Robert E. Simanek (1930–2022), Korean War Medal of Honor recipient

Robert E. Simanek was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War who was presented with the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

Kenneth Stumpf (1944–2022), Medal of Honor recipient 

Kenneth Stumpf was an Army Sergeant who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1968 for his heroism during the Vietnam War.

David Dushman (1923–2021), one of the last living liberators of Auschwitz

David Dushman was a Soviet veteran of World War II who was one of the last living soldiers who liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Yuan Longping (1930–2021), created hybrid rice to ease famine

Yuan Longping was a Chinese plant scientist who created high-yield hybrid rice that helped alleviate famine in Asia and Africa.

Ray Lambert (1920–2021), WWII hero on D-Day

Ray Lambert was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who was honored for saving many lives on D-Day.

Charles Coolidge (1921–2021), oldest Medal of Honor recipient

Charles Coolidge was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who was the oldest living recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Jim Feezel (1925–2020), WWII hero who drove tank through Dachau gate

Jim Feezel was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who drove a tank through the gate of Dachau concentration camp, liberating its prisoners from the Nazis.

Robert Kehoe (1922–2020), American WWII hero of the French Resistance

Robert Kehoe was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II who was honored with the Distinguished Service Cross for his work with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to aid the French Resistance.

Russell LeeRoy Pickett (2020), one of few soldiers to survive first wave of D-Day

Russell LeeRoy Pickett was in the first wave of U.S. soldiers to storm Normandy Beach on D-Day. He was honored in 2019 at the 75th anniversary event held in Normandy.

Gertrud Steinl (1922–2020), Holocaust hero

GertrudSteinl was thelast surviving German honored for saving Jewishlives during the Holocaust.Shewas a supervisor at a company in Poland when a co-worker confided to her that she was Jewish.Stenlwas able to send the woman to live with her parents, saving her life.In 1979, she was recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations,the countrye28099s highest honor to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Women's History Month: Legacies & Life Stories

Women accomplish amazing things every day, and that’s always worth celebrating. But in March, we take special notice of women’s achievements as we observe Women’s History Month.

Paul Farnes (1918–2020), last surviving WWII Battle of Britain flying ace

Paul Farnes was a fighter pilot for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the last of the flying aces who fought the Battle of Britain during World War II. The fighter pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain were known as “The Few,” recalling Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s famous speech praising them: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Farnes was a sergeant during the battle, later promoted several times until he was wing commander as the war ended, and his eight kills merited him the title of ace. Two other Battle of Britain fighter pilots survive, neither of them aces. In addition to the Battle of Britain, Farnes fought in the Battle of France as well as in North Africa.

Don Howison (1921–2020), oldest remaining survivor of WWII USS Indianapolis disaster

Don Howison was a U.S. Navy veteran who was the last living officer of the USS Indianapolis and the oldest remaining survivor of the World War II torpedo attack and subsequent shipwreck that killed 75% of its crewmembers. Howison served as an ensign aboard the Indianapolis, and decades later, he was among the survivors who were interviewed for the bestselling book Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.

John Moon (1916–2019), oldest known surviving veteran of Iwo Jima

John Moon was believed to be the oldest known surviving veteran of Iwo Jima.

Francis Currey (1925–2019), WWII hero earned Medal of Honor

Francis Currey was one of the last living World War II veterans who received the prestigious Medal of Honor, awarded to him for his valor during the Battle of the Bulge. Days after the horrific Malmedy massacre, U.S. Army veteran Currey singlehandedly wielded an arsenal of weapons against the First SS Panzer Division as they advanced on Allied troops. Currey counterattacked with grenades, two different machine guns, two different rifles, and a bazooka, taking out several German tanks and rescuing a number of his fellow American soldiers. In addition to his Medal of Honor, Currey received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts during his service in World War II. His death leaves just two World War II Medal of Honor recipients still living.

Leslie Edwards (1924–2019), one of the last Tuskegee Airmen

Leslie Edwards was one of the last remaining Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American pilots who served in the U.S. military during World War II.

Lauren Bruner (1920–2019), one of the last survivors of Pearl Harbor’s USS Arizona

Lauren Bruner was a U.S. Navy veteran who was aboard the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor when it was attacked on December 7, 1941.

Al Haynes (1931–2019), heroic pilot of United Flight 232

After engine and hydraulic failure, he helped guide his DC-10 to a miraculous emergency landing.

MIA Vietnam vet's son flies his remains home 52 years later

A full military funeral will be held for Col. Roy A. Knight Jr. on Aug. 10 in Weatherford, Texas.

Meet the CNN Hero who's helping kids through their grief

Mary Robinson's Imagine provides grief support for children whose loved ones have died.

Stories of D-Day Veterans We Said Goodbye to This Year

Seventy-five years after the D-Day invasion of World War II, families and nations are honoring the service members who fought in one of the war's most famous battles.

These two WWII veterans were heroes, among the last of their kind

Fleming Begaye and Robert Maxwell were part of the Greatest Generation and among the last of their kind of heroes.

