The Battle of Bismarck Sea, March 2, 1943
Japanese attempts to check Allied advances in New Guinea during World War II were frustrated when their convoy of reinforcements was intercepted and destroyed by coordinated air assaults by American and Australian forces.
From: APPOINTMENT IN TOKYO
Skateboarding Into Combat
LCPL Chad Codwell, from Baltimore, Maryland, with Charlie Company 1ST Battalion 5th Marines, carries an experimental urban combat skateboard which is being used for manuevering inside buildings in order to detect tripwires and sniper fire. This mission is in direct support of Urban Warrior ‘99, 03/16/1999
F-80 Shooting Star during a low-level napalm strike on a Communist supply depot. Faint traces of anti-aircraft fire can be seen rising from the bend in the road. (The lengthy original caption describes the action in more detail.) 05/08/1952
A day in the life of a President
This is the February 27, 1991, entry from the daily appointment log kept by President George H.W. Bush. Presidents keep a daily log of meetings with personal acquaintances, foreign representatives, and domestic advisors. On this day the log notes that at 9:02 p.m. eastern standard time, the President addressed the nation about the suspension of offensive combat operations in the Persian Gulf.
On February 23, 1945, during the battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines raised a flag atop Mount Suribachi. It was taken down, and a second flag was raised. Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal captured this second flag-raising. Now part of U.S. Navy records, it is one of the most famous war photographs in U.S. history.
Despite capturing Mount Suribachi in the early days of the battle, it would take US forces until the end of March and thousands of casualties before they captured the heavily fortified island.
On January 26, 1945, 2nd Lieutenant Audie Murphy climbed atop a burning tank destroyer and held 2 companies of German infantry and 6 tanks at bay, with only a mounted machine gun and field telephone to direct artillery fire, until a counter attack could be mounted. This is just one of several narratives describing his actions which earned him the Medal of Honor.
Just six months earlier then-Sergeant Murphy had earned the Distinguished Service Cross.
August 28, 1950 - Grief Stricken American Infantryman
The original caption:
A grief stricken American infantryman whose buddy has been killed in action is comforted by another soldier. In the background a corpsman methodically fills out casualty tags, Haktong-ni area, Korea.
