A Brief History On January 24, 1972, on the U.S. territory of the island of Guam, Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding, believing that World War II was still going on! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find an incredibly dedicated soldier discovered by 2 islanders who had captured him and presented him to American military officials. Yokoi had taken part in the 1941 invasion and capture of Guam and was fighting the losing battle when the Americans retook the island in 1944. Yokoi did not surrender then and continued to hold out for the next 27 years, never believing the leaflets that…
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A Brief History On January 17, 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 hit a KC-135 tanker plane in mid-air causing 4 nuclear bombs to fall on Spain! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the U.S. in the middle of the cold war and therefore keeping bombers flying or on the runway with live hydrogen bombs at all times. The B-52 Stratofortress was the mainstay of the U.S.A.F.’s bomber force and with aerial refueling could hit any target in the world. Spain was not on the list! Of the 4 Mk28 thermonuclear bombs that fell that day, one fell in the…
A Brief History On January 13, 1842, the lone survivor of a British army in Afghanistan staggered into Jalalabad! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Dr. William Brydon along with a British army consisting of 4,500 soldiers and about 12,000 tag along civilians (family and camp followers) leaving Kabul under pressure for the safety of another British stronghold in Jalalabad on January 6, 1842. One week later, only Dr. Brydon was spotted by lookouts at Jalalabad, and he did not look so good! A portion of his skull had been lopped off by an Afghan with a sword and he…
A Brief History On January 7, 1948, a Kentucky Air National Guard pilot met his death trying to intercept a UFO! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find another well documented close encounter, this time of the deadly kind. Captain Tom Mantell flying his P-51 Mustang was a World War II veteran, not a civilian or some rookie. Mantell and 3 other Mustang pilots were directed to intercept a huge round white object, perhaps a football field across! Multiple witnesses from spots in Ohio and Kentucky, including a sergeant at the Fort Knox control tower and members of the Kentucky Highway…
A Brief History On January 3, 1944, the top American air combat ace, Pappy Boyington, was shot down. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, later made famous for his exploits leading “The Black Sheep” squadron flying his F4U Corsair against the Japanese in the Pacific theater in World War II. Commanding fighter squadron VMF 214, Pappy and his “Black Sheep” were known for their penchant for getting rowdy and partying with a purpose, hence their appellation. The Corsair fighter plane they flew was vastly superior in many ways to their main opponent, the A6M Zero flown by…
