Almost 80 years after Anthony Di Petta's plane was shot down by enemy fire in World War II and over 70 years after he was declared "non-recoverable," he's finally home.The remains of the sailor arrived back in the U.S. on Friday afternoon, according to an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. Di Petta, from Nutley, New Jersey, served as a U.S. Navy Aviation Ordnanceman during World War II, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The sailor, 24 at the time of his death, was born in Italy but immigrated to the U.S. around 1921, according to a nonprofit called Project Recover, which took part in the recovery effort. He had enlisted in the U.S. Navy by 1940.In September 1944, Di Petta and two other crew members were on a mission to conduct air strikes against Japanese forces in the Palau Islands, DPAA says.The aircraft was hit by enemy fire and crashed into the water of Malakal Harbor. Di Petta's remains were unable to be found at the time, DPAA says.Several more searches for the downed aircraft were unsuccessful and Di Petta was declared "non-recoverable" in July 1949, according to the DPAA.But from 2003 to 2018, Project Recover (originally called the Bentprop Project) and the DPAA conducted joint investigations that eventually identified the crash site. Project Recover executed a total of 14 dives up to 112 feet deep to identify the aircraft. In August 2021, the nonprofit recovered the remains of multiple missing service members from the site, including those of Di Petta.The remains were then sent for testing at the DPAA laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, and identified by dental analysis as Di Petta in January, according to the DPAA. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.Di Petta's remains arrived at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday afternoon. A coffin draped with an American flag was seen arriving on the tarmac as people approached, bowing their heads.Di Petta will be buried in Wrightstown, New Jersey, on July 11, according to the DPAA.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — For many veterans, physical obstacles are something they take head-on with pride, but it's the silent obstacles that can be the hardest to overcome.

Austin Breuninger is the reason a group of veterans gathered together on a Friday morning at a Colorado trailhead. He started High Country Veterans Adventures after experiencing the tragedy of losing friends to suicide.

"We like to surround ourselves with other veterans so we can have that kind of instant rapport. We can share things with ourselves that we may not feel comfortable sharing with other people," he said.

Studies have shown that the more time people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder spend in the outdoors, the more they see a reduction in their PTSD symptoms.

A recent study by Penn State shows that now 50% of people in America participate in outdoor activities a 20% increase from pre-pandemic times. While this means more people are getting more mental health benefits, crowded parks and expensive equipment can mean more barriers for people like veterans or others with PTSD exist.

"We've essentially removed the obstacles that prevent a veteran from coming out and enjoying these events," said Breuninger.

His group moves some of those barriers by lending equipment and providing avalanche training, so veterans can access the pure wilderness of America's backcountry safely.

Veteran Zach Whitmore found the group serendipitously a few years ago and says the ability to get outside with few barriers has been life-changing.

"I can't picture my life in any other way other than being in the mountains and being out in the wild with my friends," said Whitmore.

Connection through nature may be harder to find these days, but these veterans say through proper knowledge and finding a group to show you the way, the outdoors can remain to be one of the greatest healers available.

"At the end of the day, we just want everybody to get up the mountain, finish the objective and get down safely and it brings us together," he said.

A mother and veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said she had to do something she never dreamed of.

While stuck in traffic on Interstate 10 in New Orleans, she said someone tried to get in her car.

So, her training kicked in and she pulled out a gun.

Charise Taylor said the incident happened while her 2-year-old son was in the car.

"You shouldn't have to navigate your own city like a war zone. It's un-American,” Taylor said. “The crime is out of control and it's terrifying. At this point, having to use the same tactics in an American city that you use in Iraq and Afghanistan simply to navigate through the city it's scary and I'm not the only mom feeling this way."

Taylor said she was headed to pick up her husband on Friday.

She said she was stuck in gridlock traffic when a group in a truck motioned to her to get over.

So, she let them. Next thing she knows a man comes up to her passenger door.

"So, as he comes up he's close and he's pretty aggressive trying to get the car door open makes eye contact with me he's still trying to get it open a couple times," Taylor said.

