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Major James Howard's one-man stand
One Mustang pilot took on about thirty German fighters to protect the bombers.
Coming January 11
Dossier 02
Medal of Honor
Extraordinary courage. Ordinary Americans.
The stories in this series
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Public domain · Source & rights ↗
Audie Murphy's stand at Holtzwihr
He climbed onto a burning tank destroyer and held off a German attack alone.
Coming January 26
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The first Medal of Honor action
The earliest act ever honored with the Medal of Honor was an Army doctor's.
Coming February 13
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D-Day on Iwo Jima
Seventy thousand Marines were sent to take an island of volcanic ash.
Coming February 19
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Butch O'Hare saves the Lexington
One Navy pilot stood between nine bombers and his aircraft carrier.
Coming February 20
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MacArthur escapes Corregidor
Navy PT boats carried a general through enemy waters at night.
Coming March 11
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The ship that wouldn't die
A burning aircraft carrier lost 800 men and still made it home.
Coming March 19
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Operation Varsity
Thousands of paratroopers dropped across the Rhine in a single day.
Coming March 24
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The first Medals of Honor
The first Medals of Honor went to Union raiders who stole a train.
Coming March 25
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Iwo Jima's final battle
The last Japanese attack on Iwo Jima hit sleeping pilots and Seabees.
Coming March 26
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The Great Locomotive Chase
Union spies stole a train deep in Georgia, and earned the first Medals of Honor.
Coming April 12
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Roy Benavidez: six hours in hell
Stabbed, shot and hit by shrapnel, he kept going back for his men.
Coming May 2
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William Carney's Medal of Honor
"The old flag never touched the ground," he said, bleeding from his wounds.
Coming May 23
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The attack on USS Liberty
In international waters, an American ship was attacked by aircraft and torpedo boats.
Coming June 8
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Operation Red Wings
Four SEALs on a mountainside faced a far larger enemy force, and one came home.
Coming June 28
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Little Round Top
Out of ammunition, a college professor ordered his men to fix bayonets.
Coming July 2
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The Dentist Who Held the Line
He was an Army dentist. He died behind a machine gun.
Coming July 7
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The Army Medal of Honor
Lincoln signed a resolution creating the nation's highest award for valor.
Coming July 12
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Sergeant Carney's Flag
Shot again and again, he would not let the flag touch the ground.
Coming July 18
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Operation Tidal Wave: Ploesti
They flew B-24 bombers at treetop height into Hitler's oil fields.
Coming August 1
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Douglas Munro: Did They Get Off?
The Coast Guard's only Medal of Honor went to a 22-year-old signalman.
Coming September 27
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Corporal Freddie Stowers
His Medal of Honor recommendation was lost for more than 70 years.
Coming September 28
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Michael Monsoor
He was the only one who could have escaped. He chose to stay.
Coming September 29
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Black Hawk Down in Mogadishu
Two Delta snipers asked three times to be put on the ground.
Coming October 3
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The airmen who fed the Lost Battalion
They flew low on purpose, so the starving men below could catch the bundles.
Coming October 6
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Corporal York's morning
A Tennessee farmer who doubted he should fight captured 132 men.
Coming October 8
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Taffy 3 off Samar
Destroyers charged battleships, knowing they probably would not come back.
Coming October 25
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The Shore at Tarawa
Seventy-six hours on a coral island in the Pacific, and the hard lessons Marines carried to every beach after it.
Coming November 6
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Bloody Tarawa
The tide was too low, and Marines had to wade 500 yards under fire.
Coming November 20
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Jesse Brown and Thomas Hudner
His wingman crash-landed on purpose to try to save him.
Coming December 4