We, as a nation, always make sure we pay our tributes and respect to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. But that feeling of patriotism and the desire to show our appreciation for the fallen soldiers grows bigger on Memorial Day.
Rolling Thunder/Ride for Freedom has been held in Washington, DC, to raise awareness of the Prisoners of War–Missing in Action of all wars and it’s happening ever since it first took place back in 1988.
United States Marine Corps Veteran Staff Sergeant Tim Chambers takes part in the Rolling Thunder in a very unique way; by standing at attention for hours. This brave man is filmed doing that even while his wrist was broken in 2013. The bikers zipped and passed around him and he felt honored to be standing there. Now everyone recognizes Sgt. Chamber as the Saluting Marine.
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He stands with boots, a rifle, flack jacket, and Kevlar displayed at his feet. Families of fallen soldiers appreciate his act and they even donate personal military items of their loved ones to Sgt. Chambers.
To be part of the Rolling Thunder is an incredible experience.
“Try standing at Salute for more than ten minutes…..this Marine does it for hours…incredible devotion and discipline. One hell of a man,” one person wrote. Honestly, we can’t agree more.
Among the bikers who salute him back was a female soldier who took her time to stop and pay her respects for what the Saluting Marine does. Take a look at the video below, it’s truly awesome.
Some people are simply born for certain professions. They have it in them from very early age and never stop pursuing their dreams, so maybe that is what makes them a bit more special than the rest of the people.
Ever since he was a 4-year-old boy who stood on stage for the very first time, Gavin MacLeod knew he would become an actor.
It was both the loud applause from the audience and the excitement he felt that made him never let go of the thought of making a name for himself in the theater and film industry.
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During high school, MacLeod starred in a number of plays which brought him a lot of awards and a scholarship from Ithaca College. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was later awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ithaca.
Speaking of his 1956 Broadway show A Hatful of Rain, MacLeod told The Flaming Nose: “My first night on Broadway was a momentous time in my life – a goal realized. I was very confident and humbled to be included on stage with some of the best actors in the business.”
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Once he moved to Los Angeles from New York, MacLeod starred in the series The Untouchables, Manhunt and Mr.Lucky. He was also part of McHale’s Navy and Mary Tyler Moore Show before he landed the role he’s probably best known for; that of Merrill Stubing in Love Boat.
When he was offered the role and given the script, his agent told him: “’Aaron Spelling [producer] wants you to do this thing called The Love Boat. I think it sucks but do you want to read it’.”
MacLeod said: “I read it and thought ‘this thing could work’’. It was very commercial kind of thing, I had my wife read it and she thought the same thing.”
Well, the rest is history. Love Boat quickly became one of the most popular shows out there. It ran for nine seasons and many of the episodes were filmed on the cruise ships ThePacific Princess and Island Princess, with guests starring as extras. Considering the popularity of the show, it didn’t come as a surprise that the ticket sales doubled.
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Being under the spotlight and probably one of the famous names in Hollywood at the time put a lot of pressure on MacLeod who turned to alcoholism. He also battled depression, but over time, he managed to get on his feet again.
“I was friends with Ted Knight when I was doing McHale’s Navy [from 1962 to 1964], and he said, ‘Why are you doing this show? You’re a glorified extra.’ I heard that over and over in my head and started drinking. I thought I wasn’t worth anything, that my wife and kids would be better off without me,” MacLeod told Closer Weekly.
In 1985, he remarried his wife Patti and the two published the book Back on Course together.
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In 2009, MacLeod became part of the project called Character Classics. Speaking of it with The Flaming Nose, the 89-year-old actor said: “Young children need to learn character. Obedience, respect, truthfulness, kindness and thankfulness are what they need to be taught.”
“This content will change lives. That is why I wanted to be a participant in the Character Classics Project. I hope sales go through the roof, because it will bless everyone and enhance the chance to bring morality back into the daily lives of our children.”
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Gavin MacLeod gave his fans a number of memorable roles throughout his career which spans basically his whole life.
When it comes to wedding, we all want to share the joy of the reunion with those we love the most, our closest friends and family. That was exactly what the bride from the video wanted as well. She knew all too well how her nieces and nephews could misbehave during her wedding, but according to her brother, who posted the video on YouTube, she still wanted them there as her flower girls and ring bearers.
