MEMORIAL DAY POSTS FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG

Balladeer’s Blog hopes all of you are having a respectful Memorial Day weekend. I’ll have a brand new Memorial Day blog post tomorrow, but for another seasonal post here are some of my Memorial Day offerings from years past.

I’ve always looked at neglected conflicts or battles. The military members who died in those actions are sometimes overlooked in the big picture.

2012 – THE TOP FOUR FORGOTTEN CONFLICTS IN U.S. HISTORY – A look at the forgotten Revolutionary War battles after Yorktown (1781-1782), the Mexican War (1846-1848), the Nicaraguan Conflict (1926-1928), and the Philippine War (1899-1902).

2013 – FORGOTTEN U.S. NAVAL BATTLES OF WORLD WAR ONE – There were clashes between German U-Boats and the U.S. Navy ships transporting the American Expeditionary Force to Europe, the years-long underwater mining campaign, the German attack on Orleans, MA, the attack on Austria-Hungary’s naval base at Durazzo, Albania and much more.

2013 – THE TOP FOUR FORGOTTEN MILITARY UNITS FROM AMERICAN WARS – Looking at the Oneida Indians First Allies Unit from the Revolutionary War, Doniphan’s Thousand from the Mexican War, the “Yankee Samurai” (Nissei Battalion of 2,000 Japanese-Americans) from World War 2, and the racially integrated 1st Rhode Island Regiment from the Revolutionary War. 

2014 – SOME MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FROM THE PHILIPPINE WAR OF 1899-1902 – Servicemen from various branches of the armed forces were honored for their heroism during this conflict, including some from Young’s Scouts. Medals were issued for actions at the Sohotan River, Samar, Bayong, San Ysidro, Loac and Catubig.

2015 – MORE MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FROM THE PHILIPPINE WAR – The previous year’s look at MOH awardees from that 1899-1902 conflict was so popular I went with another round. This time actions took place at Porac, Calumpit, San Miguel de Mayumo, Calalut and Sariaya.

2016 – AMERICAN MEMBERS OF THE FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION DURING WORLD WAR ONE – Nearly 200 American men – including the Lafayette Escadrille – served in the French Foreign Legion during World War One. They had to join the French Foreign Legion because – though the war started in August of 1914 – the United States did not enter the conflict until April of 1917.       

2017 – MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FOR THE KOREAN EXPEDITION OF 1871 – This was one of the most overlooked American military actions in history. Luckily a declaration of war was avoided in the aftermath. Several MOH were awarded over heroism shown during the actions against Korean forts along the Han River.   

2017 – THE TEXAS NAVY (1835-1846) – The navy of the Republic of Texas was established during the Texas War of Independence from Mexico. That navy remained independent from then until it was absorbed into the United States Navy in 1846. The branch was crucial to Texas independence and fought Mexico on the high seas until joining the U.S. 

2019 – AMERICA’S QUASI-NAVAL WAR WITH FRANCE (1798-1801) – Actions at sea and occasionally on islands as President John Adams kept the U.S. out of a land war for which it was unprepared. Ships like the Constellation, the Delaware, the Enterprise and many, many more battled the French Navy.

2019 – CONCLUSION OF AMERICA’S QUASI-NAVAL WAR WITH FRANCE – Wrapping up this overlooked conflict, including the several days of land fighting by U.S. Marines on the island of Curacao.

2020 – TWENTY ATTACKS ON AMERICAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT – A look at often fatal aerial battles which have been terribly overlooked in the decades since. The Soviet Union, Communist China and North Korea were on the opposing side. 

2021 – AMERICAN FORCES FIGHTING IN RUSSIA: SEPTEMBER 1918 TO JANUARY 1920 – The Polar Bear Expedition and American Expeditionary Force in Siberia, two of the most forgotten of forgotten units took part in these actions which stretched from the last few months of World War One into January of 1920. Public uproar helped get the unfortunate servicemen brought home. 

2022 – MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FOR THE BOXER REBELLION EXPEDITION (1900) – A look at sixteen American servicemen who were awarded the MOH for this multinational military campaign in China. 

2023 – MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FOR THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR (1898) – I examined sixteen of the honorees for this war between the United States and the Spanish Empire. Plenty of action in Cuba and in the Philippines.

2024 – MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS FOR AMERICA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE SECOND SAMOAN CIVIL WAR (1898-1899) – An unusual conflict in which the U.S. and Great Britain were allied with Samoans on one side of the Civil War and Germany was allied with Samoans on the other side.