On this day in 1950, rescuers search the icy waters near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. They’d pulled hundreds of people from the frigid waters the evening before, but dozens were still missing. The missing had been aboard the hospital ship USS Benevolence when she abruptly sank. Benevolence is perhaps best known for her work after World War II. She’d been in Tokyo Bay, helping newly released POWs. “We took on a tremendous load of patients,” nurse Alene Duerk said. “

On this day in 1916, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born. Some might have thought Ernest H. Dervishian an unlikely military hero. After all, he’d chosen law school over medical school because he’d been unable to stand the sight of “gruesome things” during a tour of the Medical College of Virginia. Nevertheless, Dervishian left his legal career behind and joined the U.S. Army during World War II. By May 1944, he was with Allied forces near Cisterna, Italy. They’d been bo

On this day in 1943, the Women Airforce Service Pilots is formed. The WASPs would assist the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, but these women were not officially a part of the military. They were civilians. “There were no GI benefits, no fringe benefits, and no dress parades,” former WASP Deanie Parrish would later say, “just the satisfaction of knowing they had done their duty and they had completed their mission.” The WASPs might never have existed but for the effo

On this day in 1943, a young woman enlists in the Women’s Army Corps. Twenty-two-year-old Maybelle Rutland would go on to serve in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. The “SixTripleEight,” as the battalion came to be known, was the only all-black, all-female Army unit to serve overseas during the war. Yet when those 855 women boarded the French ocean liner SS Ile de France on February 3, 1945, they had no idea what their mission was to be.

On this day in 1945, the last survivors of USS Indianapolis are pulled from the Pacific Ocean. They’d been there since a Japanese submarine had torpedoed and sunk her several days earlier. Indianapolis had just finished delivering parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb to American bombers. Now, because of communication gaffes, the heavy cruiser was missing, but no one knew it. (See First part of story.) Survivors were waiting for a rescue that was not coming. The men were

On this day in 1945, USS Indianapolis is sunk by Japanese torpedoes. Her survivors would float in the ocean for days before anyone found them. There was just one silver lining to the tragedy. Indianapolis had already performed the most important part of her mission: She had successfully carried parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb across the Pacific. American bombers would soon carry Little Boy toward Hiroshima. Along with the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Little Boy would ulti

On this day in 1944, a soldier engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Hulon “Rocky” Whittington is the only Medal recipient from the small lumbering town of Bogalusa, Louisiana. He’d volunteered for the Army, even before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. He was soon serving with the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. That division fought from North Africa to Sicily and Normandy, even earning a nickname: Hell on Wheels! Whittingt

On this day in 1944, United States Marines invade the island of Tinian, in the Pacific. By August 1, they would be in possession of the island. “In my opinion,” Admiral Raymond A. Spruance would say, “the Tinian operation was probably the most brilliantly conceived and executed amphibious operation in World War II.” It would prove vitally important, too. Tinian later became the base of operations for aircraft dropping nuclear bombs on Japan. Its relatively flat terrain made

On this day in 1987, a former Navy nurse passes away. Jane Louise “Candy” Kendeigh is best known for her service during World War II. She was the first Navy flight nurse to land in an active Pacific combat zone during World War II. She’d just been wrapping up nursing school when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor. She was soon volunteering for the brand-new School of Air Evacuation, ultimately graduating with its first class. That training was no picnic, covering every

On this day in 1944, a pilot receives the Medal of Honor. But for Nathan Gordon, fifteen American airmen would have lost their lives in the churning waters of the Bismarck Sea during World War II—assuming they weren’t captured by the Japanese first. Gordon’s heroism came as American forces were attacking a Japanese supply base in New Ireland. Gordon’s job was to circle in his PBY Catalina seaplane, waiting for calls to help downed airmen. Gordon receives the Medal from Admi

