Military History

A soldier in dress uniform and white gloves places a wooden case into a casket, while another soldier in dress uniform stands at attention next to the casket.

Remains of dozens of WWII, Vietnam War troops brought to Hawaii for forensic identification

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s forensic lab in Hawaii has begun analyzing dozens of human remains retrieved from Laos and the Philippines in recent weeks in hopes of identifying U.S. service members who were killed in World War II and the Vietnam War.

Army Air Forces soldier killed in WWII to be interred at Arlington Cemetery

The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Francis E. Callahan, who was killed during World War II, will be interred Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman died during the Battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan, March 4, 2002. He was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, and the 19th in the service’s history.

Critics say Medal of Honor museum shortchanges airman’s achievements

A petition calling for the National Medal of Honor Museum to include a dedicated exhibit for Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman has revived longstanding criticism that the Navy SEAL community sought to “diminish his contributions.”

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This U.S.-made shell believed to be from World War II was found near Ejina Island in Itoman city, Okinawa, Feb. 11, 2024.

Japanese troops detonate several American-made bombs leftover from WWII

Japanese troops on Wednesday detonated eight unexploded, U.S.-made bombs believed to be from World War II off the coast of southern Okinawa.

Group photo of 28 of the 30 survivors of the Bataan Death March who attended their second reunion held at the Bahnhof Hotel in Darmstadt, Germany, April 8-9, 1949. All survivors served in the European Theater of Command (EC) at the time of the reunion. The two women in the picture are most likely Mrs. Earleen Francis and Mrs. Carmen Sewell who both served as Army nurses and survived the Bataan march and married fellow survivors. A third U.S. Army nurse survivor who also attended the reunion was 1st Lt. Eleanor M. Garen.

From the Archives: The Death March: Story of Bataan

The long, painful trek to San Fernando described by a General who was there.

Japanese troops removed and defused this U.S.-made, World War II-era shell at a construction site in Naha city, Okinawa, Jan. 19, 2025.

WWII explosive removed from city building site on Okinawa

Japanese troops removed and defused an American shell believed to be from World War II from a construction site in Okinawa’s capital city over the weekend.

2 soldiers who fought in the Philippine Insurrection to be awarded Medals of Honor approved more than a century ago

The families began requesting the Army release the medals nearly two years ago after a historian uncovered the circumstances of the medals being approved but never presented. Army Human Resources Command had to verify the paperwork and then the Army had to seek authorization from the White House to present the medals.

A black-and-white photo of a woman in a 1940s Army nurse uniform.

Nancy Leftenant-Colon, first Black woman to serve in US Army Nurse Corps, dies at 104

“Lefty,” as she was known to many, was lauded for breaking down racial barriers and for her lifelong dedication to preserving the legacy of African American military pioneers.

Joe Biden presents a framed Medal of Honor to a seated elderly woman, awarded posthumously to her brother.

‘Genuine to their core heroes’: Biden awards Medal of Honor to 5 Korean War soldiers

Richard Cavazos, Bruno Orig, Wataru Nakamura, Fred McGee and Charles Johnson were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Korean War. Their heroics were not fully recognized at the time, and they received the Medal of Honor as part of a campaign to shine a light on the role of minority service members in defense of the United States.

Joe Biden places the Medal of Honor around the neck of an elderly man in military dress uniform.

‘Flat-out, straight-up American hero’: 2 Vietnam soldiers who rescued fellow troops in combat receive Medal of Honor

Pfc. Kenneth David and Capt. Hugh Nelson Jr. are the latest soldiers who served during the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor. Nelson received the medal posthumously.

Left: Herbert Stern at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1941, the year he graduated. Right: At 106, Stern is the oldest living West Point graduate. MUST CREDIT: Family photo; Robert Stern

His path to reaching 106? ‘I did everything I shouldn’t do’

“I don’t go pheasant hunting anymore,” said Stern, the oldest living graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. “I had to give it up when I turned 102. I’ve lost a lot of my strength.”

Side-by-side portraits of two Vietnam War-era soldiers in dress uniforms.

2 Vietnam soldiers who saved fellow troops in combat to receive Medals of Honor

Capt. Hugh Nelson Jr. and Kenneth David, who fought in the Vietnam War, are the latest recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor in combat.

Combination image of five Korean War-era service members in military dress uniforms.

5 Korean War soldiers will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor

Five Korean War soldiers whose extraordinary heroism was not fully recognized at the time will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor as part of a campaign to shine a light on the role of minority service members in defense of the nation.

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