Taylor said she picked up her gun.

“It’s locked and loaded," she recalled saying.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Richard Nielson, a 90-year-old man, has donated his late son's wheelchair to a veteran in need. Nielson had been trying to find a veteran to donate the chair to, and on Thursday, he met 78-year-old Don. "It means a lot to me; I can't afford to buy one currently. I'll be able to walk my little dog, which hasn't been able to walk for quite some time and he just loves it," Don — who asked sister station KCRA 3 not to share his last name — said.Nielson said the electric wheelchair had been sitting in his garage for months."I think giving it to a veteran: We enhance his life. That's what I'm trying to do and this old man is going to really need a chair. He does," Nielson said. Nielson's son Roger was an Army veteran like Nielson himself. The two also served as medics."Roger was an amazing kid. He was 65 when he passed away, though, and he wasn't a kid anymore," Nielson said. Nielson said his son had a number of issues and suffered a stroke, which caused him to lose his entire left leg. He said in life, Roger had been a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) and later a businessman. Regardless of what he did, he always had a giving heart."He used to treat patients free. Diabetics, bandage them, and do all that free to his customers. That's the kind of person he was," Nielson said.Don, who is a Navy veteran, said the donation will help him get around, run errands and see friends."I can go see my neighbors if I want to do that, instead of having them come to see me," Don said.

CINCINNATI —

A Colerain man who fought in the Vietnam War has spent his life wondering what happened to a fellow soldier he'd become close friends with.

Thanks to his youngest daughter and the internet, he now knows the answer and finds new healing.

Harold Lockett was 20 years old when he was drafted. He served in Vietnam from October 1968 to October 1969.

"I shut Vietnam completely out of my memory. I tried my best to because of the traumatic experiences I've had," he said. "This past Memorial Day, I had dreams that were so vivid I could feel the weight of my gear and my weapon. It was so vivid."

Last summer is when his thoughts about sharing what he experienced began to change. He told one person then another about what he went through. He recalls sobbing as he told horrific stories of danger and loss. Now, he is finding healing through sharing.

"I was a good soldier," he said. "I have a story to hell."

One memory he never forgot is that of his dear friend and fellow soldier Prentice Boyd Sr. from Texas, whom he met in Vietnam.

"We just connected. I think our upbringing may have been similar. I really don't know, but he had a really nice spirit and we just really hit it off," Harold Lockett said.

He has a photo of the two of them at war, although he does not remember when the photo was taken or how he got ahold of it.

On New Year's Eve, he shared the photo with his youngest daughter Kiva Lockett and told her about his friend.

"He said, 'You know I remember he can do a great impersonation of Louis Armstrong. I just remember he had the prettiest white smile and that was like my best friend there,'" Kiva Lockett shared.

Harold Lockett's last memory of Boyd is on what he calls his worst day at war. It was filled with danger, death, close calls and explosions.

Kiva Lockett knew how much it would mean to her father to know what happened to his friend. She started scouring the internet and combing through social media.

"Then I just started going state by state to VA databases, and I was looking for fallen veterans first. Because at that point my dad didn't even know if he had made it out of Vietnam alive," Kiva Lockett said. "Just did a LinkedIn search and I saw a gentleman with the same name. I tried some different variations of the spelling from Texas and he appeared to be around my age."

So she messaged him and shared the photo.

"He responded, 'Wow that's my dad. I've never seen this photo before. This is unreal,'" she recalled.

She said she immediately called her dad and had to explain what LinkedIn is. He called Prentice Boyd Sr. within a few minutes.

"It was just tears. It was just tears, tears. Man, I'm so grateful. It's so good to hear your voice," Harold Lockett said. "I always cared about him. It's bittersweet because he sounds pretty sad. I'm overjoyed. I am overjoyed. This is the best I've ever been in my life."

The two caught up, shared stories and remembered how they bonded over music. They even whistled the song they used to whistle at war, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass' 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'.

