During the World War II fight for Guadalcanal, three companies of United States Marines were cut off from the main force fighting along the Matanikau River. Surrounded and outnumbered, Marine Corps leadership believed the men would be annihilated - all but one, that is.
Lt. Col. Lewis "Chesty" Puller wasn't about to let three whole companies die if he could do anything about it. If anyone could, it was Chesty. He flagged down the destroyer USS Monssen, organized a relief force of Higgins boats to withdraw the men, and directed the Monssen to provide cover fire.
The officer in charge of the Higgins boats was Signalman 1st Class, Douglas Munro. Rarely, if ever, has the U.S. military had such a legendary one-two punch of heroism as it did that day at Guadalcanal.
Munro was a lifelong patriot who spent time living in Canada with his family. When they returned to the United States in 1922, young Douglas became actively involved in high school sports and the Sons of the American Legion. He went to college but, like many Americans, saw war on the horizon and decided to drop out and enlist.
Enlisting with him was his good friend and future shipmate, Raymond Evans. The two men met at the entrance processing station in Seattle and were inseparable for the duration of their service. They both went through Coast Guard training at Port Los Angeles and deployed to the Pacific together. They became known to shipmates as "the Gold Dust Twins."
He chose the U.S. Coast Guard because its primary mission was saving lives. And Munro was good at it. He decided he would make a career out of the Coast Guard. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Munro volunteered for combat duties and was sent to train U.S. Navy sailors in shallow-water operations.
As a combat Coast Guardsman, his duties were twofold. He served as a coxswain driving the transport ships that ferried United States Marines to the beaches they were assaulting. Once ashore, he would facilitate ship-to-shore communications between the Marines and the Navy.
He first landed Marines on beaches in the Solomon Islands on Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo. The successful Allied invasion of these islands was also the start of the Guadalcanal campaign. It would be at Guadalcanal where Douglas Munro would earn his place in history.
Shortly after the Allied successes as Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo, Munro, and Evans (who was also a Coxswain) were sent to Naval Operating Base Cactus to support the Guadalcanal campaign. It was there that Chesty Puller called on them to land his Marines - and then rescue them.
Once the 500 Marines were surrounded, Puller used the destroyer's signal lamp to order them to return to shore. The Monssen then cleared a path for them using the ship's 5-inch guns. But someone still needed to go get them.
When asked if he would command the flotilla of five landing craft, Munro's response was "Hell yes!" Right by his side, as always, was Raymond Evans.
As the LCTs approached the landing points, they came under intense enemy fire. Munro used his LCT's .30-caliber machine gun to provide cover fire. The extraction was successful, but one boat got stuck on a sandbar. While directing another boat to help the stuck LCT, Munro positioned his boat between the Japanese and the beach to act as a shield for the Marines.
But Munro was shot in the base of his skull while helping the grounded LCT. It was eventually lifted away, but Munro was unconscious, and everyone else on his boat was killed or wounded. Raymond Evans took the wheel and, shooting with one hand and steering the boat with the other, took over. He piloted his boat to distract the Japanese from the retreating Marines.
In a perhaps apocryphal story, Evans later said Munro briefly regained consciousness, asking his fellow Gold Dust Twin, "Did they get off." When Evans nodded, Munro smiled and was gone.
Evans was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions at Guadalcanal, one of only six Coast Guardsmen to receive the nation's second-highest honor. Munro was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism and remains the only Coast Guardsman with that distinction.
It was Chesty Puller who wrote Douglas Munro's Medal of Honor recommendation, and today, Douglas Munro is the only non-Marine represented in the National Museum of the Marine Corps' Wall of Heroes.
Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard was sitting down to breakfast in the Virginia house of Wilmer McLean in 1861 when a cannonball burst into the room via the chimney. The destruction of the fireplace ruined the morning meal.
Beauregard was using McLean's house as his headquarters for the First Battle of Bull Run. Three months had passed since the Confederate shelled Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and booted the Union garrison out of the state. The Federal army was making a play for the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
It would not go the way the Union leadership hoped, nor would it go the way anyone expected. For the north, everything was wrong from the start.
In the days that followed the attack on Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln's call to arms saw the Union Army grow to a force of 200,000. Placed in command of the army in the field was a major suddenly promoted three grades to brigadier general, Irvin McDowell. Gen. McDowell had limited experience, but the Army's senior-most commander, Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, was too old to go on campaign.
Irvin McDowell did not feel comfortable rising to command the Union Army so fast, but Lincoln was assured he would do well because the other side was inexperienced too.
Scott had devised a multifaceted war plan designed to strangle the Confederacy's ability to make war, dubbed the "Anaconda Plan." The northern press thought the plan was ridiculous, believing an all-out assault on Richmond would crush the rebels right away.
At the start of the Civil War, the Union Army had ignored its most experienced commander's plans for the war, recruited thousands of untrained volunteers, and placed them in command of an officer who spent most of his time in a mid-level staff office. The battle to come would be a stark lesson in hubris.
Still, by the time the federal army met the rebels, no one was expecting the war to be the long, drawn-out bloodletting we remember today. It was an evenly-matched fight, one the Union was expected to win easily. In fact, civilians from Washington even made the trek to Manassas to watch the battle, bringing picnic baskets to watch a spectacle. Many of them would have to make a run for safety by the end of the day.
