On this day in 2021, a hero passes away. Charles H. Coolidge had endured a four-day ordeal during World War II. It earned him the Medal of Honor, although he then barely even knew what the Medal was! He’d heard of it only because Sergeant Alvin York had grown up about 100 miles away from his hometown in Tennessee.   Coolidge’s heroism came as Allied forces worked their way across France late in the war. On October 24, 1944, he was with his platoon of machine-gunners. They’d b

On this day in 1984, a hero is born. Thomas Patrick Payne would go on to receive a Medal of Honor for his actions in Operation Inherent Resolve near Hawija, Iraq.   The mission on October 22, 2015, was urgent. Hostages were being held by ISIS, and then-SFC Payne’s special operations task force was working with Kurdish Special Forces to attempt a rescue. Time was of the essence: Freshly dug graves had been spotted outside the prison compound where the hostages were being held.

On this day in 1945, a prisoner of war is liberated. But Roderick “Roddie” Edmonds wasn’t the only man freed that day. Because of his heroic actions, hundreds of other prisoners were liberated alongside him.   Do you remember this American hero, who received the Medal of Honor earlier this year?   Then-Master Sergeant Edmonds was among those serving with the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Infantry Regiment at the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately, he was also among those cap

On this day in 1945, a Navy chaplain engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Father Joseph T. O'Callahan was then stationed aboard USS Franklin , an aircraft carrier working just off the coast of Japan. Franklin and others were working to neutralize the Japanese kamikaze threat before the invasion of Okinawa on April 1. Trouble came early on March 19 when a Japanese Judy dive bomber dropped out of the clouds, mere yards in front of Franklin . Two semi-ar

On this day in 2003, a Medal of Honor recipient passes away. Delbert O. Jennings had rescued 8 men from behind enemy lines in Vietnam—to say nothing of pulling his men through a 3-hour battle against the Viet Cong. “He was literally all over the place, pulling men out of trouble, prodding others, rallying any man he could touch,” Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall wrote in a Medal recommendation for Jennings. The determined staff sergeant had done this while struggling against stomac

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Jack Howard Jacobs was a self-described “city kid” from Brooklyn who never expected to become a military hero. He was, however, the son of a World War II veteran, and he knew the importance of service. He signed up for the Army after graduating from Rutgers because “it was my obligation to serve,” but he expected “that I would serve three years, and then get out and go to law school.” Twe

On this day in 1971, a hero receives the Medal of Honor. Gordon Roberts had been serving in the 101st Airborne, just as his father had done during World War II.    Then-Specialist Fourth Class Roberts’s bravery came on July 11, 1969, in the A Shau Valley. “Delta company, which was our sister company,” Roberts later explained, “the battalion commander and his headquarters . . . were surrounded and very much in danger of being overwhelmed.” He would later learn that 78 of the 8

On this day in 1969, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor.  Oscar Austin’s little sister wasn’t surprised. He’d always been a hero to her.   Their mother had been single, supporting her family with her job at a laundry. Little sister Lolla remembered the many ways in which Oscar would pitch in to help with his five sisters during those days.   “He cared about people. He respected elders,” Lolla said. “I don’t want to make him a saint, but how he

On this day in 1967, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Maybe none of James H. Monroe’s friends and family were surprised by his heroism?   “If there was such a thing, he was an ideal American boy,” the registrar at his old high school remembered. One of his junior high teachers agreed: “As a teacher for 31 years . . . he was one of the best.” In an interesting twist given today's holiday, this Medal recipient shares a name with a United State

On this day in 1922, a hero is born. William E. Metzger, Jr. would go on to become a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, as well as a recipient of the Medal of Honor.   His sister would remember him as a kind, considerate soul.   “When he was a junior in high school,” she told a reporter, “one of his best friends died, and I think that had some kind of impact on him. He was different than a lot of young men. He was just sensitive about things. He was just a very considerate pe

