Hero of the Week 113

Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne was born on January 1, 1745, in the Pennsylvania colony. He grew up training to be a surveyor in the real estate business. Although he quickly excelled in this profession (he helped settle at least 100,000 acres of land in Canada), Wayne eventually found himself answering a call to duty. His answer would be instrumental in securing the future of his country.

When the American Revolution began, Wayne decided to join the Continental Army. He quickly rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He established a reputation as an aggressive and impulsive commander. His aggressive troop movements earned him the nickname, "Mad Anthony". He served with Washington through the New York and New Jersey campaigns and saw combat at Brandywine Creek, Germantown, Paoli, and Monmouth Court House. However, his most impressive feat during the Revolution was a daring night attack he launched in July of 1779.

By this point, the Revolution had been fought to a bitter stalemate. To boost morale among American soldiers, General Washington ordered an assault against a British fortification at Stony Point, New York. Stony Point was a tall rocky outcropping that overlooked the Hudson River. It was surrounded by a swampy terrain of mud and knee-deep water. However, Patriot intelligence revealed that the fort was garrisoned by only 700 British soldiers. Washington decided that the best plan, was to launch a bayonet attack in the dead of night. The man selected to lead this attack was, Mad Anthony Wayne.

With a force of 1,200 light infantry (handpicked from different regiments), Wayne moved into position about a mile from Stony Point. He then ordered all of the Patriots to adorn their hats with white pieces of paper (in order to tell each other apart in the darkness). Wayne that divided his force into three separate columns. What he intended was a three pronged attack on the fort that would divide the British garrison. The element of surprise was crucial. At 11:30 PM on the night of July 15, the Patriots fixed bayonets and began advancing under the cover of darkness. 

However, the southern column soon ran into mud that ran up to their waists. Getting through this while cutting their way through the first abatis (defensive obstruction) around Stony Point costed them thirty minutes. During this time the defenders were awakened and began to fire at the advancing Patriots. By now however, all three columns had successfully closed the distance to the fort and they immediately charged. 

Due to the thick clouds that blotted out the moonlight, the British found themselves unable to effectively shoot the attackers. In desperation, the British commander (Lt. Col. Henry Johnson) rushed most of the garrison to where the center column was attacking, this left the forts flanks almost completely unguarded. Among the first five Patriots to enter the fort was Pvt. Peter Francisco. After killing three British defenders (despite being stabbed) he ascended the walls and lowered the British flag. He and his four comrades then shouted, "The fort's our own!". Within just 25 minutes, the battle was over and Stony Point was captured.

Epilogue

The American casualties at Stony Point were 15 KIA and 83 wounded (including Anthony Wayne who was shot in the head). The British casualties were 20 KIA, 74 wounded, and more than 500 captured (including Ltc. Johnson). Just two days later however, Washington ordered Stony Point to be abandoned since he doubted that it could be kept from a British counter-attack. Most of the British POWs were later released or exchanged for Patriot POWs. Regardless of this setback, Wayne's successful attack at Stony Point had succeeded in boosting the morale of the Continental Army. The victory inspired thousands of more Americans to enlist in the army and continue fighting for independence. 

Anthony Wayne continued to serve in the Continental Army for the rest of the Revolution. He saw combat in several more battles including Washington's final victory at Yorktown. In 1795, Wayne led a successful invasion against a large army of Iroquois, Shawnee, and Huron warriors. In what would become known as the Northwest Indian War, Wayne successfully crushed a force of 1,300 warriors at the battle of Fallen Timbers (present day Maumee, Ohio). He died only a year later on December 15, 1796. Today he is remembered as one of the bravest and most daring generals during the American Revolution. He truly is someone to be held in high regard.

https://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/wayne.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Wayne

https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Anthony_Wayne

https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/anthony-wayne/

Hero of the Week 112

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Joseph McCarthy

Joseph Jeremiah McCarthy (no relation to Senator McCarthy) was born on August 10, 1912, in Chicago, Illinois. He chose to enlist in the US Marine Corps in 1937. After serving for four years, he received an honorable discharge. But when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, McCarthy chose to reenlist. 

After serving for another year, he was transferred to the 4th Marine Division and found himself on the front-lines of the War in the Pacific. McCarthy saw heavy combat at the battles of Tinian and Saipan. For his valor during these two battles, he received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart and rose to the rank of Captain. By 1945, Captain McCarthy was a battle-scarred veteran who was offered another honorable discharge. Despite being 33 (old for a marine at the time), McCarthy declined and elected to take part in one more battle. This battle would be on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima. 

American marines and sailors splashed ashore on February 19, 1945. When they began to move off the beach, the Japanese defenders opened fire and cut them down in droves. The fighting on Iwo Jima soon became a bloody slugfest. The marines were forced to literally fight for every inch of the island. Those that were lucky enough to make it off the beach found themselves pinned down by an incredibly sophisticated system of pillboxes (bunkers) around the airfields. Taking them out with air support proved to be impossible as they were too small and concealed to hit. The marines would only be able to dispatch the pillboxes by getting very close and hitting them from behind. 

Captain McCarthy came ashore on February 21. When he saw the situation unfolding with the pillboxes, he quickly organized a plan of attack on airfield No. 2. He led a small group of marines across 75 yards of open ground and began having them hop into shell craters when the pillbox's machine guns paused to reload. They successfully made it to the first pillbox. McCarthy approached it, pulled the pins on two grenades, and threw them both inside. 

After they destroyed the pillbox, two Japanese soldiers came out and charged McCarthy, he quickly killed both of them. The other marines in his company then went after a second pillbox, they stuck a flamethrower through an opening and set the whole thing on fire. Just when it seemed to be over, Captain McCarthy spotted a Japanese soldier (who had feigned death) aiming a rifle at an unsuspecting marine. Reacting instantly, he jumped on the enemy soldier and successfully killed the latter with his own weapon. 

