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Famous Army Units: 1st Motion Picture Unit

Famous Army Units: 1st Motion Picture Unit

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Constituted from the 18th AAF Base Unit, the designated 1st Motion Picture Unit was an independent Army Air Force film production outfit, creating between three and four hundred films in three years. They were assigned to produce propaganda, instructional, animation, historical, combat, and morale-boosting materials for military and civilian consumption in support of the WWII effort: 1st Motion Picture Unit: Formation and Operations "… in December 1941, the Air Corps was a part of the Army, and motion picture production was the responsibility of the Army Signal Corps. USAAF Commanding General "Hap" Arnold believed that forming an independent film entity would help the Air Service gain its independence. At a meeting in March 1942, General Arnold commissioned Warner Bros. head Jack L. Warner, producer Hal Wallis and scriptwriter Owen Crump to create the unit. Warner was made Lieutenant Colonel and Crump a Captain, but Wallis, who was then in production with Casablanca, did not accept...

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America’s War in Afghanistan

America’s War in Afghanistan

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On Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11th terror attacks, U.S. warplanes bombed targets in Afghanistan in what would be the opening offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom, the effort to drive the Taliban and al-Qaida from the country and install a democratic government. United States Toppled the Taliban-Ruled Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan CIA operatives and U.S. Special Forces teamed with the mostly-Tajik Northern Alliance to take Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and other cities under an air umbrella that was provided primarily by the Navy and used Joint Direct Attack Munitions to devastating effect. Then-Marine Brig. Gen. Jim Mattis led Task Force 58, consisting of the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units, on an air assault that eventually resulted in the taking of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement. By Dec. 9, 2001, the Taliban had collapsed, and leader Mullah Omar had fled to Pakistan. Then, the U.S. focus turned to the invasion of Iraq. On Oct. 7, 2018,...

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LtGen Arthur MacArthur Jr., U.S. Army (1861-1909)

LtGen Arthur MacArthur Jr., U.S. Army (1861-1909)

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With no less than 620,000 deaths recorded over four years of intense fighting between Confederate and Union forces, the American Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in American history. Playing host to battles such as Shiloh, Antietam, Stones River, and Gettysburg, the Civil War holds tales of unprecedented violence, ferocious bravery, and unparalleled heroism. Among these many tales is that of Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur Jr. whose bravery at the most critical moment inspired his regiment during the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Arthur MacArthur Jr.'s Biography MacArthur Jr. was born in the Chicopee Falls area of Springfield, Massachusetts on June 2, 1845. His mother Aurelia was the daughter of Benjamin B. Belcher, a wealthy industrialist. She would die at the age of 45, leaving behind Arthur and his brother, Frank. MacArthur's father, Arthur MacArthur Sr., was a prominent judge and the fourth governor of Wisconsin. With his father's influence, MacArthur enrolled in the...

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The Hauntings of Okinawa

The Hauntings of Okinawa

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There are many historical military places where you can experience ghostly specters, cold spells, and reports of things moving around all by themselves. Ghostly cavalry forces still protect F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. Houses on Fort Leavenworth feature terrifying child ghosts. Baltimore's Fort McHenry is a veritable who's who of the afterlife, with reports of people seeing Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe, and even Chief Black Hawk.  Nowhere in the U.S. military, however, is more haunted than Okinawa. This little island packs possibly the most Halloween haunts into 463 square miles and does it all year round. Here are a few reasons why. Building 2283 is One of the Most Haunted Places in Okinawa No single place on earth was more haunted than Kadena Air Base's housing number 2283. Although it's long gone now (they say it was demolished, but it probably imploded like the house in "Poltergeist"), no one could stay there, and those who did ended up dying in a...

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National Purple Heart Day 2023

National Purple Heart Day 2023

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It might come as a surprise to many, but the United States did not offer its troops medals or ribbons as uniform decorations until the Medal of Honor was introduced by President Lincoln during the Civil War. It was only offered to enlisted troops in July 1862, but by December, it was made available to officers who displayed exceptional gallantry.  Until that point in U.S. military history, military medals were more of a European tradition. Medals and ribbons were seen as a custom practiced by the armies of foreign monarchies. The United States, with its democratic government and egalitarian principles, frowned on such ties to Europe's royal heritage, from which the Americans fought hard to separate themselves.  During the Mexican-American War, a 'certificate of merit' would be issued to soldiers who distinguished themselves in action, but no uniform item existed to identify them. It was simply a certificate. It was discontinued after that war ended in 1848.  Despite a...

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A Veteran-inspired Watchmaker Brought Back the Iconic Watch A-11 that Won World War II

A Veteran-inspired Watchmaker Brought Back the Iconic Watch A-11 that Won World War II

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Timing can be critical when conducting a military operation. During World War II, it wasn't just the men in combat who depended on accurate timing. The rest of the millions of Allied service members and potentially the entire free world relied on precision watches. Like many things produced during World War II, the A-11 watch was developed for use by the U.S. military. The A-11 Watch Was Designed to Be the Timepiece that Survived the War Like most critical supplies, the Allies knew that their troops required timekeeping devices that could withstand any of the dangers of modern combat, even if they weren't sure what the fighting would look like. The A-11 spec wristwatch was designed to be the timepiece that survived the war; even its wearer did not. Veteran-inspired watchmaker Praesidus is bringing back the quality of that original design with a new line of recreated vintage tool watches inspired by the original World War II A-11 spec. The design of its latest watch, the A-11...