The fighting at Bull Run was supposed to be a feint, while the bulk of the northern force marched around the Confederates and cut their supply lines, relieving the pressure on Washington. They had to move fast because Confederate reinforcements from Gen. Joseph Johnston's Army of the Shenandoah were on their way to the area.
Gen. McDowell devised a plan to attack the Confederate left flank at Bull Run with the bulk of his force, then swing around the enemy lines and get into its rear before reinforcements could be dispatched. Success was possible with this plan, but it took him so long to devise it that rebel reinforcements were already on the way, and his army was too inexperienced to pull it off anyway.
The fighting on July 21, 1861, started with the artillery barrage that ruined Gen. Beauregard's breakfast at Wilmer McLean's house. The Union had the initiative and by noon had begun to turn the Confederate left flank as planned. But Confederate reinforcements soon arrived in the form of Gen. Thomas Jackson, Col. Wade Hampton, and Col. J.E.B. Stuart.
Union troops managed to cross Bull Run in the morning, but the inexperienced McDowell didn't press his early advantage. Confederate reinforcements allowed time for the retreating defenders to fortify their positions on Henry House Hill. Jackson's line would not move against repeated Union attacks (earning Jackson his famous nickname, "Stonewall"). Union officers tried to spur their men on, but many would not follow.
The fighting for Henry House Hill was another example of McDowell's inexperience. At this part of the battle, he had a numerically superior force but never engaged the full force of the army against the hill's defenders. This allowed the Confederates to fight on even ground, despite being outnumbered two-to-one.
To the south of the fighting, Union artillery was overrun by Confederates wearing blue uniforms. The federal guns were captured and recaptured many times throughout the battle. Losing these guns was the turning point for the battle. More Confederate reinforcements from the Army of the Shenandoah arrived, and the whole force began to advance. Union troops broke and ran.
As they crossed to the other side of Bull Run, disorder turned into panic. Guns and small arms were tossed aside in an effort to escape capture, but many Union troops were captured anyway. It was a total rout. The Union wouldn't be able to reform a rearguard, let alone the entire army.
The Washingtonian civilians who made the trek to watch the battle clogged the road alongside the retreating Union soldiers, overturned wagons, and discarded weapons. Even Confederate President Jefferson Davis was able to watch the Union retreat.
With hundreds of federal and rebel troops killed, both sides poorly managed their respective commands before, during, and after the battle. Everyone learned lessons from the first battle of the Civil War, but the most important one was that this war was going to last much longer than anyone expected.
As for Wilmer McLean, whose house was used as the Confederate headquarters, he eventually got sick of living so close to the fighting and moved his family further south to Appomattox Court House - where the Confederate army's surrender would be signed in his living room.
Despite urban legends that say otherwise, Walt Disney was not the most famous person who had their remains cryogenically frozen in the hopes of a future revival. Disney wasn't frozen at all - but baseball legend and Korean War veteran Ted Williams was.
The legend of Ted Williams' frozen body has been the subject of rumor and speculation that it was just as much a myth and urban legend as that of Walt Disney's. Mostly because his will stated that he wanted to be cremated. In the end, a "family pact" written on a bar napkin prevailed in court, and "The Thumper" went to the freezer.
Widely regarded as one of the best baseball players in history, "Teddy Ballgame" caught hell from the American media when he appealed his 1-A draft classification early in World War II to change it to 3-A. He was his mother's sole source of financial support. He instead enlisted in the Naval Reserve.
Williams spent the early years of World War II playing pro baseball while training to become a naval aviator. During this time, he learned to fly fighter aircraft while earning a Major League Baseball Triple Crown. He also became the last batter with a batting average of over .400. But upon earning his gold wings in 1944, he took a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps to fly combat aircraft.
The same skills that made him one of the league's best hitters made Ted Williams one of the Marine Corps' best pilots. His reflexes and coordination were said to have made him a virtual part of the aircraft, breaking the all-time hits records in the USMC as well as the MLB.
He spent much of the rest of World War II training other pilots to fly the F4U Corsair. When the war ended, Williams was stationed at Pearl Harbor, waiting to join the Pacific Fleet in support of the invasion of mainland Japan. He transferred to the Marine Corps Reserve in 1946 and went back to playing baseball.
When the Korean War began in June 1950, Williams was a captain in the reserves and was called to active duty. He eschewed playing for one of the service baseball teams and volunteered for combat duty instead. He hadn't flown a plane for eight years but refreshed his skills at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
By 1952, he reported for duty in South Korea, where he flew 39 combat missions against communist targets in the air and on the ground. His wingman for most of those missions was a future senator and astronaut John Glenn, who called him one of the best pilots he knew.
Williams earned three Air Medals while flying in the skies over Korea and was only taken off of flying status after a brief illness revealed an inner ear infection.
His five years in the Marine Corps affected his legacy in Major League Baseball, keeping him from challenging Babe Ruth's home run record and setting a record for lifetime RBIs. He never complained, believing it was his patriotic duty to go to work with the Marine Corps, from which he resigned in 1953.
Williams ended his amazing baseball career on a similar high note, hitting a home run on September 28, 1960. He wrote the book on hitting in the major leagues (literally) with a book called "The Science of Hitting."
