To All
Good Thursday morning June 25. Same weather different day. The clouds are clearing by 10 and we are heating up to 79 by 1
Last class tonight with promotions and start the summer quarter on Monday. Testing went well at the San Marcos school last night.
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director’s corner for all 97 H-Grams
June 25
1859 Though the U.S. is neutral in the Spanish Opium War, Capt. Josiah Tattnall offers the use of the U.S. steamer Toey-Wan to the British and French during the Battle of Taku Forts to receive wounded and dead troops.
1917 During World War I, the first Navy convoy of troopships carrying the American Expeditionary Forces arrives in France. The 14 troopships depart on June 14 from New York, which includes the 5th Marine Regiment.
1942 USS Nautilus (SS 168) sinks the Japanese destroyer, Yamakaze, southeast of Yokosuka, Japan.
1950 North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War. Two days later, President Harry S. Truman supports the United Nations call and authorizes US naval and air operations south of the 38th Parallel, Korea.
1956 Fleet Adm. Ernest J. King dies at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in New Hampshire.
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Today in World History June 25
841 Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeat Lothar at Fontenay.
1658 Aurangzeb proclaims himself emperor of the Moghuls in India.
1767 Mexican Indians riot as Jesuit priests are ordered home.
1857 Gustave Flaubert goes on trial for public immorality regarding his novel, Madame Bovary.
1862 The first day of the Seven Days' campaign begins with fighting at Oak Grove, Virginia.
1864 Union troops surrounding Petersburg, Virginia, begin building a mine tunnel underneath the Confederate lines.
1868 The U.S. Congress enacts legislation granting an eight-hour day to workers employed by the federal government.
1876 General George A. Custer and over 260 men of the Seventh Cavalry are wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at Little Bighorn in Montana.
1903 Marie Curie announces her discovery of radium.
1920 The Greeks take 8,000 Turkish prisoners in Smyrna.
1921 Samuel Gompers is elected head of the American Federation of Labor for the 40th time.
1941 Finland declares war on the Soviet Union.
1946 Ho Chi Minh travels to France for talks on Vietnamese independence.
1948 The Soviet Union tightens its blockade of Berlin by intercepting river barges heading for the city.
1950 North Korea invades South Korea, beginning the Korean War.
1959 The Cuban government seizes 2.35 million acres under a new agrarian reform law.
1962 The U.S. Supreme Court bans official prayers in public schools.
1964 President Lyndon Johnson orders 200 naval personnel to Mississippi to assist in finding three missing civil rights workers.
1973 White House Counsel John Dean admits President Richard Nixon took part in the Watergate cover-up.
1986 Congress approves $100 million in aid to the Contras fighting in Nicaragua.
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Thanks to Admiral Cox and the NHHC
H-Gram 050: 70th Anniversary of the Korean War—The Initial Naval Actions
25 June 2020
Defense of the Pusan Perimeter, 1950: PFC Harold R. Bates and PFC Richard N. Martin of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade rest atop the third objective that U.S. Marines seized overlooking the Naktong River, South Korea, 19 August 1950. Photographed by Sgt. Frank C. Kerr, USMC (NH 96991).
This H-gram covers the first two month of naval action in the Korean War, which started on 25 June 1950. Sometimes referred to as the “Forgotten War,” I plan to give it pretty thorough treatment because some of the amazing U.S. Navy action has indeed largely been forgotten.
Download a pdf of H-Gram 050 (5 MB).
Before dawn on Sunday morning, 25 June 1950, Communist North Korea launched a massive surprise attack across the border into South Korea, smashing through the inadequate South Korean defenses. Within three days, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) had captured the South Korean capital of Seoul and kept on going south, with little to stop it, while also overrunning the airfields that might have been of use to the U.S. Air Force. The attack not only took the South Koreans by surprise, it caught the United States unprepared for war.
To the extent that the United States was planning for war in 1950, it was almost exclusively focused on a potential Soviet invasion of Europe, which was to be deterred or won (on the cheap, relatively) by U.S. Air Force intercontinental bombers armed with atomic bombs. The U.S. Navy had repeatedly lost the budget and service roles and missions battles of the late 1940s; the size, capability, and readiness of the Navy was a pale shadow of what it had been at the Japanese surrender only five years before.
As it turned out, the U.S. Army was in even worse shape than the Navy, and the first combat actions between the U.S. Army and the NKPA were humiliating defeats for the Americans, with several thousand U.S. soldiers killed and captured as they were steam-rollered by superior NKPA armored forces and sheer numbers. It was also apparent that the massive U.S. Air Force investment in long-range nuclear bombers was useless in a war in which the object was to stop North Korean aggression, without getting into a full-scale war with the Soviet Union—i.e., a “limited war.” And, without airfields in Korea, the ability of Air Force tactical aircraft to affect the battle from bases in Japan was severely constrained.
The U.S. Navy presence in the Western Pacific in 1950 had been reduced to one aircraft carrier (Valley Forge, CV-45), two cruisers, and a handful of destroyers, which were severely short of ammunition and underway logistics support. Nevertheless, it was this naval force, augmented by a smaller British carrier (HMS Triumph) and other Allied ships under a (U.S.-led) United Nations command structure that played a key role in establishing command of the air and of the sea that prevented the U.S. Army from being thrown out of Korea. Without control of the vital sea lanes, there is little doubt that, by August 1950, the North Koreans would have been in possession of the entire Korean peninsula. It was U.S. Navy amphibious capability—as enfeebled as it was by budget cuts—that got a well-trained U.S. Marine brigade into Korea just in time to stiffen the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and prevent the last UN toehold in South Korea from being overrun.
The miniscule Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) acquitted itself well, particularly in a small battle with major strategic consequences, when the largest warship in the ROKN (a submarine chaser) sank a North Korean transport with 600 troops embarked that were attempting a surprise seizure of the port of Pusan on 26 June 1950.
The U.S. and Allied navies were in the action almost immediately, with two U.S. destroyers covering the evacuation of U.S. and friendly foreign nationals from Seoul on only the second day of the war. On 2 July 1950, light cruiser Juneau (CL-119) and two Allied ships sank three of four North Korean PT-boats and two of two motor gunboats in the Battle of Chumonchin Chan. This was the first and last surface engagement between the U.S. and North Korean navies, as it convinced the North Koreans to never try that again (at least until the Pueblo—AGER-2—incident in 1968).