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Nevertheless, Johnny Lee Canley wouldn’t receive that Medal until decades later.   Would you believe that he joined the Marines in 1953, when he was only 15 years old? He used his brother’s paperwork to get in.   On January 31, 1968, Canley was a Gunnery Sergeant serving with Alpha Company, First Battalion, First Marine Regiment. About 150 Marines from his company would help take back Huế

On this day in 2002, a World War II hero passes away . Rudolph B. Davila has been credited with saving the lives of 130 American soldiers. He received the Medal of Honor for his stunning bravery. He surely never expected to be a hero. He’d enlisted in the Army in 1939, largely because times were tough, and he needed a job. Davila’s heroism came on May 28, 1944, as Americans worked to break though German strongholds in the mountains surrounding Anzio, Italy. Then-Staff Sergean

On this day in 1922, a hero is born. William K. Nakamura would go on to serve in World War II as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.   That regiment, as you may know, was composed entirely of “Nisei.” They were Japanese-Americans who’d volunteered to fight for their country. They believed in America, even when some Americans weren’t sure if they could believe in their fellow citizens who just happened to be Japanese-Americans.   Indeed, the 442nd worked so hard and

On this day in 1923, a hero is born. William “Bill” McGee was an Indianapolis native and the third of five children. But was he an unexpected hero? After all, he didn’t rush to join the Army in the wake of Pearl Harbor. Instead, he was working as a butcher when he was drafted about a year later.   As did so many in those days, he married his sweetheart mere weeks before being deployed to Europe.   He was soon serving as a medical aidman with the 304th Infantry, 76th Infantry

On this day in 1969, a hero receives the Medal of Honor. The Vietnam veteran had rescued two downed aviators from a nearly impossible situation.   Then-Lt. Clyde E. Lassen (USN) simply refused to give up.   “We had a good idea our chances were about nil,” one of the downed aviators, John Burns, would later say. “If it hadn’t been for the people who were picking us up doing what they had done, it would have been nil,” the other aviator, John Holtzclaw, agreed.   Lassen’s heroi

On this day in 1954, a hero receives the Medal of Honor. Master Chief William R. Charette was one of five Navy corpsmen to receive the Medal for an action during the Korean War. He was the only one to receive his Medal in person.   Perhaps it was a miracle that he lived?  At one point, he’d deliberately positioned himself between a grenade and a wounded Marine. He bore the brunt of the blast, knowing that his wounded colleague could not survive another blow. But isn’t that wh

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Was Gary Wetzel an unlikely hero? As a teenager, he’d been in the habit of skipping school a lot. He joined the Army when he was 18 because it was “either . . . get a job or join the service, so I chose to join the service.”   Either way, the Army was blessed to have Wetzel. The young soldier went to Vietnam, where he was assigned to an ordnance outfit. But Wetzel wanted something more. H

On this day in 1945, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Isadore “Izzy” Jachman would take on two enemy tanks, single-handedly, forcing them into retreat.   Perhaps the incredible feat wasn’t as surprising as you might think. After all, the young staff sergeant had a personal stake in World War II: His family had fled rising antisemitism in Germany when he was just a toddler. Worse, he was surely worried about his relatives who’d remained behin

On this day in 1953, a Navy medic is awarded the Medal of Honor. Francis “Doc” Hammond had worked “feverishly” to save lives in Korea, one eyewitness to his action said, noting that Hammond was “the bravest man I saw out there that night . . . his actions were an inspiration to all of us.”   Hospitalman 3rd Class Hammond had proven that he was made of stern stuff, right from the get-go.   “On his very first patrol, one of his comrades at the head of the group stepped on a min

On this day in 1944, American soldiers should have been at home celebrating Christmas and New Year’s. Instead, they were fighting off one last German push during the Battle of the Bulge. One of these soldiers, Pfc. Melvin Biddle, was a normally soft-spoken man. He later even admitted to being scared during combat. “But I lost a lot of fear because I was out there and couldn’t let the troops down,” he told a journalist in 2008. He needed that attitude on December 23, as he fou