Tara Ross's This Day in History

This Day in History: Jane Kendeigh, flight nurse

At about this time in 1987, a former Navy nurse passes away. Jane Louise “Candy” Kendeigh is best known for her service during World War II. She was the first Navy flight nurse to land in an active Pacific combat zone during World War II.

She’d just been wrapping up nursing school when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor. She was soon volunteering for the brand-new School of Air Evacuation, ultimately graduating with its first class.

That training was no picnic, covering everything from first aid to the effect of high altitudes on concussions and other wounds. She and other nurses were taught how to fight in hand-to-hand combat on the ground, if needed. They learned how to handle a crash landing in the water.

This Day in History: Sergeant Stubby

During this month in 1917, a soldier discovers a stray dog wandering around an athletic field at Yale University. That dog would go on to serve in World War I with his friend J. Robert Conroy, the new recruit who’d found him.

Some claim that Sergeant Stubby was the “most decorated dog” in that war.

Stubby was more than just a pet who occasionally cheered soldiers up. He was a member of a team. He saved lives; he assisted the wounded. He provided early alerts of incoming attacks. He even captured a German.

Conroy named the dog Stubby (because of his short tail) and brought him into the training camp. Stubby was always present for drills and bugle calls. He got practically as much training as the real soldiers. He even learned to salute. More importantly, he worked his way into the soldiers’ hearts. By the time he was deployed, Conroy had no intention of leaving Stubby behind. He smuggled Stubby aboard SS Minnesota.

This Day in History: Battle for Stony Point

On this day in 1779, General “Mad Anthony” Wayne launches an attack in New York. He and his men would take back the fort at Stony Point, which had been lost to the British mere weeks earlier.

George Washington himself had drafted the original plan of attack, then tasked Wayne with carrying it out. Washington’s plan exploited a flaw in the fortifications, and it called for the attack to be made in the middle of the night—an unusually difficult time to attack. But Washington had confidence in the men who had been selected for the operation. They were among the best that the Continental Army had to offer.

He must have especially trusted Wayne?

Washington authorized “Mad Anthony” to deviate from his original plan “in every instance where you think they may be improved or changed for the better.” Wayne added a feint at the center of the British lines, hoping the diversion would distract the British from the main attacks.

This Day in History: George Washington Rebukes the British

On this day in 1776, George Washington refuses to accept a letter from British Admiral Richard Howe.  The admiral and his brother, General William Howe, were attempting to contact Washington without recognizing the legitimacy of his military title.

Of course, what they really meant is that they did not accept the legitimacy of the American cause.

Washington’s army was then on Long Island and in Manhattan, preparing to defend New York City from a British attack. In the meantime, Admiral Howe was moving his fleet into position and British troops were pouring onto Staten Island.  

One Washington biographer notes that the British force then gathering was the “largest expeditionary force of the eighteenth century.”

Then a surprising thing happened. On July 14, a British officer came across the harbor under a flag of truce.  He wanted to deliver a letter addressed to “George Washington, Esq.”

Medal of Honor Monday: Nathan Gordon

On this day in 1944, a pilot receives the Medal of Honor. But for Nathan Gordon, fifteen American airmen would have lost their lives in the churning waters of the Bismarck Sea during World War II—assuming they weren’t captured by the Japanese first.

Gordon’s heroism came as American forces were attacking a Japanese supply base in New Ireland. Gordon’s job was to circle in his PBY Catalina seaplane, waiting for calls to help downed airmen.

It was a daunting mission. Gordon would need to land his plane in 15-foot swellsx, with Japanese guns only 1,000 yards away. Indeed, the first landing was so rough that rivets popped out of his plane! Unfortunately, that rough landing was for naught. He’d found a raft, but no survivors.

The next landing went better. Sort of.

This Day in History: A Humble Hero at Iwo Jima

On this day in 1923, a young boy is born in Wisconsin. For decades, John Bradley was believed to be one of the men raising a flag on Iwo Jima in Joe Rosenthal’s iconic Marine photo.

Bradley believed it, too. After all, he did help raise a flag that day.

