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The Borinqueneers! 70 Years ago today
The Borinqueneers, South Korea — February 2, 1951 — by Dominic D’Andrea Via the National Guard Bureau: In August 1950 the Korean War was less than two months old, and Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry...
View ArticleCajun Frenchies’ in WWII
A little known story of a special group of Americans serving in World War II is that of the French-speaking Cajuns of South Louisiana. These young men, descendants of the Acadians who were expelled...
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The Triple Nickels
On 25 February 1943, the 555th Parachute Infantry Company was constituted. The unit, selected from volunteers from the Fort Huachuca-based 92d Infantry Division, was all-black, both enlisted men and...
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The Last American Bayonet Charge at 70
This month remembers the fateful day on 7 February 1951 when the footsoldiers of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry (Wolfhounds) Regiment, under the command of 30-year-old CAPT Lewis Lee...
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Vale, Art Cook
After falling in love with smallbore riflery while at Boy Scout Camp as a kid, Arthur Edwin Cook, “Art” or sometimes just “Cookie” to his friends, went on to become pretty good at it, winning two...
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Odds are, That’s an Ironic Nickname
Sergent Len “Happy” Knox, 2nd New Zealand Division, 2NZEF, cleans an old-school .455-caliber break action Webley revolver Maadi Camp, near Cairo, Egypt, around 1940-41. Alan Blow Album PH-ALB-497,...
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Talk About Recruiting Posters…
Recruiting propaganda, likely going back to the Romans, has always been replete with snazzy uniforms, exotic climes, and sweet gear. Speaking of which, the Dutch Korps Mariniers were recently in...
View ArticleGurkhas Still Gurking, Despite the Coof
In the past, we’ve extensively covered the Nepalese Gurkhas and, how their continued overseas (basically mercenary) service in the British Army, Indian Army, Royal Brunei military, and Singapore...
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Happy National Napping Day
“Rare and wonderful sleep,” a worn-out Marine M1918A2 BAR gunner catches a wink behind what looks like an overturned grade school desk during a break on the push out of the Pusan-Changwon perimeter,...
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Leap of Faith
Some 77 years ago today, in the remote mountainous frontier area between India and Burma, an extremely understrength parachute light infantry brigade began an epic week-long battle against a Japanese...
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100 Years Ago Today: Ishar Singh, VC
Via Under Every Leaf: War Office, 25th November 1921. His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned: — No. 1012 Sepoy Ishar...
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Vale, Cape Matapan Vet, Prince Philip
A child whose lineage included the Danish, Russian and Greek royal families, Prince Philip of Greece was raised in France, exiled from his country of birth, speaking English, practicing Greek...
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OSS Training Grounds, as Close as Your Local National Park?
You wouldn’t think it, but the NPS has a great book online that stretches 600 pages and chronicles the use of the country’s national parks during WWII as training grounds for the secret squirrels of...
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Chainsmokers
A group of Marines having a smoke while checking out what looks to be a shell and fuse for either an 81mm mortar or 75mm howitzer. Dig the M1917A1 Brodie helmets with EGAs, sewn-on stripes on light...
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Vale, Idriss Déby, Emir of the Toyota Wars
The Chadian government last week reported that recently reelected six-time president (!) Idriss Déby, 68, died of injuries following clashes with rebels in the north of the country at the weekend....
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Alexander Hamilton’s War Pistols up for Grabs
Rock Island has the pistols that Alexander Hamilton carried in the Revolutionary War, set to go to auction in two weeks, on May 14. They left the Hamilton family’s custody in 1942 and have been in...
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The Spice of Life
It has always struck me– since being sent outside as a grade-schooler by my Nana to yank up green onions from the garden for the soup pot, or tomatoes for a sandwich– is that growing one’s own produce...
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Z Man Loadout
The “Z Special Unit” or “Z Force” detachments, immortalized in the early Sam Neil/Mel Gibson action film Attack Force Z (which included some great suppressed M3 Grease Guns and folbot action from an...
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Happy 207th, Herr Freeman, of Mobile Bay (in)Fame(y)
While poking around Pascagoula’s Greenwood Cemetery (I have tons of childhood/teenage stories about this place logged in my time as a “Goula Boy,” but I digress) last week, I paid my respects at the...
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Col. (Ret.) Ralph Puckett Jr., new to the MOH at age 94
Born 8 December 1926 in Tipton, Georgia, Ralph Puckett Jr. was still at West Point when VE and later VJ Day came, and, when he joined the service as a freshly-minted butter bar in 1949, wanted to be a...
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