Valor | War History

MoH Recipient Richard O’Kane Was the US Navy’s Most Successful Submarine Commander

USS Tang (SS-306) leaving port + Military portrait of Richard O'Kane

Richard O’Kane is the most successful submarine commander in the history of the US Navy. He served during the Second World War, and sank a…

Battlefield Cross: A Powerful Symbol to Memorialize the Sacrifices of Fallen Soldiers

Samantha Franco
Battlefield Cross in a room + Battlefield Cross in the middle of a debris-strewn field

The Battlefield Cross has gone from having a functional purpose to providing symbolic meaning for those mourning the loss of their comrades. Its imagery is…

Charles Brown Never Received His MoH Because He Deserted Before It Was Presented

Samantha Franco
Charles Brown, Hugh Purvis and McLane Tilton standing in front of a captured Korean flag

During the 19th century, Korea was extremely isolationist. Before agreeing to the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876, it didn’t have an interest in developing trade agreements…

US Military Video Shows Russian Su-27 Fighter Jet Colliding with Reaper Drone

Clare Fitzgerald
Sukhoi Su-27 in flight

US European Command (EUCOM) has declassified footage of a recent encounter between a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 and an MQ-9 Reaper operated by the United States.…

Mysterious US Navy Vessel Washes Ashore In North Carolina, Disappears Overnight

Clare Fitzgerald
Aircraft carriers docked as Naval Station Norfolk

It’s not uncommon for strange things to wash ashore along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, but rarely are the objects related to the military. That’s exactly…

Puckle Gun: The Early Machine Gun That Fired Both Round and Square Bullets

Puckle Gun replica on display

Many consider the Maxim to be the world’s first machine gun – and they’re technically not wrong. Developed in 1884, it was the first automatic…

Facts About the Award-Winning and Controversial Vietnam Epic, ‘The Deer Hunter’

Still from 'The Deer Hunter'

The Academy Award-winning film The Deer Hunter (1978) is the most controversial Vietnam-era film – that’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Starring Robert De…

Henry T Elrod: The Marine Corps Aviator Who Single-Handedly Took Out a Japanese Destroyer

Wrecked Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat in the sand + Military portrait of Henry T Elrod

Maj. Henry T Elrod was better known by his nickname, “Hammerin’ Hank.” The US Marine Corps aviator had always dreamed of taking to the skies,…

The Personal Experiences That Influenced Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War Trilogy

Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic in 'Born on the Fourth of July' + Tom Berenger as Staff Sgt. Bob Barnes in 'Platoon' + Portrait of Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone is arguably one of the best directors and screenwriters in Hollywood, known for his ability to bring blockbuster and award-winning stories to the…

A B-2 Spirit Was the Victim of the Most Expensive Crash in US Air Force History – $1.4 Billion!

Charred remains of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit 'Spirit of Kansas'

Undoubtedly, the United States has put a large amount of money into its Air Force between improving aerial technology, funding production and, of course, dealing…

The Little-Known Lost Battalions of World War II

Six members of the Lost Battalion in the Pacific Theater sitting together

Everyone is aware of the Lost Battalion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive; 554 men from the US 77th Division who became trapped by the Germans in…

Four Men Aboard the USS California (BB-44) Were Awarded the Medal of Honor

USS California (BB-44) at sea

The attack on Pearl Harbor was disastrous for American vessels, particularly those moored along Battleship Row. The nine were the primary targets of the Japanese,…