The US Air Force turns 75 on September 18, the date when the Air Force formally separated from the US Army under the terms of the National Security Act of 1947. But if you really want to trace the origins of America's air power, you need to go back to the Civil War and
Aboard the USS Missouri 77 years ago, Admiral “Bull” Halsey’s Fleet “Aerologist" (Navy-speak for meteorologist) borrowed a camera and shot the only color footage of the Japanese Surrender in Tokyo Bay. On September 2, 1945, Commander George F. Kosco borrowed a camera from Chief Petty Officer (and Hollywood actor) Leif Erickson. Then, he took a
Simple question. Complicated answer. That's often how history works.Victor Jorgensen photo, Times Square, August 14, 1945 (National Archives) August 14 is the anniversary of V-J Day. That's the day in 1945 that Americans learned of the final end of World War II. That is, the end of the second of two wars that made
← BACK TO VBC BLOG Remembering Major League Baseball’s Purple Heart Pitcher, Lou Brissie Shredded by a German artillery shell, Cpl. Lou Brissie refused to allow his leg to be amputated in the crazy dream that he might still play big league baseball. Thanks to grit, determination, and the support of Connie
← BACK TO VBC BLOG When Veterans Stormed the Capital: The March of the Bonus Army of 1932, part 2 On July 28, 1932, General Douglas MacArthur, with Majors George S. Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower, drove thousands of protesting World War I veterans out of Washington, DC, by force. The trauma
On 2 May, a British intelligence officer doing the London Daily Telegraph crossword puzzle noticed No. 17 across: "One of the U.S." The answer, he knew, was "Utah." Ordinarily, nothing remarkable about that. But this was 1944, a month before D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history. And the answer to No. 17
