Historical
Valor Friday
As with most military historians, I’ve got a soft spot for heroic last stands. The glory of going down fighting has inspired warriors since at least the Battle of Thermopylae. While most who engage in a last stand probably expect that, despite all the odds, they will prevail, the truth of the matter is that […]
Valor Friday
I’m finally watching the 1993 epic war drama Gettysburg. Surprisingly, I’ve never seen it. I was probably discouraged by the more than four hour run time. It is an excellent movie though, and it’s filled with terrific actors. It got me thinking about the men of the battle, most that we’ve never heard of. During […]
Valor Friday
A recent message reminded me that Poetrooper had asked a while back about the number of Medals of Honor earned in Vietnam for jumping on grenades. He told me at the time, Checking out the Wikipedia list of MoH awardees in Vietnam today, I was particularly struck by something I’d never heard before: an astonishing […]
Valor Friday
This week Captain Larry Taylor was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War. Let’s see why he’s been belatedly honored. Larry Taylor grew up in the St Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee. His roots in the area extend back generations. His great-great-grandfather had served in the Civil War, his great-uncle […]
Valor Friday
Charles Kegelman is one of the “forgotten firsts” of the Second World War. After America entered the war in December 1941, Americans were first pressed into combat in the Pacific Theater immediately. American troops in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Wake Island were embroiled in fighting for their lives before the official declaration of war. In […]
Valor Friday
I got this story tip from a few of the usual suspects this week. It’s a feel good story, to be sure. If, as I’ve often said, that proper recognition delayed is recognition denied. While AO3 Smith went to his grave without his service properly honored, at least his son and family will be able […]
Valor Friday
It’s not often that a US Naval vessel is named after someone still living. When they do honor a living person, it’s usually someone of great importance like former Presidents. Recently, a US Marine was privileged enough to witness the launch of a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that bears his name. Harvey C. Barnum Jr. […]
Valor Friday
Born in 1696, Samuel Whittemore is perhaps one of the most interesting characters of the American Revolution. This may be surprising, as the oldest man among the Founding Fathers is accepted to be Benjamin Franklin, nearly a decade younger than Whittemore. Whittemore owned a farm in Menotomy, Massachusetts. Menotomy would eventually be renamed Arlington, as […]
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