During this week in 1945, a U.S. soldier charges not just one, but six enemy positions. Staff Sergeant Ysmael Villegas was just one day shy of his 21st birthday when he performed his heroic action.
He was known as “Smiley” to his family and friends.
Villegas’s heroism came during the campaign to drive the Japanese out of the Philippine Islands. His division had been tasked with securing an important mountain pass on the island of Luzon: the Villa Verde Trail.
On March 20, Villegas’s unit was trying to obtain control of a particular vantage point along that trail, but the area was covered with a series of connected caves and foxholes. The enemy was hunkered down in their hiding places, hurling grenades and demolition charges at the approaching Americans.
Villegas was undeterred. His Medal citation describes the manner in which he moved among his comrades, bolstering their spirits and encouraging them to continue on in the face of intense fire. But it was at the crest of a hill that Villegas really swung into action.
The story continues here:
https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-ysmael-villegas-moh
#TDIH #OTD #History #USHistory #liberty #freedom #ShareTheHistory
On this day in 2001, a shocking attack unfolds before our very eyes. Most of us will never forget where we were or what we were doing when we first heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
America would never be the same again.
Regular readers know that a "this day in history" story normally appears on this page first thing in the morning. But on September 11, 2001, we all lived through history. Today is simply a day to remember.
If you are so inclined to tell YOUR "this day in history" moment, then I'd love to hear your story, below. I know I say this every year, but it seems to me that telling our stories and remembering is the best way to spend this day, especially since the anniversary is increasingly falling off the MSM's radar. Don't you think?
At about this time in 1777, George Washington’s army loses the Battle of Brandywine, yet the soldiers leave in good spirits. They’d put up a gallant fight, and the British had been left too tired and demotivated to maintain a pursuit.
Washington wrote John Hancock that despite “the misfortune of the day, I am happy to find the troops in good spirits; and I hope another time we shall compensate for the losses now sustained.”
General William Howe was then traveling toward Philadelphia. He had just clashed with Americans at the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge. It was a battle that left those Americans retreating back toward Washington’s main army.
The two sides prepared for the larger conflict that seemed certain to come.
The story continues here: http://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-brandywine
At about this time in 1944, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. John Joseph Tominac’s Medal citation reads like a Hollywood movie script! Would you believe he even rode atop a burning tank, leaping off just as it exploded?
Amazingly, he survived.
Then-1st Lt. Tominac’s bravery came on September 12, near Saulx de Vesoul, France, as he served with the 3rd Infantry Division. Our soldiers had been working their way through France for weeks, and the fighting had been tough. Indeed, half of Tominac’s platoon had been wounded or killed in the month since they’d landed on French shores.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-john-tominac-moh