The photo made Bradley a household name, but perhaps he should be known for his heroism instead.  Did you know Bradley earned a Navy Cross for his actions mere days before the famous flag raising?

The young corpsman had landed at Iwo Jima with the 5th Marine Division on February 19, 1945.

“The action was terrific the moment we made the beach,” he later said. “I was watching Clifford R. Langley, PhM3c, in another landing craft. He made the beach just about 10 seconds before I did, but when I touched sand, he was already treating a man.”

The next few days were difficult.

This Day in History: Howard Hughes Circumnavigates the Globe

On this day in 1938, entrepreneurial aviator Howard Hughes makes final preparations for one of aviation’s boldest flights. Within hours, he would attempt to circle the globe in his twin-engine Lockheed 14 Super Electra.

He wanted to set a record for speed, naturally, but he had another vision in mind, too.

“Hughes planned to fly around the world in a sophisticated machine supported by an expert air and ground crew,” his biographers explain. “No longer should ocean hopping be thought of as the province of daredevils. Hughes wanted to dramatize how a well-conceived, thoroughly planned, and carefully executed flight could be carried out without incident.”

This Day in History: Chief Justice John Marshall

On this day in 1835, city bells toll as a funeral procession for Chief Justice John Marshall makes its way down Philadelphia streets. Some reports say that the Liberty Bell cracked on that day, although the story has never been proven.

Marshall was one of the nation’s early Chief Justices, and his tenure established the Court as we think of it today. But do you know the rest of this Patriot’s story?

The future Chief Justice Marshall grew up in Virginia, where George Washington had helped his father to find work as a surveyor. Marshall was raised in a family that valued learning and hard work. Although his father began life modestly, he ended life as one of the largest landowners in Virginia. Marshall grew up watching and internalizing these values.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, Marshall was an early supporter of the Patriot cause.

This Day in History: A Retreat Saves the American Revolution

On this day in 1777, a series of skirmishes between British and American forces continue. At first, it seemed that British Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne might succeed in squashing the Patriots.

Fortunately, Americans got the last laugh.

Burgoyne was then on a campaign through New York. He’d entered America from Canada, moving toward Albany. He hoped British troops would join him from New York City, thus separating New England colonies from the South.

He thought dividing the colonies would end the war.

Fort Ticonderoga was directly in his path. American Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair had about 3,000 men fit for duty there, while Burgoyne had about 8,000 men.

In other words, St. Clair was badly outnumbered.

Medal of Honor Monday: William “Pits” Pitsenbarger

At about this time in 1944, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born. William “Pits” Pitsenbarger once tried to quit high school to join the Army. Instead, he finished high school, then joined the Air Force. He would go on to serve in Vietnam, completing hundreds of rescues as a pararescue medic.

“He wanted to go where the action was,” his father would say.

Airman 1st Class Pitsenbarger’s Medal action came on April 11, 1966. The day should have been relatively uneventful: It was his day off. Instead, Pits volunteered for a dangerous rescue mission. American soldiers were under fire near the village of Cam My. Our boys were outnumbered, and the casualties were mounting.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this mission,” Pits told a friend, but he boarded one of two HH-43 Huskie rescue helicopters anyway. The crews were to hover above the trees and drop litters down for wounded soldiers. Not that it would be easy.

Happy 250th birthday tomorrow!

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopts our Declaration of Independence. It had already resolved on July 2 that “these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States . . . .” Now it formally adopted a written document, too.

It took nearly a month to write the Declaration. You may know that Thomas Jefferson was the primary author, but he had help, too.

What is the rest of the story?

On June 11, Congress nominated a “Committee of Five” to draft a declaration. This committee did not leave a written record of its deliberations. Instead, the accounts we have were written many years later, when memories had faded. Many of them were conflicting. We may never know exactly how our Declaration was drafted, but we can get a general idea of the series of events.

Happy 250th birthday, America!

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress declares America’s independence! Did you know that this vote actually occurred on July 2, not July 4?

“That these United Colonies are,” congressional delegates resolved, “and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown . . . .”

