May 25, 2026

Rain, age, and time itself could not silence David Yoho: the 97-year-old World War II veteran stood at the National World War II Memorial in Washington and delivered a gut-punch reminder of sacrifice, recounting how he joined the Merchant Marines at 16 in 1944 to fight for his country. Speaking at a National Maritime Day event aboard the USNS Comfort, Yoho said the Merchant Marine suffered the highest mortality rate of any service — “one out of 26 of us died” — and issued a blunt plea: “We gave up our yesterdays for your tomorrows.”

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