In his later years, he suffered from heart problems, including cardiomyopathy, had to use a pacemaker, and had to undergo open-heart surgery in 2001 at age 82. He died of congestive heart failure the next year.
How his body was interred became the subject of debate and immediate lawsuits. According to Williams' will, he preferred cremation, but his son John-Henry and daughter Claudia produced a "family pact," signed on a napkin, that stated his desire to be "put into biostasis" in the hopes the family could be reunited in the future.
His eldest daughter, Bobby-Jo, fought the napkin in court, but the napkin prevailed, and "Teddy Ballgame" went to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona - where his head and body are stored separately.
Two years later, John-Henry died of a sudden bout with leukemia, and he joined his father in the Alcor facility in accordance with the napkin agreement.
With much of the world already at war, December 7, 1941, proved not only a day that would live in infamy, but for most Americans, an event that would redefine their world. This impact was no more significant or immediate than for US citizens of Japanese ancestry and, in particular second-generation Americans, or Nisei. Since 1937 the Japanese invasion of China and atrocities inflicted on civilian populations sickened most of the world, punctuated by the undeclared attack on Pearl Harbor. Unfairly stricken with the effects of these acts, the Nisei refused to be victims of these events but instead set a course to undeniably prove both their competence and loyalty.
Driven by this quest, the 100th Infantry Battalion performed with distinction and rose to become the most highly decorated unit for its size in US military history.
On December 7th, many Americans of Japanese Ancestry lived in Hawaii and served in the 298th and 299th Infantry Regiments. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, these units were consumed by aiding the wounded, donating blood, and preparing defenses for the suspected invasion by Japanese forces. Boasting histories reaching back to 1893, these regiments were National Guard units prior to 1940, comprised largely of Hawaiians. However, the peacetime draft instituted in September 1940 netted more than two thousand Nisei to become the largest military population in Hawaii. But, only three days after the attack, racism combined with a deep-seated fear of sabotage and invasion led to the disarmament of all Nisei soldiers, reclassification of draft age males to 4-C (Enemy Alien), and expulsion of ROTC candidates. It would not be until May 1942 that Washington agreed to a racially segregated successor unit formed with Nisei personnel from the 298th and 299th Regiments. In June 1942, this force of 1,432 officers and enlisted men was designated as the 100th Infantry Battalion following their arrival on the US mainland.
Typical of military practice at the time, the 100th Infantry Battalion shipped out in secret from Honolulu to Oakland, California, aboard the transport SS Maui and then transported to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. While encamped, elements of the Battalion engaged in secret war dog experiments on Cat Island to identify and attack Japanese based on attributes such as scent and appearance but were ultimately deemed a failure. Further, sixty-seven soldiers were recruited to the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) as interpreters and interrogators, quickly deemed “America's Secret Weapon." Interestingly, aptitude and intelligence testing revealed a Battalion-wide average score of 103, seven points below qualification for Officer Candidate Training.
Thereafter the Battalion traveled to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for training in rifle squads, tactics, and leadership. Under the scrutiny of Major General Haislip, Chief of Army Ground Forces, the men earned his highest commendation in field exercises, advanced maneuvers, and field formations, followed by maneuvers at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, to complete a fourteen-month training regimen. Returning to Camp Shelby in August 1943, it was then the Battalion learned of a second all-volunteer Nisei unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, activated in February 1943 as an outcome of the brilliant training performance by the 100th Infantry Battalion. Departing by train for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the Battalion boarded a converted banana boat, SS James Parker, for a twelve-day, uneventful Atlantic crossing.
Arriving at Oran, Algeria, on September 2nd, the 100th was immediately attached to the 34th “Red Bull" Division. Given the option of guard duty for railways and supply depots, the Battalion volunteered instead for a combat assignment. So, the 100th entered the ETO twenty days later through the beaches of Salerno, Italy. With the surrender of Italy on September 8th and bolstered by the culture embedded in the 34th Division's motto, “Attack, Attack, Attack," the Battalion faced well-entrenched German defenders as the Allies fought their way up the Italian Peninsula.
The rocky terrain and freezing temperatures proved to be deadly obstacles together with minefields spread across the Italian countryside. On September 28th and 29th, the Battalion incurred its first combat casualties while assaulting Montecorvino. In only their second day of enemy action, Sargent Shigeo Takata was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross, sacrificing himself to reveal hidden enemy gun emplacements. The men then moved north to capture the town of Benevento, a crucial road and railway junction outside Naples. The capture of Benevento and growing combat reputation inspired a Letter of Commendation from General Mark Clark, after which the Battalion was permitted to wear the 34th arm patch, a practice continuing through war's end despite changing attachments.
In October 1943, the 100th Battalion was ordered west, capturing several hills critical to assaulting the German's Winter Line of Defense and La Croce, the last barrier to Monte Cassino. La Croce proved the fiercest fighting to date and claimed half of the Battalion's original force, after which the Battalion joined in four failed assaults on Monte Cassino, a mountain top Abbey, and the keystone in breaching the Gustav Line and advancing into Rome. Successfully crossing the Rapido River and pinning down German forces halfway up Castle Hill, the capture of the position would require devastating airstrikes and two successive assaults by five Allied divisions, claiming 1,051 Allied dead and reducing the 100th to only 521 soldiers fit for duty. Dubbed by war correspondents “The Purple Heart Battalion," replacements were transferred from the 422nd Regimental Combat Team to bring the unit's strength to 1,095.