"Prentice was my affirmation. 'Yeah, Flash. That was my nickname. That actually happened. You did do this,'" Lockett said. "I'm a miracle. We're a miracle."

Lockett said he just started sharing his war stories last summer and has only told them to two people so far. He said he is more inspired now than ever to share his stories with others and hopes other veterans will share their stories too.

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. — When Jeremy Harrell started Veteran’s Club four years ago, he wanted to make veterans like himself feel able, connected and understood.

However, the work he’s put in to help more than 2,300 veterans is now radiating out into the greater community.

"Let's get together. Let's formalize a plan. Let's go where people are hurting and let's do the most good that we can," he said.

After the tornadoes struck their home state the second week of December, members of the Veteran’s Club immediately began to organize. They started making phone calls, got together hundreds of thousands of dollars of supplies, found flat-bed trucks, and deployed a few hours away to the Mayfield, Kentucky area.

"This is really why we do what we do in these moments. It's not when things are okay. We kick in with things are not," said Harrell.

By handing out supplies, helping rebuild and being an ear to those who lost everything, it not only helped the victims of the storms, but it also helped the vets take advantage of their skills from the military.

"What it did for the veterans and the community to come alongside as it go, 'Wait a minute, maybe everything I learned in military, wasn't a negative. Wow. This was really cool, what we were able to do as a team!' We just felt like we were qualified to step in immediately," he said.

“Stepping in” is something Veteran’s Club has been doing since it began. After being told his physical and mental scars from serving in Iraq would prevent him from leading the life he wanted to, he started building a community that would prove them wrong.

"I'm just going to make sure that people know that that's not the case, that you can do anything you want to do with the proper amount of support and the determination," he said.

From equine therapy, to tiny homes for veterans without a roof over their head, to seeing a need for a female veteran-specific program. Harrell aims to be the light at the end of any long stretch of darkness others like him might find themselves in.

As we approach the new year, the organization has plans to continue to grow and to serve, both the veteran population and their neighbors in need. He encourages any veteran who may not have found their community to know that there is always a place for you in theirs.

"Find a group of people who are doing what you're passionate about and all these things that have been holding you back and all the lies that you've been told about what you can and can't do, they will fall away," said Harrell.

WASHINGTON —

Bob Dole was being honored with a private service at Washington National Cathedral and a public one at the World War II Memorial on Friday, after lying in state at the U.S. Capitol, where President Joe Biden and top leaders from both parties saluted a “giant in our history."

A friend of Dole's from the decades both men spent in the Senate, Biden is set to speak at Friday's invitation-only cathedral ceremony, which will feature the late Kansas senator's family and close friends.

Dole's casket was then set to travel to the World War II Memorial on the National Mall for a public “celebration of life” featuring Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, actor Tom Hanks and the U.S. Army Band. Dole's wife, former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, plans to lay a wreath in his honor.

Dole, who died Sunday at age 98, served nearly 36 years in Congress, more than a decade as GOP Senate leader and was his party's presidential nominee when he lost to Bill Clinton during the 1996 election. In February, he announced he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

Besides his sharp, often sarcastic tongue, among Dole's best-known attributes were his pragmatic brand of politics and self-deprecating wit — representing the sense of common civility and compromise of a bygone era.

“As divided as we are, the only way forward for democracy is unity — consensus — the only way,” Biden said Thursday. “We may follow his wisdom and his timeless truth and reach consensus on the basic fundamental principles we all agree on.”

Dole’s casket, draped with the American flag, sat under the Capitol dome. Biden said Dole “belongs here, in this place, this temple to liberty and temple to possibility.”

“He, too, was a giant of our history,” the president said.

Dole's body will later travel to Kansas, where weekend events include a public viewing at St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church in his hometown of Russell. He will later be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

“No question, Bob Dole left this world a much better place because of his legacy of leadership and service," Mike Ford, chair of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation and the late President Ford's eldest son, said in a statement. "As we read the obituaries and see the responses to his passing, my family is struck by the genuine affection expressed across the political spectrum. His warmth, wit, and wisdom will be sorely missed.”

