Eisenhower’s Yes: Operation Overlord
byGeneral Dwight D. Eisenhower knew he was fast approaching a crucial moment in the Western theater of the Second World War. In the early morning hours of June 5, 1944,…
Military History
“Faugh A Ballagh,” Clear the Way for the Irish Brigade
byOn April 12, 1861, from Battery Row in Charleston, South Carolina, the sound of cannon blasts and rifle fire from Southern secessionists echoed off the walls of Fort Sumter. The…
“I Have not Yet Begun to Fight”: John Paul Jones’ Greatest Victory
byThe Spring months of 1779 had been uneventful, almost boring for Commodore John Paul Jones of the Continental Navy. He spent most of his time in France overseeing the refitting…
Saviors Rising from the Ashes of the My Lai Massacre
byIn the midst of a war-torn Vietnam, three U.S. infantry companies moved into the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. Under direct orders to eliminate Viet Cong soldiers,…
From Teahouses to Trading Ports: The Scallywag Empress Ching Shih
byThe boiling clouds roll back, the tumultuous sky reduced to a slow simmer. A terrible maelstrom has just passed, wreaking havoc on this small fleet of ships. Shouting commands and…
From Grassroots Activism to Founding South African Democracy: Rolihlahla Mandela
byFive years ago, on December 6, 2013, the world lost a remarkable man who helped change so many lives. This man was given the name ‘Rolihlahla’ by his father when he…
Tsutomu Yamaguchi: The Atomic Man
byAugust of 1945 marked grim days of apprehension for many cities across Japan. The Japanese people were running dangerously low on resources and manpower to continue the conflict of World…
Pat Tillman: From the NFL to the U.S. Army
byPatrick (Pat) Tillman, a former NFL football player with the Arizona Cardinals, left his career in football to join the military. Enlisting in the Army shortly after the September 11,…
Autodefensas: Mexico’s Self-Defense Forces
byIt is estimated that, by the 1980s, Mexico’s drug cartels were slowly forming and beginning to operate. By the early 2000s, their presence was increasingly felt through the wave of…
Henry VII: The start of the Tudor Dynasty
by“His spirit was distinguished, wise and prudent; his mind was brave and resolute and never, even at moments of the greatest danger, deserted him. In government he was shrewd and…
Hitler’s Biggest Failure: Operation Barbarossa and the Failed Invasion of the Soviet Union
byMany things contributed to the fall of the Nazi Regime. People argue that Nazi ideals led to the failure of their plan for European dominance. Some say that it was…
The Climax of a Rivalry: The Battle of Jutland
byIt’s May of 1916, war rages across the world as Great Britain and her allies are locked in a life or death struggle against the mighty German Empire. Chaos and…
Gallipoli: We Will Remember Them
byBoats carrying Australian, British, and New Zealand soldiers, advancing towards the shore, were all nervous about what awaited them, gripping their rifles. Captain Richard Willis, commander of C Company said,…
The United States turns its back on Human Rights.
byIt was between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30 am on the morning of September 11, 2001 that the unthinkable happened in the United States. Four passenger airplanes were hijacked…
The U.S. Key To Victory: The Navajo Code Talkers Of WWII
by“Jó áádóó Laman bidineʼé ałdóʼ tʼáá bí ałkʼiijééʼ; dóó díí kéyah tʼáá ałtso bikááʼgóó diné ndaʼahiltseedgo hahoolzhiizh; doo díí daʼahijigą́ ndootʼihígíí éí doo bił bééhózin da.”“And behold also, the Lamanites…
Revenge and Statecraft: India’s Spymaster
byNearly 300 years before the birth of Christ, Alexander the Great and his war machine had savaged everything east of Greece. After defeating the Persian Empire, the young warlord finally…
The Picture That Ended the Vietnam War
byWinner of the Fall 2018 StMU History Media Award for Article with the Best Use of Images Article with the Best Introduction The year was 1968. The month of January…
Render Unto Caesar: The Conquest of Gaul and the Battle of Alesia
byIn 58 BCE, Roman proconsul Julius Caesar, a member of the first Triumvirate and an important political figure in the Roman Government, was forced to flee the very city he…
Investigation into the My Lai Massacre, 1968
byWhat was originally described to the American people as a major victory during the Vietnam War only turned out to be one of the most heinous war crimes in the…
The Myth, The Legend, The American Sniper: Chris Kyle
byChris Kyle went much of his early life having the military in the back of his mind. However, instead of going to the military right after high school, he figured…