On 3 July, Valley Forge and Triumph (both in Task Force 77) caught the North Koreans by surprise with a strike from the Yellow Sea right into their capital of Pyongyang. The action that resulted in the first air-to-air kill by a U.S. Navy jet fighter, when an F9F Panther flown by Lieutenant (j.g.) Leonard Plog downed a piston-engine North Korean Yak-9 fighter. This was also the combat debut of the Panther and the new AD-4 Skyraider attack aircraft. Although hampered by lack of underway ammunition resupply and refueling, the two carriers bounced back and forth between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, so the North Koreans could never be sure from which direction they would be hit.
U.S. Navy aircraft played a critical role in interdicting North Korean troop movements and supply lines, which became increasingly vulnerable the farther the NKPA advanced. This forced increased North Korean resupply via small coastal craft, which the ROKN (beefed up with several more sub-chasers) proved very adept at catching and destroying. On the other hand, close air support procedures between the .U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army proved to be completely bolloxed up, in need of urgent fixing.
First Korean War carrier air strikes: A North Korean railroad train is attacked just south of Pyongyang by planes from the joint U.S.-British Task Force 77, 4 July 1950. The carriers involved were USS Valley Forge (CV-45) and HMS Triumph (80-G-417148).
Bombardment by Allied ships on the west coast (especially challenging given the extreme tidal conditions) and by (primarily) U.S. ships on the east coast made the North Koreans pay a heavy price for their advance. Naval gunfire on the east coast became even more effective when the heavy cruisers Helena (CA-75) and Toledo (CA-133), with their 8-inch guns, arrived within a month to augment Rochester (CA-124). U.S. surface ships ranged far to the north along the Korean coast shelling key North Korean ports. The destroyer Mansfield (DD-728) put a raiding party ashore in North Korea to blow a key tunnel on the railroad bringing supplies in from Vladivostok, Soviet Union. This was followed by submarine transport Perch (ASSP-313) putting a British commando party ashore in a similar operation. U.S. and UN warships played a key role in keeping the northern end of the Pusan Perimeter from collapsing.
The arrival of a second U.S. carrier (Philippine Sea, CV-47) enabled near-continuous carrier strikes on North Korean targets. The arrival of two escort carriers, Badoeng Strait (CVE-118) and Sicily (CVE-116), each with a Marine Corsair squadron embarked, provided critical air support that enabled the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade to repel North Korean breakthroughs of U.S. Army divisions attempting to hold the hard-pressed Pusan perimeter.
Compared to the massive casualties being suffered by the U.S. and ROK armies, the cost to the U.S. Navy in the first months of the war was relatively light, with only a handful of aircraft shot down (and even more lost to operational causes than the enemy).
However, the first Navy Cross went posthumously to Commander Raymond Vogel, the commander of Air Group 11 (CVG-11), who was shot down while dropping a span on the Han River Bridge in Seoul on 19 August 1950.
Although Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps aircraft inflicted massive losses to North Korean troops, tanks, and supply lines, the North Koreans just kept attacking. At the end of August 1950, the issue was still very much in doubt as to whether the Pusan Perimeter would hold.
That the U.S. Navy accomplished anything at all was a testament to the leaders and sailors who hadn’t forgotten how to win, despite shortfalls in just about everything. In 1949, the general consensus in the new unified Department of Defense was that the Navy was obsolete, and the Secretary of Defense cancelled the next-generation aircraft carrier (United States, CVA-58) and gave orders to reduce the number of operational fleet carriers from eight to four. An additional draconian budget cut in mid-1949, if implemented, would have meant putting every aircraft carrier into mothballs, along with the last battleship that wasn’t already in reserve. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, the Truman administration suddenly discovered that a navy really truly can come in handy, and can do things that strategic bombers and atomic weapons can’t. So, in some respect, the U.S. Navy can thank Kim Il-sung (grandfather of today’s “Dear Leader”) for showing the rest of the Defense Department the error of their ways.
For more on the U.S. Navy’s role in the first months of the Korean War, please see attachment H-050-1.
As always, you are welcome to forward H-grams in order to spread these stories of U.S. Navy valor and sacrifice. Back issues of H-grams enhanced with photos may be found here. Here is a link to the H-gram page: H-Grams (navy.mil)
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June 25
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
June 25: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=648
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady’s work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in “search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Thanks to Dale
This is a repeat from an old List about the battle of Saipan
one Crazy Marine,
June 25th
The Pied Piper of Saipan
On his first night on the island of Saipan in June 1944, Marine Private Guy Gabaldon slipped out of camp on his own and returned with two Japanese prisoners. His commanders told him that if left his post again, he’d be court-martialed. But the next night he disappeared again and came back with 50 prisoners. After that, his superiors let him go on his “lone-wolf ” missions whenever he wanted.
Gabaldon wasn’t simply after prisoners. He was trying to save lives. American troops had stormed Saipan, in the Marianna Islands, to break the Japanese defense line in the Pacific and secure a site for an air base. The Japanese tried to hold the island with desperate suicide charges. Gabaldon figured that more prisoners meant fewer casualties.
Just eighteen years old, Guy Gabaldon had learned street smarts from growing up in East Los Angeles barrios. He also knew some Japanese, thanks to a childhood friendship with a Japanese-American family. His strategy was simple. Working alone, he would creep up to an enemy-held cave or bunker, call out that the Marines were nearby, and assure the Japanese that they would be treated with dignity if they would lay down their arms.
“I must have seen too many John Wayne movies, because what I was doing was suicidal,” Gabaldon later said. But his plan kept working.
One day Gabaldon persuaded some 800 Japanese soldiers to surrender and follow him back to the American lines. His astounded comrades nicknamed him the “Pied Piper of Saipan.” Before being wounded by machine-gun fire, he captured perhaps 1,500 prisoners.
Gabaldon’s bravery earned him the Navy Cross, and Hollywood made a movie, Hell to Eternity, about him. But his greatest reward was knowing that, in the midst of a bloody Pacific battle, he had single-handedly saved many American lives.
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From This Day in History
THE BATTLE OF THE LITTLE BIGHORN
In mid-June, three columns of U.S. soldiers lined up against the camp and prepared to march. A force of 1,200 Native Americans turned back the first column on June 17. Five days later, General Alfred Terry ordered Custer’s 7th Cavalry to scout ahead for enemy troops. On the morning of June 25, Custer drew near the camp and decided to press on ahead rather than wait for reinforcements.