As the guests were waiting for the little ones to complete their duties, the flower girl started screaming at the top of her lungs because she hated the idea of walking down the aisle with her brother.
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He, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with wearing a tux and couldn’t wait to get those rings to their final destination.
We are sure that neither the bride nor the groom got angry with the kids. On the contrary, they only made the wedding ceremony more memorable.
You can take a look at the video below. It has been seen more than 2.5 million times.
Joey Wittkugle is a man with Down Syndrome who continues defying the odds and proving doctors wrong.
When he was born, 62 years ago, his mother Bobbi was advised to leave him in an institution. She recalls the doctors saying to her: “You have to put him away. He’ll never talk and he’ll never walk. He’ll never know who you are. He will live to the age of 11 and that will be the end of it,” according to WBTW.
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Bobbi is 90 and she still takes care of her son. She says that back in the day, people had a completely different perception of people with Down Syndrome and those with certain disabilities. Today, these people are better accepted by the society thanks to individuals like Bobbi and her son who try to raise awareness about this condition. “Sixty-two years ago, nobody knew about them and they kept them in the house. I mean, you did not have them out walking or one thing or another,” she said.
For Joey’s 62nd birthday, his mom and his family organized a car parade.
“I want people to start understanding, when you see one of our children, don’t turn your back at them like they did years ago. They are human, they are special from God and please learn to love them as much as they love you,” Bobbi added.
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We are very glad that things started to change and now those with Down Syndrome are treated as completely normal people, because they are exactly that. They are able to function on their own and are valuable part of the society.
As for Joey, we wish him a very happy birthday and many more to come. Take a look at his story in the video below.
Elephants always line up for hugs whenever they see her..
David Sheldrick and his wife, Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a celebrated author and conservationist, have worked together to care for the wildlife in Africa for many years. They worked hard in order to raise awareness and stop the illegal poaching of elephants for the ivory trade.
However, in 1977, a year after the couple had moved to Nairobi National Park, David Sheldrick passed away suddenly due to a heart attack.
Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick decided to continue her late husband’s legacy by establishing the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, one of the only three organizations on the continent that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases orphaned elephants.
Some of these baby elephants were found ensnared in man-made traps, while some were found after they fell into abandoned wells. However, the majority of these baby elephants were orphaned after their mothers were killed by poachers for their ivory tusks.
These orphaned baby elephants have no chance of survival as they are very dependent on their mother for milk during the first two years. It then takes another two years before they are fully weaned.
Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick soon developed a special formula which consists of baby formula infused with vegetable fat and coconut oil. Due to the success of her formula, she became the first person in the world to successfully raise a baby elephant.
As most of the baby elephants were severely distressed when they arrive at the sanctuary, they are all each assigned a keeper who accompany the baby elephant inside the sleeping stall to provide them with comfort.
When the baby elephants have reached a certain age, they will be moved to a relocation center in Tsavo National Park. There, they continue to be cared by a keeper and will eventually be released to join the wild elephant communities in the park.
Here is Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick’s opinion of elephants: “They’re not corrupted. Their sense of family is as strong as ours. Their memories are amazing and their convoluted thinking and reasoning is equal to that of a human.
The caring and nurturing is far greater in elephants than it is in humans, and loyalty and friendship endures.”
You can watch a video of this amazing story below.
Dogs are pretty good at learning new tricks and obeying commands so watching them perform all the cool stuff they mastered can be a real treat to the eye. Cats on the other hand are not that obedient and would opt to spend their time sleeping instead of goofing around with their humans. And yes, cats don’t let anyone tell them what to do. But, not this particular feline who pretends to be a dog.
When this owner tells the dogs to roll over, the cat wants to be part of the game and to fit in the dogs’ crew so she does the same. Well, if the dogs can do it then why can’t she, right? After all, cats are way smarter than we assume. As for Didga, she isn’t only having fun obeying her owner’s commands, but she’s also proving wrong anyone who believes cats aren’t social creatures.
You can take a look at Didga in action in the video below. Oh, it looks as though the term “copy cat” has been invented to describe her 🙂
How far would you go in order to help someone you have never met before? Two young men named Tre Jones and Marcus Harvey from Marion, Indiana, were willing to risk their own lives for that of a complete stranger.
It was on Father’s Day that they stumbled upon a burning house while taking a walk around the neighborhood. They saw all those people gathered around the place which was at that point all in flames.