Kendrick Castillo, hero ran towards gunman in Colorado school shooting

Kendrick Castillo and other classmates rushed one of the shooters.

Derrick Nelson (1975–2019), high school principal, dies after donating bone marrow

New Jersey high school principaldies after donating bone marrow.

Richard Cole (1915–2019), last surviving member of World War II’s Doolittle Raiders

Co-pilot of the lead plane in the daring air raid on Japan.

Mona Lee Brock (1932–2019), counseled farmers in crisis

Mona Lee Brock counseled tens of thousands of farmers through crises as a prominent volunteer at the National Farm Center Crisis Hotline.

Elly Mayday (1988–2019), model and body positivity advocate

Elly Mayday, born Ashley Luther, was a Canadian model and an activist for body positivity and women's health.

Simcha Rotem (1924–2018), Warsaw ghetto uprising fighter

Resistance fighter against the Nazis in the heroic 1943 uprising.

Harry L. Ettlinger (1926 - 2018), one of World War II’s “Monuments Men”

Member of the Allied team that recovered valuable artwork stolen by the Nazis.

Joachim Roenneberg (1919–2018), Norwegian World War II hero

Leader of a daring raid that crippled Nazis’ nuclear ambitions.

Albert Lexie (1942–2018), shoe-shine man gave his tips to children’s hospital

Donated more than $200,000 to help “my kids” at children’s hospital in Pittsburgh.

John McCain (1936–2018), war hero turned maverick politician

In a Congress where the gulf between red and blue seems wider than it ever has, the long-serving Senator John McCain created an image of himself as a bipartisan bridge-builder. A Republican devoted to his party, he nevertheless reached across the aisle to form alliances and friendships with Democrats as he tried to advance ideals including fiscal conservatism, campaign finance reform, and American exceptionalism.

Johan van Hulst (1911–2018), Holocaust hero

Dutch principal saved hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust.

Children Really Can Change the World (Here Are 9 Who Did)

As Florida teenagers lead the #MarchForOurLives, we look back at heroic children through history.

RIP to 6 Cancer Fighters

These cancer doctors, nurses, and scientists devoted their lives to helping others.

Ramon Regalado (1917–2017), survivor of World War II Bataan Death March

The Filipino veteran received a Congressional Gold Medal in October.

Before She Was Grandma, She Was a Hero

How one California woman’s selfless act left ripples that lasted for decades.

Stanislav Petrov (1939–2017), "The man who saved the world"

Former Soviet military officer helped avert a nuclear war during the Cold War era.

Steve Palermo (1949–2017), former MLB umpire

Former MLB umpire was hailed for heroism when he came to the aid of two waitresses being robbed at gunpoint.

Remembering the Tuskegee Airmen (video)

On April 3, 1939, Congress passed a bill to fund the training of African-American military pilots. These pilots, trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Before that time, racist policies in the segregated U.S. military had prevented African Americans from becoming pilots — in part because it would create new Black officers who would outrank white enlisted men. However, the outstanding record of the Tuskegee Airmen in combat during World War II proved there was no room for this kind of thinking in a modern war effort. In 1948, the military was racially integrated, and other institutions would follow. The Tuskegee Airmen fought for freedom in the skies of Europe and at home in the United States.

Carl Clark (1916–2017), WWII hero

African American World War II hero received medal 60 years later.

American Heroes: Carl Brashear

Saluting the Navy diver whose story was told in "Men of Honor."

Inspired by Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks , born Feb. 4, 1913, was one of the great civil rights pioneers of the 20th century. After a lifetime dealing with Montgomery, Alabama's racist law forcing Black citizens who rode city buses to sit in segregated seats at the back, Parks finally decided one Thursday in 1955 to hold her ground and say "no" to discrimination. For her courage, she was arrested, inspiring civil rights activists to boycott the city's buses for more than a year, until finally the city repealed the law.

Marion Pritchard (1920–2016), Dutch Holocaust hero

Dutch woman helped save the lives of many Jews during the Holocaust.

Comfort Zone Camp Creates Helpers

Comfort Zone's bereavement camps do more than help children cope – they change lives.

Roscoe C. Brown Jr. (1922–2016), Tuskegee Airman

Roscoe Brown, a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, died July 2, 2016, in Riverdale, New York, according to multiple news sources. He was 94.

Remo Belli (1927 - 2016), founder of the legendary drum manufacturer Remo Inc.

Remo Belli, the founder of the legendary drum manufacturer Remo Inc., died April 25 of complications of pneumonia, according to a statement on the company’s website. He was 89.

Ken Taylor (1934–2015), Canadian ambassador who helped Americans in Iran

Ken Taylor, Canada's ambassador to Iran who sheltered Americans at his residence during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis has died, according to the Associated Press. He was 81.

Nancy Wake, The White Mouse

One of the Allies' most decorated servicewomen of World War II, Nancy Wake was a key figure in the French resistance.