This Week in US Military History
From W. Thomas Smith, Jr.’s series at Human Events:
Mar. 2, 1943: Elements of the U.S. Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force intercept and all-but-destroy an entire Japanese troop-transport convoy in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Several enemy ships, scores of enemy aircraft, and thousands of enemy soldiers will be sent to the bottom. Gen. Douglas MacArthur will remark that Bismarck Sea “cannot fail to go down in history as one of the most complete and annihilating combats of all time.” Japanese Navy Capt. Tameichi Hara will refer to the battle as “shocking” and “unbelievable.”
Mar. 3, 1776: A force of 250 Continental Marines and sailors under the command of Marine Capt. (future major) Samuel Nicholas land on New Providence in the British-held Bahamas and quickly seize Fort Montague in the first amphibious operation in American military history. The landing – largely unopposed (the British garrison spiking their own guns and fleeing) – nets for the Americans much-needed powder, shot, nearly 50 serviceable cannon, and a few mortars.
An avid foxhunter and the highest-ranking leatherneck in the American Revolution, Nicholas will lead Marines alongside Army forces in the future battles of (second) Trenton and Princeton. He is considered to be the first commandant of the Marine Corps.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Alamo, American Revolution, Ballad of the Green Berets, Barbary Wars, Boston Massacre, John Adams, Seabees, Star Spangled Banner, Tuskegee Airmen, US Army, US Army Air Forces, US Marine Corps, US Navy, W. Thomas Smith Jr., World War II
Medal of Honor history: Lewis Millett
war·rior
If there is a picture of someone next to the word “warrior” in the dictionary, it would be Lewis Millett.
The man joined the Army in 1940 to fight the fascists in Europe, but left the service when he figured out that the U.S. wouldn’t enter the war. But instead of deserting to run from battle, Millett did so to run to battle, joining the Canadian armed forces, where he fought in England.
When the U.S. joined the war in 1942, Millet was able to transfer back to the American Army. Joining the 1st Armored Division, Millett earned the Silver Star – the nation’s third-highest award for valor – for his actions in North Africa. He also fought at Salerno and Anzio, but paperwork suggesting he had “deserted” in 1940 (by going to Canada) caught up to Millett. He was court-martialed, demoted to private, and fined $52.
However following his punishment, Millett received a battlefield promotion to second lieutenant and a Bronze Star.
In his second war, Millett was the Company Commander in the 27th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. On February 7, 1951 on Hill 180 (present-day Osan Air Base in South Korea), he led an incredibly daring assault in what is believed to be the last bayonet charge in American military history. And it is worth noting that the CO that Millett replaced also was awarded the Medal of Honor, but posthumously.
After the Korean War, Gen. William Westmoreland picked Millett to command the Recondo school, which produced some of the world’s finest jungle warriors.
The man took something as tame as retirement and kicked it up a notch: Millett retired in 1971 because he felt the U.S. no longer wanted to win in Vietnam. He took up work as a sheriff’s deputy.
There is so much more to the warrior, who unfortunately passed away in November. Please read the other posts about Col. Millett here.
In: Military History · Tagged with: "Wolfhounds", 27th Infantry Regiment, Col. Lewis L. "Red" Millett, Korean War, Lewis Millett, Medal of Honor, Recondo, US Army, Vietnam War
3 hour firefight in Afghanistan
U.S. Army Pvt. John Stafinski, a native of Seville, Ohio, fires his M-249 squad automatic weapon during a three-hour gun battle with insurgent fighters in Kunar province, Afghanistan's Waterpur Valley, Nov. 3. Stafinski is an infantryman with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Carson, Colo. (U.S. Army photo/Sgt. Matthew Moeller)
In: Images, Military · Tagged with: Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, US Army
Today in Medal of Honor History: Ingman and Kinsman
Today in Medal of Honor history:
Feb. 6, 1968: While on a reconnaisance-in-force mission near Vinh Long, Vietnam, Army Private First Class Thomas J. Kinsman dove on a grenade to shield his comrades from the blast. His actions saved seven of his teammates, and he was able to recover from his injuries.
Multiple servicemen have used their bodies to shield comrades from injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and hardly any have been recognized with the Medal of Honor.
Feb. 6, 1951: When enemy fire pinned down the two leading squads of the company’s assault platoon in Maltari, Korea, Army Corporal Einar H. Ingman, Jr. reorganized the squads and led them on a charge against the enemy. He single-handedly charged two enemy machine gun positions, killing the enemy with grenades, rifle fire, and his bayonet before collapsing from his severe wounds. Ingman’s actions resulted in over 100 enemy troops fleeing the battle, and his squad went on to secure the objective.