In March 1944, the 100th Battalion was deployed to the Anzio beachhead, a stalemate created by an Allied amphibious landing and German counterattack. With little progress being made, Lt. Kim and Pfc Akahashi infiltrated enemy lines to capture Germans for interrogation, leading to Allied plans for a breakout and earning the Distinguished Service Cross. With fierce resistance during the breakout, six more Nisei would earn the DSC and the Silver Star. Now on the road to Rome, the 100th and five heavy weapon units captured Hill 435 near Lanuvia, accomplished in one day despite earlier failed attempts by two other battalions. Nonetheless, seven miles outside of Rome, the 100th was halted to permit other troops to enter the city to a heroes' welcome.
The Battalion moved to Civitavecchia in early June, where the unit met up with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, newly deployed to the ETO and attached to the 34th Division. Together these units then pushed north to outflank German defenders at Belvedere, capture the town and force the surrender of an enemy battalion, earning their first Presidential Unit Citation for bold tactics and a decisive victory over a far superior force. Leveraging this success, the units assaulted a series of critical hills and secured several towns in preparation for a large offensive against the German's Gothic Line, but other priorities would intervene.
In September 1944, the 100th/442nd were pulled out of Italy and shipped from Naples to Marseilles, France. Now attached to the 36th Division of 7th Army, the plan was to capture key passes in the Vosges Mountains, where the enemy had been strengthening defensive positions, then cross the Rhine River into Germany. Upon arrival, the 100th/442nd assaulted Bruyeres and the surrounding hills. After two weeks of combat, the men captured Bruyeres, and in a highly controversial move, were immediately ordered to take a nearby town of no reported value, Biffontaine. Following twenty-four hours of intense combat, the town was captured but rendered heavy casualties, depleted food, ammunition, medical supplies, and water. Yet, there would be no rest. General Dahlquist, Commander/36th Infantry Division, had ordered 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry to pursue retreating Germans deep into wooded territory with their flanks exposed and beyond the range of artillery support. Enemy forces rapidly encircled the 275 soldiers, now known as “The Lost Battalion," and following two failed rescue attempts, the 100th/442nd were sent in. After five days of horrific combat, the 211 remaining men were rescued, but at the cost of 350 casualties to the 100th/442nd. For their actions in the Vosges Mountains, the 100th earned a second Presidential Unit Citation and in March 1945 were ordered back to Italy as part of the 92nd Division.
While the 100th/442nd were fighting in the Rhineland, the 5th Army was unable to break the Gothic Line in five months of combat. Nonetheless, keying on deep, nighttime infiltration of enemy lines, the 100th/442nd unleashed an assault. With the 442nd on the flanks and 100th in a frontal attack, the dawn assault succeeded in breaking through the Gothic Line in thirty minutes, earning the unit's third Presidential Unit Citation. Following the assault, German troops were in widespread retreat through the Tuscany Region, centered on the town of Aulla. In what would prove a final assault, the 100th secured Mount Nebbioni and the town of Aulla on April 25th, 1945. On May 8th Germany surrendered.
The 100th Infantry Battalion performed brilliantly, extending from training through twenty months of combat, often achieving outcomes that repeated attempts by much larger forces could not. In doing so, the 100th and 442nd Regimental Combat Team demonstrated uncommon heroism and personal sacrifice, forever erasing the burden to prove their loyalty and instead serve as an example for others to follow. This commitment to purpose would compel many of these veterans to pursue careers in public service and in further tribute to the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, on November 2, 2011, President Obama conferred the Congressional Gold Medal, “the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions."
When Gavrilo Princip shot Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, he did it with an FN Model 1910 pistol. The assassination of the archduke became the catalyst of World War I, which itself laid the groundwork for World War II, and later the Cold War.
This lightweight weapon was easily concealed and perfectly engineered by American firearms designer John Moses Browning. Browning’s weapons not only changed the course of the 20th century, but it would also help the United States win its coming conflicts and usher in the "American Century."
A new book from former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Nathan Gorenstein, "The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of The Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World," details the list of Browning’s engineering feats. It tells the incredible history of the boy who built his first firearm in 1865 at age 10, from scrap parts in his father’s workshop to the designs that are still in use today.
Here are just a few of the enduring weapons, many of which are still beloved by the U.S. military.
1. M2 Browning .50-Caliber Machine Gun
Affectionately called "Ma Deuce," the .50-cal was developed just before the end of World War I but didn’t enter active service until 1933. It has been used in every major American and NATO engagement ever since. It was first designed to penetrate the armor of tanks and bring down enemy aircraft, but Browning didn’t live to see it in use. He died in 1926.
It came at the request of American Expeditionary Force commander Gen. John J. Pershing, who specifically asked for a larger-caliber weapon that fired rounds at a higher velocity than Browning’s previous machine gun, the M1917. It was so effective that other countries, including the Soviet Union, bought it or copied the design for themselves.
2. The Co
lt M1911
American troops fighting in the Philippines needed a sidearm that would stop Philippine rebels in their tracks, and the current sidearm, the .38-caliber M1892, just wasn’t cutting it. They demanded a new .45-caliber weapon for the purpose, so Colt turned to its designer, Browning.