On this day in 1923, a young boy is born in Wisconsin. For decades, John Bradley was believed to be one of the men raising a flag on Iwo Jima in Joe Rosenthal’s iconic Marine photo. Bradley believed it, too. After all, he did help raise a flag that day. The photo made Bradley a household name, but perhaps he should be known for his heroism instead. Did you know Bradley earned a Navy Cross for his actions mere days before the famous flag raising? The young corpsman had

On this day in 1945, a cavalryman is awarded a Medal of Honor. Jack L. Knight’s bravery came in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, the so-called “Forgotten Theater” of the war. He is the only ground combat soldier to receive a Medal of Honor in that theater. Knight’s little brother, Bill, remembers the day that his three oldest brothers, including Jack, left to join the Texas National Guard. It was November 1940, and the boys did not think they would be gone f

At about this time in 1943, a Marine arrives at Camp Lejeune. You may know Bea Arthur for her Hollywood success and roles on Maude and The Golden Girls, but did you know she was also a Marine during World War II? She wasn’t Bea Arthur back then. When she applied to the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, her name was Bernice Frankel. She’d applied just five days after the Marines announced the creation of the Women’s Reserve on February 13, 1943. “I was supposed to start work y

On this day in 1944, a soldier engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole was then serving as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division. Perhaps you know that division for its well-known nickname: the “Screaming Eagles.” Mere days before, on D-Day, Cole had been among those invading Normandy. In fact, his unit was making its first combat jump that day—and Cole had the honor of being the first to jump out of the lead plane. Unfo

On this day in 1923, a son is born to an Italian-American family in Waynesburg, Ohio. Joseph J. Cicchetti would go on to earn a Medal of Honor for his service during World War II. Cicchetti didn’t have to serve. He had a breathing problem that prevented him from meeting the Army’s physical standards. Some might have seized upon the excuse, but not Cicchetti. Instead, he underwent surgery to correct the nasal problem. Perhaps he was just that sort of a selfless young man.

On this day in 1942, the Battle of Midway is fought. The Japanese had taken Americans by surprise at Pearl Harbor mere months before. Now the United States would strike a decisive blow of its own. Americans entered battle with a priceless advantage: They’d recently broken a Japanese naval code. The U.S. Navy had a pretty good idea of when, where, and how the Japanese would attack. Torpedo bombers prepare for takeoff. They’d barely figured out the “where.” As cryptanalysts l

On this day in 1943, the Battle of Attu comes to an end. It was an American victory! The Japanese had held two of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands for nearly a year—but now we’d won one back. The second would soon follow. The Battle of Attu was the only land battle fought in North America during World War II, yet somehow it has earned the tag, “The Forgotten Battle.” How can that be? We suffered more than 3,000 casualties, including 549 dead, at Attu. Shouldn’t more Americans know

On this day in 2005, Green Acres star Eddie Albert passes away. You might know him for his success in Hollywood, but do you know about his Navy service during World War II? Perhaps most notably, Albert supported Marines as they fought to secure the Tarawa Atoll and its important airstrip late in 1943. He even received a Bronze Star with Combat “V” for the stunning rescues he made. That invasion began on November 20 as Marines landed on the tiny island of Betio, along the

On this Memorial Day in 1948, a soldier is honored in a ceremony led by none other than General Omar Bradley. Edward G. Wilkin’s young son had received a Medal of Honor on his behalf two years earlier. Now he was also present as Wilkin’s remains were finally brought home. The younger Wilkin remembers the ceremony, “but what it really meant, what it represented,” he admitted. “I never really understood it until I got older of course.” He also remembers Bradley, who spoke t

On this day in 1945, a Seventh-Day Adventist engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. He was the only conscientious objector to receive a Medal of Honor for his service during World War II. Doss, of course, objected to the term “conscientious objector,” right from the beginning. He preferred “conscientious cooperator” or “noncombatant.” After all, he intended to help the Army in any way that his religion allowed. He worked to get himself assigned as a me