• Parades commemorate Red Army's World War II victory

    Yuri Kadobnov / AFP - Getty Images

    Russian military jets fly above St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow's Red Square on May 9, 2013, during Russia's Victory Day parade.

    Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

    Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, center right, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, center left, watch the Victory Day Parade in Red Square on May 9, 2013.

    Ivan Sekretarev / AP

    In a haze of exhaust fumes, Russian self-propelled howitzers move across Red Square on May 9, 2013.

    Fighter jets screamed over Red Square and heavy tanks rumbled over its cobblestones as Russia flexed its military muscle on the 68th anniversary of its costly victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the annual military parade in Moscow that Russia will be a guarantor of world security. Putin's short speech Thursday came at the culmination of Victory Day, Russia's most important secular holiday, which honors the country's huge military and civilian losses. 

    Commemorative events were also held in other former Soviet states and in Jerusalem.

    -- Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press

    Efrem Lukatsky / AP

    Cadets of the Ukrainian Military academy preparing to celebrate the anniversary of victory over the Nazis at a memorial to World War II veterans in a park in Kiev, Ukraine, on May 9, 2013.

    Andrey Smirnov / AFP - Getty Images

    Russian World War II veterans, former navy sailors, celebrate Victory Day at their traditional veterans' meeting in Gorky park in central Moscow on May 9, 2013.

    Abir Sultan / EPA

    A Jewish veteran accompanied by his grandson takes part in a parade marking the 68th anniversary of the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 9, 2013.

    Ivan Sekretarev / AP

    Russian soldiers march across Red Square on May 9, 2013.

    David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters

    Veterans chat during a Victory Day celebration in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 9, 2013.

    Dumitru Doru / EPA

    A young girl lays flowers at the grave of fallen soldiers during celebrations to mark the 68th anniversary of Victory Day in Chisinau, Moldova, on May 9, 2013.

    Sergey Dolzhenko / EPA

    World War II-era military vehicles parade in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, on May 9, 2013.

    Related:

    Stories of Jewish Red Army vets just coming to light

    Holocaust survivors remember the horrors of Buchenwald

    In a grand display, Russian soldiers re-enact historic World War II march

  • 'You bet your sweet life': Guadalcanal veteran marries after 30-year courtship

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Former Marine Jack Wright, 88, marries his girlfriend of 30 years, Shirlene King, 57, in the oncology radiation department of the Veterans Administration hospital in Los Angeles on May 7, 2013. Wright decided to marry King in the hospital after undergoing cancer treatment there.

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Jack Wright chats to his friend Bob Feldman before the ceremony.

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Wright puts a ring on the finger of his girlfriend of 30 years.

    Shirlene King thought the moment would never come, but after a 30-year courtship, she finally got her wedding day, NBC Los Angeles reports.

    She married her sweetheart of three decades, 88-year-old Jack Wright, on Tuesday. 

    The former Marine is one of 11 remaining U.S. survivors of the Battle for Guadalcanal in World War II, Reuters reports. 

    The couple were wed in the hallway of the oncology department at the West Los Angeles veterans hospital, where a gravely ill Wright is receiving chemotherapy. Doctors, nurses and friends looked on during the hospital's first-ever wedding.

    Despite his serious condition, Wright's humor and devotion were evident.

    In response to one of the vows -- instead of answering with the traditional "I do" or "I will" -- Wright answered, "You bet your sweet life." Read more at NBC Los Angeles.

     

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Shirlene King greets the wedding guests.

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Wright kisses his bride's hand.

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    Photos of the bride and groom lie on the cake table.

    Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

    The couple are seen during their wedding reception.

    View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

  • Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

    Veteran marks 10th anniversary of the Iraq war by visiting the grave of a fellow marine

    Iraq war veteran Marine Corps Corporal (retired) Ryan Lamke visits the grave of friend and fellow Marine Corporal Benny G. Cockerham III on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war at Arlington National Cemetery, March 19, 2013, in Arlington, Virginia. Lamke lives in Washington, DC, and visits Cockerham's grave once a month. He made this visit specifically because of the anniversary.

  • Remains of US Civil War sailors found in shipwreck arrive in Washington for burial at Arlington

    Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images

    Ground crew and others watch as a US Navy transfer team carries the remains of a United States Civil War (1861-1865) casualty from Delta Flight 1172 to a hearse during a dignified transfer at Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Virginia on Thursday. The remains of two unknown crewmen found inside the sunken iron clad ship, the USS Monitor, were transfered for burial at Arlington National Cemetery after being discovered in 2002 and being sent to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Hawaii for possible genetic identification.

