April 12, 2017

Lessons Learned on Bataan

The Battle of Bataan was the defense of the Philippines by General Douglas MacArthur's Philippine Army controlled by headquarters, United States Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) against the invading Imperial Japanese 14th Army commanded by General Masaharu Homma. The battle began on 6 January 1942 when the USAFFE, with ten understrength Philippine

April 3, 2017

Junior Officers and the Halsey-Doolittle Raid

NH-64472. Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle (left front) and Captain Marc A. Mitscher, Hornet commanding officer, pose with a 500-pound bomb and USAAF aircrew members during ceremonies on Hornet's flight deck prior to the raid.  The Halsey-Doolittle Raid in April 1942 was the first strike by U.S. forces against Japan itself. Vice Admiral William F.

March 23, 2017

Navy Medal of Honor Recipients at Iwo Jima

The first Medals of Honor were presented on March 25, 1863. To commemorate this date, in 1990, Congress designated March 25 "National Medal of Honor Day" to recognize recipients of the Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious military decoration awarded to U.S. service members who have distinguished themselves through acts of valor. In

Dec. 7, 2016

Why Commemorate Pearl Harbor?

Editor's note: Pearl Harbor Day is a day of remembrance during which we often hear from historians, veterans and Navy leadership about the importance of honoring our past and how this day of infamy inspires our future. But what do today's Sailors, the young women and men wearing the cloth of the nation, ready to go in harm's way, think? What does

Dec. 6, 2016

Pearl Harbor Diorama: More than 25 Years in the Making

More than 25 years ago, historian Reverend Todd Hammond decided to make a model display of the center of Pearl Harbor based in part on photos taken prior to the attack. The model has only been seen by personal invitation by a number of veterans and other interested persons over the years, but has not been on public display. An earlier, much smaller

Dec. 6, 2016

As Infamy Dawned in the Pacific, War Simmered in the Atlantic

Although Dec. 7, 1941 is marked as the entry of the U.S. into WWII, the fact is that the U.S. Navy was already in an undeclared shooting war with Nazi Germany at sea well before that. President Roosevelt and other senior U.S. and political leadership were convinced that England could not be allowed to fall. U.S. Navy leaders were particularly

Dec. 6, 2016

The Warrior of Kāne'ohe: Pearl Harbor's Only Medal of Honor Recipient for Combat Valor

More than seventy-five years ago, the tranquil wind-swept and sun-soaked skies over the then-U.S. territory of Hawaii were pierced by the whine of 353 Japanese aircraft, launched in a surprise attack from four Japanese aircraft carriers on the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, based in Pearl Harbor, Oahu. On that day, December 7, 1941, thousands

Dec. 5, 2016

Pearl Harbor Toughness Takes Flight - Ensign Theodore W. Marshall

What does "toughness" mean to a U.S. Navy Sailor? Navy toughness means you take a hit and keep going, tapping all sources of strength and resilience. This is one such story; how, a young ensign embodied the fighting spirit of our U.S. Navy, put his toughness into action, and refused to stop - even as the bombs rained down.The first Japanese bombs

Dec. 5, 2016

Stories of Valor on a Day of Infamy

Although Pearl Harbor was a devastating tactical defeat resulting in 2,335 U.S. military deaths, the vast majority of U.S. Sailors responded immediately and in many cases with extraordinary acts of bravery, many of which were unrecorded due to the deaths of so many witnesses. Even so, Navy personnel were awarded 15 Medals of Honor, 51 Navy Crosses,

Dec. 2, 2016

The Story of USS Ward and Navy Readiness as the Sun Rose on the Day of Infamy

"At Dawn We Slept" was the title of one of the most influential books about the disastrous Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy" as President Franklin Roosevelt called it in his declaration of war speech. However, I respectfully disagree with the premise of the title, as it gives