The Last Airborne Deployment of WWII (1945)

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

In the early morning hours of March 24, 1945, a massive WWII airborne operation known as Operation Varsity launched with an attempt to deploy 17,000 American and British Airborne troops across the Rhine River. It was the largest single-day airborne operation in history. C-47 Transport Planes Release Hundreds of Paratroopers during Operation Varsity. In the final months of WWII, Western Allied Forces advanced east into Germany. This meant crossing numerous rivers, many of which no longer had...

American Doolittle Raid And the Brutal Japanese Reprisals (1942)

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is one of the most well-known events of the Second World War. Less well-known is the Doolittle Raid, in which American B-25 bombers bombed the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe on April 18, 1942, in response to Pearl Harbor.Tragically, the Japanese reprisal for the Doolittle Raid - the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign - is barely remembered today, even though it cost 250,000 Chinese civilians their lives.After the shock of the...

Behind Enemy Lines – The 82nd And 101st Airborne on D-day

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

The amphibious landings of D-Day were hours away when the first combat missions by the US Army started in France. The invasion of Normandy began with a large-scale parachute drop that included 13,100 Soldiers of the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions. The attack occurred during the night in the early hours of June 6th, 1944, and was the vanguard of the Allied operations in Normandy. The troops were all part of the US VII Corps assigned to capture Cherbourg, the coastal city in Normandy,...

Operation Torch Then And Now

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

The Allied invasion of North Africa is a convoluted tale of politics, diplomacy, grand strategy, and a military campaign. Operation Torch introduced the Americans to the swings and roundabouts of land combat against the Axis Powers and showed up some of the military inconsistencies of their allies - the British. The great partnership was underway on the rocky road to total victory in 1945. The invasion pitted Frenchman against Frenchman and culminated in the total defeat of Germany and Italy...

Navy to Name Aircraft Carrier for Pearl Harbor Hero – MA2 Doris Miller, U.S. Navy (1939–1943)

Profiles in Courage, World War II

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, at Pearl Harbor, the Navy is expected to announce that a $12.5 billion aircraft carrier will be named after Mess Attendant 2nd Class Doris Miller, the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for valor for his actions on December 7, 1941, when he manned a machine gun on the USS West Virginia to fire back at attacking Japanese planes. "I think that Doris Miller is an American hero simply because of what he represents as a young man going beyond the...

Col Frank Capra, U.S. Army (1918-1945)

Celebrities Who Served, World War II

Multiple Oscar-winning director Frank Capra came from humble Sicilian beginnings, but loved his adopted country so much, he served it as a US Army Colonel. Col Frank Capra, U.S. Army (1918-45) Frank Capra, of the US Army between 1918 and 1945, is perhaps most well-known for his direction of classic Americana films It’s A Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. However, his greatest contribution to American culture may be the documentary series he produced during World War II for the...

PO3 Isaac Sidney (Sid) Caesar, U.S. Coast Guard (1939-1945)

Celebrities Who Served, World War II

Sid Caesar, the king of 50s variety TV, got his start in comedy thanks to his years of service in the US Coast Guard. Together We Served honors a comedy legend. PO3 Isaac Sidney (Sid) Caesar, U.S. Coast Guard (1939-45) Isaac Sidney (or Sid) Caesar, of the US Coast Guard between 1939 and 1945, is known for being a comedian and TV star of the 50s that inspired many of the household names of today. Elevating TV comedy from simple slapstick to more sophisticated sketch comedy was just one element...

Sgt Drew Carey, U.S. Marine Corps (1980-1986)

Celebrities Who Served, World War II

Comedian and TV star Drew Carey bounced back from a traumatic childhood thanks to the confidence he obtained from six years of service in the US Marine Corps. Sgt Drew Carey, U.S. Marine Corps (1980-86) Drew Carey, of the US Marine Corps between 1980 and 1986, may be better recognized as the host of the game show The Price is Right, or for his previous work as host of improv comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? It might surprise some to learn, however, that his distinctive haircut and glasses...

Taco Rice and the Legacy of Marines on Okinawa

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

In 1984, Matsuzo Gibo added traditional Mexican-style spices to ground beef and put the spicy meat mixture on a bed of rice, then added lettuce and shredded cheese. He started selling it from his food stall as a quick lunchtime meal. The simple dish, now known the world over as "taco rice," conquered Okinawa faster and with far less resistance than the U.S. military did during World War II. Gibo, who died in 2014, was the owner of the Parlor Senri food stall outside of Camp...

Navy Corpsman Robert E. Bush (1944 – 1945)

Profiles in Courage, World War II

Robert Eugene Bush wasn't old enough to join the Navy when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was still in high school. His neighbor in his hometown of Raymond, Washington, was a Fireman aboard the USS Arizona. "He's still on board the Arizona," Bush said in a Veterans History Project Interview. Bush could barely stand the wait to join the war. He wouldn't be old enough until his 17th birthday in the Fall of 1943. He and a friend from school dropped out and enlisted...

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