The Four Most Amazing Stories Involving Veterans This Past Year

veterans day

This past week, the focus was on a polarizing election involving two candidates who were known more for their negative attributes than their positive contributions.

But today, we honor those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and in fact, the very privilege we had earlier this week to cast those votes.

Here are the top 4 heartwarming stories involving some of our veterans this past year ….

4) Raising Awareness

Prince Harry and President George W. Bush helped open an event known as the Invictus Games, an international Paralympic-style multi-sport event featuring over 500 wounded veterans. The event also featured support from celebrities like Morgan Freeman, singer James Blunt, and soprano singer Laura Wright.

Just one year earlier, Prince Harry joined some wounded veterans on their 1,000 mile charity hike from Scotland to Buckingham Palace. One wounded Marine postponed amputation of her leg so she could go on the charity hike, gave him the dog tags of a fallen soldier. He was clearly moved.

3) Bald-Faced Hero

When a bald eagle got tangled up in a rope and stuck to a tree branch, things looked grim.

Calls to the Department of Environmental Conservation and local authorities were disappointing – due to the height at which the eagle had become ensnared, there was nothing anyone could do.

Enter Jason Galvin, an army veteran with two tours of duty in Afghanistan under his belt, who took his wife’s suggestion to use his marksman skills and shoot the rope until the bird was free.

Figuring the bird would die if nobody did anything to help, Galvin decided to go for it. It took quite a bit of time, effort and resources, but he was eventually able to free the bird.

2) Unwavering Determination

Video of a retired Marine amputee doing everything he could to climb a hill that had crosses placed in honor of his fallen comrades quickly went viral in May.

Josue Barron was injured in Afghanistan in 2010, losing his left leg and left eye when a fellow Marine stepped on a roadside bomb.

Barron said it “took me five years to get up there” but “I knew I had to get up there some way somehow.”

That included removing his prosthetic leg because it became a burden, and crawling up the incredibly steep hill while his fellow veterans cheered on his every move.

Watch this incredible display of unwavering determination …

1) World War II Hero Dies Alone … Or Did He

This past summer, a retired detective and World War II veteran died alone at the age of 95 in NYC. He had no surviving next of kin.

The NYPD got wind of it and did the proper thing – they gave him a hero’s send off.

A solitary bagpiper played “Amazing Grace” as the NYPD Honor Guard escorted the World War II veteran’s flag-draped casket from the church.

Police officers and firefighters lined the street and gave Mr. Brown one last salute as his casket was placed in the hearse.

Comment: Do you know any great stories involving veterans this past year? Share them with us in the comments section below.

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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