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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Sep 19

They called him "War Daddy"🧵

Staff Sgt. Lafayette Pool, nicknamed "War Daddy" by his fellow Soldiers, was a lanky Texan and golden gloves boxer who became one of America's deadliest tank aces in WWII.

Pool and his crew destroyed hundreds of German vehicles and killed 1000 enemy troops from June 29 to Sept. 19, 1944.

In honor of the Army’s 250 years of service, learn more about this storied hero below.

Photo: Graphic Illustration of Lafayette Pool by U.S. Army Digital Management Division

On June 23, 1944, Pool and his close-knit crew landed in Normandy with the 32nd Armored Regiment. They faced intense fighting six days later in Villiers-Fossard. Here, Pool lost his first Sherman tank, which he named “In the Mood.”

Over the next 80 days and 21 assaults through France and Belgium, Pool lost two more tanks, but every new one kept the same name.

In total, Pool and his crew destroyed 258 German vehicles (including tanks) over the nearly 12 weeks of action.

On September 19, 1944, Pool's intrepid campaign came to a halt.

Pictured: Pool and the crew of In The Mood at Liege, Belgium, September 8, 1944 via Texas State Historical Association

While fighting near Munsterbusch, Germany Pool spotted a German anti-tank gun. When he tried to engage, their 76 mm gun jammed.

Before they could safely reverse, Pool's tank was shelled twice and he was thrown from the vehicle.

Pool's right leg was severely shattered and later amputated 8 inches above the knee. His Army story, however, didn't end there.

Pictured: One of Pool’s tanks via Warfare History Network

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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Sep 19

Philippines, 1942. Shot twice in the chest and his left hand, Cpt. Willibald C. Bianchi still jumped on a tank and doggedly fought off machine gun fire on a mission he volunteered for. 🧵

Today, @SecWar announced the identification and return of Bianchi's remains on National POW and MIA Day.

Read more about this Medal of Honor recipient's story of heroism, fortitude, and courage below.

Graphic illustration by Army Digital Management Division

On Feb. 3, 1942, Bianchi voluntarily joined and led another company’s rifle platoon ordered to take out two enemy machine gun nests in the Bataan Peninsula.

Early in the fight, Bianchi was shot twice in his left hand. While most would get first aid, Bianchi chose to swap his rifle with a pistol and continue fighting.

Shortly after, Bianchi found a machine gun nest and silenced it with two grenades. But his heroism didn’t stop there.

In the fray, Bianchi was shot twice more, this time in the chest. Again, he didn’t seek medical help, but jumped on a tank, manned the anti-aircraft machine gun, and rained fire on the second enemy position. He continued fighting until he was shot once more and knocked off the tank.

Bianchi recovered for a month before returning to duty and was promoted to Captain. When the Philippines fell to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942, Bianchi and 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers were captured as prisoners of war.

Pictured: Map showing the location of the three pockets where Japanese infantry dug in behind the US line on Bataan in later January/early February 1942 during the Battle of the Pockets.

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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Aug 28

Aug. 28, 2013. Ghanzi Province, Afghanistan. A massive blast tore a 60-foot hole in the wall of an American Forward Operating Base. Ten insurgents wearing suicide vests stormed through the breach.

Then-Staff Sgt. Earl Plumlee and five other Soldiers raced toward the chaos to defend their base and rescue wounded teammates.

What unfolded next would earn Plumlee the highest award for valor in the U.S. military.

In honor of the Army’s 250 years of service, read about this extraordinary hero. 🧵

Plumlee and his driver charged straight into the battle. The driver maneuvered their vehicle to shield injured Soldiers while Plumlee instinctively protected his teammate from incoming rounds.

Armed with only a pistol, Plumlee dismounted and began engaging an insurgent just 15 meters away.

He pressed the attack without cover, completely disregarding his own safety.

Plumlee continued his relentless assault, engaging insurgents in brutal close-quarters combat. One detonated a vest just seven meters from his position.

Undeterred, he kept advancing under heavy fire alongside a teammate. When a wounded insurgent triggered his explosive vest, the blast hurled Plumlee against a wall.

Despite his injuries, he pushed forward.

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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Aug 12

Sgt. Maj. Mike Vining: The Man. The Meme. The Army Legend.

An EOD technician and founding member of multiple elite units, Vining made his mark on Army history early in his career when he helped destroy a weapons cache with over 7 million rounds of ammunition.

He gained fame online as the subject of Army memes, thanks to his unassuming demeanor and stack of medals.

In honor of his birthday, here’s a small part of his incredible story.

Inspired by WWII movies, Vining wanted to defuse bombs from a young age.

He joined the Army in 1968 at just 17 years old, graduating from EOD training two years later.

Soon after, he volunteered to deploy to Vietnam with the 99th Ordnance Detachment.

Pictured: Sgt. Maj. Vining in the bottom left corner.

In May 1970, Vining deployed with the @1stCavalryDiv to a site that would become known as Rock Island East, the largest enemy weapons cache discovered by U.S. forces during the war.

The cache included:

▶️ 932 individual weapons
▶️ 85 crew-served weapons
▶️ 7,079,694 small arms and machine gun rounds
▶️ Nearly 1,000 rounds of 85 mm artillery shells for D-44 howitzers and T-34 tanks

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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Aug 5

He jumped into hell with only a knife and an aid bag.🧵🇺🇸

On May 2, 1968, then-Staff Sgt. Roy Benavidez heard a 12-man Special Forces team was trapped in the jungle, outnumbered 100-to-1.

He fought relentlessly for six hours, losing so much blood in the process, medics thought he died by the battle's end.

In honor of his birthday, take a moment to honor him and read his remarkable story of courage and survival.

Upon landing, he was shot, stabbed, and hit by grenade shrapnel, yet he kept fighting.

Wounded in his leg, face, and head before reaching the team, Benavidez took command.

He directed fire, threw smoke grenades to direct the helicopters, dragged the wounded out, all under unceasing fire. Then things got worse.

Their extraction helicopter crashed, killing the pilot, and the enemy closed in.

Benavidez was shot again, this time in the stomach. However, he immediately pulled his fellow Soldiers from the wreckage and formed a defense.

Bleeding out, he still handed out ammo, called airstrikes, and kept his men alive. But the fight wasn’t over yet.

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U.S. Army

@USArmy

Jul 4

Outgunned and outnumbered, he fought off a German assault alone—on top of a burning tank destroyer.

Maj. Audie Murphy is a legend in U.S. military and Hollywood history.

This is the story of WWII’s most decorated American Soldier—and how he earned the Medal of Honor.

In Holtzwihr, France, Murphy’s unit was surrounded by six German tanks and waves of infantry.

Murphy ordered his troops to withdraw to safety while he directed artillery at the command post.

As the German tanks closed in on their position, he climbed a tank destroyer engulfed in flames, grabbed its machine gun, and opened fire.

📸 Still from "To Hell and Back," Universal Pictures

For over an hour, Murphy held the line—alone.

Surrounded on three sides, he killed or wounded more than 50 German troops.

His fire was so relentless, even the tanks began to retreat.

Out of ammo, he rejoined his unit—and led a successful counterattack.

📸 Still from "To Hell and Back," Universal Pictures

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