By destroying two of the pillboxes, Capt. McCarthy and his company had created an opening in the Japanese defenses. They quickly pressed the attack, successfully captured the ridge, and destroyed all the remaining enemy fortifications around airfield No 2. This allowed the rest of the division to move on to taking the other airfields. 

For his incredible valor and leadership during the battle of Iwo Jima, Captain Joseph McCarthy received the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 5, 1945. He also received two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. After World War II ended, McCarthy joined the Chicago Fire Department and became the Superintendent of Ambulances. He retired from the fire department in 1973, and spent the rest of his days helping fellow veterans. He died on June 15, 1996, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. When asked about McCarthy, a fellow marine said, "He was not a one-shot hero. He was a hero at every campaign and everything he did". 

https://bzohistory.com/joseph-mccarthy/

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/captain-joseph-j-mccarthy-medal-of-honor

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-people/m/mccarthy-joseph-j.html

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-06-18-9606180254-story.html

Iconic Image 8

 Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Falling Man

Intro

This photograph was taken on September 11, 2001. As it's name suggests, it depicts a young man falling to his death from the World Trade Center. This photograph sparked outrage and horror across the United States and was condemned for being printed. But for many survivors and relatives of victims, this photograph would be recognized as one of the greatest symbols of what happened on 9/11.

Part I

September 11, 2001, was a day that began like any other for the people of New York City. Thousands of people got up and went to their jobs like normal. Among them, were nearly twenty thousand who headed to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Everything changed at 8:46 in the morning, when American Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. The impact instantly killed and wounded thousands of people inside the building. Because the plane had struck the North Tower dead center, it was fatally divided. Nobody who was located above the 91st floor would survive.

Within minutes of the crash, thousands of firemen, police officers, journalists, and reporters quickly descended on the scene. One of them was a photographer named, Richard Drew. When he arrived at the scene, he noticed something horrifying. The crashed plane's fuel ignited a huge inferno that engulfed the whole tower with thick black smoke. Those who could get out, did. But for those at or above the impact zone, there was no exit. They were trapped. For many, the inferno was too much to bear. They decided to take matters into their own hands.

When United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower, another 600 people who had not yet evacuated also became trapped. Drew continued to photograph the unfolding disaster for the next fifty minutes until both of the towers had collapsed. By then, he had taken dozens of photographs. One of them, would become a haunting symbol of the horror that day.

Part II

In the aftermath of the images publication, there were a couple attempts to identify the Falling Man. A reporter named, Peter Cheney, deduced that man was most likely an employee of Windows on the World. Windows on the World was a restaurant located at the very top of the North Tower. When the first plane hit, 72 kitchen staff and 76 guests became trapped inside the restaurant. None of them survived.

After reviewing the photographs of the victims, Cheney deduced that the Falling Man was most likely, Norberto Hernandez, a pastry chef from Puerto Rico. The late Hernandez's sister initially identified him in the photograph. However, Hernandez's widow and three daughters vehemently denied that he was one of the jumpers on September 11. 

When the Hernandez's asked Richard Drew to review his pictures of the Falling Man, he noticed that he had taken a burst of eight photographs in sequence. In reviewing the other seven, he saw that the man was not falling straight down, but had actually spun during his descent. As he fell, his white dinner jacket was ripped off by the wind revealing an orange t-shirt before he disappeared from view. When this was shown to the Hernandez family, they said that Norberto did not own any orange t-shirt. With this revelation, it becomes clear that Norberto Hernandez was most likely not the Falling Man.

Part III

Still determined to determine the identity of the Falling Man, Drew asked surviving employees of Windows on the World to look at the image. Chef Michael Lomonaco (who narrowly missed being at the World Trade Center) agreed to view it. He deduced that the Falling Man looked very much like his close friend, Jonathan Eric Briley, a 43-year-old sound engineer.

Jonathan Briley was described by his friends and family as a man who loved life. According to Lomonaco, Briley had a great sense of humor that knew how to make everyone laugh (even if they had had a bad day). He identified Briley as the Falling Man due to the orange t-shirt that was revealed when the man's jacket came off. 

Jonathan's family and co-workers confirmed that he did often wear an orange t-shirt (one of his favorites) to work under his white jacket. They also noted that his body had been found on the street outside of the North Tower. When Jonathan's older sister (Gwendolyn) viewed the image, she responded that Falling Man could very likely be her brother. Due to these factors, most people now believe that Jonathan Briley was indeed the Falling Man.

Epilogue

The Falling Man was initially printed on September 12, on newspapers around the world. It appeared on the page 7 of The New York Times. It's caption read, "A person falls headfirst after jumping the north tower of the World Trade Center. It was a horrific sight that was repeated in the moments after the planes struck the towers." However, the reception by most readers was very hostile. Most people hated the image of a jumper being in one of the most read newspapers in the country. As a direct result, the photograph was quickly pulled from The New York Times. 

The image did not reappear until May 27, 2007, on page 1 of The New York Times Book Review. In time, the public's attitude softened, and the Falling Man soon became one of the most powerful symbols of September 11, 2001. In many ways, it captured the full horror and terrible loss that was felt by America. It remains a solemn reminder of one of the darkest days in American history.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a48031/the-falling-man-tom-junod/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/richard-drew-on-photographing-the-falling-man-on-911/

https://gen.medium.com/the-restaurant-that-died-on-9-11-906ac340ee1f

https://www.nationalworld.com/news/world/the-falling-man-who-was-the-person-in-the-911-photo-who-was-jonathan-briley-and-who-took-the-picture-3378687