    AP reports:

    The ceremony Friday at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington will include Monitor kin who believe the two sailors — whose remains were discovered in 2002 — are their ancestors, despite DNA testing that has failed to make a conclusive link. But the families stress that the interment pays homage to all 16 Union sailors who died when the ship went down, and nearly 100 people from Maine to California are expected to attend.

    "When I learned they were going to do a memorial and have the burial at Arlington, it was like, 'I can't miss that,'" said Andy Bryan of Holden, Maine, who will travel with his daughter Margaret to the capital. He said DNA testing found a 50 percent likelihood that Monitor crewman William Bryan, his great-great-great-uncle, was one of the two found in the summer of 2002, when the 150-ton turret was raised from the ocean floor off Cape Hatteras, N.C.

    Read more...

  • Puppy training: Future service dogs head to maximum-security prison

    Patrick Semansky / AP

    Inmate John Barba works with Dill, a veteran assistance dog in training, at Western Correctional Institution in Cresaptown, Md. Dill is one of three dogs assigned since September to inmates at the maximum-security prison for basic training as service dogs for disabled military veterans.

    The Associated Press reports from Cresaptown, Md. — Hazard Wilson's new cellmate is a hairy bundle of energy whose playful zeal can't be contained by steel doors: a five-month-old golden retriever. Yardley is one of three canines assigned since September to inmates at a maximum-security prison in western Maryland for training as service dogs for disabled military veterans.

    The number of programs nationwide using inmates to train service dogs is growing, but the program at Western Correctional Institute might be the first to use incarcerated veterans to train dogs for other veterans.

    Patrick Semansky / AP

    Dill looks on as inmate John Barba walks away after commanding him to sit and stay. The inmates, who are also veterans, are among the state's first prisoners to join a national trend of training service dogs in correctional institutions.

    Professional trainers say prison-raised dogs tend to do better than those raised traditionally in foster homes, because puppies respond well to consistency and rigid schedules. That's just what they get in prison.

    Patrick Semansky / AP

    John Barba looks at a calendar as he sits in the 6-by-9-foot cell that he shares with Dill, a veteran assistance dog in training.

    Wilson, a former military police officer honorably discharged in 1982, said he's proud to help another veteran.

    "I feel as though they don't get what they deserve when they come home," he said. "This is a part of why I do what I do." Read the full story.

    Editor's note: Images taken on Nov. 26, 2012 and made available to NBC News today.

    Patrick Semansky / AP

    John Barba walks out of his cell with Dill. Professional trainers say prison-raised dogs tend to graduate sooner and at higher rates than those raised traditionally in foster homes because puppies respond well to the consistency and rigid schedules of prison life.

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  • Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

    Scotland remembers victims of war

    Veterans and members of the public pay tribute to those who died during war at the opening of the garden of remembrance in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 5, 2012. A two minute silence was held to honor those who fell during World War I and World War II and recognize those who have died in conflicts since.

  • Reuters

    Grandson spreads veteran's ashes onto Iwo Jima beach

    Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate Andrew Thomasson spreads his grandfather's ashes on Iwo Jima's Invasion Beach, Aug. 28, 2012. During the Battle for Iwo Jima, Motor Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Oscar Thomasson's landing craft was destroyed while making its way to the island during the U.S. forces' initial assault. Thomasson ultimately survived the battle and went on to raise a family near Wichita, Kansas. He passed away December 22, 2006 at the age of 80.

  • Wounded warriors show grit, determination on journey to recovery

    John Moore / Getty Images

    Sgt. JD Williams, 25, and a triple amputee, flowboards on a wave machine at the Center for the Intrepid on Aug. 7. The wave therapy is designed to improve balance, coordination and strength for injured soldiers, most of whom have lost limbs in combat. Williams lost his legs and right arm in October 2010 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while his unit was on a foot patrol in the Arghandab Valley of southern Afghanistan.

    By Rebecca Ruiz, NBC News

    Lieutenant Colonel Donald Gajewski swears he has the best job in the military.

    As an orthopedic surgeon and chief of the Center for the Intrepid at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Gajewski oversees the care of soldiers who return from combat with the most severe wounds.

    The center, which opened in 2007, is one of three military facilities in the country for amputees, and it also rehabilitates soldiers with serious burns and injured limbs that were not amputated. More than 1,000 service members have been treated at the Center for the Intrepid in the past five years, many of them for lost limbs.

    The joy in Gajewski's work comes from watching these soldiers confront the reality of their injuries with the same drive and determination that characterized their military service.

    Sgt. JD Williams, 25, (above) lost his legs and right arm in October 2010 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while his unit was on foot patrol in the Arghandab Valley of southern Afghanistan. Gajewski calls Williams a "superstar" whose nearly two-year-long stay at the center has been defined by his leadership.