Links to the Medal of Honor citations for both men are found by clicking their names above.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Einar H. Ingman Jr., Korean War, Medal of Honor, Thomas J. Kinsman, US Army, Vietnam War
A Courageous Chaplain
42 years ago on 6 December, 1967, Captain Liteky – the chaplain for the 199th Infantry Brigade – accompanied a company on a search and destroy mission in Phuoc-Lac, Vietnam. When the company was attacked by a battalion-sized enemy force, Chaplain Liteky moved multiple times through heavy enemy fire to deliver last rights to dying soldiers and to aid wounded soldiers. Despite incoming small arms and rocket fire, Liteky stood up multiple times in order to direct the incoming helicopters to the landing zone.
Through the course of the battle, the chaplain carried 20 wounded soldiers to the landing zone for evacuation.
You can read Chaplain Liteky’s citation here.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Charles J. Liteky, Medal of Honor, US Army, Vietnam War
Medal of Honor Awarded to Two E/27th Commanders within 3 Months
27th Infantry Regiment insignia "Fear No Difficulties"
Military History magazine conducted a great interview in 2002 with the late Medal of Honor recipient Col. Lewis Millett.
Among many other new things I learned about Col. Millett, I read that the commander whom Millett replaced, Capt. Reginald B. Desiderio, was also awarded the Medal of Honor (posthumously) for his actions. Only three months after Desiderio’s actions, Millett’s bayonet charge would earn him the medal as well.
Desiderio also fought in Southern France and Germany during World War II, earning a Silver Star, Purple Heart, and four Bronze Stars for courage.
In: Military History · Tagged with: "Wolfhounds", 27th Infantry Regiment, Bronze Star, Col. Lewis L. "Red" Millett, Korean War, Lewis Millett, Medal of Honor, Reginald B. Desiderio, Reginald Desiderio, Silver Star, US Army, World War II
Military Milestones from the King of Battle to Second Fallujah
Originally published at Human Events
This Week in American Military History:
Nov. 16, 1778: In a letter to Frenchman Jacques Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, an intermediary between King Louis XVI and American emissaries seeking support for the American Revolution (including ships), Continental Navy Capt. John Paul Jones writes, “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm’s way.”
Readers will recall Jones dramatic refusal-to-surrender — “I have not yet begun to fight!” — the following year during the famous battle of the North Sea between the Continental Navy frigate Bonhomme Richard and the British frigate HMS Serapis.
Nov. 16, 2004: Nine days after launching Operation Phantom Fury — the Second Battle of Fallujah (Iraq) — U.S. Marines and soldiers (as well as a few British and Iraqi troops) begin the mopping-up phase of what has since been described as the most intense urban combat since the bloody battle for the Vietnamese city of Hué in 1968.
It is during the height of the battle for Fallujah, that a radio transmission is intercepted by U.S. forces in which a panicking al-Qaeda insurgent is heard exclaiming to his chief: “We are fighting, but the Marines keep coming! We are shooting, but the Marines won’t stop!”
In: Military History · Tagged with: Abraham Lincoln, American Revolution, Fallujah, Gettysburg Address, John Paul Jones, Medal of Honor, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sammy L. Davis, US Army, US Marine Corps, Vietnam War, W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Millett, hero of Battle of Bayonet Hill, passes
[Originally published at The US Report]
In 1940, Lewis L. “Red” Millett, a 17 year old native of Mechanic Falls, Maine, dropped out of high school and joined the Army Air Corps in order to fight the increasing fascist threat in Europe. But when President Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would not be entering the war, Millett decided to pack his bags and head to Canada – not to avoid combat, but to seek it out as part of the Canadian army. He was sent to London where he served as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Nazi’s “Blitz” bombing campaign.
“I deeply believe that if you’re a free man, then you should stand up and support freedom wherever it is,” Millett said during an interview on the 2003 PBS documentary American Valor.
When the U.S. joined the war in 1942, Millet was able to transfer back to the American Army. Joining the 1st Armored Division, Millett earned the Silver Star – the nation’s third-highest award for valor – for his actions in North Africa. He also fought at Salerno and Anzio, but paperwork suggesting he had “deserted” in 1940 (by going to Canada) caught up to Millett. He was court-martialed, demoted to private, and fined $52.
However following his punishment, Millett received a battlefield promotion to second lieutenant and a Bronze Star.
Then on Feb. 7, 1951 during the Korean War, Millett – who had been promoted to Captain – was leading an under-strength company of 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds” against a strongly held enemy position on Hill 180, which is now part of Osan Air Base in South Korea.
“The Chinese had put out the word that we were afraid of bayonets,” Millett told Stars and Stripes in a 1975 interview. “‘Americans afraid of bayonets’ is just ridiculous, I thought, so I intended to prove a point.”
During the attack, one of Millett’s platoons became pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and “buffalo gun” anti-tank fire. Millett ordered another platoon forward, telling his men to “Fix bayonets and follow me!”
Despite being wounded by a grenade blast, Millett charged forward – firing his rifle, throwing grenades, and striking enemies with his rifle and bayonet. When Millett reached a three-man buffalo gun emplacement, he killed all three with his bayonet. Once at the top of the hill, Millett waved his rifle over his head, encouraging his men by shouting “Grenades and cold steel!” – while still fighting the enemy.
