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…
31 May 1944 – The USS England, a Buckley-class destroyer escort, sinks a record 6th Japanese submarine. The USS England accomplishes this amazing antisubmarine feat in just 12 days. 1 June 1953 – In MiG Alley over Korea the USAF would have their best month of the war. For several reasons, weather and inexperienced enemy pilots among them, the…
25 May 1953 – At 8:30 AM the first (and only) atomic cannon was fired at Frenchman Flat, Nevada. The M65 “Atomic Annie” Atomic Cannon was a 280mm (11 inches) cannon weighing in at 83.3 TONS, when all components are taken in, with a maximum range of 20 miles. During Operation Grable the cannon fired a…
17 May 1733 –Under the Molasses Act, England places high tariffs on rum and molasses imported into the American colonies. This act only increased tensions between the colonies and British rule. Partly because, where’s the rum? Molasses is a key ingredient to rum, a popular and widespread spirit in the American colonies. 18 May 1917 – The…
10 May 1797 – The 1st American Navy ship built under the Naval Act of 1794 was launched. The USS United States was a wood hulled, three masted heavy frigate that was built along with five other similar frigates. She would protect American merchant ships until the Civil War when the Confederacy would capture and later…
Sky Soldier in Vietnam 03 May 1965- Lead elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade depart for Vietnam. They would be the first ground combat unit committed to the war. They Sky Soldiers would finally be withdrawn from combat in August 1971 after 1,606 were killed and 8,435 were wounded. 12 paratroopers would earn the Medal…
26 April 1805- The US takes part in its first land battle overseas since the Revolutionary War. During the First Barbary War forces from the US Marines, Army and mercenaries marched over 600 miles to reach Derna in Ottoman Tripolitania (modern day Libya). The Battle of Derna would be a US victory and lead to the legends…
General Robert E. Lee 20 April 1775- Immediately after the battle of Lexington and Concord, Colonial Militiamen would secure and hold all land access and routes to the city of Boston. This would lead to the start of the Siege of Boston, held by British troops, and the opening phases of the Revolutionary War. At…
Abraham Lincoln 12 April 1861- Beginning of the Civil War. Ft Sumter comes under bombardment after South Carolina succeeded from the Union. The fort was a source of tension to the newly born Confederacy due to it being a Union fort in Confederate land. After negotiations for the fort to surrender failed, it would come…
Last surviving Soldier of the Revolutionary war, Daniel Bakeman, dies at the age of 109. 5 April 1869- Last surviving Soldier of the Revolutionary war, Daniel Bakeman, dies at the age of 109. 5 April 2003- On the 18th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom, US troops enter Baghdad for the first time. 6 April 1917- The US…