    "The inspiring thing about JD," Gajewski says, "is that he comes in here and he knows that there are other (amputees) that will look up to him."

    One of Williams' goals was to hunt by himself again. Now, Williams not only dresses deer in the field by himself, but he recently took other triple amputees into the woods too. He also has taken up bow hunting.

    There is grief and pain, though, as soldiers work to meet their ambitious goals.

    Gajewski says they often arrive at Brooke Army Medical Center devastated after three or four days of being evacuated from the front lines to the U.S. hospital. They've spent the time thinking: "My military career is over, my girlfriend is going to leave me, I won’t be able to fly-fish with my dad," Gajewski says.

    John Moore / Getty Images

    A U.S. Army soldier and leg amputee scales a two-story climbing wall at the Center for the Intrepid on Aug. 7.

    Slideshow: Healing wounded warriors at BAMC

    John Moore / Getty Images

    At the Center for the Intrepid at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, soldiers confront the reality of their injuries with the same drive and determination that characterized their military service.

    Launch slideshow

    The center tries to show patients a different future by matching them with a soldier in rehabilitation, who might walk through the door on two prosthetic legs. "That’s when it clicks," Gajewski says. 

    A soldier with a single below-the-knee amputation might stay at the center for six months, receiving a prosthetic and physical and occupational therapy. The timeline lengthens with the severity and number of amputations; for those who lost both legs above the knee, a stay at the center might last as long as two years.

    Among the amputees treated at the center, 17 percent have returned to active duty once recovered, and some eventually deploy again, often in support roles. A handful have even returned to combat. Of the 49,000 Iraq and Afghanistan casualties, more than 1,400 have been amputees. 

    "These guys have a lifetime of adversity in front of them, but from what they show us," Gajewski says, "I think they’re going to do pretty well."

    Rebecca Ruiz is a reporter at NBC News. Follow her on Twitter here.

    John Moore / Getty Images

    Certified prosthetist Robert Kuenzi holds a life-like sleeve for a prosthetic arm at the Center for the Intrepid on Aug. 7. Artists paint the rubber covers, complete with custom tattoos, which slide over prosthetic arms and legs made at the center for military amputees.

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  • British veterans assemble for Founder's Day Parade in London

    Indigo / Getty Images

    Chelsea Pensioners line up on their mobility scooters as they take part in the annual Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on Thursday in London, England.

    Miguel Medina / AFP - Getty Images

    Sophie, Countess of Wessex (C), inspects Chelsea Pensioners, British veteren soldiers, during the annual Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London on June 7, 2012. In-Pensioners at the Royal Chelsea Hospital were inspected by the Countess of Wessex today during their annual Founder's Day. The hospital has been caring for British veterens since it was founded by King Charles II in 1682 and is currently home to some 300 pensioners all of which have served in the British Army and are over 65 years of age. All participants in the parade wear sprigs of oak leaves to commemorate the escape of the future King Charles II after defeat in a 1651 battle by hiding in the Royal Oak.

    Miguel Medina / AFP - Getty Images

    Chelsea Pensioners, all British veteren soldiers, stand to attention for inspection as others drive mobility scooters past Sophie, Countess of Wessex, standing at the base of a statue of King Charles II during the annual Founder's Day Parade.

    Miguel Medina / AFP - Getty Images

    Chelsea Pensioners, British veteren soldiers, sit as an officer shows his socks during the annual Founder's Day Parade at the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London.

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  • Scenes from the Falkland Islands, a sore subject between Britain and Argentina

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Argentine Falklands War veterans walk among the tombstones to pay homage to Argentine soldiers who died during the conflict at Darwin cemetery, in the Falkland Islands on Sunday. Diplomatic tensions between Argentina and Britain have been rising in the runup to the 30th anniversary of the war they fought over the islands.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Argentine Falklands War veteran Marcelo Postonia kneels down next to the cannon he used during the conflict near Port Stanley.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Port Stanley is seen from Wireless Ridge on Monday.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Willy Bowles directs school children to cross a street in Port Stanley on Wednesday.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    Falkland Islands' Governor Nigel Haywood pours tea into a cup during an interview with Reuters at his residence in Port Stanley on Tuesday.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    A woman shoots a video of a double-decker bus from her wheelchair in Port Stanley on Thursday.

    Marcos Brindicci / Reuters

    The Falkland Islands flag blows in the wind at a depot for machinery and equipment used in oil exploration is seen in Port Stanley on Tuesday. Argentina will take legal action against any companies involved in oil exploration in the Falkland Islands, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said on Thursday.

    AP reports that Argentina is intensifying its campaign to block oil development in the Falkand Islands:

    "These latest attempts to damage the economic livelihoods of the Falkland Islands people regrettably reflect a pattern of behavior by the Argentine government," Britain's Foreign Office said Thursday. "From harassing Falklands shipping to threatening the islanders' air links with Chile, Argentina's efforts to intimidate the Falklands are illegal, unbecoming and wholly counterproductive."