The pistol Browning created not only had the required stopping power, but it also might be the most durable pistol ever made. The 1910 Army trials put 6,000 rounds through Browning’s design, cooling it by dipping it in water. The weapon still fired perfectly. Today, the M1911 remains the favored sidearm of many U.S. Special Operations troops.
3. Winchester Model 1897
Although in use by the U.S. military long before World War I, the trenches of the Western Front is where the Model 1897 gained its enduring notoriety (or infamy, depending on which trench you were in). The shortened barrel available on the 1897 made it the perfect weapon for trench warfare.
Not only was it good for shooting down enemy grenades, but it also became known as the "trench broom" because its five-shot capacity was effective in clearing enemy trenches. It became so deadly in the trenches that the German government protested its use as an illegal weapon of war.
4. M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
The BAR was the light machine gun of World War II and the Korean War. Amazingly, it was designed to be fired from an infantryman’s hip while walking and actually saw action in World War I during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. With the BAR in the hands of American troops, the Americans pushed the Germans back more than nine miles before the war’s end.
An upgraded version of the BAR was used in World War II and Korea, where the machine gun was not only desired by infantrymen, it was necessary. By the end of WWII, infantry squads were equipped with at least three Browning Automatic Rifles.
5. M1919 Browning Machine Gun
The Browning M1919 is the all-purpose machine gun used by the United States (and other countries) from World War II to the Vietnam War. It was a versatile weapon, used in various forms by a five-man machine gun team, or it could be mounted on jeeps, tanks, or landing craft. 
It also was adapted for use on aircraft.
This belt-fed wonder was reliable for prolonged firing and when converted into a lighter machine gun, and it later was altered to be lighter and more portable than the original. It was adapted yet again for brown water navy boats in the Vietnam War. Many countries still employ the latest variants.
For more about the life, work, and history on the designs of Browning, "The Edison of Firearms," check out "The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of The Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World," on sale now.
Hello from NCOA Headquarters!
The NCOA WWII War and Remembrance Program was one we started years ago. Unfortunately, it had to be suspended. We are now able to rejuvenate the program.
I am requesting you in some way support this very worthy program. For those that may not have or know of a Veteran that is eligible to receive the Medallion, support can still be made and we will assist in reaching out to those that are eligible to receive it. You do NOT have to be an NCOA member to participate. Please read and share the information.
Thank you for your support! If you need more information contact me at the information below.
Joseph Terry
SGM, US Army (Ret)
Executive Director
Email:jterry@ncoausa.org
210-819-0568
Non Commissioned Officers Association
www.ncoausa.org
When the USS Jimmy Carter sailed into its homeport in Washington state in September 2017, it was flying an unusual flag: the distinctive skull and crossbones of a Jolly Roger.
There’s no telling exactly what the Jimmy Carter was doing at sea, as its missions are probably among the most closely guarded secrets in the U.S. Navy, but submarines fly those pirate flags when they return from a mission after some kind of "operational action."
While no one outside of the crew can tell you what that "operational action" entailed, the history of Western submarines flying the Jolly Roger upon a successful return is a funny bit of history.
Submarines haven’t always been an accepted part of naval warfare. When they first became a viable technology, some old sailors thought they were a less-than-gentlemanly act of war. They compared the idea of silently striking the enemy from under the waves to an act of piracy.
Whether the old salts liked it or not, submarines were here to stay. And as if to prove you can’t just call sailors anything you happen to find derogatory, those early submariners adopted the pirate theme and made it their own.
Sir Arthur Wilson was the first sea lord of England’s Royal Navy when submarines entered active service. He was a great naval officer and Victoria Cross recipient while at sea. But by land, even as first sea lord, Wilson didn’t impress anyone. He’s mostly remembered for a short tenure, marked mostly by being a loud crank.
No matter how cranky Wilson was, he was still in charge. If he thought submarines were a dirty way of fighting, one would think he’d ax the program. Instead, he did the opposite, actually promoting the use of submarines as a future for the Royal Navy.
Being the first sea lord that no one seemed to like might have been the reason he gets credited for saying submarines were "underhanded, unfair and damned un-English." There’s no actual proof he said this, but history isn’t kind to unlikable people.
What Wilson did say about submarines came long before he was the one making the decisions for the navy because it also flies in the face of what he actually did as first sea lord:
"They’ll never be any use in war, and I’ll tell you why. I’m going to get the First Lord to announce that we intend to treat all submarines as pirate vessels in wartime and that we’ll hang all the crews."
When World War I broke out in 1914, the Royal Navy’s submarines got their first taste of naval combat. A contemporary of Wilson’s, Lt. Cmdr. Max Horton was out to sea aboard one of England’s earliest submarines, the HMS E9. Horton and the E9 were off the coast of German islands in the North Sea when they came upon the German light cruiser Hela.
Horton torpedoes Hela from 600 yards, and the cruiser was soon at the bottom of the sea. The E9 evaded German anti-submarine efforts for the entire voyage back to safer waters, but once it arrived back in port, Horton hoisted a large Jolly Roger flag, a nod to Wilson’s threat of hanging his triumphant crew.
Horton intended to raise another pirate flag for every subsequent enemy he sunk, but he ran out of room. Instead, he increased the size of his boat’s Jolly Roger. He started adding symbols and other information to denote the submarine’s victories, similar to how airmen marked their kills on the nose of an aircraft.
