The forerunner of the US Army Reserve was established on April 23, 1908. It was the nation’s first federal reserve – providing fully-trained and prepared troops in times of need. Today, there are over 815,000 reservists across all the military branches.
On November 27, 1950, the Korean War Battle of Chosin Reservoir began – a fighting withdrawal in the bitter cold.
On October 26, 1940, the P-51 Mustang completed its first flight.
US Navy Admiral Arleigh Burke was born on October 19, 1901, in Boulder, Colorado.
On September 21, 1866, the 9th and 10th Cavalry units and the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st Infantry units (later consolidated as the 24th and 25th Infantry) were formed. The units were comprised entirely of black soldiers – the first to serve in a peacetime army. They would come to be known as Buffalo Soldiers.
Baseball legend Theodore Samuel Williams was born on August 30, 1918, in San Diego, California.
On August 24, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force, officially establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
On July 5, 1950, US forces had their first fight of the Korean War at the Battle of Osan.
Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller was born on June 26, 1898, in West Point, Virginia.