A little rain wasn’t about to stop 97-year-old WWII vet David Yoho from delivering his powerful speech at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Instead of participating in mobs rampaging through the downtowns of our cities like so many of today’s teens, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marines in 1944 at the tender age of 16 to fight for our country.
As reported by the U.S. Navy, the Military Sealift Command (MSC) hosted a National Maritime Day celebration aboard hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) to honor United States Merchant Mariners. But it was Yoho, who was assigned to a T/2 Tanker ship, often referred to as a fleet oiler, who stole the show.
“The Merchant Marine had the highest mortality rate of any of the services. One out of 26 of us died,” he said. “I bring you my story in hopes that you will tell others.”
Watch:
“We gave up our yesterdays for your tomorrows.”
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 23, 2026
98-year-old World War II veteran David Yoho delivered an emotional message at the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C. as Americans gathered to honor the more than 400,000 U.S. service members who died during the war.
Standing before… pic.twitter.com/kpyY0OvJeW
We must never forget their stories, he told the crowd.
"Tell them about veterans and say to them that we gave up our yesterdays for your tomorrows," Yoho, who turns 98 in August, said Saturday through rain at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
"And if they say to you then, who did you hear speak these words?" he continued in off-the-cuff remarks, holding up a military salute while he held back tears as his nearly 100-year-old voice was cracking through the rain.
"Tell them it was a 16-year-old boy in the heart and mind and body of a 98-year-old veteran of World War II."
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He honored the sacrifices of the millions of warriors who stepped up to fight for the country’s survival:
The emotional salute capped the former Merchant Marine veteran's reflection on the more than 16 million Americans who served in uniform after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the hundreds of thousands who never returned home.
Yoho, just 16 when he entered service, recalled the military lowered recruiting ages during the war because the country needed manpower.
"When you’re 16, you’re a child playfully in your streets, and the day you enter the military, that stops," he said, empathically pounding the lectern. "And our dedication to what was done is apparent."
VIRAL SPEECH: A 97-year-old WWII veteran stood in the rain at the National World War II Memorial and delivered a message to younger Americans that stopped the internet cold.
— Fox News US (@FoxUSNews) May 24, 2026
David Yoho, a former Merchant Marine who enlisted at 16, pounded the lectern and urged the crowd to carry… pic.twitter.com/GjNYAuokjc
VIRAL SPEECH: A 97-year-old WWII veteran stood in the rain at the National World War II Memorial and delivered a message to younger Americans that stopped the internet could.
David Yoho, a former Merchant Marine who enlisted at 16, pounded the lectern and urged the crowd to carry the memory of 16 million who served — and the more than 400,000 who never came home.
Remember the fallen, he exhorted:
"And when you see a star representing 100 men, contemplate that each one of these people had an attachment to a mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister. They are our family. We stand on this hallowed ground. And we appreciate, despite the inclement weather, you have seen fit to be with us this day."
In 1933, Congress designated May 22 as “National Maritime Day” to celebrate the country’s “fourth arm of defense.”
“The Department of Defense depends on the Merchant Marine to support 90 percent of our sealift requirements in national emergency, crisis or conflict,” said [Rear Adm., MSC Commander Michael] Wettlaufer. “Long serving as our nation's ‘fourth arm of defense,’ American mariners bravely faced combatants and pirates, pandemics and natural disasters. They answer the call to serve their fellow Americans in ways and in places many of our fellow citizens don’t know about.”
A very happy 98th birthday in advance, Mr. Yoho.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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