Military History by Month
April
Scottish-American Heritage Month (https://www.scotsman.com/news/american-civil-war-how-tartan-wearing-regiment-scotland-joined-northern-cause-1679908 )
John Paul Jones of the Revolutionary War was also a Scot and considered the Father of the U.S. Navy (https://youtu.be/H3rMtMJfewU )
Month Of The Military Child (There is a military child day. I don’t know why they called it out as Military Brat Day other than that some even call themselves that.)
Passover Begins (for our Jewish brothers, my Mum’s parish would have a really good Seder Supper as well.)
Gold Star Spouses Day (This is to honor the husbands and wives of fallen military members, and I imagine fiancées, etc.)
April 06
New Beer’s Eve (I am not sure if there is a sign that these two are on the same day, but there were a lot of Scottish immigrants and those of ancestry that have been in the American Military.)
National Tartan Day (There were Scottish Regiments in the Civil War on both sides.) 2 Scot Brothers on opposite sides (https://youtu.be/j5bY5v_8tKU)
Scots in Civil War (https://youtu.be/h0KRTtanfXE )
Good Friday (Preparing for Easter)
National Beer Day (We can have beers prior on the 3rd to prepare!)
Easter (For those of the Christian Faith)
National Former Prisoner Of War Recognition Day (Vietnam POW Homecoming: https://youtu.be/4aEKdKAjfdgv )
National Winston Churchill Day (when he was granted Honorary American Citizenship under JFK’s administration.)
National Borinqueneers Day (65th Infantry Division - Puerto Rican National Guard - https://youtu.be/FHW0xzBmHvI )
National Devil Dog Day (Also another Marines Day from when they garnered this nickname from the Germans soldiers due to their tenacity in fighting in 1918. https://youtu.be/Klpeams774A )
History Notes:
April 3
Medal of Honor: On this date in 1865 during the Battle of Namozine Church(Va.), 2nd Lt. Thomas W. Custer of the 6th Michigan Cavalry earns his first of two Medals of Honor. Serving alongside his older brother, Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer, Thomas captures the 2nd North Carolina Cavalry's regimental flag. Thomas capture another enemy flag in three days, becoming the Civil War's only double recipient of the Medal of Honor. Interestingly, George Custer is the first Union soldier to capture an enemy flag, which he accomplishes while serving as Maj. Gen. George B.McClellan's aide-de-camp in 1862. George, Thomas, and younger brother Boston will all perish during the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. (https://youtu.be/9cFcBgowiFc )
April 5
1951: Corpsman Richard De Wert, serving with the 7th Marines in Korea, rushes through enemy fire to retrieve a wounded comrade. While wounded himself, De Wert refuses to stop to be treated and returns for another fallen Marine. Hit again, he braves incoming fire a third time, and on his fourth trip into the kill zone, the corpsman is mortally wounded. For his actions, De Wert is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The recently decommissioned frigate USS De Wert (FFG-45) was named in his honor. (https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2557866/medal-of-honor-monday-navy-corpsman-richard-d-dewert/ )
April 18
1775: Paul Revere and William Dawes begin their famous "midnight ride" from Boston to Lexington, Mass., where they link-up with Samuel Prescott, who rides on to Concord. All three are sounding the alarm — warning town leaders and alerting the militia — that nearly 1,000 British infantrymen, grenadiers, and Royal Marines are advancing from Boston. (https://youtu.be/K3-6J5qEGiA )
1942: At 7:38 a.m. a Japanese patrol vessel spots the task force bearing Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle and his raiders 650 miles east of Japan. The ship is sunk, but not before her crew can report the position of the American aircraft carriers. Their cover blown, sixteen specially modified B-25 Mitchell bombers have to launch from USS Hornet ten hours earlier than planned. The crews will not have enough fuel to return to the carrier after the first raid against the Japanese mainland of World War II, so they have been instructed to strike Tokyo and other targets on Honshu, then fly to China and pray they'll find suitable landing sites or bail out. The one-way mission will be successful, but all aircraft will be lost. Eleven airmen will be killed or captured. Doolittle will be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Long (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-uSs0AagBc)
Short (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbFUBDipmfY )
1967: Maj. Leo K. Thorsness, leading a flight of Air Force F-105 "Thunderchief' aircraft on a "Wild Weasel" mission in a heavily defended area around Hanoi, North Vietnam, destroys two surface-to-air missile sites. When one of his planes is hit and the crew has to eject, Thorsness circles the area to notify search and rescue crews of the downed airmen's location. Spotting an enemy MiG-17 in the area, he engages and kills the enemy fighter, and draws its wingmen off as he heads for fuel. After refueling, helicopter crews attempting to rescue Thorsness' teammates reported more enemy fighters in the area. He damages one MiG and drives the rest away from the area. For his actions, Thorsness is awarded the Medal of Honor. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WJI8XdHL24 )
Apr. 22
1942: The Coordinator of Information (predecessor to the Office of Strategic Services, and ultimately, the CIA) activates Detachment 101 - a special operations unit in Burma. The group collected intelligence, destroyed bridges, derailed trains, captured or destroyed enemy vehicles, located targets for the 10th Air Force, rescued downed Allied airmen, and most importantly, recruited and trained over 10,000 native troops for a highly effective guerrilla campaign against Japanese Forces. Detachment 101 and its OSS teams became the prototype for modern-day Special Forces (Army Green Berets). (Long: https://youtu.be/1xPc0WKBbIs ) (Short: https://youtu.be/B7mmuzd8YmY )
2004: Pat Tillman, who left a multi-million dollar career in professional football to join the Army after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is killed while on patrol in eastern Afghanistan. Pat and his brother Kevin (a minor-league baseball player in the Cleveland Indians organization before enlisting) served in both Iraq and Afghanistan with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. (https://www.nfl.com/videos/a-football-life-the-impact-of-pat-tillman-on-his-community-63457 ) (battle: https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/10802439 )
Apr. 23
1951: When his company's outpost is overrun by enemy forces in a fierce nighttime attack, Tech. Sgt. Harold E. Wilson ignores wounds in his head, shoulder, arm, and leg, resupplying his fellow Marines and coordinating his unit's defense with his company commander. Wounded again by a mortar blast, the platoon sergeant refuses medical assistance for himself and continues to support his men and treat the wounded. Despite being covered with serious wounds he stays in the fight until the last enemy assault has been defeated. He then walks a mile to the rear, but only after ensuring that all of his Marines are accounted for. For his actions, Wilson is awarded the Medal of Honor. Prior to the battle, he served in the Pacific Theater of World War II, was wounded in the Chosin Reservoir, and would later serve in Vietnam [as a Chief Warrant Officer].
(https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/harold-edward-speedy-wilson )
Apr. 24
1951: When a wave of Chinese soldiers charged his machine gun position, Army Cpl. Hiroshi Miyamura told his crew to cover him as he fixed his bayonet and advanced into the enemy force, killing ten in hand to hand combat and scattering the attackers. Upon returning to his position, Miyamura ordered his men to withdraw as he manned the machine gun and covered their retreat. He killed some 50 communist fighters before running out of ammunition and becoming severely wounded. Miyamura's position was overrun and he would spend the next 28 months as a prisoner of war. Miyamura would become the first Medal of Honor recipient whose citation was classified "Top Secret," out of fears for his safety. He would be publicly recognized upon his repatriation 28 months later. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P12ogwV4wRA )