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Civil War – The Battle of Stones River

Civil War – The Battle of Stones River

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It was cold at the turning of the year in Murfreesboro, right in the middle of the state of Tennessee. The little town nestled under a crook in the arm of the Stones River, near where the water rushed and chattered over a long shallow ford. The Civil War had raged across the country for nearly two years. At the end of December in 1862, the Union force called the Army of the Cumberland was maneuvering into position to challenge the Confederacy's Army of Tennessee. Opposing Forces of the Battle of Stones River The Confederate troops were commanded by Gen. Braxton Bragg, a tall, thickly bearded, sad-eyed veteran of the South's campaigns. His army numbered around thirty-five thousand men, cavalry, cannon, infantry, and skirmishers. They had been encamped north of Murfreesboro for a month when the Union forces finally arrived. Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans was in command of the Union Army of the Cumberland, which out-numbered Bragg's force by nearly ten thousand men. They had marched the...

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The Unbearable Weight of Medieval Knight Armor

The Unbearable Weight of Medieval Knight Armor

Somewhere along the way, film and television got it into their heads that the medieval knight armor were so heavy that it restricted their movement. One common belief is that the armor was so heavy that knights going into battle had to be hoisted onto their horses with the help of a crane.  While going into battle fully protected by armor would be important to a soldier of any era, those of us who have worn body armor in combat will tell you the body armor also has to be functional. After all, if you're wearing armor, but you can't kill the enemy or adequately defend yourself, all you've done is make yourself a target. Eventually, the enemy will figure out how to penetrate that armor. Since you can't get away due to the bulky armor and you can't take any of it with you, why even go into battle in the first place? How Heavy Were the Medieval Knight Armor? The armor most of us think of at the mention of the medieval knight is called full plate armor,  which became popular...

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Famous Army Units: Department of the Army Special Photographic Office (DASPO)

Famous Army Units: Department of the Army Special Photographic Office (DASPO)

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By 1962 the world was becoming a very scary place punctuated by continuing confrontations between global communist and democratic powers, alongside growing civil, racial, and political unrest.  In Southeast Asia, the Korean War brought an indecisive outcome, and the tide of combat in Vietnam now favored communist forces despite US advisors in place since 1956.  Further, in 1961 alone there was an armed conflict between communist and democratic armies along the Chinese-Burma border, UN peace-keeping forces fighting at Kabalo and Katanga (Operation Rampunch) in the Congo, and the US-backed Bay of Pigs, a failed attempt to overthrow Castro’s regime in Cuba.  In Europe, the Berlin Wall was constructed following decades-long Soviet blockades leading to the activation of more than 150,000 US guardsmen and reservists together with Operation Stair Step, the largest jet deployment in history.  Then in October 1962, provoked by ongoing US efforts against Cuba (Operation...

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Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, U.S. Marine Corps (1934-45)

Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, U.S. Marine Corps (1934-45)

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Today's United States Marines have many idols. Unsurprisingly, these are often other Marines, Marines who served in wars past but distinguished themselves and exemplified what it means to call oneself a United States Marine. Few of these idols loom as large as Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone.  Basilone was born to an Italian family in Upstate New York and raised in New Jersey. He was working as a golf caddy when he decided to join the Army in 1934. It was, of course, years before the United States entered World War II. He spent three years in the Philippines, a place he would come to love.  John Basilone Came Back to the Military Service John Basilone loved Manila so much, in fact, that after he left the Army and became a truck driver, he decided he would re-enlist to get back to Manila as fast as possible. Thinking the Marine Corps would get him there faster, he joined the Marines instead of the Army in 1940. He was sent to Guantanamo Bay instead.  After the Japanese...

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The Amazing History of the USS Barb (SS 220)

The Amazing History of the USS Barb (SS 220)

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When it comes to submarine action during World War II, there are a number of standouts, and among them is the submarine USS Barb (SS 220). But what makes USS Barb unique? No other submarine can boast a train on its battle flag. One of the Submarine's Main Characters There can't be a story about USS Barb without mentioning one of the submarine's main characters: commanding officer Lt. Cmdr. Eugene B. Fluckey. The Washington, D.C.-native was to Barb as chocolate is to peanut butter. While there are many fascinating tales about Barb during World War II, this one, in particular, is during the sub's 12th and final war patrol that began in June 1945. The sub, crew and her skipper were still basking in the glow of Barb's 11th war patrol that earned Fluckey the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Unit Citation for the crew of the submarine.  He had previously earned four Navy Crosses. But Fluckey wasn't about to rest on his or the sub's laurels after bargaining a fifth war patrol from Adm....

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MajGen Frank Baldwin, U.S. Army (1861-1906)

MajGen Frank Baldwin, U.S. Army (1861-1906)

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Receiving the Medal of Honor for valor in combat puts one in the hallowed company of but a few thousand individuals to ever grace the earth. But by the time you earn two Medals of Honor, you are one of 19 persons to have ever done so. Perhaps it is because the Medal of Honor is quite often awarded posthumously but receiving two and living to talk about it is a rare feat in the world. Frank Baldwin would do just that in the 1800s and live to become a General by World War 1. His first would come during the American Civil War in an era where men lined up in neat rows and took turns shooting at each other. The next would be on the American frontier as the rapidly expanding America put itself in increasing conflict with the Native Americans pushed west. And while each conflict is the subject of intense historical debate, the gallantry of a man on either side when the bullets start to fly is often the least controversial part of it all. Frank Baldwin's Early Life A native of Michigan,...

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