At mid-day, Custer’s 600 men entered the Little Bighorn Valley. Among the Native Americans, word quickly spread of the impending attack. The older Sitting Bull rallied the warriors and saw to the safety of the women and children, while Crazy Horse set off with a large force to meet the attackers head on. Despite Custer’s desperate attempts to regroup his men, they were quickly overwhelmed. Custer and some 200 men in his battalion were attacked by as many as 3,000 Native Americans; within an hour, Custer and every last one of his soldiers was dead.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn—also called Custer’s Last Stand—marked the most decisive Native American victory and the worst U.S. Army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. The gruesome fate of Custer and his men outraged many white Americans and confirmed their image of the Native Americans as "wild." Meanwhile, the U.S. government increased its efforts to subdue the tribes. Within five years, almost all of the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne would be confined to reservations.
What Really Happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?
The Battle of the Little Bighorn—also known as Custer’s Last Stand—was the most ferocious battle of the Sioux Wars. Colonel George Custer and his men never stood a fighting chance.
BY: ANNETTE MCDERMOTT
UPDATED: JUNE 20, 2023 | ORIGINAL: FEBRUARY 27, 2018
Custers Last Stand
Under skies darkened by smoke, gunfire and flying arrows, 210 men of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry Unit led by Lt. Colonel George Custer confronted thousands of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors on June 25, 1876, near the Little Big Horn River in present-day Montana. The engagement was one in a series of battles and negotiations between Plains Indians and U.S. forces over control of Western territory, collectively known as the Sioux Wars.
In less than an hour, the Sioux and Cheyenne had won the Battle of the Little Bighorn, killing Custer and every one of his men. The battle has been ennobled as “Custer’s Last Stand”—but in truth, Custer and his men never stood a fighting chance.
Battle of the Little Bighorn
Custer’s Early Life Was Less Than Auspicious
George Armstrong Custer, born in Ohio in 1839, earned a certificate for teaching grammar school in 1856 but had much grander goals. The following year, he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was a less-than-stellar cadet: Custer graduated dead last in his class of 1861.
When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Custer joined the Union Army’s Cavalry and soon proved himself a competent, reliable soldier in battles such as the First Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Gettysburg. He was promoted several times and by the time the war ended, he was a Major General in charge of a Cavalry division.
Throughout the war, Custer showed resilience time and again. He supposedly had 11 horses shot out from under him yet was only wounded once. His dogged pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia is often partially credited for helping to end the Civil War.
Custer was never afraid of getting his hands dirty. Unlike many other generals, he led his men from the front instead of from behind and was often the first to plunge into battle.
In February 1864, Custer married Elizabeth (Libbie) Bacon. In 1866, he was promoted to Lt. Colonel in charge of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Unit and went with Libbie to Kansas to fight in the Plains Indian Wars.
The Plains Indians Show Tremendous Fortitude
The Great Plains were the last Native American holdout in America. As settlers colonized the far west before the Civil War, few had put down roots in the Plains due to its dry weather and large Indigenous populations.
But after the Civil War, far-west land became scarcer and the U.S. government granted 10 percent of Plains land to settlers and railroads. A confrontation between the Plains Indians against the settlers and government forces was inevitable.
By the late 1860s, most Native Americans had been forced onto so-called Indian reservations or killed outright. Vowing to avoid the same fate, the Plains Indians settled in for a long and fierce holdout.
In the hopes of squashing the livelihood of the Native American people on the Plains, the government allowed the railroads to kill scores of buffalo herds to lay railroad tracks. They also urged hunters to kill as many buffalo as possible without oversight and encouraged trains to stop so passengers could massacre buffalo for sport.
The more the white colonizers needlessly slaughtered buffalo, the angrier Indigenous people grew. Some staged brutal attacks on settlers and railroad workers without regard to age or gender.
To the tribes, the railroad represented an end to their livelihood, since for millennia they’d relied on free-roaming buffalo to survive. By the time Custer arrived on the scene in 1866, the war between the army and the Plains Indians was in full force.
Custer Goes AWOL and Is Court-Martialed by the U.S. Army.
Custer’s first assignment was helping Major General Winfield S. Hancock carry out a shock-and-awe campaign to overwhelm the tribal nations. At the end of the campaign, Custer deserted and joined his wife at Fort Riley. He was court-martialed in 1867 and suspended without rank and pay for one year.
The fact that Custer—a highly-decorated and well-respected commander—deserted perplexed many of his men and his superiors. It also demonstrated his inclination to make rash decisions, a trait that some say would have deadly consequences later.
Despite Custer’s now-tarnished reputation, the army still needed him to fight Native Americans. In September 1868, he returned to duty before his court-martial sentence was up and resumed command of the 7th Cavalry. On November 28, he led a campaign against a village of Cheyenne led by Chief Black Kettle, killing all Native American warriors present and earning himself a reputation as a ruthless fighter.
Over the next several years, Custer discovered that fighting Indigenous people was much different than fighting Confederate soldiers.
The Indigenous warriors were spread out. They rode fast ponies and knew the terrain better than Custer ever could.
In 1873, Custer faced a group of attacking Lakota at the Northern Pacific Railroad Survey at Yellowstone. It was his first encounter with Lakota leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, but it wouldn’t be his last. Little did Custer know at the time the two Indigenous leaders would play a role in his death a few years later.
In 1868, the U.S. government had signed a treaty recognizing South Dakota’s Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation. However, the government had a change of heart and decided to break the treaty in 1874 when Custer led an excursion of miners who had been looking for gold into the Black Hills.
Custer was tasked with relocating all Native Americans in the area to reservations by January 31, 1876. Any person who didn’t comply would be considered hostile.
The Native Americans, however, didn’t take the deception lying down. Those who could, left their reservations and traveled to Montana to join forces with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at their fast-growing camp. Thousands strong, the group eventually settled on banks of the Little Bighorn River.
Background to the Battle of the Little Bighorn
The U.S. Army dispatched three columns of soldiers, including Custer and his 7th Cavalry, to round up Indigenous people and return them to their reservations.
The plan was for Custer’s cavalry and Brigadier General Alfred Terry’s infantry to rendezvous with troops under the command of Colonel John Gibbon and Brigadier General George Crook. They’d then find the Native Americans, surround them and force their surrender.