Thus, a new tradition for submarines was born. By World War II, the practice grew, but pirate flags were actually issued to submarine crews. Submariners from Allied nations also joined in on the practice and have flown their Jolly Rogers ever since.
While some of the markings on these pirate flags are self-explanatory, others will be known only to the crew. When the Jimmy Carter returned to its Washington port flying one, there was a symbol on the flag - but good luck finding out what that means.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart released findings of its research into the number of Purple Hearts awarded by U.S. Conflicts since 1932.
Noting the numbers listed below are an estimate of Purple Heart recipients during a specific military conflict identified in Killed in Action and Wounded in Action data researched.
Images of the original Purple Heart and as it is today.
The Revolutionary War: 3 Purple Hearts
The Purple Heart award was originally established by George Washington in 1782 and then designated as the Badge of Military Merit. It is thought that only three soldiers were ever awarded the Badge of Military Merit during the American Revolutionary War—Sergeant William Brown of the 5th Connecticut Regiment of the Connecticut Line, Sergeant Elijah Churchill of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, and Sergeant Daniel Bissell of the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of the Connecticut Line. All three personally received the badge from General Washington himself in 1783.
Civil War: The Purple Heart was not awarded to Veterans of the Civil War, where 140,414 were killed in action, and 281,881 were wounded in action while serving in the U.S. Army. (If awarded, 422,295 service members would be added to the total Purple Hearts). The individual States and Militias used wound medals to recognize those killed or wounded in the Civil War.
The only federally sponsored and issued medal of the Civil War period was the Congressional Medal of Honor established by order of Abraham Lincoln and signed into law July 12, 1862. The Army Medal of Honor was attached to its ribbon by an American Eagle perched atop crossed cannons and cannonballs.
World War I: 257,404 Purple Hearts for 53,402 KIA & 204,002 WIA
The Purple Heart was officially established in 1932. So how is it that some 257,404 military personnel who served during World War I - which ended in 1918-received an award established in 1932? The answer is that, after General Douglas MacArthur signed General Order No. 3 establishing the Purple Heart, the medals were awarded retroactively to U.S Army personnel who were wounded in combat action or who were presented a “Meritorious Service Citation Certificate” for actions during World War I. Prominent American Purple Heart recipients during World War I include General George S. Patton and Medal of Honor Recipient Charles Barger. Charles Barger and Vietnam War Veteran Curry T. Haynes have received the most Purple Heart medals ever in American military history. Each is credited with 10 medals for their actions in combat.
World War II: 962,403 Purple Hearts for 291,557 KIA & 670,846 WIA
During World War II, during the greatest generation of National service, 1.5 million Purple Heart medals were made in anticipation of the many casualties expected during the world’s second great war. However, it is thought that about 1 million were either presented, lost, or stolen during the war (1939-1945). While there is no official military record regarding how many were awarded, it is estimated that just under a million American service members received Purple Hearts for their service in World War II. The U.S. service members who were awarded the most Purple Hearts during World War II were U.S. Army Officer Robert T. Frederick, with eight, and Albert L. Ireland, who earned five during World War II.
Korean War: 125,820 Purple Hearts for 33,686 KIA & 92,134 WIA
An estimated 125,820 Purple Hearts were awarded to brave service members during the Korean War (1950-1953). Renowned recipients include the warhorse “Sergeant Reckless,” who earned two Purple Hearts, Medal of Honor Recipient Red Millett, and the most decorated Marine in American military history, Chesty Puller. Albert L. Ireland was awarded the most Purple Hearts-totaling four during the Korean War.
Vietnam War: 248,151 Purple Hearts for 47,424 KIA & 153,303 WIA
An estimated 248,151 Purple Hearts were awarded to brave service members who demonstrated the greatest level of gallantry in action in American history during the Vietnam War. Three brave Soldiers earned eight Purple Hearts each during their service in the Vietnam War—Medal of Honor Recipients Joe Ronnie Hooper and Robert L. Howard and Special Forces Soldier Billy Waugh.
Persian Gulf War: 998 Purple Hearts for 149 KIA & 849 WIA
Approximately 988 Purple Heart awards were awarded to brave service members during the Gulf War that lasted from August 2, 1990, to February 28, 1991, spanning 209 days. Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm were an overwhelming victory over Iraqi forces in the largest tank battle in world history.
Global War on Terrorism OEF/ORS Afghanistan: 22,176 Purple Hearts for 1,856 KIA and 20,320 WIA
There have been 1,856 U.S. military service members who have sacrificed their lives, and 20,320 were wounded in combat during the War in Afghanistan (October 7, 2001, to present)-first called Operation Enduring Freedom and now Operation Resolute Support. In addition, there were 1,720 U.S. civilian contractor fatalities. The most notable Purple Heart recipient is Salvatore Giunta, who was the first Soldier since the Vietnam War awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. As the war in Afghanistan continues to this day, the number of Purple Heart recipients will continue to rise until the conflict ends. The American service member with the most Purple Hearts during this conflict is Staff Sergeant Brandon Camacho, who earned five Purple Hearts during his service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Global War on Terrorism OIF/OIR Iraq: 36,058 Purple Hearts for 3,836 KIA and 32,222 WIA
Purple Hearts were awarded to 3,836 service members killed in action and 32,222 wounded while serving in combat in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (March 20, 2003, to December 18, 2011), now called Operation Inherent Resolve (June 15, 2014, to present).