    British Prime Minister David Cameron said in New York Thursday that he had discussed the conflict with U.S. President Barack Obama the day before — and that the U.S. clearly supports the status quo.

    "I wanted to stress how important it is for Britain to set out how clearly we support the right of the Falkland Islanders to determine their own future. They want to remain with us and that is very clear," Cameron said as he wrapped up a U.S. visit.

  • A Marine fights to stand after losing his legs in Afghanistan

    The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created over 1300 amputees in the US military, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Each one is a story of life-changing pain and rehabilitation. 

    Here, PhotoBlog highlights an unusually intimate report of one such story by Tampa Bay Times photographer Kathleen Flynn. Flynn followed Justin Gaertner, a U.S. Marine lance corporal who lost both legs to an explosion in Afghanistan, through several months of recovery. Those months included surgery, 40-hour weeks of physical therapy and an emotional reunion with fellow Marines.

    Kathleen Flynn / St. Petersburg Times

    Above: Jill Dalla Betta walks near her son Justin Gaertner as he wheels his prosthetic legs through the MATC at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC in June 2011. Justin trains there Monday through Friday, 40 hours a week. The workouts consist of motions using weights and treadmills. Julie Castles, Justin's physical therapist, said he is one of her most motivated guys, almost to a fault. He'll keep working when he's hurting.

    Kathleen Flynn / St. Petersburg Times

    Above: Cpl. Austin Carter hugs Justin Gaertner as their unit returns from Afghanistan in May 2011. From the time he was injured by an IED in late November, Justin's goal was to be up on his prosthetic legs by the time his unit returned in early May. It usually takes above-the-knee amputees eight months to a year to be up and walking on their legs. Justin did it in four months. "Being able to see my boys come off the plane was my motivation to go in twice a day, every day," he said.  "And even going on the days that I'm supposed to have off I still go in every day and PT. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, work on my arm, work on my legs." Before the plane's arrival, Gaertner said, "I'm scared they're gonna tip me over they're gonna be so happy to see me."

    Kathleen Flynn / St. Petersburg Times

    Above: Gaertner holds his head for a moment after a morning workout at the MATC at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC in June 2011. "I'm never really gonna get used to the pain," he said. "I can overcome it because I'm a Marine. But it's always gonna be there."

    The full story describes Gaertner's treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His mother stayed on campus too to help with his recovery:

    She wants him to see a counselor, but Justin says there’s nothing wrong. Doctors have asked him to arrange blocks and shapes, asked if he thought someone was trying to steal his soul, asked if he wanted to kill himself. They say he has short-term memory loss, problems focusing and a quick temper. “I don’t get mad very easily,” he says, “but when I do it just kind of — it goes from nothing to a lot real quick.”

    Justin does not take pain pills, says they’re for the weak. Doesn’t like sleeping pills either. Asleep, he is haunted by searing nightmares: the death of his fire team leader, the explosion beneath his best friend in the seconds before Justin lost his legs. 

    Kathleen Flynn / St. Petersburg Times

    Above: Gaertner gets a hug from his relative Cheri McPherson as he arrives at Tampa International Airport in May2011. "I'm really excited," she said. "I have not seen him. He's come a long way."  This is Justin's first visit home since he lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan in November 2010. After two weeks he will return to Walter Reed to continue his therapy. Along with family and friends, Justin left the airport in a limo which took them to a VFW in Trinity where he was greeted with a party.

    Full coverage at the Tampa Bay Times includes many more pictures and a video.

    To see another Marine's life in the wake of war, look at this PhotoBlog post about Brian Scott Ostrom, who returned to the U.S. from Iraq with a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

    And for more visual coverage ofAfghanistan, see our slideshow:

    Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

    Qais Usyan / AFP - Getty Images

    More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

    Launch slideshow

  • A stranger returns dog tags to deceased veteran's family

    Rodger Mallison / Fort Worth Star-Telegram via AP

    Susan Powell and Emerico Perez Jr. pose in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, Sep. 11, 2011, with the army dog tags that belonged to Powell's late husband, William Michael Fitzgerald, who served in Vietnam. Perez bought a 1968 Camaro that once belonged to Powell, and in the course of restoring the car, the dog tags were found in a space behind the rear left wheel. Perez, with the help of the Star-Telegram, tracked down Powell and returned the tags.

    Rodger Mallison / Fort Worth Star-Telegram via AP

    Susan Powell holds the army dog tags that belonged to her late husband, William Michael Fitzgerald, who served in Vietnam.

     

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