Crook was delayed but Terry, Custer and Gibbon met-up in mid-June and after a scouting party found a trail headed toward Little Big Horn Valley, they decided Custer should move in, surround the tribes and await reinforcements.
Custer forged ahead but things didn’t go as planned. Around midday on June 25, his scouts located Sitting Bull’s camp. Instead of waiting for reinforcements, however, Custer planned a surprise attack for the next day. He moved it up when he thought the Native American forces had discovered his position.
Custer divided his more than 600 men into four groups. He ordered one small battalion to stay with the supply train and the other two, led by Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, to attack from the south and prevent the tribesman from escaping. Custer would lead the final group—210 men strong—and planned to attack from the north.
Reno’s group attacked first but swiftly embarked on a disorganized retreat after realizing they were completely outnumbered. By the time they’d regrouped, at least 30 troops were dead.
Benteen’s troops came to Reno’s aid and the combined battalions joined forces on what is now known as Reno Hill. They remained there despite Custer’s order: “Benteen. Come on, Big Village, Be quick, Bring packs. P.S. Bring packs.”
Custer's ‘Last Stand’ Becomes a Slaughter
The exact events of Custer’s Last Stand are unclear. What is known is that neither Benteen or Reno helped Custer despite admitting later they’d heard heavy gunfire coming from Custer’s position. Custer and his men were left to face scores of Native American warriors alone. Some historians believe many of Custer’s men panicked, dismounted from their horses and were shot dead as they fled.
No one knows when Custer realized he was in trouble since no eyewitness from his troops lived to tell the tale. The Sioux and Cheyenne warriors led by Crazy Horse attacked with Winchester, Henry and Spencer repeating rifles as well as bows and arrows.
Most of Custer’s men were armed with Springfield single-shot carbine rifles and Colt .45 revolvers; they were easily outgunned. Custer’s line and command structure quickly collapsed, and soon it was every man for himself.
Custer Dies by Two Bullet Wounds
In the end, Custer found himself on the defensive with nowhere to hide and nowhere to run and was killed along with every man in his battalion. His body was found near Custer Hill, also known as Last Stand Hill, alongside the bodies of 40 of his men, including his brother and nephew, and dozens of dead horses.
Custer had suffered two bullet wounds, one near his heart and one in the head. It’s unclear which wound killed him or if the head wound happened before or after he died. In the heat of battle, it’s unlikely the warrior who shot Custer knew he’d just killed a U.S. Army icon. Even so, once word spread that Custer was dead, many Native Americans claimed to be his executioner.
After the battle, Native American warriors stripped, scalped and dismembered their enemy’s corpses on the battlefield, possibly because they believed the souls of disfigured bodies were doomed to walk the earth forever.
Reaction to the Little Big Horn Spells Doom for the Plains Indians
The Battle of the Little Big Horn didn’t end with the massacre of Custer and his men. The Native Americans quickly regrouped and pursued Reno’s and Benteen’s battalions. The troops fought until General Terry’s reinforcements finally arrived.
Now it was the Native Americans who were outnumbered so they packed up camp and fled, bringing the largest defeat of the U.S. Army during the Plains Indian Wars to an end.
The Sioux and Cheyenne reveled in their victory for a time, but their celebration was short-lived, as was their freedom. When word of Custer’s death reached Americans celebrating their nation’s centennial on July 4, they demanded retribution.
The U.S. Army intensified their efforts to hunt down all resisting Native Americans and either wipe them out or force them back onto reservations. Within a year, most had been rounded up or killed.
In May 1877, Crazy Horse surrendered at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, where he was later bayoneted and killed after an altercation with an army officer. After fleeing to Canada, Sitting Bull eventually surrendered in 1881 and lived on Standing Rock Reservation until he was killed by Native American agent policemen during a conflict at his house in 1890.
'Custer's Last Stand' Becomes a Manufactured Legacy
The Battle of the Little Bighorn—aka Custer’s Last Stand—is steeped in controversy. To this day, many people question his actions that fateful day. He’s often accused of arrogance for not following the original battle plan and leading his men to certain death. Yet it’s possible Custer believed reinforcements were on the way and wanted to strike before the Sioux and Cheyenne dispersed; it’s unlikely he expected such a well-armed attack.
It’s also argued that Reno and Benteen were simply cowards who ignored Custer’s orders when the fighting unexpectedly got tough, leaving Custer and his men to fight a losing battle. In their defense, though, they may have believed that following Custer’s orders was a suicide mission.
The dead at the Battle of the Little Big Horn were given a quick burial where they fell by the first soldiers who arrived at the scene. Custer was later disinterred and reburied at West Point. Other troops were also disinterred for private burials.
In 1881, a memorial was erected in honor of those who lost their lives. A trench was dug below the memorial to re-inter the remaining battlefield remains and a marker was erected where each soldier had fallen in battle.
While Custer never had the chance to defend his actions at the Battle of Little Big Horn, he needn’t have worried about his legacy because his widow Libbie had it safely in hand: She wanted her husband to go down in honor and boldly promoted him as a brave hero cut down in the prime of his life while defending his country.
It seems Libbie Custer’s efforts paid off. No matter how it’s interpreted over 140 years later, the Battle of Little Big Horn is still one of the most recognized events in U.S. history.
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Thanks to American Facts
Lands that were only dreams
Superior, Transylvania, Sequoyah, And Other States That Never Were
The map of the United States could have looked very different—perhaps with around 70 states, each having its own capital and constitution. For example, have you ever heard of the proposed states of Franklin or Westsylvania? And can you guess where Superior was supposed to be located? Let’s dive into 13 states that almost—but never—found a place on the map.
Superior
As we know, Michigan is divided into the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The discussion about whether the Upper Peninsula should become its own state dates back as far as 1858.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, residents of the region proposed creating the State of Superior, named after the Great Lake that defines the region. Although the movement never gained enough traction, some people still support the idea today, even though Superior would become the state with the smallest population.
Jefferson
Jefferson was a proposed state, much like Washington was before it became a state. Picture this: a state straddling Northern California and Southern Oregon, rich in timber and minerals. This was the vision for Jefferson, first proposed in the mid-19th century and revived in 1941.
Residents even declared a symbolic "secession" and distributed pamphlets proclaiming their independence. However, World War II shifted priorities, and the movement eventually fizzled out.
