What we label today as post-traumatic stress disorder was called “nostalgia” during the Civil War because doctors felt the condition was due to homesickness. In WWI, it was called “shell shock”. The disability was first called the “Guadalcanal Disorder” in WWII because in the first campaign of the war, the Read more
Guadalcanal is located in the Solomon Islands. It was unknown to American planners until air reconnaissance discovered the Japanese were building an air field on it. The air base would be a threat to the supply line to Australia. Adm. Ernest King, the head of the Navy, decided the island Read more
Charles Jackson French was born in Arkansas. He learned to swim in the Red River when he was 8. In 1937, at age 18, he enlisted in the Navy. He served four years on the USS Houston. After getting out, he reenlisted after Pearl Harbor. He was on board Read more
John Basilone was born on November 4, 1916. He was the sixth of ten children. He dropped out before high school. In 1934, he spent part of this tour in the Philippines. When his enlistment was up, he returned to civilian life, but it did not suit him. He Read more
It was the first battle in American History where all branches of the current military participated: Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Signalman First Class Douglas Munro became the only member of the Coast Guard to ever earn the Medal of Honor. He led a rescue mission of a Read more