Ford selected Dole as his running mate while unsuccessfully seeking to hang on to the presidency in the 1976 election.

Thursday's Capitol service wasn’t open to the public, but political leaders and other guests were able to stop by, including Dan Quayle. The former vice president touched Dole's casket and said “Bye, buddy.”

Black draperies hung on doorways under the dome as Dole lay in state and the lectern was positioned in a way that the statue of another Kansas stateman, Dwight Eisenhower, would be seen in the background. Sen. Mitch McConnell, now the longest-serving Republican Senate leader, said Dole idolized Eisenhower, calling the former president and general a hero who embodied “the finest qualities of the American people.”

“We can say with certainty that Eisenhower isn’t the only Kansan who meets those standards,” McConnell said in a speech earlier this week.

McConnell had raised concerns that an event planner for the memorial service, Tim Unes, had been subpoenaed by the House committee investigating a mob's deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol over his role in planning that day for former President Donald Trump, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private conversation. Trump had urged his followers to head to the Capitol to fight the certification of Biden’s election victory.

Dole family spokesperson Steve Schwab said in a statement that Unes, a former Dole campaign staffer, had “volunteered his time to serve on the advance team for this week’s memorial events.” Schwab said Elizabeth Dole “was previously unaware” of Unes’ participation in the January attack and once he made her aware she “terminated his volunteer role."

Born a child of the Dust Bowl, Bob Dole suffered paralyzing and near-fatal wounds after being shot in World War II that sent him home with a severely damaged right arm that he could not use to shake hands. Instead, Dole held a pen in it and reached out with his left as a way to put greeters at ease.

He served as a Kansas state legislator before running for Congress in 1960, joining the House for eight years then going on to win the Senate seat. The 1996 race was Dole's third and final White House campaign.

Dole’s sense of humor was on display after losing to Clinton. McConnell recalled that when it was time for Dole’s remarks, he stood at the podium and began: “I, Robert J. Dole … do solemnly swear … oh, sorry, wrong speech!”

But that humor was rarely seen on the campaign trail, where it could have helped him win more votes. Instead, Dole was seen as a GOP “hatchet man,” a mentee of Richard Nixon and chairman of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate era.

Still, it was during Dole’s long Senate career that he grew to see the value of reaching across the aisle to Democrats and secured his more lasting achievements — most notably the Americans with Disabilities Act that to this day ensures a level of accessibility as a civil right.

A World War II hero was recognized on Wednesday just days before his 102nd birthday.

Valdemar DeHerrera was born in 1919 in Costilla, New Mexico.

"Still, he's very independent, uses a walker, but he loves being outdoors, indoors. He's just a wonderful inspiration to all of us," said his granddaughter, Pamela DeHerrera.

Part of that inspiration is DeHerrera’s story, it's one of hope, as he is the oldest survivor of the Bataan Death March in New Mexico's Taos County.

"He was captured and became a prisoner of war. He was there for almost four years before he was released," Pamela DeHerrera said.

During his time as a prisoner of war, he was nearly killed three times.

Each time he was saved by what he calls a guardian angel.

Once he was freed from a prison camp. He weighed 80 pounds.

"I think the biggest thing I hope people take away from his life is that he is a true hero and not just because of the war, but his everyday life," Pamela said.

And his heroism was recognized on Wednesday by the community of Taos, as he was honored by the city as an unsung hero.

"It's always such a great honor to him when anybody honors him for the things he has done, even the horrific things he had been through. But it makes us all very proud and makes him proud," Pamela said.

That pride extends to DeHerrea's whole family; his eight kids, 18 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

"His love of God and his faith has gotten him through all the adjustments from being back and always also the love of family, all of us, especially myself. You know, the love of our family that keeps us all close," Pamela said.

DeHerrera will officially turn 102 this Friday, his family plans to have a celebration for him.

