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 […]
Vietnam DUSTOFF Pilot Who Saved 3,000 Earned Gold Medal Honor for MEDEVAC Crews

Warrant Officer Stephen Peth was making his final turn at treetop level when he looked through the green Plexiglas above his head. In the landing zone below, South Vietnamese soldiers were standing upright — usually a good sign. Suddenly, enemy rounds punched through the helicopter. Peth felt the impact in his right arm and pulled […]
