Honor Flight Long Island

Remembering the Women of WWII: Mary Louise Hawkins, Heroine of the Pacific Theater On Sept. 24, 1944, 1st Lt. Mary Louise Hawkins, of Denver Colorado, was eva...cuating 24 patients from the fighting at Palau to Guadalcanal when the C-47 ran low on fuel. The pilot made a forced landing in a small clearing on Bellona Island. During the landing, a propeller tore through the fuselage and severed the trachea of one patient. Hawkins made a suction tube from various items including the inflation tube from a "Mae West." With this device, she kept the man's throat clear until aid arrived 19 hours later. All of her patients survived. For her actions, Hawkins received the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, Mary Louise relocated to California and married. She continued her nursing career for many years. First Lieutenant Hawkins passed away on July 9, 2007 at the age of 86. Lest We Forget. #ww2uncovered #worldwar2 #ww2 #WWII #WorldWarII #wwiihistory #ww2history #worldwartwo #greatestgeneration #nurse #WW2nurse #usairforce #airforce #Salute #SaluteToService #PTO #armynurse #HeroesInUniform #nursing #ww2aircraft #armyveteran #armystrong #neverforget #nevergiveup #ww2veteran #Heroine Original description and photo sourced from the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Today is #NationalSiblingsDay! To celebrate, we are highlighting some of our cadet siblings who are currently attending West Point. Check out the photos to learn more about their stories.

Let's take a moment to honor all the service members who were forced to march the dreaded sixty-five miles, on this day (April 9) in 1942. The Bataan Death Marc...h was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,00080,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan and Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga, where the prisoners were loaded onto trains. The transfer began on April 9, 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. The total distance marched from Mariveles to San Fernando and from the Capas Train Station to Camp O'Donnell is variously reported by differing sources as between 60 and 69.6 miles. Differing sources also report widely differing prisoner of war casualties prior to reaching Camp O'Donnell: from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths during the march. The march was characterized by severe physical abuse and wanton killings, and was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime. See more

A Salute to Warren G.H. Crecy A Hero of the 761st Tank Battalion On November 10, 1944, Sgt. Warren G.H. Crecy, of Corpus Christi Texas, fought through enemy p...ositions to aid his men until his tank was destroyed. Crecy immediately took command of another vehicle, armed with only a .30-caliber machine gun, and liquidated the enemy position that had destroyed his tank. Still under heavy fire, he helped eliminate the enemy forward observers who were directing the artillery fire that had been pinning down the American infantry. The next day, Crecy's tank became bogged down in the mud. He dismounted and fearlessly faced anti-tank, artillery and machine-gun fire as he extricated his tank. While freeing his tank, he saw that the accompanying infantry was pinned down and that the enemy had begun a counterattack. Crecy climbed up on the rear of his immobilized tank and held off the Germans with his .50-caliber machine gun while the foot soldiers withdrew. Later that day, he again exposed himself to enemy fire as he wiped out several machine-gun nests and an anti-tank position with only his machine gun. The more fire he drew, the harder he fought. After the battle, Crecy had to be pried away from his machine gun. He became an American hero at the age of 21. Sgt. Crecy served as a prison guard at Nuremberg. Warren continued his military career while serving in the Korean War. He retired in 1952 as a result of an injury. He later relocated to San Francisco, California. For his service in World War II he received the Silver Star, four Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star. He was also nominated for a Medal of Honor. He was 19 years old when he enlisted for service in San Antonio, Texas on December 14, 1942. His service number was 18232347. Warren Gamaliel Harding Crecy passed away on October 26, 1976 at the age of 53. Lest We Forget. #ww2uncovered #worldwar2history #hero #HeroesInUniform #salutetoservice #wwii #lestweforget #greatestgeneration #Texas #corpuschristi #ww2 #WWIIveteran #Salute #WWIIVet #wwiihistory #WWIIHero #SaluteAndRespect #ww2history #ww2vet #ww2veteran #worldwar2 #usarmyveteran #usarmy #usarmyvet #usarmysoldier #ww2tanks #purpleheart #silverstar #bronzestar #blackhistorymonth2021 Original description and photo sourced from www.tshaonline.org and National World War II Museum