Deseret
Mormon settlers had big dreams in 1849—they proposed Deseret, a massive theocratic state. The name, meaning "honeybee" in the Book of Mormon, symbolized industry and cooperation. But Congress wasn’t exactly buzzing with enthusiasm.
Instead, Congress created the smaller Utah Territory, which at the time included present-day Utah as well as parts of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Sequoyah
In 1905, Native American tribes in eastern Oklahoma proposed the State of Sequoyah, named after the Cherokee scholar who created the Cherokee syllabary.
It was a bold move to create a Native-majority state. However, Congress chose instead to merge the area with Oklahoma Territory to form the state of Oklahoma. The constitution drafted for the proposed State of Sequoyah went on to influence the final Constitution of Oklahoma.
Lincoln
The proposed State of Lincoln had multiple identities. One version placed it in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Although the name was intended to honor Abraham Lincoln, other names, such as Columbia and Eastern (East) Washington, were also considered.
Another proposal envisioned Lincoln in southern Texas. This version reportedly had a prepared constitution and a distinctive red flag featuring Lincoln’s face inside a yellow circle.
East and West Jersey
Can you imagine two New Jerseys? Back in 1674, when the area was still a British province, New Jersey was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey, each with its own government and constitution.
But the separation lasted only 28 years. The territories were rejoined in 1702, and the first New Jersey state constitution wasn’t adopted until 1776, following independence from Britain.
Franklin
The State of Franklin was another plan, except this one worked, for a while. In 1784, settlers in eastern Tennessee had had enough with what they saw as North Carolina’s neglect. They declared independence and formed the State of Franklin, named after Benjamin Franklin, of course.
For four years, Franklin operated as a de facto state, complete with its own constitution and government. However, Congress refused to recognize it, and by 1788, the State of Franklin ceased to exist.
Transylvania
Transylvania (from the Latin for "beyond the woods") is more than just a remote land of vampire legends—it was also nearly the name of a short-lived American colony in what is now mostly Tennessee and parts of Kentucky.
In 1775, land speculator Richard Henderson struck a deal with the Cherokee to create the Colony of Transylvania, in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. But Virginia and North Carolina declared the venture illegal. Still, the name lives on today in Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
Nickajack
During the Civil War, Union sympathizers in northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee proposed the creation of the State of Nickajack. The name came from a Cherokee village, but the idea never gained much traction.
Today, the Nickajack Dam and Nickajack Lake reservoir mark areas that would have fallen within the boundaries of this proposed state.
Absaroka
Have you ever heard of Absaroka? During the Great Depression, residents of parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana proposed the creation of the State of Absaroka, named after the Crow Nation’s word for "children of the large-beaked bird."
The movement was largely a symbolic protest against federal neglect. Absaroka even had its own license plates and a self-declared "governor," but the state never came to fruition.
Westsylvania
Yet another -vania. In the late 18th century, settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains proposed the creation of the State of Westsylvania. Frustrated by neglect from eastern state governments—especially Virginia and Pennsylvania—they wanted a state of their own.
But like many other separatist efforts, the proposal was rejected by Congress and never became a reality.
Madison
Another president nearly had a state named after him—but didn’t. The name of the fourth U.S. president, James Madison, was once proposed for the area that is now part of the Dakotas.
In the late 19th century, residents of what is now southwestern North Dakota proposed the creation of the State of Madison. However, the idea faced a major hurdle: Congress was already considering dividing the Dakota Territory into two separate states. In 1889, North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union, and the Madison proposal was quietly shelved.
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Quick bits on a variety of subjects
Thanks to Brett
Subject: Defense News Early Bird Brief, June 23, 2026
"You can do anything, but not everything." -David Allen
Top 5
US Coast Guard helicopter crashes in Alaska with four onboard
(Military Times) A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter carrying four members crashed during a training flight Monday in Sitka, Alaska, the service announced.
The Strait of Hormuz’s future is unsettled even as more ships venture through
(The Associated Press) Ship traffic has picked up in the Strait of Hormuz since Iran and the U.S. signed an interim deal to end a war that constricted global oil supplies and fueled inflation, but questions surrounding control of the vital waterway and whether vessels will be charged tolls to cross it could interfere with negotiations to forge a lasting peace.
House to vote on landmark bill that boosts DOD and VA benefits for some while cutting others
(Military Times) The U.S. House will consider legislation this week that would give medically retired veterans both full military retirement pay and Veterans Affairs disability compensation, as well as allow surviving spouses to retain military benefits if they remarry before age 55.
The unlikely role of Operation Epic Fury in a Mississippi AI data center lawsuit
(Military Times) A Defense Department official disclosed that U.S. forces used Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool to help deploy “over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets” during the first four days of combat operations in Iran.
Flu outbreak sickens 200 trainees at Lackland Air Force Base
(Military Times) More than 200 service members at a Texas base have contracted the flu following a new Pentagon policy that allows flu vaccinations to be optional.
Yes. That Fast.
(Lockheed Martin) Lockheed Martin is delivering a decisive edge to joint forces, mobilizing advanced technologies to build the Arsenal of Freedom while accelerating munitions production and strengthening capabilities to ensure warfighters stay ahead of evolving threats.
US Strikes in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific
A list of US military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels
(Military Times) Since early September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean in support of what the Pentagon has called continued counternarcotics efforts.
Operation Timeline
The human impact of policy changes at the DOD and VA
(The War Horse) An ongoing timeline of the Trump administration’s actions focusing on the military and veterans.
Congress & Politics
Trump summons munitions makers as worries grow over low US stockpiles
(The Wall Street Journal) Defense CEOs are planning to expand production but await congressional funding President Trump has summoned senior Pentagon officials and the top military contractors to the White House on Wednesday to discuss ramping up munitions production amid concerns about the supply of U.S. missiles.
Vance says UN nuclear inspectors will return to Iran as US suspends sanctions
(France 24) The United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil on Monday after Vice President J.D. Vance said Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. nuclear inspectors back into the country, marking a significant step in renewed negotiations aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program and stabilizing the Strait of Hormuz.
White House expected to direct intelligence agencies to protect quantum research from foreign threats
(Nextgov) A pending executive order expected this week will task the FBI and intelligence community with better protecting the nation’s quantum research from foreign spying, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Army
US Army tests autonomous boats during Philippine exercise
(Military Times) Autonomous boats helped escort a U.S. Army vessel during a recent military exercise, the Army said, in a demonstration of how uncrewed assets are changing maritime operations.
