You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this.” In addition to the rampant spread of the coronavirus in the first half of 2020, health experts attributed the sharp decline to other ailments including infection, cancer and heart disease. (RELATED: Death Tolls Jump In Cities Ravaged By The Coronavirus) “What is really quite striking in these numbers is that they only reflect the first half of the year,” said Dr. Kristin Bibbins-Domingo, a health equity researcher and dean at the University of California, San Francisco, according to the Associated Press . “I expect that these numbers would only get worse.” EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Bodies wrapped in plastic line the walls inside a refrigerated trailer used as a mobile morgue by the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s office in El Paso, Texas on November 13, 2020. (JUSTIN HAMEL/AFP via Getty Images) The report only shows data from the first half of 2020, meaning that the hundreds of thousands of deaths recorded in the summer and fall were not recorded. The coronavirus also made 2020 the deadliest year in American history , with over 3 million deaths recorded nationwide. The life expectancy in 2019 was 78.8 years, and fell to 77.8 years, the report said. The expectancy was 75.1 years for males and 80.5 years for females. Dr. Otis Brawley, a cancer specialist and public health professor at Johns Hopkins University, attributed the decline, in ...
