WWII Veteran David Yoho's Memorial Day Speech Goes Viral, Honoring 16 Million Who Served
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 24
WWII Veteran David Yoho's Memorial Day Speech Goes Viral, Honoring 16 Million Who Served
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 24
97-year-old David Yoho drew wide social media attention after telling a rain-soaked Memorial Day crowd in Washington that veterans "gave up our yesterdays for your tomorrows."
At the National World War II Memorial, Yoho framed the tribute around the scale of U.S. sacrifice after Pearl Harbor—about 16.2 million Americans in uniform and roughly 440,000 who never came home.
Yoho, who said he entered service at 16, used his off-the-cuff remarks to urge younger generations to remember the dead and to tell others about the memorial and those it honors.
He also highlighted the Merchant Marines, saying 250,000 were recruited, 733 ships were lost and the service suffered the war's highest mortality rate.
The speech landed as Memorial Day observances increasingly rely on the dwindling number of surviving World War II veterans to connect current audiences with the war's human cost.
Does a 'maximum lethality' military culture honor the profound sacrifices of the World War II generation?
As the Army enlists 42-year-olds, what can it learn from the teenagers who fought and won World War II?
With the last WWII veterans disappearing, are digital archives and documentaries enough to preserve their legacy?