In plain sight: The Pearl Harbor spy
Using simple observation, a Japanese spy in Pearl Harbor collected crucial information. His full story, however, remains hidden.
Military History
The 101st Airborne and the history of the real ‘screaming eagle’
While the bald eagle is a national emblem, the 101st’s screaming eagle insignia pays homage to a genuine war bird from the Civil War.
The Japanese American ‘draft dodgers’ of WWII
In 1944, a few hundred U.S.-born Japanese Americans defied their draft orders, citing the constitutional rights of the interned Nisei.
D-Day veteran who saved lives on Omaha Beach, dies at 101 in Normandy
Shay was awarded the Silver Star for repeatedly plunging into the sea and carrying critically wounded soldiers to relative safety.
You can thank this Marine for Taco Bell — and GI distress
Cpl. Bell seemingly learned about food efficiency when feeding hordes of Marines while island hopping in the Pacific.
After 84 years, USS Arizona’s unknowns may soon be identified
Operation 85, a family advocacy group, has worked tirelessly the past two years to obtain the DNA of 643 descendents of those onboard the USS Arizona.
WWII Marine absorbed grenade blast to save his men on Tinian
While fighting on Tinian Pvt. Joseph Ozbourn sacrificed his life to save four fellow Marines.
Meet the youngest Medal of Honor recipient since the Civil War
At just 14 years old, Jacklyn "Jack" Lucas forged his mother’s signature to join the Marine Corps.
Airman behind famed ‘Burst of Joy’ photo dies at 92
Retired Col. Robert L. Stirm, the man featured in the famous Vietnam War Pulitzer Prize-winning photo “Burst of Joy” has died.
How a Nazi trial ended the just-following-orders defense for US troops
After Nuremberg, U.S. military policy stated troops have a duty to disobey orders “a man of ordinary sense and understanding would know to be illegal."
How the Battle of Hurtgen Forest became one of the biggest US losses
By the night of Nov. 20, the U.S. rifle companies alone had lost more than 40% of their strength.
Can a tabletop game explain why America lost the Vietnam War?
Fifty years after the last U.S. helicopters left Saigon, why America lost the Vietnam War is elusive. But can a tabletop wargame offer insight?
‘He can run but he can’t hide’: Joe Louis and the fight of his life
Authors Johnny Smith and Randy Roberts explore Louis's personal fight during WWII and how he became a champion for Black Americans in and out of the ring.
The lost prison interview with Hermann Göring
From his prison cell on July 25, 1945, Göring was interviewed by Maj. Kenneth W. Hechler of the U.S. Army Europe’s Historical Division.
With his bare hands, this sailor sealed off his ship to save its crew
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Oscar Peterson sacrificed all to keep his flaming ship in the fight.
During the Meuse-Argonne campaign, this trench runner took initiative
Sterling Morelock advanced his company but paid a painful price.
Netherlands WWII cemetery removes displays honoring Black soldiers
ABMC, however, told Dutch news outlets that one panel is “off display, though not out of rotation,” although a second panel was “retired.”
