Leon Vance earned the Medal of Honor over France on D-Day’s eve when, despite being severely wounded, he took control of a damaged B-24 bomber and landed it by wire in the English Channel to save the lives of crewmen he thought were trapped aboard. 

At this hour, seventy-six years ago, 160,000 Allied troops were in their final preparations before D-Day. The paratroopers were already in the air, bearing down on Normandy. One of the best primary source encapsulations of D-Day is Ernie Pyle’s June 12 column, “A Pure Miracle”. NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, June 12, 1944 – Due to a last-minute alteration in the arrangements, I … Read More

Marine Captain Richard Fleming Medal of Honor during the Battle of Midway. Honor and remember!

Turning once again, and this time more generally, to the question of invasion, I would observe that there has never been a period in all these long centuries of which we boast when an absolute guarantee against invasion, still less against serious raids, could have been given to our people. In the days of Napoleon, of which I was speaking … Read More

Elden Johnson earned the Medal of Honor posthumously in Italy as part of the 3rd Infantry Division when he drew German fire and assaulted through an ambush zone to let his trapped platoon withdraw. Honor et memores. From East Weymouth, MA, Johnson was a private in the 15th Infantry. I made the key image from this original photo of Johnson. … Read More

Ed White, an Air Force Major, became the first American to do a spacewalk on this day in 1965. Tragically, White died two years later in the Apollo 1 launchpad fire. Honor et memores.

Shinyei Nakamine earned the Medal of Honor posthumously in Italy, when he attacked  through multiple enemy machine gun nests when his platoon was pinned down, crawling to within 25 feet of the final nest and destroying it with grenades. Nakamine received the Distinguished Service Cross, but his medal was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000

James Rowan O’Bierne earned the Medal of Honor for actions this day. O’Bierne, an Irish immigrant, was a great leader who eventually became a Brigadier General (Brevet) and who took part in the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth. Honor et memores.

Navy achieves the “impossible” and gets the Yorktown repaired and underway to fight at Midway in 48 hours. Honor et memores.

Captain William Galt was a great American leader and hero whom we should remember, celebrated for his exemplary leadership. Galt earned the Medal of Honor posthumously on this day when his leadership led a stalled infantry company against entrenched Germans in Italy, cut down while manning a tank-mounted machine gun. He was 24 years old and a Montana native who … Read More