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

On this day in 1943, a Marine receives the Medal of Honor. Joseph J. Foss is perhaps best known as the first “Ace of Aces” in World War II. He earned his Medal over the skies of Guadalcanal. Foss has been called “one of the mentally toughest aviators in the South Pacific.” That steely determination served him well, long before he became a Marine. In fact, he might never have been a Marine at all, but for his willingness to persevere and work hard. Foss was born to impove

On this day in 1945, a telephone wireman receives the Medal of Honor. Robert D. Maxwell was lucky just to be alive. Months earlier, near Besançon, France, he’d made a split-second decision, putting his own life on the line but saving the men around him. But Maxwell did more than survive. He lived so long that he was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient at the time of his passing in May 2019. Perhaps Maxwell was an unlikely hero? His Quaker grandfather had been a hug

On this day in 1984, a Medal of Honor recipient passes away. Maynard H. Smith was not your typical recipient. Indeed, he’d grown up a bit entitled and even earned the nickname “Snuffy” because he was viewed as an obnoxious misfit. Smith’s background surely contributed to his attitude. He was the son of a local judge who’d protected Smith when he got in trouble. For instance, a young Smith was once speeding and hit a horse and buggy. He wasn’t prosecuted because of his dad

On this day in 1941, Bob Hope gives the first of his legendary shows for the USO. It was just the beginning of a 50-year effort to bring smiles to the faces of our men and women in uniform. His overwhelming success has earned him the moniker “One-Man Morale Machine.” Hope was then host of NBC radio’s The Pepsodent Show, featuring his comedic monologues along with skits and other performances. But the course of Hope’s life would forever be altered when The Pepsodent Show w

On this day in 1945, a young Marine makes a split-second decision, saving the lives of four Navy corpsmen. Elbert L. Kinser’s extraordinary bravery on this day so long ago would earn him the Medal of Honor. “He was a farm boy,” Earl Fletcher says. “He was just a good old Greene County farm boy who left the farm and went to the South Pacific in World War II.” Fletcher is executive director of the Nathanael Greene Museum, where Kinser’s Medal remains a treasured part of the

On this day in 1945, a coalition of American and German soldiers work to save the famous white Lipizzaner horses from an advancing Russian army. World War II was not yet over, but the mission united the two sides, if only for the moment. “The 2nd U.S. Cavalry put a hold on the war for two days,” one American soldier later said, “while we extracted a sliver of culture for the rest of the world.” None of it would have happened but for Luftwaffe Colonel Walter Holters. The despe

On this day in 1924, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Perhaps no one expected Foster J. Sayers to achieve all that he did? His childhood had been a rough one, bouncing from foster home to foster home. “[H]e got shipped from one farm to another in the Blanchard area,” his son Foster Jr. later told the Centre Daily Times. “He got treated poorly. He would have to do the milking while the family’s sons were having breakfast. . . . Final

On this day in 1945, several soldiers receive the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at Zeppelinfeld in Nuremberg, Germany. “It was the same day we cleared the city of the last German resistance,” recipient John J. Tominac observed. “I believe the ceremony gave a psychological lift to our troops . . . .” Tominac was awarded the Medal after an action that reads like a Hollywood movie script! Would you believe he even rode atop a burning tank, leaping off just as it exploded? Ama

On this day in 1944, a United States Army Air Forces pilot participates in a mission over the skies of France—but Elmer Gedeon wasn’t just any pilot. He was also a professional baseball player who’d left his career behind to fight for his country. Gedeon would become one of only two Major League baseball players to make the ultimate sacrifice during World War II. The young athlete was nothing if not talented. He played football and baseball in college. He even ran track a