American schoolkids learn about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution, and men like James Bowie and David Crockett who defended it. When Santa Anna’s army arrived outside the walls, Lt. Col. William “Buck” Travis sent for reinforcements. He wrote: ”… our flag still waves proudly from the walls – I shall never […]

Location: Bastogne, Belgium Date: December 22, 1944 Four German soldiers approached American lines at Bastogne, Belgium in December 22, 1944. Major Wagner of the 47th Panzer Corps was coming to deliver a typed message demanding American surrender. The message, as you can imagine, was not too polite. Among other things, it pointed out that the

USS Barb has been called a “Pacific killer sub par excellence.” Here’s some of the story. The USS Barb was on its last war patrol. She and her crew had served six patrols in the European Theater, and had been in the Pacific for 19 months. The Barb racked up one of the most outstanding

Location: Omaha Beach WWII. Surrounded by steep cliffs and heavily defended, aerial bombardment did little damage to the defensive fortifications. Rough surf was hard on the landing craft, and only 2 of 29 tanks reached the shore. It was a bloodbath.At the spearhead was, John Spalding, in command of a 32-man platoon. He was a

On July 31st, 2017 James C. McCloughan, receives America’s highest military honor. President Donald Trump had the special privilege of presenting the 71 year old Vietnam veteran with the Medal of Honor at the White House. McCloughan reported to Army basic training in Kentucky in September 1968. On his last day of training the 23

Francis Marion went to sea at 15. He once spent seven days on a lifeboat, drifting in the Caribbean after his ship was smashed apart by a whale.  In 1754, Francis joined a militia in South Carolina, where he learned about guerilla warfare. When America declared Independence in 1776, Marion and his men helped build

If you’ve watched movies from the 40’s and 50’s then you’ve most likely seen Jimmy Stewart in starring roles in It’s a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, The Spirit of St. Louis, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and more. He was a kind, soft-spoken, and down to earth guy with a distinctive drawl that helped

The first major battle of the American Revolution,the Battle of Bunker Hill, was fought on June 17, 1775.  Also called Battle of Breed’s Hill, it occurred in Charlestown – now part of Boston – during the Siege of Boston. Although the British eventually won the battle, it gave great encouragement to the revolutionary cause. The

The symbol of America has not always been the American Bald Eagle. Long before we used the eagle to symbolize our strength and liberty, it was in fact the American rattlesnake that held the esteemed title as the first symbol of America – the symbol of Liberty. It was December 1775. Fighting between the American

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain over violations of American maritime rights. The Americans objected to the British Empire restricting their trade and snatching their sailors to serve on British ships. During this conflict Oliver Hazard Perry was aboard the USS Chesapeake as it engaged the British ship