Month: March 2013
Runners – The Untold Story of Wartime Desertion
Eddie Slovik was the first to admit that he wasn’t “cut out for combat duty.” And for a time, the U.S. Army agreed. The 24-year-old Detroit native was initially passed over for military service in World…
Napalm – A Brief History of One of History’s Most Fearsome Weapons
“During the Vietnam conflict, French, American and South Vietnamese forces would employ napalm with devastating effect.” (Originally published March 25, 2013) “NAPALM IS THE MOST TERRIBLE PAIN YOU CAN IMAGINE,” Kim Phuc once told an…
With Triumphs Like These, Who Needs Defeats? — A Brief History of Pyrrhic Victories
“The term ‘pyrrhic victory’ is named for the ancient ruler of Epirus, King Pyrrhus, who went down in history for winning a string of major battles against Rome and Carthage but still losing the war…
The Battle for Nassau – Inside the First Overseas Mission for America’s Marines
“Less than a year into the revolution, a force of Continentals invaded and captured the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. Their target: a cache of military supplies that included 200 barrels of gunpowder.”…
The First Sky Soldiers – Meet History’s Earliest Airborne Units
“During the years between the World Wars, armies around the world began organizing their own specially designated paratroop units.” FEW HAVE PROBABLY heard of Gleb Kotelnikov — the genius behind the first modern backpack parachute. In 1911,…
Ironclad Sailors to be Laid to Rest Friday
For the officers and crew of the U.S. Navy’s first iron warship, USS Monitor, tragedy struck on the last day of 1862. While being towed through stormy seas less than 20 miles off the coast…