Global War on Terrorism total wounded in action = 53,542 as of Jan 25, 2021.
Joseph A. Tormala, USMC-USA (Ret)
National Americanism Officer
joetormalaret@gmail.com
MILITARY ORDER PURPLE HEART,
5413-B BACKLICK RD
SPRINGFIELD, VA 22151-3960
When Air Force Maj. Alan Saunders arrived in Vietnam in June 1963; true combat search and rescue (CSAR) as we know it today was just beginning to form. Saunders was bringing his experience fighting World War II in the jungles of Burma to Det. 3, Pacific Air Rescue Center in Tan Son Nhut.
Saunders knew that the jungle didn't burn and create smoke around the wreckage of a downed aircraft. Nor did it easily cough up a surviving pilot, soldier, or Marines separated from their units or anyone else unlucky enough to be in the jungle alone and among the enemy.
Instead, the dense jungles of Southeast Asia swallowed aircraft whole. When it went in, the trees opened up, and the canopy quickly closed around it. Finding a downed aircraft, even a flaming one, was difficult if not impossible, Sanders said.
It was the beginning of a sea change in how the United States military treated its missing in action. Before Vietnam, the U.S. was limited by not just the enemy but the aircraft, training, and technology needed to rescue missing persons, especially downed pilots. Helicopters appeared in combat before the Vietnam War, but the technology was perfected in the years leading up to the war in Southeast Asia, Bjorkman writes.
This isn't because the United States military didn't see it as a worthy endeavor before Vietnam, but rescuing aircrews before the 1960s often put the rescuer at risk of going down in the effort to rescue comrades. During World War II and the Korean War, aircraft just weren't equipped for those roles.
During the Pacific War in World War II, flying boats like the OA-10 Catalina could be used to pick up downed airmen in the water, but their carrying capacity was limited. Even early helicopters like the Sikorsky YR-4B used in Burma in 1944 were unreliable at best.
Eventually, the technology came about to meet the needs of CSAR, and the Air Force began to perfect the way it trained pararescuemen and the pilots that flew them to downed airmen, aircraft, and even space mission capsules in the ocean.
Maj. Saunders wanted the Army to adopt the same rigorous standards - an oversight he believed was costing lives. Crews were drowning after bailing out of aircraft when they could have been saved by a professionally trained CSAR crew.
After Saunders arrived in South Vietnam in 1963, it took considerable effort and lobbying to convince the Army to use professional search and rescue forces in the war. The effort would pay off, however, and the way the U.S. saw its missing in action would be forever changed.
Just during Saunders' tenure in Vietnam, within a year, Saunders could have an H-43 helicopter and rescue crew airborne in 90 seconds. The effort to staff and train combat search and rescue troops resulted in airmen locating 248 out of 250 down aircraft crews.
"Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Story of the U.S. Military's Commitment to Leave No One Behind" is full of vignettes of fascinating stories from the birth of combat aviation to the rise of combat search and rescue. It weaves together a tapestry of short stories that all add up to display the most awe-inspiring aspect of military life - that no matter what happens, the U.S. military will come back for its own.
Interested readers can pick up a copy wherever books are sold or in a digital format for around $23.00.
Lt. Col. Lewis "Chesty" Puller wasn't about to let three whole companies die if he could do anything about it. If anyone could, it was Chesty. He flagged down the destroyer USS Monssen, organized a relief force of Higgins boats to withdraw the men, and directed the Monssen to provide cover fire. 
He first landed Marines on beaches in the Solomon Islands on Tulagi and Gavutu–Tanambogo. The successful Allied invasion of these islands was also the start of the Guadalcanal campaign. It would be at Guadalcanal where Douglas Munro would earn his place in history. 
In a perhaps apocryphal story, Evans later said Munro briefly regained consciousness, asking his fellow Gold Dust Twin, "Did they get off." When Evans nodded, Munro smiled and was gone. 
Beauregard was using McLean's house as his headquarters for the First Battle of Bull Run. Three months had passed since the Confederate shelled Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and booted the Union garrison out of the state. The Federal army was making a play for the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
Still, by the time the federal army met the rebels, no one was expecting the war to be the long, drawn-out bloodletting we remember today. It was an evenly-matched fight, one the Union was expected to win easily. In fact, civilians from Washington even made the trek to Manassas to watch the battle, bringing picnic baskets to watch a spectacle. Many of them would have to make a run for safety by the end of the day. 
To the south of the fighting, Union artillery was overrun by Confederates wearing blue uniforms. The federal guns were captured and recaptured many times throughout the battle. Losing these guns was the turning point for the battle. More Confederate reinforcements from the Army of the Shenandoah arrived, and the whole force began to advance. Union troops broke and ran. 
The legend of Ted Williams' frozen body has been the subject of rumor and speculation that it was just as much a myth and urban legend as that of Walt Disney's. Mostly because his will stated that he wanted to be cremated. In the end, a "family pact" written on a bar napkin prevailed in court, and "The Thumper" went to the freezer. 