Screaming could be heard coming from the house and people said how there was a man trapped inside, to what Tre replied, “So why are you all just standing there?”
The man in question was the house owner, 56-year-old Guy Tarlton, who had fallen asleep while making dinner.
Amidst all of what has been happening lately, a couple of super humans emerge!
Neither Tre nor Marcus had to think twice before they entered the burning home. “I kicked the door open and boom, and then fire and smoke started coming out,” Tre told Fox59. “When I heard his voice screaming, I just felt like I knew I could get him out. I didn’t know how far he was in the house. I knew I was in a better position than he was.”
The flames were huge and smoke was everywhere, so the two brave boys couldn’t see a thing in front of their eyes. Luckily, they felt the man on the ground and managed to pull him out of the house. Ambulance arrived just as Tarlton was taken out and according to reports, he is still in a critical condition.
“I wish him the best recovery, and I’m praying for his friends and family,” said Harvey. Tre added, “I don’t say I’m a superhero, but I’m human. I help when I can help.”
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The whole community praised these young people for their courage. They did the unthinkable when they decided to risk their own lives for the sake of stranger’s.
Dubbed “The King of Comedy,” actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian Jerry Lewis had a very successful career which spanned almost eight decades and was under the spotlight practically his whole life.
Lewis was born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. Having parents who were part of the showbiz industry, it wasn’t surprising that Lewis opted for such a career himself. In fact, he showed interest in the theater at a very young age and knew singing and acting would become his calling.
When Lewis was just 19 years old, he met someone who would help determine his path towards glory, “The King of Cool,” Dean Martin.
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Speaking of their first encounter, Lewis told Today back in 2005: “I turn and I see this handsome guy in a camel’s hair coat. You can die from how handsome he was, sporting his new nose. And we became very friendly. He looked like he needed a friend and I certainly did. And that was really the start.”
Martin & Lewis soon became the most famous duo in the country. “They were very attractive-looking guys, and before that you had duos like Laurel and Hardy and Abbot and Costello and Olson and Johnson. Then Martin and Lewis came along and they were just so different than any of those guys,” said Singer Steve Lawrence speaking to People in 2017, the year Lewis died.
However, on their 10th year anniversary, the duo split and it took them 20 years to reunite again, as it was reported the terms under which they put an end to their collaboration were bitter.
The reunion was described by People as “forced and uncomfortable.”
For 55 years, Lewis was a national chairman and spokesman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The telethon fundraisers that he conducted during Labor Day Weekend every year helped raise $1.46 billion to fight the disease since Lewis started it in 1966.
The comedian was married twice. From his first marriage with singer Patti Palmer, which lasted for 36 years, Lewis had 6 children, one of which was adopted. After their divorce was finalized in 1983, Daily Mail reported that Palmer claimed her ex-husband “displayed an open disregard for our marriage,” and asked for $450,000 in support.
Shortly after, Lewis married his second wife, dancer SanDee Pitnick. They adopted daughter Danielle Sara Lewis in 2004 and stayed together until Lewis’ death.
Jerry Lewis has his hand & footprints set in cement in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood. Source: Shutterstock
The singer and actor suffered from various diseases, among which prostate cancer and diabetes. He also had an open-heart surgery and his death was caused by heart failure.
What left many in disbelief is that the star left everything he owned to his second wife and their daughter. His sons weren’t included in his will. According to Forbes, the will stated: “I have intentionally excluded Gary, Ronald, Anthony, Christopher, Scott, and Joseph and their descendants as beneficiaries of my estate, it being my intention that they receive no benefits.”
Danielle Lewis, Jerry Lewis, SanDee Pitnick arrives at the Premiere Of “Method To The Madness Of Jerry Lewis” at Paramount Studios Theater on December 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, CA Source: Shutterstock
After his death, his sons spoke of their relationship with their late father, with Anthony accusing him of years of physical and emotional abuse.
“When he would show up and park right in front of the big front door, my mom would get on the intercom and say, ‘Your father is home!’ We scattered. We could never predict his behavior on a given day,” Anthony told Inside Edition. “He was emotionally abusive every day.”
Alongside the allegations, Anthony said he was sorry he didn’t get to spend any one-on-one time with his father and didn’t tell him how much he loved him.
