On this day in 1942, a Japanese submarine launches an attack on a fort in Oregon.
Wait. What? A fort in Oregon, far away from so many World War II battlefields? Yes, you read that correctly. :) The attack on Fort Stevens was one of a handful of times that the Japanese attacked the American mainland.
The Japanese sub had secretly followed an American fishing fleet past minefields, enabling the sub to get close to shore. Late at night, when the submarine was about 10 miles from the coast, it began firing with a 5.5-inch deck gun.
A United States military installation on the mainland hadn’t been attacked since the War of 1812. After nearly 130 years of never being attacked, do you think the soldiers at Fort Stevens were a bit shocked when the shelling started just before midnight?
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-fort-stevens
On this day in 1944, a flight nurse is shot down and taken prisoner. Reba Z. Whittle was the only U.S. Army flight nurse to be held as a prisoner of war in the European theater of World War II.
Second Lt. Whittle had logged more than 500 hours of flight time during her months as a flight nurse. She served aboard 40 missions.
Things took a turn for the worse on September 27, 1944. On that day, Whittle and her colleagues from the 813th Aeromedical Evacuation Transportation Squadron were dispatched on a mission to pick up casualties.
They never made it.
The story continues here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-reba-whittle
On this day in 1864, an eagle by the name of “Old Abe” is given to the people of Wisconsin. He would later become the inspiration for the Screaming Eagle on the 101st Airborne Division’s insignia.
Yes! The “Screaming Eagle” was a real bird.
No one knows precisely where Old Abe was born, but we do know that he was captured when he was just an eaglet. Chief Sky of the Flambeau band of Chippewa Indians sold the captured eaglet to a local family.
Needless to say, an eaglet didn’t last long as a family pet.
The story continuees here: https://www.taraross.com/post/tdih-old-abe
On this day in 1924, Calvin Coolidge gives a speech. He discusses the mindset of our ancestors as they began their conflict with Great Britain.
They knew that even the smallest infringement on freedom could be a foot in the door for much larger and more egregious violations of our rights. Thus, they didn't want to tolerate any infringements, no matter how small.
“Our forefathers were alert to resist all encroachments upon their rights. If we wish to maintain our rights, we can do no less,” Coolidge concluded.
How far we've fallen? Food for thought for today.
A longer version of the quote is below.
"The Colonists claimed certain rights of self government. They were determined to maintain that principle. The burdens which resulted from the pretensions of King George and his ministers, and the exactions of Parliament, were not of great consequence and could be borne, but the principle which the people declared was of supreme importance. To acquiesce ...