By 1952, he reported for duty in South Korea, where he flew 39 combat missions against communist targets in the air and on the ground. His wingman for most of those missions was a future senator and astronaut John Glenn, who called him one of the best pilots he knew.
Driven by this quest, the 100th Infantry Battalion performed with distinction and rose to become the most highly decorated unit for its size in US military history.
Thereafter the Battalion traveled to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for training in rifle squads, tactics, and leadership. Under the scrutiny of Major General Haislip, Chief of Army Ground Forces, the men earned his highest commendation in field exercises, advanced maneuvers, and field formations, followed by maneuvers at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, to complete a fourteen-month training regimen. Returning to Camp Shelby in August 1943, it was then the Battalion learned of a second all-volunteer Nisei unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, activated in February 1943 as an outcome of the brilliant training performance by the 100th Infantry Battalion. Departing by train for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the Battalion boarded a converted banana boat, SS James Parker, for a twelve-day, uneventful Atlantic crossing.
The rocky terrain and freezing temperatures proved to be deadly obstacles together with minefields spread across the Italian countryside. On September 28th and 29th, the Battalion incurred its first combat casualties while assaulting Montecorvino. In only their second day of enemy action, Sargent Shigeo Takata was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross, sacrificing himself to reveal hidden enemy gun emplacements. The men then moved north to capture the town of Benevento, a crucial road and railway junction outside Naples. The capture of Benevento and growing combat reputation inspired a Letter of Commendation from General Mark Clark, after which the Battalion was permitted to wear the 34th arm patch, a practice continuing through war's end despite changing attachments.
In March 1944, the 100th Battalion was deployed to the Anzio beachhead, a stalemate created by an Allied amphibious landing and German counterattack. With little progress being made, Lt. Kim and Pfc Akahashi infiltrated enemy lines to capture Germans for interrogation, leading to Allied plans for a breakout and earning the Distinguished Service Cross. With fierce resistance during the breakout, six more Nisei would earn the DSC and the Silver Star. Now on the road to Rome, the 100th and five heavy weapon units captured Hill 435 near Lanuvia, accomplished in one day despite earlier failed attempts by two other battalions. Nonetheless, seven miles outside of Rome, the 100th was halted to permit other troops to enter the city to a heroes' welcome.
In September 1944, the 100th/442nd were pulled out of Italy and shipped from Naples to Marseilles, France. Now attached to the 36th Division of 7th Army, the plan was to capture key passes in the Vosges Mountains, where the enemy had been strengthening defensive positions, then cross the Rhine River into Germany. Upon arrival, the 100th/442nd assaulted Bruyeres and the surrounding hills. After two weeks of combat, the men captured Bruyeres, and in a highly controversial move, were immediately ordered to take a nearby town of no reported value, Biffontaine. Following twenty-four hours of intense combat, the town was captured but rendered heavy casualties, depleted food, ammunition, medical supplies, and water. Yet, there would be no rest. General Dahlquist, Commander/36th Infantry Division, had ordered 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry to pursue retreating Germans deep into wooded territory with their flanks exposed and beyond the range of artillery support. Enemy forces rapidly encircled the 275 soldiers, now known as “The Lost Battalion," and following two failed rescue attempts, the 100th/442nd were sent in. After five days of horrific combat, the 211 remaining men were rescued, but at the cost of 350 casualties to the 100th/442nd. For their actions in the Vosges Mountains, the 100th earned a second Presidential Unit Citation and in March 1945 were ordered back to Italy as part of the 92nd Division.
The 100th Infantry Battalion performed brilliantly, extending from training through twenty months of combat, often achieving outcomes that repeated attempts by much larger forces could not. In doing so, the 100th and 442nd Regimental Combat Team demonstrated uncommon heroism and personal sacrifice, forever erasing the burden to prove their loyalty and instead serve as an example for others to follow. This commitment to purpose would compel many of these veterans to pursue careers in public service and in further tribute to the men of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, on November 2, 2011, President Obama conferred the Congressional Gold Medal, “the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions."
1. M2 Browning .50-Caliber Machine Gun
lt M1911
3. Winchester Model 1897
4. M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
It also was adapted for use on aircraft.
There’s no telling exactly what the Jimmy Carter was doing at sea, as its missions are probably among the most closely guarded secrets in the U.S. Navy, but submarines fly those pirate flags when they return from a mission after some kind of "operational action."
When World War I broke out in 1914, the Royal Navy’s submarines got their first taste of naval combat. A contemporary of Wilson’s, Lt. Cmdr. Max Horton was out to sea aboard one of England’s earliest submarines, the HMS E9. Horton and the E9 were off the coast of German islands in the North Sea when they came upon the German light cruiser Hela.
Images of the original Purple Heart and as it is today.
World War I: 257,404 Purple Hearts for 53,402 KIA & 204,002 WIA
Joseph A. Tormala, USMC-USA (Ret)
When Air Force Maj. Alan Saunders arrived in Vietnam in June 1963; true combat search and rescue (CSAR) as we know it today was just beginning to form. Saunders was bringing his experience fighting World War II in the jungles of Burma to Det. 3, Pacific Air Rescue Center in Tan Son Nhut.
Eventually, the technology came about to meet the needs of CSAR, and the Air Force began to perfect the way it trained pararescuemen and the pilots that flew them to downed airmen, aircraft, and even space mission capsules in the ocean.