World War II

Winston Churchill, an officer in the British Army, Nobel laureate, and two-time UK Prime Minister solidified his place in history as the leader of the British people throughout the majority of World War II.  His unrelenting refusal to give in to the enemy and storied wit (accompanied with occasional drunken antics) have long been the […]

Retired Rear Admiral (SEAL) Richard “Dick” Lyon, called an “icon and legend” within the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community by the current commander of Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC), Rear Admiral (SEAL) Tim Szymanski, passed away on February 3, 2017.  Lyon was 93 and passed after a short illness.  He is survived by his widow […]

Are you old enough to remember the pride that the country felt when John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth? It was overwhelming at the time. Gaining world fame as one of the original seven NASA astronauts was just one of many accomplishments in his remarkable life. Glenn quit college after the […]

During the Pacific Campaign of WWII, Desmond Doss, a U.S. Army Medic in the 307th infantry, 77th Infantry Division single-handedly saved over 50 men during the Battle of Okinawa, a battle that the Japanese dubbed “Rain of Steel” because of the ferocity of fire. And he did it without carrying any weapon to defend himself. […]

It’s a confounding mystery of World War II: What happened to the 136 missing sailors from the explosion and sinking of the USS Turner? After all, the ship did not go down in battle or even in the open sea, but while anchored near New York Harbor in 1944, so close to the city that […]

Recent coverage around the OSS award has become widespread. The Washington Post repoted that the “Bill that would honor World War II’s secret commandos can’t seem to pass in Congress.” A great many are outraged, unsure, and making assumptions as to why. However, the reasons are more pragmatic and less vindictive. People aren’t entirely sure […]

World famous aviator and fighter pilot, Robert “Bob” Hoover, who escaped the Nazi’s during WWII by stealing a plane, dead at age 94. Oh, what an aviation life to have lived. Robert “Bob” Hoover left us on Tuesday at age 94, but his legacy will remain in fighter pilot lore for generations. When you have […]

Lieutenant Hess explains the division was responsible for the defense of Bastogne leading up to the Battle of the Bulge. As Lt. Hess recounts the action, we see snow-covered scenes of the battle and the frozen bodies of soldiers killed in action. Lt. Hess tells of one of the most famous events in WW2 history.

On December 22, 1944, German emissaries asked for the American surrender, to which General McAuliffe answered tersely, “Nuts!” (Lt. HessHess explains that it was “just GI American for ‘Go to hell!’”) A few days later the skies cleared, allowing Allied air forces to retaliate and to drop much-needed food, medicine, and weaponry to ground troops. On Christmas Eve, the Americans allowed the Germans to get as close as possible before opening fire. “You could hear them hollering, ‘Comrade!’ Begging for mercy. Asking for a break. Oh sure. We gave ‘em a break,” says Lt. Hess as the film shows the dead, frozen bodies of Nazi soldiers in the mud and muck. “The German supermen. They didn’t know what the hell had happened.”

Soon she’d been dispatched to the Adriatic coast to analyze aerial photographs of concentration camps and plan troop drops. She was 21.

A spy-vs.-spy race to secure naturally enriched uranium from Congo to fuel the Manhattan Project and keep the rare mineral out of Nazi hands.

He was a qualified U.S. Army Ranger, Special Forces officer and Master Parachutist. Henry has his name engraved on the Special Operations Legacy Wall at the Special Operations Command Center at MacDill AFB. His decorations include the Legion of Merit (with cluster), Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnam Honor Medal and several campaign service medals.

Dean “Diz” Laird is the only known US Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese planes during the Second World War.  The World War II Ace flew his 100th plane this past weekend at age 95. Dean “Diz” Laird is a legend in naval aviation.  If you have ever been to Coronado, California, you […]