Brad Hoelscher, an Army Air Force lieutenant flying a P-51 Mustang, shot down a German Me-262 jet, before crash landing himself. He did not get credit for the kill, which would have made him a World war II ace. Honor and remember him!

Herbert Littleton, a Marine serving with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, earned the Medal of Honor posthumously when he smothered a grenade with his body to save his brothers’ lives. Honor and remember!

Daniel Inouye received the Medal of Honor for his heroic leadership on this day in Italy, when, though wounded by sniper and small arms fire, he exposed himself to German fire to  silence two machine gun emplacements.

(1) American pilots ambush Admiral Yамамото’s plane, killing the Imperial Japanese mastermind and leader of the Pearl Harbor attack that killed over 2200 Americans. Rex Barber and Thomas Lanphier, flying P-38 Lightnings, were each credited with a half a kill for downing Yamamoto’s plane. Honor and remember these Americans!

The American Revolution started on this day when colonists engaged British troops along “battle road”. Honor and remember the 49 Americas killed in this fight towards American freedom! History is so palpable along Battle Road, and if you have never visited, you must go!

War correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese machine gun fire on the island of Ie-Shima while he was covering the invasion of Okinawa! Honor and remember him!

Paul Revere took his midnight ride on this evening 249 years ago, warning the American leaders about the marching British forces. 

From the deck of the USS Hornet, Jimmy Doolittle led sixteen B-25 bombers for a raid on Tokyo OTD. If you don’t know about Doolittle, you should. An amazing American leader! Doolittle was a famous American aviator before the War. In fact, he was the first man to fly “blind”, on instruments alone, in 1929, and was the first pilot … Read More

Army Lieutenant Francis Burke earned the Medal of Honor on this day during the fall of the Third Reich, when he led by example, exposing himself to enemy fire repeatedly and taking out three German machine gun bunkers. He was a motor transport officer, but he stepped forward in the closing days of World War II and was an exemplary … Read More

Benjamin Franklin, the great and thoroughly original American, died on this day. He was an exceptional mental and moral leader. He signed the Declaration of Independence, and was a leading scientist, entrepreneur and diplomat. Honestly, everything I write feels like understatement, but here are a few aspects of this great American to share with friends…. My favorite story is how … Read More