Col. Lewis L. Millett in a 2003 Veteran's Day parade in Palm Springs, Calif. (The Press-Enterprise/Terry Pierson)
Millett’s charge was so effective that the remaining Communist forces fled, but not before 47 North Korean and Chinese soldiers lay dead, 18 of which had been killed by bayonets.
Capt. Millett was awarded the Medal of Honor – the nation’s highest decoration for valor – for his actions on Hill 180, which came to be known as the Battle of Bayonet Hill.
“I was surprised, I never expected it,” Millett told Stars and Stripes. “Of course, a lot of real fine people had to die so that a few might get decorated. There’s an awful lot of men who lie buried over here, and the only recognition they received was the purple heart.”
Lewis L. Millett, 88, passed away Saturday morning in Loma Linda, Calif. His passing means that only 93 living recipients of America’s Medal of Honor remain.
In Sept. 2010, the Medal of Honor Society will hold its national convention in Charleston, S.C., giving Americans the opportunity to honor those like Lewis Millett who have given so much for this country.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Battle of Bayonet Hill, Col. Lewis L. "Red" Millett, Korean War, Lewis Millett, Medal of Honor, US Army, World War II
Military Milestones from Tippecanoe to Roosevelt’s Patrol
By W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
Nov. 1, 1904: The new U.S. Army War College opens its doors to three majors and six captains, among them Capt. (future General of the Armies) John J. “Black Jack” Pershing.
According to Samuel J. Newland writing for Parameters, during the college’s formative years, “the instructional methodology … was reminiscent of the Prussian system of training general staff officers.”
Nov. 2, 1783: Gen. George Washington delivers his “Farewell Address to the Army” near Princeton, N.J., in which he refers to the Continental Army as “one patriotic band of brothers.”
Of his soldiers, whom he says displayed “invincible fortitude in action,” Washington offers his “prayers to the God of Armies,” adding that “may the choicest of Heaven’s favors both here and hereafter attend those, who under the divine auspices have secured innumerable blessings for others.”
Nov. 5, 1915: Nearly five years to the day after aviation pioneer Eugene B. Ely makes the first airplane takeoff from a ship, Lt. Commander (future Capt.) Henry Mustin becomes the first American to make a catapult launch from a ship underway. Mustin is catapulted from USS North Carolina (the second of six so-named American warships, including one submarine and one Confederate ironclad) in a Curtiss AB-2 flying boat.
Mustin, considered in some circles to be the “father of Naval aviation,” is also the grand patriarch of the Mustin Naval dynasty.
Of that dynasty, Capt. Louis Colbus (U.S. Navy, Ret.) former commander of Destroyer Squadron Two and the former chief of staff for Carrier Battle Group Eight, says, “Mustin flag-officers and others have led our Navy for nearly a century from aviation firsts to shipbuilding design and concepts to nuclear testing at the South Pole to battle-group tactics at sea, and at the same time inspiring generations of American sailors.”
In: Military History · Tagged with: Civil War, US Army, US Navy, W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Military Milestones from Humphrey’s Solo to Thornton’s Swim
In his “This Week in American Military History” series at Human Events this week, W. Thomas Smith Jr. mentions the anniversary of Navy SEAL Michael Thornton’s amazing battle with the North Vietnamese Army:
Oct. 31, 1972: U.S. Navy SEAL Petty Officer (future lieutenant) Michael E. Thornton; his commanding officer, Lt. Thomas R. Norris; and three South Vietnamese Naval commandos are conducting an intelligence-collection and prisoner-snatch operation deep behind enemy lines when they are discovered by a force that outnumbers them at least 10 to one.
Fierce, close fighting ensues. Thornton and Norris are both wounded, Norris badly.
As the team begins a fighting withdrawal toward the beach, Thornton learns that Norris is down, perhaps dead.
Thornton races back through a hailstorm of enemy fire to find and retrieve his commander — dead or alive.
Thornton finds Norris, kills two enemy soldiers who are standing over his wounded commander, then hoists Norris onto his shoulders and sprints back toward the beach for several hundred yards under heavy enemy fire.
When he hits the surf, Thornton ties Norris to his own body and starts swimming. When he sees one of the South Vietnamese commandos shot in the hip and unable to swim, Thornton grabs him too; swimming both men out to sea for more than two hours before they are rescued.
For his actions, Thornton will receive the Medal of Honor.
Norris will survive and receive the Medal himself for a previous action.
I did a radio show on Mike Thornton in January, and the transcript is available here.
The remainder of the article can be found at Human Events or by clicking below.
In: Military History · Tagged with: Civil War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Medal of Honor, Michael E. Thornton, Navy SEALs, SEAL Team 1, Thomas R. Norris, US Army, US Navy, USS Langley, Vietnam War, W. Thomas Smith Jr., War of 1812, World War II
