The Only WWII Land Battle Fought on American Soil: The Forgotten Fight for Alaska
When most people think of the Pacific Theater of World War II, they envision tropical islands, heat, and jungle combat. However, the 18-day campaign in May 1943 to retake a remote Aleutian island from Japanese occupation was the total opposite. The fight over the frozen island became the only land battle of World War II […]
From Pearl Harbor to Japan: How 25th Infantry Division Earned its 'Tropic Lightning' Name in WWII
Sgt. Kenneth Nine was scheduled to ship back to the states that Monday morning. After partying until 5 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the 27th Infantry platoon sergeant sat exhausted in front of Schofield Barracks. Then Japanese planes flew overhead, strafing everything in sight. Nine’s commanding officer ran up and said, “Get in the saddle […]
The WWII Mystery Behind the 1942 Battle of Los Angeles: Axis Planes, Aliens or Mass Hysteria?
Not even three months after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Americans on the west coast thought they were under attack. Sirens sounded across Los Angeles in the early morning hours of Feb. 25, 1942. Within minutes, searchlights swept the sky while thousands of air raid wardens rushed to their posts. Then anxious gun crews […]
The Only Army Unit to Fight in Five of the Marine Corps’ Bloodiest WWII Battles — Including Iwo Jima
From Guadalcanal to Okinawa, the Marine Corps earned its reputation for tackling some of the bloodiest battles of World War II’s Pacific Theater. What few remember is that the U.S. Army usually fought alongside the Marines through some of the fiercest battles in history. However, only one Army regiment — the 147th Infantry — stood shoulder […]
Dieppe: The Army Rangers’ First Fight Against the Germans in WWII
The U.S. Army Rangers of World War II were brand new in the summer of 1942. Though the “Ranger” name had roots in America’s colonial wars, the modern battalions were created in Britain at the urging of Gen. George Marshall and Maj. Gen. Lucian Truscott, who saw how Britain’s Commandos had tackled Axis positions with […]
Fort Hood Steps In After Shutdown Halts WWII Veteran’s Military Funeral
As the government shutdown creeps along, now in its fourth week, services that have been placed on hold are beginning to affect people in all walks of life. Including deceased veterans. A Final Wish For Florencio Davila of Waco, Texas, his dying wish was to be buried with full military honors. After all, the […]
Georgia WWII Veteran, 100 Years Old, to Receive French Legion of Honor
ATLANTA — Alan Kinder was touched last year when the strangers he encountered during his trip back to Normandy gratefully hugged and kissed him. He had returned to France with other World War II veterans so they could mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the allied invasion of Europe. Still buoyed by that warm reception, […]
WWII Airstrip in Central California Sold. It Was ‘The Country Club of Training Bases’
An airstrip once used to develop U.S. pilots during World War II in Central California has been sold. Located in western Fresno County about 10 miles south of Dos Palos and 15 miles north of Firebaugh, Eagle Field dates back to 1942 when construction of the airstrip got underway a few months after the attack […]
Purple Heart Medal’s Owner Identified as ‘a Man’s Man’ Who Fought in WWII
In the final push to defeat Nazi Germany during World War II, Edward Gorski Jr. was trying to shield himself inside a foxhole when the 19-year-old Chicagoan was struck by enemy fire. Gorski, a broad-shouldered Army private with a rugged face, was hit with mortar shrapnel after a fellow soldier in a nearby trench lit […]
Airmen's Search for Remains Recalls Top Secret WWII Mission to Turn Planes into Flying Bombs
Dozens of U.S. airmen in England assisted with an archaeological dig earlier this year aimed at finding the remains of an Army pilot lost there during World War II, and in the process helped shine a light on one of the war’s most ambitious and ill-fated secret operations against the Nazis. The search for Army […]