The effects of the US military’s devastating chemical warfare campaign in Vietnam are still being felt
Between 1962 and 1971, under President John F. Kennedy’s approval, the U.S. military sprayed more than 19 million gallons of herbicides and defoliants over five…
Mary Edwards Walker: The first female surgeon in the U.S. Army and the only woman in history who was awarded the Medal of Honor
In the United States today, women make up roughly a third of all physicians and about 14 percent of active-duty service members—a reality that would…
The hundred-year-old mystery of what sank the USS San Diego (ACR-6) was finally solved
Shortly before noon on July 19, 1918, tragedy struck the armored cruiser USS San Diego (ACR-6)—originally commissioned as USS California (ACR-6). A sudden, powerful explosion…
Over 1,015 Americans were killed in the largest loss of American life at sea during the Second World War
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, killed 1,177 sailors aboard the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39). Moored near Ford Island and unable to…
The real story behind those shocking rumors of Mister Rogers’ secret military past
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001) became a cultural touchstone for families across North America, praised for its thoughtful handling of complex topics like death, divorce, and…
The pilot who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima refused a funeral and a gravestone
In 2007, Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets—the pilot who led the Enola Gay mission during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima—made a striking decision about how he…
New Jersey Guardsmen engaged Somali militants in the biggest battle since that of ‘Black Hawk Down’
In September 2019, Baledogle Military Airfield was targeted in a coordinated assault by al-Shabaab, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State…
The lowest-ranking US Air Force airman to receive the Medal of Honor almost joined the Navy instead
John Levitow’s story illustrates that heroism is measured by courage and action rather than position. Raised in humble surroundings, he might never have imagined that…
Irena Sendler was a Polish social worker who saved the lives of 2,500 children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto
In times of war, it’s not only soldiers who perform feats of great valor and display incredible courage. Oftentimes, non-combatant civilians risk their lives by…
Paris Davis was passed over for the Medal of Honor for over sixty years before he finally received it
Throughout the Vietnam War, Paris Davis showed remarkable valor, repeatedly putting himself in harm’s way to save wounded teammates while facing relentless enemy fire. As…
China secretly salvaged the British submarine, HMS Poseidon (P99), and nobody found out until decades later
In 1931, the British submarine HMS Poseidon (P99) sank after colliding with a Chinese merchant vessel off the coast of China. The disaster initially attracted…
The New Year’s Day ‘Hangover Raid’ that crippled the Luftwaffe at the end of World War II
At the height of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany launched Operation Bodenplatte in an effort to regain control of the skies. The plan was…