There would be no more attempts to reconcile with Great Britain.

John Adams was elated, and he thought that July 2 would be celebrated as a memorable day in American history. He wrote Abigail: “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.” 

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way, did it? ;) Instead, Americans have chosen to celebrate July 4 as our Independence Day. On that day, Congress finally approved a formal, written Declaration of Independence.

That Declaration was written by a committee of five men: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.

This Day in History: Battle of San Juan Heights

On this day in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders famously charge up San Juan Hill. Roosevelt’s bravery captures the public imagination, launching him into national prominence.

“The charge itself was great fun,” he declared afterwards. “Oh, but we had a bully fight.”

But how much of his legendary reputation was earned on the battlefield—and how much was created by an adoring media eager to make him one of the Spanish-American War’s most famous heroes?

That conflict—later dubbed “a splendid little war”—was fought just as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Filipinos sought to free themselves from Spanish rule. Their plight earned the sympathy of many Americans, so when USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, some believed Spain had sabotaged the ship.

War was declared in April. Roosevelt was thrilled!

Founders. Rolling. In. Graves. Don't you think?

Coolidge said: "A government which lays taxes on the people not required by urgent public necessity and sound public policy is not a protector of liberty, but an instrument of tyranny. It condemns the citizen to servitude. One of the first signs of the breaking down of free government is a disregard by the taxing power of the right of the people to their own property..... Unless the people can enjoy that reasonable security in the possession of their property, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, against unreasonable taxation, freedom is at an end."

Medal of Honor Monday: Steven L. Bennett

On this day in 1972, a pilot faces an impossible choice: One path offers his best hope of survival. The other gives a fellow serviceman a fighting chance to live.

Naturally, Captain Steven Bennett chose to help his fellow man. Perhaps his family would have expected nothing less.

“He was a fine young fella,” Bennett’s uncle would later reminisce, “who came from a modest family and came up from moderate means. He worked his way through school. . . . He was a first-class citizen.”

Bennett was commissioned into the Air Force immediately after graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He learned to fly bombers and fighters and received forward air controller training before being sent to Vietnam in early 1972.

“He performed exceptionally well,” historian Edward F. Murphy explains. “In the next sixty days, he earned four Air Medals.”

FULL STORY: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-steven-bennett-moh

This Week in History: The Marines' Bulldog Mascot

At about this time in 1927, the United States Marine Corps adopts a mascot: the English bulldog. Did you ever wonder why Marines are sometimes called “Devil Dogs” and why their mascot is a bulldog?

There’s more uncertainty surrounding the issue than you might think.

As the story goes, the phrase “Devil Dogs” came into use after the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood. It’s said that Marines fought so ferociously that the Germans called them “Teufel Hunden” or “Devil Dogs.” The Germans thought they were throwing out insults, but Marines took pride in the name.

“Teufel Hunden, German Nickname for U.S. Marines,” a recruiting poster soon blared. It featured a bulldog chasing a German dachshund and encouraging Americans to visit the “Devil Dog Recruiting Station.”

Yet the Belleau Wood story can’t be entirely accurate. The phrase first appeared in newspapers more than two weeks before that conflict began.

This Day in History: The Hoover Dam

On this day in 1929, a project born from floods, ruined farms, and an accidental inland sea takes a major step forward. The Colorado River had long been a problem for Americans in the Southwest, but soon a dam—known today as “Hoover Dam”—would provide some relief.

The project had been a long time coming.

Roughly 25 years earlier, the Colorado River had flooded. There was so much water that an inland sea was accidentally created: the Salton Sea. Needless to say, farms in the area were badly affected. Recovery took two years and more than $3 million.

That’s a lot of money today, but it was even more back then. The cost in today’s dollars would exceed $100 million.

Unfortunately, the 1905 flood was not the first of its kind. The river could be fairly unpredictable. One Bureau of Reclamation employee observed: “The river was an enemy, and only in short periods of time could you look at it as a useful river. Most of the time it was something that would kill you or ruin your farm.”