A Salute to First Sergeant Samuel Turley Hero of the 761st Tank Battalion First Sergeant Samuel J Turley, of Hennepin County, Minnesota, was a member of the 7...61st Tank Battalion. During the approach to Morville, France on November 9th, Charlie Company’s tanks got blocked by an antitank ditch measuring 15 feet wide and at least 4-ft deep. The trench was rigged was steel spikes and landmines. The 761st was exposed to heavy artillery fire and a number of tanks were hit. Despite this devastation the Black Panthers did not give up the fight. These brave man left their damaged tanks and headed toward the rear, helping each other, dragging or carrying wounded tankers and infantrymen to safety. First Sergeant Sam Turley’s tank was one of the first hit. Realizing that the soldiers trapped in the ditch were doomed unless they escaped right away, Turley ran up and down the ditch shouting for soldiers to head uphill toward higher ground where they might find cover. The last anyone saw of Turley, he had jumped out of the ditch to provide covering counterfire for the escaping soldiers. He stood tall behind the ditch, ammo belts thrown over his shoulders, machine gun held close to his hip to absorb its recoil. Turley continued to shoot until German counterfire ultimately caused his death from a direct hit from an 88mm shell. He gave up his life to save the lives of many of his brothers in arms during this harrowing attack..... A True Hero. Samuel J Turley lies in rest at Plot C Row 12 Grave 20, Lorraine American Cemetery, St. Avold, France. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. First Sergeant Turley was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions. He was also a recipient of the Purple Heart. Lest We Forget. #ww2uncovered #WWII #ww2 #WorldWarII #greatestgeneration #worldwar2 #Hero #ww2history #wwiihistory #worldwartwo #ww2veteran #ww2vet #lestweforget #worldwar2history #WWIIveteran #WWIIVet #usarmy #usarmyvet #Salute #silverstar #neverforgotten #SaluteToService #SaluteAndRespect #HeroesInUniform #purpleheart #Respect #WWIIHeroes #minnesota #blackhistory Original description and photo sourced by uso.org, www.honorstates.org and US Signal Corps Archive

A Salute to the Old Breed: The Men of Company K-3-5, 1st Marine Division "Eugene B. Sledge is pictured here sitting on his bunk in his tent soon after the bat...tle of Okinawa in World War II. He is wearing the "thousand yard stare" of combat veterans who have seen serious fighting. Sledge fought in Company K-3-5 of the U.S. Marine Corps in two of the fiercest battles against the Japanese at Peleliu and Okinawa. He was one of the few veterans to come through both battles without a physical wound but his experiences would haunt him for many years. Sledge wrote about his combat experiences in a book titled "With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa" years later. This photograph is reproduced at the end of the book." (Eugene Sledge collection Auburn University) Eugene Bondurant Sledgehammer Sledge, of Mobile Alabama, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (K/3/5), where he served with Corporal R.V. Burgin and Private First Class Merriell "Snafu" Shelton. Sledge, a 60 mm mortarman, rose to the rank of Corporal. Serving in the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa, Eugene kept a battle time diary using his issued New Testament which he later used to write his best-selling memoir, "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa". Eugene Sledge returned to Mobile, Alabama after the war. He had a hard time adjusting to life after what he had seen and been through. Eugene attended Alabama Polytechnic Institute (present day Auburn University) and received a Bachelor's Degree in business administration. He received his Doctorate Degree in biology from the University of Florida. In 1970 Eugene Sledge became a professor at the University of Montevallo until his retirement in 1990. Eugene Sledgehammer Sledge died on March 3, 2001 at the age of 77. Lest We Forget. #ww2uncovered #worldwar2 #ww2 #WWII #WorldWarII #ww2history #worldwartwo #greatestgeneration #WWIIVet #wwiihistory #usflag #ww2veteran #worldwar2veteran #iwojima #salute #SaluteAndRespect #pacifictheater #usmc #semperfi #alabama #usmcveteran #lestweforget #OldBreed #mobilealabama #auburnuniversity Original description and photo sourced by The Eugene B. Sledge Collection of the Auburn University Digital Library