Military History

Lt. Jim Downing, the second oldest living survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that propelled the United States into World War II, passed away at the age of 104 last week. Downing, who joined the Navy at 19 years old and devoted 24 years to the branch, was serving aboard the USS West […]

Thomas Jefferson is known for a good many things, to include being the primary author of the Declaration of Independence that is the foundation of the United States. He was also the Secretary of State under George Washington, Vice President under John Adams, and he became a man pivotal to our current understanding of the […]

The crew of the USS Pueblo, a U.S. Navy vessel captured by North Korean forces in 1968, are suing North Korea in international court over alleged human rights violations that occurred during their 11 months of captivity. “Our clients are seeking to hold North Korea accountable for the unspeakable acts committed against the crew of […]

He was not punished for his war crimes, he was not hung or condemned to the electric chair. He lived in hiding and on February 7, 1979 he drowned in a swimming accident off the coast of Brazil. He was 67 years old. Josef Mengele earned his title, “The Angel of Death.” He fully embraced […]

Major Hugh Seagrim is a western name known by many in the jungles of Burma. He was a British officer in the army during WWII and became a hero among the Karen people back then and remains one today. They called him “Grandfather Longlegs” when he fought alongside them, due to his tall, lanky stature […]

It was February 3, 1780 out in rural Connecticut. Barnett Davenport, a veteran of the American revolution, beat a man and his wife to death, and then burned their home with their three grandchildren inside. The grisly homicides captivated the minds of a brand new America, horrified at the actions of one of their own. […]

On Jan. 31, 1945, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, 24, was led out by an armed detachment in the late morning in eastern France. He wore his uniform, though it was stripped of all insignias, rank and other designations; a green military blanket was draped over his shoulders. The members from the 109th Regiment put a black […]

My first introduction to the M16-A2 was at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island during the 13 week boot camp. We learned how to drill with the rifle, disassemble, clean, and reassemble before we ever stepped foot onto the range during the 2nd phase of boot camp. We also had to memorize the Marine Rifle Creed and recite it […]

The Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915 during WWI took place in the middle of the North Sea. One month prior, the Germans had found success in conducting naval raids on the eastern British coastline. One such attack resulted in 108 dead and 525 civilians wounded. They were able to exfiltrate from the area without […]

Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays epitomized the phrase “selfless service” during her 29 years in the United States military. She was the first American woman to have ever achieved the rank of General, and she joined the military at the height of U.S. involvement in WWII. She died on January 7, 2018 of complications from […]

In case you missed it…yes, Rocket Man has been around for many years. Question: How many hours of actual flight time do you guess the Bell rocket belt flew? Answer below… Check out a more modern version of the jet pack! The man behind the flying machine was Wendell Moore, a Bell Aerospace engineer who came up […]

General Donovan motivated the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) research and development branch to fabricate weapons in-house for officers in the field. These weapons ranged from the amazingly complex to the remarkably fundamental. OSS guns and blades were intended for simple but effective use. American servicemen going into harm’s way had a variety of ingenious places to hide small, even miniature, compasses for […]