On this day in 1944, a soldier engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Private George “Joe” Sakato would not receive his Medal until nearly 56 years after his action.  Even then, he was stunned.   “I couldn’t believe they were going to give me the Medal of Honor,” he said, noting that he only ever saw 90 days of combat. “I was just a recruit. I was just a raw private.”   But it was even more than that. When Sakato joined the Army, he was short and somewha

On this day in 1776, George Washington’s army loses the Battle of White Plains, but it is one of those losses that doesn’t feel like a defeat: General Sir William Howe missed his chance to completely crush the American army. And, on a humorous note, he’d perhaps learned a thing or two about the tenacity of the upstart colonists who now took on the powerful British Army. The Battle of White Plains came not long after Washington’s men had been forced out of first Brooklyn, then

On this day in 1787, “Publius” publishes an essay defending the Constitution in several New York newspapers. Publius?! Publius who? Most modern Americans have never heard of him. How unfortunate. The collection of works written by Publius was critical to the establishment of our Constitution. We’ve been living with our Constitution for so long that it can be easy to forget what things were like before. Perhaps you know that the Constitution was drafted in Philadelphia during

On this day in 1952, a Marine engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. George O’Brien was surely an unlikely hero. The Texas native had been a “self-described problem child,” a Department of Defense summary explains. As a young boy, he was apparently a bit of a handful in class, which left him constantly changing schools.   In the end, he worked as a Merchant Marine during World War II. Perhaps that experience settled him down? After the war, he went to Te

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “John DeWitt” writes his second contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. Dewitt is worried about the permanency of the decision that is about to be made. He reminds his readers that the newly proposed Constitution is not a “mere revision and amendment of our first Confederation.” Instead, it is a “compleat System

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Cato” writes his third contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. Can the proposed Constitution “answer the ends for which it is said to be offered to you, and for which all men engage in political society, to wit, the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties, and estates”? Cato thinks it is impossible, due t

On this day in 1942, the Battle for Henderson Field begins. Marines in the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines stand as the last line of defense between the Japanese and an all-important airfield on Guadalcanal.   Company C took the brunt of the attack that night, but our Marines staunchly held on.   As the Japanese retreated, someone reportedly hoisted a flag made from an old, white parachute. It bore a skull and crossbones and the words “Suicide Charley, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines.”

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Centinel” writes his second contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. Centinel emphasizes the need for a free press. “As long as the liberty of the press continues unviolated,” he writes, “and the people have the right of expressing… and publishing their sentiments upon every public measure, it is next to impossi

On this day in 1781, George Washington’s aide-de-camp continues a multi-day ride from Yorktown to Philadelphia. You might know about Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, but do you know about Tench Tilghman’s? Paul Revere’s service earned him a poem, and he’s endured in American memory ever since. By contrast, Tilghman’s ride has gone mostly unnoticed—but the effort took so much out of him that he was sick for days afterwards. Tilghman didn’t mind. He’d been entrusted with the

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “John DeWitt” writes his first contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. DeWitt’s points are simple. First, he wants everyone to slow down! The newly proposed Constitution should be considered carefully. Why, he wonders, does everyone feel the need to go so fast? “I am a stranger to the necessity for all this hast

On this day in 1746, Esther de Berdt Reed is born. Some say that she worked so hard to support the Revolution that she literally worked herself into an early grave. She was just shy of 34 years old when she passed away. Esther was the wife of Joseph Reed, the military secretary to George Washington. Esther had moved to America with her new husband only a few years before the war began. You can imagine that she initially felt torn between loyalty to the country of her birth an

On this day in 1944, a U.S. Army nurse pens a letter to the American G.I. Frances Slanger’s words would ultimately be published as an editorial in the Stars and Stripes  newspaper.   It meant the world to our boys!   “These Soldiers had been fighting every day since they landed,” historian Bob Welch writes. “They had lost their sense of humanity, lost most of their sense of dignity, and lost their sense of hope. Suddenly, along came this nurse who wrote this letter . . . and

On this day in 1980, a hero passes away. William Soderman’s hometown of West Haven, Connecticut, had long known him as a quiet, hardworking man who would “always see a task through to the end.”   That determination would turn him into a one-man army at the Battle of the Bulge. Would you believe that Soderman took on multiple German tanks, single-handedly?! The move earned him a Medal of Honor.   Pfc. Soderman’s heroism came near Rocherath, Belgium on the night of December 17-

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Brutus” writes his first contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. Many scholars believe that “Brutus” was actually Robert Yates, a judge in New York who had served as a (displeased) delegate to the Constitutional Convention. “Brutus” eventually wrote 16 essays that would be published in New York-area newspapers.

On this day in 1921, a future flying Ace is born in Watertown, Massachusetts. Fred Christensen’s love of flying started early, when a friend’s father took him up in a plane as a teenager.   “From a very early age,” his daughter Diane would explain years later, “he did anything he could to get to the airport or befriend those at school whose dads had planes. As children, we thought he could fly without wings.”   Christensen joined the Army soon after the Japanese attack on Pea

On this day in 1941, USS Kearny participates in an emergency rescue mission—and it would be attacked by the Germans. But wasn’t the United States neutral in World War II at that juncture? The attack on Pearl Harbor and declarations of war on Japan and Germany were still nearly two months away. Believe it or not, several American vessels clashed with the Germans in those months. As early as April 1941, USS Niblack was dropping depth charges to ward off a potential German U-b

On this day in 1778, the Affair at Little Egg Harbor occurs near the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, “affair” is too kind of a word. It was more like a massacre.   Little Egg Harbor was a base for American privateers during the Revolution. These privateers would capture British transport ships, then take the captured cargoes inland. Some cargo was sold. At times, supplies intended for the British army made their way to Washington’s troops instead.   British Sir Henry Clin

On this day in 1780, a band of Loyalists is defeated at the lesser-known Battle of Shallow Ford.  It was the second Patriot victory...

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Federal Farmer” writes his fifth contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. It would be his last contribution for a while! These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. At this point, the Federal Farmer is basically wrapping up his thoughts from previous papers and offering his advice on what to do next. (See prior essays: I , II , III , IV .) Despite his

On this day in 1917, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born. Truman Olson would go on to become one of the heroes of the bloody and...