Marine Corps
US Marines in Okinawa receive first MADIS, NMESIS platforms
(Military Times) U.S. Marines in Okinawa this month formally received the installation’s first Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System and Marine Air Defense Integrated System, the service announced. The delivery is the service’s latest integration of modernized defenses in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific.
Space Force
Space Force to test new mess dress uniform this fall
(Task & Purpose) A Space Force general donned a new mess dress that the service is testing for wear this fall, an official confirmed to Task & Purpose.
Space Force mission goes from orders to launch in less than 17 hours
(Air & Space Forces Magazine) The Space Force started its second live Tactically Responsive Space mission June 19, working with a contractor to launch a satellite to low-Earth orbit in less than 17 hours. That spacecraft will now conduct a series of maneuver demonstrations with another vehicle.
Veterans
VA chief vows to fire employee accused of abusing Marine veteran at state facility
(Task & Purpose) Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has announced that the agency will fire an employee who is accused of abusing a Marine veteran at a state-run veterans home in New York, where he also worked.
Defense Industry
Ukraine launches ‘TrophyLab’ platform to share captured Russian weapons with allies
(Defense News) Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense launched an access-controlled online platform last week that provides allied governments, defense companies and research institutions with technical intelligence drawn from captured Russian military hardware ? a formalization of what Kyiv has long done informally with select partners.
Israel-Gaza-Lebanon-Syria
Israel holds to Lebanon truce, with troops kept on defense
(The New York Times) Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, appeared to maintain a tense cease-fire for a second day. Israel’s military has new orders that restrict troops to defensive actions.
Ukraine
Kyiv’s drone leverage moved the US. Moscow could be next, a top Ukrainian official says.
(Defense News) U.S. President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Group of Seven summit in France that he would consider letting Ukraine build its own Patriot interceptor missiles, the first time Washington has signaled openness to a request Kyiv has made since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine says it hit missile electronics plant in western Russia
(Al Jazeera English) Ukraine says facility a 'critical component' in defence production as local Russian authorities confirm attack
International
US strike on alleged drug boat kills 2, leaves 6 survivors, in the Caribbean
(CBS News) The U.S. military has conducted another strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean, killing two and leaving six survivors, the U.S. Southern Command said.
US carries out days of airstrikes in Somalia after a month’s pause
(Task & Purpose) After more than a month without conducting airstrikes in Somalia, the U.S. military quickly ramped up its actions in the country this past week. U.S. forces carried out four strikes in support of Somali, all targeting al-Shabab militants in the country.
US gives Philippines underwater vehicles as China feud persists
(Bloomberg) The U.S. said it provided four underwater vehicles to the Philippine military, as Washington boosts its longtime ally’s capability to counter Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea.
Anger mounts as Sudan's army takes in Darfur paramilitary defectors
(Reuters) Last month, Ali Rizkallah, a commander in the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, was welcomed to Sudan’s capital Khartoum and given a uniform and a rank in the armed forces he had spent about three years fighting.
Military Culture & History
Visa battle for mother of Cape Verde footballer puts spotlight on nation and its military heritage
(Military Times) The battle over a visa for the mother of a revered soccer goalie has put a spotlight on the archipelago of Cape Verde, whose residents have a storied legacy of service in the U.S. military, including one sailor who some researchers consider to be the first African-born recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Commentary & Analysis
Can China’s latest air-to-air missile take on its US equivalent? Definitely maybe, experts say.
(Military Times) China’s newest air-to-air missile, the PL-16, could vie with an equivalent advance by the U.S. military and give the People’s Liberation Army an edge in any Asia-Pacific conflicts because of its increased travel distance and a second-wind feature, experts say.
When a cease-fire is really a stalemate
(Foreign Affairs Magazine) A stalemate is the least admired of diplomatic outcomes. It resolves nothing, satisfies no one, and is counted as a victory only by the weaker party, for whom survival is achievement enough. But this is the condition into which the war between Iran and the United States has settled and, after 107 days of hostilities, the one both sides have finally made formal. On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends the American naval blockade while doing nothing to address the two countries’ underlying disputes. The deal offers Tehran genuine relief: Washington will immediately waive sanctions on Iranian oil, begin releasing frozen Iranian funds, and commit to a reconstruction package worth at least $300 billion. But every hard question about Iran’s nuclear program, its missile program, and its network of proxies has been punted to an undetermined point in the future.
US couldn’t repair battle-damaged ships in war with China, study finds
(Military Times) Battle-damaged U.S. warships could not be quickly repaired and returned to combat during a war with China, according to a new report.
If Iran accepts new inspections, can the US even make them work?
(Defense One) A new U.S.-Iran peace plan can work only if the United States can overcome three difficult challenges, experts said: the Iranians must agree to tighter international inspections, the inspecting agency must fix its budget crisis, and the White House must heed nuclear experts over real-estate developers with ties to President Trump. Rea
Too big to break again: India, Italy, and the defense partnership that almost wasn’t
(War on the Rocks) A single bribe nearly ruined a defense partnership most people didn’t know even existed. It took India and Italy almost a decade to recover. The story of how that rupture happened — and what it exposed about Italy’s quiet but deep role in India’s military — is essential to understanding why both countries now treat their renewed ties as something too valuable to lose again.
Ecuador bets on drones to beat the cartels — at what cost?
(Small Wars Journal) Ecuador’s pivot to drone warfare against narco-trafficking networks illustrates both the promise and peril of technology-driven counterinsurgency, writes The Telegraph’s Gemma Brown in “How Ecuador’s ‘cocaine superhighway’ is being dismantled with drones. ” With roughly 70 per cent of global cocaine flows transiting the country, President Noboa’s “internal armed conflict” declaration , which is backed by $19m in US funding (including $6m earmarked for drones), reflects how state forces are leaning on unmanned systems to offset risk to personnel while scaling surveillance across ungoverned spaces.
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Thanks to History Facts
Facts About the World’s Oldest Countries
WORLD HISTORY
THE PYRAMID OF DJOSER
While some modern countries are little more than a decade old, others boast a rich history dating back thousands of years. Long before nations such as Iran and Egypt became the independent states we know them as today, early governments were formed by ancient civilizations in those regions, laying the foundation for thousands of years of expansion and development.