A Marine veteran in Missouri ran a 60K, over 37 miles, with a 20-pound vest on his 60th birthday. "Koach Karl" said the weight represents the burden transitioning veterans carry. "If I can take that selfishness and silliness and transfer that to helping other people, it's just a gift from God," Karl said. He's supporting Valor Ranch, a startup nonprofit in Smithville, Missouri, that helps veterans experiencing homelessness by providing transitional housing, job readiness and reintegration programs. To support Valor Ranch, visit their website.Watch the video above for the full story.

BOLOGNA, Italy —

For more than seven decades, Martin Adler treasured a back-and-white photo of himself as a young American soldier with a broad smile with three impeccably dressed Italian children he is credited with saving as the Nazis retreated northward in 1944.

On Monday, the 97-year-old World War II veteran met the three siblings — now octogenarians themselves — in person for the first time since the war.

Adler held out his hand to grasp those of Bruno, Mafalda and Giuliana Naldi for the joyful reunion at Bologna's airport after a 20-hour journey from Boca Raton, Florida. Then, just as he did as a 20-year-old soldier in their village of Monterenzio, he handed out bars of American chocolate.

"Look at my smile," Adler said of the long-awaited in-person reunion, made possible by the reach of social media.

It was a happy ending to a story that could easily have been a tragedy.

The very first time the soldier and the children saw each other, in 1944, the three faces peeked out of a huge wicker basket where their mother had hidden them as soldiers approached. Adler thought the house was empty, so he trained his machine gun on the basket when he heard a sound, thinking a German soldier was hiding inside.

"The mother, Mamma, came out and stood right in front of my gun to stop me (from) shooting," Adler recalled. "She put her stomach right against my gun, yelling, 'Bambinis! Bambinis! Bambinis!' pounding my chest," Adler recalled.

"That was a real hero, the mother, not me. The mother was a real hero. Can you imagine you standing yourself in front of a gun and screaming 'Children! No!'" he said.

Adler still trembles when he remembers that he was only seconds away from opening fire on the basket. And after all these decades, he still suffers nightmares from the war, said his daughter, Rachelle Donley.

The children, aged 3 to 6 when they met, were a happy memory. His company stayed on in the village for a while and he would come by and play with them.

Giuliana Naldi, the youngest, is the only one of the three with any recollection of the event. She recalls climbing out of the basket and seeing Adler and another U.S. soldier, who has since died.

"They were laughing," Naldi, now 80, remembers. "They were happy they didn't shoot."

She, on the other hand, didn't quite comprehend the close call.

"We weren't afraid for anything," she said.

She also remembers the soldier's chocolate, which came in a blue and white wrapper.

"We ate so much of that chocolate,'' she laughed.

Donley decided during the COVID-19 lockdown to use social media to try to track down the children in the old black-and-white photo, starting with veterans' groups in North America.

Eventually the photo was spotted by an Italian journalist who had written a book on World War II. He was able to track down Adler's regiment and where it had been stationed from a small detail in another photograph. The smiling photo was then published in a local newspaper, leading to the discovery of the identities of the three children, who by then were grandparents themselves.

They shared a video reunion in December, and waited until the easing of pandemic travel rules made the trans-Atlantic trip possible.

"I am so happy and so proud of him. Because things could have been so different in just a second. Because he hesitated, there have been generations of people," Donley said.

The serendipity isn't lost on Giuliana Naldi's 30-year-old granddaughter, Roberta Fontana, one of six children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who descended from the three children hidden in the wicker basket.

"Knowing that Martin could have shot and that none of my family would exist is something very big," Fontana said. "It is very emotional."

During his stay in Italy, Adler will spend some time in the village where he was stationed, before traveling on to Florence, Naples and Rome, where he hopes to meet Pope Francis.

"My dad really wants to meet the pope," Donley said. "He wants to share his message of peace and love. My dad is all about peace."

