10 October 2001 – The first US death during Operation Enduring Freedom. US Air Force Master Sergeant Evander Andrews would die in a forklift accident while constructing an airfield in Qatar. In total over 2,200 US Service Members died during the duration of Operation Enduring Freedom. 11 October 1951 – During the Korean War the USMC would officially put helicopters…
6 October 1781 –The last battle. After some initial skirmishes and movements the Continental Army under General George Washington began the siege of British forces, under Cornwallis, at Yorktown. A combined American and French force would begin digging trenches ever closer to the British defenses in order to bombard them with artillery. After several days of bombardment …
30 September 1949 – The Berlin Airlift officially ends. The Berlin Blockade was one of the first international crises of the Cold War. Due to conflicting relations with the Western Allies after WW2, the USSR cut off all supply routes to West Berlin from the Allies. With the population of West Berlin being cut off from all food,…
20 September 1777 – The Paoli Massacre. Following American retreats after the Battle of Brandywine and Battle of the Clouds, George Washington left a force under the command of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne behind to harass British troops moving towards Philadelphia. At this time Philadelphia was the capital of the newly born USA. General Anthony Wayne camped his force fairly close to British troops…
15 September 1945 – The US Department of War issues figures showing that a total of 7,306,000 soldiers (including a small number of Allied forces and civilians) and 126,859,000 tons of war cargo have been moved from American ports to all fronts between December 1941 and August 31, 1945. 15 September 1950 – Operation Chromite. After a string of hard…
During the early morning of 11 September, 19 hijackers would take control of four commercial aircraft. All aircraft were originally headed for the west coast, thus loaded heavy with fuel for the flight. The four aircraft were American Airlines Flight 11 and 77, along with United Airlines Flight 93 and 175. At 8:46 AM, five hijackers…
9 September 1942 – During her second patrol as a weather ship for the US Coast Guard the USCGC Muskeget would disappear after sending a report without a trace. The USCGC Muskeget was on loan from the US Navy during WW2 and had a crew of 114. At the time it was unknown what at happened to the ship and all crew…
30 August 2003 – In conjunction of with Operation Mountain Sweep, US Army forces with the Afghan National Army conducted Operation Viper. The purpose of the operation was to find suspected Taliban fighters and supporters in the mountains of Zabul Province and neutralize them. Members of the 10th Mountain Division, 5th Special Forces Group and around 1,000 ANA…
This Week in Army History – 8/23 – 8/29 25 August 1814 – During the War of 1812, British forces would attack and set fire to Washington City, present day Washington D.C. The attack and subsequent burning of Washington was in retaliation of American attacks, and burning, on the Canadian cities of York and Niagara. The US Capitol,…
9 August 1921 –In order to assist the returning American veterans of WW1, Congress creates the Veterans Bureau. The Bureau consolidated the Bureau of War Risk Insurance, Public Health Service and the Federal Board of Vocational Education under one roof. Two other agencies were left separate, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department and the National Homes…
5 August 1917 – In response to the US joining WW1 the entirety of the National Guard was drafted into Federal service. Normal Constitutional restrictions did not allow the use of the National Guard outside of US borders. Under the National Defense Act of 1916 the National Guard was named the Army’s primary reserve force and created a…
27 July 1777 – Marquis de La Fayette (The Marquis of Lafayette) arrived in New England during the Revolutionary War. Lafayette was a French aristocrat and a military officer, having been commissioned into the French Army at the age of 13 as a officer. He became convinced that the American Revolutionary cause was noble and decided to seek glory…
19 July 1940 – The Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act is signed by President FDR. The bill increased the size of the Navy by 70% and cost $8.55 billion (after inflation it would be about 157 billion in 2020 dollars). 257 ships would be added to the US Navy with an added emphasis to naval aircraft, with…
12 July 1862 – During the Civil War President Lincoln signed into law the Army Medal of Honor. In December 1861 the Navy’s version of the Medal of Honor had been approved. The first US Army Medal of Honor would be presented on 25 March 1863 to Private Jacob Parrot. 12 July 1864 – During the Battle of Fort Stevens…
5 July 1950 – Private Kenneth Shadrick, of 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment, is killed in action south of Osan, South Korea. PVT Shadrick is reportedly the first American killed during the Korean War, after the machine guns from a T-34 North Korean tank struck him after he fired a Bazooka round at it. His death may…
4 July 1776 – John Hancock, President of Congress, signs the Declaration of Independence. As the document had been voted on and approved his signature was the only one required. This copy of the Declaration has been lost, possibly destroyed from the process of copying it for distribution among the fledgling US. These copies are the known as…
29 June 1945– President Truman approves plans detailing the invasion of the Japanese islands during WW2. Operation Downfall would never take place, as the two atomic bombs and Soviet declaration of war would put an end to the Japanese war effort. Operation Downfall was a plan of epic proportions. Component Operations Olympic and Operation Coronet would have…
22 June 1775 – Just as Colonial Leaders began to lead troops into battle during the Revolutionary War they encountered a problem, they had no money to fund a war. Several European countries supported the Patriots early on with loans, but debt was quickly growing. As a result the Continental Congress authorized the printing of some $2-3…
14 June 1775 – The Second Continental Congress establishes the US Army as a unified force to fight the British with George Washington being appointed as its commander. Ten companies were authorized. Many of the men who would make up these ranks had experience either in the British Army or in militias, and they would bring many…
7 June 1942 – The Forgotten Battle. Just as the Imperial Japanese Navy faced defeat during the Battle of Midway, they invaded the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. Days earlier Japanese aircraft had bombed Dutch Harbor, damaging some infrastructure. Upon landing at the islands of Attu and Kiska, the Japanese would kill 25 American…