It can be a challenge to determine the exact age of any given country, but based on the current archaeological data, there are several nations in the Middle East and Asia that consistently rank among the oldest in human history. Here are five facts about some of the world’s oldest countries.
The First Architect Known by Name Lived in Ancient Egypt
Though the Great Pyramids of Giza are the most famous ancient Egyptian landmarks, the region is home to an even older structure. The Pyramid of Djoser — built in the mid-27th century BCE — predates the Great Pyramids by roughly a century, and was designed by a man named Imhotep, who is considered to be one of human civilization’s first architects. Imhotep not only conceived of this groundbreaking pyramidal structure, but also gets credit for using columns before anyone else and revolutionizing the use of stone in building construction. He also offered vast contributions to the world of medicine, writing texts describing the early diagnosis and treatment of many ailments. In 525 BCE, centuries after his death, Imhotep even rose to the status of full deity, being dubbed the Egyptian god of science, medicine, and architecture.
Two Vietnamese Sisters Led a Successful Revolt Against China
According to Vietnamese legend, the origins of Vietnam date back to around the year 2879 BCE, which marked the beginning of the Hồng Bàng dynasty — the first recorded dynasty in the nation’s history. For millennia, the Vietnamese people ruled over their own territory, which was invaded by members of China’s Han dynasty in 111 BCE. After a century of Chinese control, two women rose up to push back against their Chinese invaders, earning the status of national heroes in the process. The Trưng sisters — Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị — mobilized locals in an effort to avenge the death of the former’s husband, who had been executed by Chinese forces without trial. This newly formed army consisted of around 80,000 soldiers and 36 female generals. The forces rebelled against the Chinese in the year 39 CE, successfully driving the invaders out of the country. Though the sisters' reign over the region was brief, as China recaptured the territory in 43 CE, the legend of their exploits and tragic fate only grew from there. Temples were dedicated in their honor throughout Vietnam, as people prayed to them for rain in times of drought. They remain important figures in Vietnamese history two millennia later.
Armenia Was the First Country to Adopt Christianity as an Official Religion
Though modern-day Armenia did not achieve lasting independence until 1991, the country’s origins date back to around the year 2492 BCE according to Armenian mythology. In that year, an ancient Armenian warrior known as Hayk is believed to have defeated invading forces led by a Mesopotamia leader called Bel, which in turn saw what now encompasses modern-day Armenia fall under Hayk’s dominion. Many centuries later, Armenia made history by becoming the first country to adopt Christianity as its official state religion. Around the year 300 CE, an apostle named St. Gregory the Illuminator converted King Tiridates III of Armenia to Christianity, and it was made the official state religion in 301 CE. The newly formed Armenian Apostolic Church subverted the pagan ideology that once existed throughout the region, and it eventually became the country’s national church.
The First Recorded War Took Place in Present-Day Iran
The ancient kingdom of Elam, located in the southern region of modern-day Iran, contained settlements dating as far back as 7200 BCE. Millennia later, around the year 3200 BCE, the Proto-Elamite period began, marking the start of organized civilization throughout the region. Though few specifics are known about these early societies, what is known is that the region was the site of the first recorded war in human history. Around 2700 BCE, the Sumerian King Enmebaragesi led an attack against the Elamites, ultimately emerging victorious. Though there may have been conflicts before this, the battle — for which details are sparse — marks the earliest recorded account of a long-distance military campaign between opposing independent states.
The Oldest Surviving Anatomical Atlas Originated in China
In 1973, a seminal 2,200-year-old atlas of human anatomy written on ancient silk was discovered in south-central China, dating to the time of the Han dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE) — making it the oldest surviving anatomical atlas ever discovered. Known as the Mawangdui medical manuscripts, these texts describe various “meridians” found throughout the human body, a term used to refer to arteries, blood vessels, and other internal elements. The Mawangdui texts also predate many other ancient Chinese texts related to acupuncture, suggesting that these early anatomical findings may have heavily influenced the science of acupuncture in the region. The artifact was uncovered in the tomb of a Han dynasty aristocrat named Xin Zhui (also known as Lady Dai), who was buried alongside copies of the medical texts in 168 BCE.
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This day in US Military History
June 25
1876 – Determined to resist the efforts of the U.S. Army to force them onto reservations, Indians under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse wipe out Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and much of his 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Sioux Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse had been successfully resisting American efforts to confine their people to reservations for more than a decade. Although both chiefs wanted nothing more than to be left alone to pursue their traditional ways, the growing tide of white settlers invading their lands inevitably led to violent confrontations. Increasingly, the Sioux and Cheyenne who did try to cooperate with the U.S. government discovered they were rewarded only with broken promises and marginal reservation lands. In 1875, after the U.S. Army blatantly ignored treaty provisions and invaded the sacred Black Hills, many formerly cooperative Sioux and Cheyenne abandoned their reservations to join Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse in Montana. They would not return without a fight. Late in 1875, the U.S. Army ordered all the “hostile” Indians in Montana to return to their reservations or risk being attacked. Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse ignored the order and sent messengers out to urge other Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe Indians to unite with them to meet the white threat. By the late spring of 1876, more than 10,000 Indians had gathered in a massive camp along a river in southern Montana called the Little Big Horn. “
1950 – Armed forces from communist North Korea smash into South Korea, setting off the Korean War. The United States, acting under the auspices of the United Nations, quickly sprang to the defense of South Korea and fought a bloody and frustrating war for the next three years. Korea, a former Japanese possession, had been divided into zones of occupation following World War II. U.S. forces accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in southern Korea, while Soviet forces did the same in northern Korea. Like in Germany, however, the “temporary” division soon became permanent. The Soviets assisted in the establishment of a communist regime in North Korea, while the United States became the main source of financial and military support for South Korea. On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces surprised the South Korean army (and the small U.S. force stationed in the country), and quickly headed toward the capital city of Seoul. The United States responded by pushing a resolution through the U.N.’s Security Council calling for military assistance to South Korea. (Russia was not present to veto the action as it was boycotting the Security Council at the time.) With this resolution in hand, President Harry S. Truman rapidly dispatched U.S. land, air, and sea forces to Korea to engage in what he termed a “police action.” The American intervention turned the tide, and U.S. and South Korean forces marched into North Korea. This action, however, prompted the massive intervention of communist Chinese forces in late 1950. The war in Korea subsequently bogged down into a bloody stalemate. In 1953, the United States and North Korea signed a cease-fire that ended the conflict. The cease-fire agreement also resulted in the continued division of North and South Korea at just about the same geographical point as before the conflict. The Korean War was the first “hot” war of the Cold War. Over 55,000 American troops were killed in the conflict. Korea was the first “limited war,” one in which the U.S. aim was not the complete and total defeat of the enemy, but rather the “limited” goal of protecting South Korea. For the U.S. government, such an approach was the only rational option in order to avoid a third world war and to keep from stretching finite American resources too thinly around the globe. It proved to be a frustrating experience for the American people, who were used to the kind of total victory that had been achieved in World War II. The public found the concept of limited war difficult to understand or support and the Korean War never really gained popular support.