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OVER 487,000 DOSES HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED IN LOUISIANA. SULA: A LITTLE OVER A 5TH OF THAT, 103,000 PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN BOTH DOSES. AND AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE ROLLED UP THEIR SLEEVES, THIS HERO, A 97-YEAR-OLD WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN. AND AS SHAY O’CONNOR FOUND OUT, THIS DAY HAS EVEN MORE SIGNIFICIANCE, TODAY HE GAVE THE VACCINE A SHOT, BUT YEARS AGO IT WAS LOVE. REPORTER: THIS IS HIS 74TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. ONEILL J. WILLIAMS’ WIFE IS ACTUALLY RECOVERING FROM COVID19 AS WE SPEAK. SO HE ADMITS BECOMING VACCINATED WILL HELP TO PROTECT HIM AND HIS LOVED ONES. >> NO DIFFERENCE, I JUST FELT A LITTLE PRICK AND THAT WAS IT. REPORTER: WORLD WAR II VETERAN ONIELL J. WILLIAMS WAS ALL SMILES ON TUESDAY AFTER RECEIVING HIS SECOND AND LAST DOSE OF THE COVID19 VACCINE. NEXT ON HIS AGENDA FOR THE DAY, -- FOR THE DAY. >> GO HOME AND HAVE SUPPER. REPORTER: THE 97-YEAR-OLD ALSO CELEBRATING A DAY NEAR AND DEAR, HIS 74TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH HIS WIFE. WHO IS CURRENTLY GETTING COVID19. -- STRONGER AND STRONGER FOLLOWING HER OWN BOUT WITH COVID-19. >> SHE IS GETTING BETTER. REPORTER: NOW HER VACCINATION CAN SERVE AS A WAY TO PROTECT HIM AND OTHERS. HE IS ONE OF AT LEAST 11,000 VETS AT THE V.A. WHO HAVE RECEIVED ONE OR BOT DOSES OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE SINCE MID DECEMBER. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE BEEN USING A CALL CENTER TO CONTACT THOUSANDS OF VETERANS ACROSS THE STATE AND WITHIN THE SYSTEM TO SET UP VACCINATIONS. SO FAR, SO GOOD. >> OF THOSE THAT WE HAVE REACHED, ABOUT 75% HAVE SAID YES TO GETTING THE VACCINE. THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR. REPORTER: AND WITH LOTS OF DOSES SENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT, VETERANS ARE ABLE TO GET SCHEDULED AND VACCINATED AS QUICK AS THEY CALL. ONE CHALLENGE REMAINS IN GETTING THOSE WHO ARE HESITANT ON BOARD WITH THE DOSE. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WAITING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFO. THE VACCINES WERE DEVELOPED REALLY QUICKLY. WE FEEL VERY CONVINCED ABOUT THE SAFETY, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VACCINE. REPORTER: BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SHIELDED AWAY FOR MOST OF THE PANDEMIC, A NEW LIFE STARTS HERE. >> I HOPE SO. IT HAS BEEN ROUGH. REPORTER: THE V.A. HAS BEGAN ADMINISTERING VACCINES TO VETERANS 65 AND UP AT THIS POINT. ALSO THOSE WHO ARE YOUNGER WITH CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY. REPORTING FROM

'Feels good': WWII veteran receives his second vaccine dose as wife recovers from COVID-19

Updated: 6:46 AM EST Feb 4, 2021

World War II Army veteran O'Neill J. Williams was all smiles on Tuesday after receiving his second and last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. "The shot felt like it was no difference. I just felt a little prick. That was it. Like the last time," said Williams. The 97-year-old was also celebrating a day near and dear — his 74th wedding anniversary with his wife. She recently had her own battle with COVID-19."She is getting better after having double pneumonia," Williams said.Now Williams' vaccine can serve as a way to protect him and others. Watch the video above for more on this story.

World War II Army veteran O'Neill J. Williams was all smiles on Tuesday after receiving his second and last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"The shot felt like it was no difference. I just felt a little prick. That was it. Like the last time," said Williams.

The 97-year-old was also celebrating a day near and dear — his 74th wedding anniversary with his wife. She recently had her own battle with COVID-19.

"She is getting better after having double pneumonia," Williams said.

Now Williams' vaccine can serve as a way to protect him and others.

Watch the video above for more on this story.