In the end, he worked as a Merchant Marine during World War II. Perhaps that experience settled him down? After the war, he went to Texas Tech, earned a degree in geology, and joined the Marine Corps Reserve.
“These Soldiers had been fighting every day since they landed,” historian Bob Welch writes. “They had lost their sense of humanity, lost most of their sense of dignity, and lost their sense of hope. Suddenly, along came this nurse who wrote this letter . . . and it absolutely melted their hearts and renewed their sense of hope.”
Mulligan was a friend of Alexander Hamilton’s, you see, but was he also a spy for George Washington? And did he save Washington’s life? Yes, maybe.
“He grew up in a household where morals and values were certainly expected,” his little brother Charles explained. “I think when it came down to it, Harold had no choice. He did what he had to do.”
Maybe he would have been as surprised as anyone? He’d left dentistry behind when he first joined the Army. Instead, the young Jewish American initially served in the infantry. He was an expert shot, and he earned the respect of his fellow soldiers.
The cemetery might never have existed but for Martha Washington’s son. In 1778, John “Jacky” Parke Custis bought a tract of land near Mount Vernon. Unfortunately, Jacky passed away in 1781. The land was inherited by his infant son, George “Wash” Washington Parke Custis.
He’d been playing basketball at the time. He was on his high school team, despite his short height, because he was athletic—and he hustled. It was enough to get him on the team.
Evelyn’s name at birth was Lois Crouse. Her parents had gotten married too hastily when her mother got pregnant—then they got divorced just as quickly. Evelyn was thus adopted by John and Mary Sharp when she was mere weeks old.
The post office gave Americans unprecedented access to information and was considered quite efficient for its time. Indeed, support of the postal service was nothing if not patriotic.
Indeed, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, George Washington fully supported public displays of gratitude as a vital part of a well-functioning army.
Second Lt. Whittle had logged more than 500 hours of flight time during her months as a flight nurse. She served aboard 40 missions.
Sebille had been among those pilots who served with the #Army in @#WWII, but then returned to serve in the #AirForce during the Korean War.
The attack on Fort Stevens was one of a handful of times that the Japanese attacked the American mainland.
The Battle of Attu was the only land battle fought in North America during #WWII, yet somehow it has earned the tag, “The Forgotten Battle.” 
At the time, her plantation was occupied by nearly 200 British, Loyalist and Hessian soldiers. Marion, Lee, and Motte hoped to drive them out before British reinforcements could arrive.
“Though young,” a cataloger for the Smithsonian writes, “he was one of the very few at the time who accurately foresaw a military role for powered aircraft.”
Believe it or not, she’d never even flown in a plane before. Where would this country be without brave ladies such as these?
As discussed in yesterday’s post, the beginning of December found Washington and British General William Howe on opposite sides of the Delaware River. As the weather deteriorated, Howe had decided to go into winter quarters. 
Americans were then fighting off British General John Burgoyne, who was moving from Canada to Albany. Along the way, Burgoyne was running into supply problems. He dispatched a force toward Vermont, hoping to obtain more horses and meat.
Could the man be trusted? “I always think it necessary to be very guarded, with those who are professedly acting as double characters. . . . Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder,” Washington mused.
Indeed, that operation nearly occurred concurrently with Operation Overlord, the #DDay landings that you are used to hearing about. Operation Overlord was focused on Normandy, in northern France. But a southern arm was also considered.