1996 – At least 23 Americans were killed at a US base near Dhahran and another 105 suffered serious injuries from a truck bomb estimated at 5,000 pounds at the Khobar Towers apartment complex adjacent to King Abdul Aziz Air Base. About 5,000 US troops served in Saudi Arabia. US, French and British aircraft resumed flying 100 missions per day over southern Iraz from Saudi Arabia. In 1997 intelligence information tied a senior Iranian intelligence officer to Hani Abd Rahim Sayegh, a man who fled Saudi Arabia shortly after the bombing. In 1999 the US threatened was set to deport Hani al-Sayegh to Saudi Arabia. Sayegh feared torture and asked for US asylum. Sayegh was deported Oct 10. In 2000 Ahmad Behbahani told a 60 Minutes journalist from a refugee camp in Turkey that he proposed the Pan Am operation and coordinated the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. In 2001 13 Saudis and one Lebanese man were indicted for the bombing that killed 19 American airmen and wounded nearly 400 others.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*EPPERSON, HAROLD GLENN
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 14 July 1923, Akron, Ohio. Accredited to: Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on the Island of Saipan in the Marianas, on 25 June 1944. With his machinegun emplacement bearing the full brunt of a fanatic assault initiated by the Japanese under cover of predawn darkness, Pfc. Epperson manned his weapon with determined aggressiveness, fighting furiously in the defense of his battalion’s position and maintaining a steady stream of devastating fire against rapidly infiltrating hostile troops to aid materially in annihilating several of the enemy and in breaking the abortive attack. Suddenly a Japanese soldier, assumed to be dead, sprang up and hurled a powerful hand grenade into the emplacement. Determined to save his comrades, Pfc. Epperson unhesitatingly chose to sacrifice himself and, diving upon the deadly missile, absorbed the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body. Stouthearted and indomitable in the face of certain death, Pfc. Epperson fearlessly yielded his own life that his able comrades might carry on the relentless battle against a ruthless enemy. His superb valor and unfaltering devotion to duty throughout reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
*KELLY, JOHN D.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant (then Corporal), U.S. Army, Company E, 314th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division. Place and date: Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, 25 June 1944. Entered service at: Cambridge Springs, Pa. Birth: Venango Township, Pa. G.O. No.: 6, 24 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 25 June 1944, in the vicinity of Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, when Cpl. Kelly’s unit was pinned down by heavy enemy machinegun fire emanating from a deeply entrenched strongpoint on the slope leading up to the fort, Cpl. Kelly volunteered to attempt to neutralize the strongpoint. Arming himself with a pole charge about 10 feet long and with 15 pounds of explosive affixed, he climbed the slope under a withering blast of machinegun fire and placed the charge at the strongpoint’s base. The subsequent blast was ineffective, and again, alone and unhesitatingly, he braved the slope to repeat the operation. This second blast blew off the ends of the enemy guns. Cpl. Kelly then climbed the slope a third time to place a pole charge at the strongpoint’s rear entrance. When this had been blown open he hurled hand grenades inside the position, forcing survivors of the enemy gun crews to come out and surrender The gallantry, tenacity of purpose, and utter disregard for personal safety displayed by Cpl. Kelly were an incentive to his comrades and worthy of emulation by all.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 25
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
25 June
1934: Richard C. DuPont set a glider distance record of 158.299 miles from Elmira, N.Y., to Basking Ridge, N.J., in a DuPont Bowlus sailplane. (24)
1937: Richard Archbald made first nonstop transcontinental amphibian flight in a PBY-1 Catalina from San Diego to New York. (24)
1943: Eighth Air Force sent B-17s to attack enemy convoys off Wangerooge and Juist Islands in the North Sea. (4) In the heaviest single attack made to date by the Northwest African Air Forces, 130 B-17s dropped more than 300 tons of bombs on Messina, Sicily. (24)
1947: First flight of the Boeing B-50. (12)
1950: KOREAN WAR BEGAN. The North Koreans moved their army along the 38th parallel, and at 0400 hours they launched a sudden and all-out attack against the Republic of Korea. The USAF took its B-29s from “mothballs” and pressed them into service along with current combat-ready fighters, bombers, and cargo aircraft. (1) (12) (17) Boeing flew its B-47A Stratojet for the first time. (31)
1951: President Truman dedicated the Arnold Engineering Development Center at Tullahoma for testing and evaluating aircraft and guided missiles. (24) Edwards AFB became the AFFTC.
1961: Four months after reaching combat readiness, the 702 SMW at Presque Isle AFB inactivated as SAC phased the obsolete Snark out of the Air Force inventory. (6)
1965: SAC inactivated the last Titan I units: the 724 SMS and 725 SMS and 451 SMW at Lowry AFB, and the 569 SMS at Mountain Home AFB. (6)
1968: President Johnson reappointed Gen John P. McConnell as CSAF for one year beginning 1 August 1968.
1975: The USAF conducted the first of two jettison vehicle flight tests on Boeing's ALCM from a B52 SRAM rotary launcher. (6)
1986: Lt Gen James Abrahamson, Director of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization announced the selection of Falcon Station as the site of the SDI National Test Facility. (16)
1991: The 60 MAW delivered 80 tons of food to Nairobi, Kenya, to relieve a drought-induced food shortage. (16)
1996: Terrorists bombed Khobar Towers near King Abdul-Aziz AB, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 Air Force personnel and injuring 300 others. It was the worst terrorist attack against American military personnel since the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Lebanon. USAF personnel were in Saudi Arabia to support Operation Southern Watch. (26)
1999: An all-Air Force crew flew the V-22 Osprey for the first time in a 20-minute sortie from Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico, Va., to NAS Patuxent River. (AFNEWS Article 991306, 8 Jul 99)
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