LTJG Kennedy (standing at far right) with his crew on PT-109 in 1943.
On this day in 1943, future President John F. Kennedy was serving as the commander of a torpedo boat in the Solomon Islands when his ship was fired upon by the Japanese navy.
As a young man, Kennedy had desperately wanted to go into the Navy but was originally rejected because of chronic health problems, particularly a back injury he had sustained playing football while attending Harvard University. In 1941, though, his politically connected father used his influence to get Jack, as he was called, into the Navy. In 1942, Kennedy volunteered for PT (motorized torpedo) boat duty in the Pacific.
The Battle of Midway began on this day in 1942. It was the first major victory for America over Japan and a turning point in the Pacific during World War II. The battle ended on June 6 and prevented further Japanese expansion in the Pacific.
On this day in 2001, the U.S. and Great Britain began airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to that state’s support of terrorism and Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
President George W. Bush addresses the nation announcing the airstrikes.
US airstrikes destroy Taliban camp in Afghanistan.
A cross marked the fence where 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was robbed, beaten and left to die on this day in 1998. He was lured by two men pretending to also be gay. Shepard was taken to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he died six days later from severe head injuries. The fence has since been torn down.
Matthew Wayne "Matt" Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)
Shepard’s death inspired the play The Laramie Project, later turned into a television movie, countless songs, a foundation devoted to his memory along with a political lobbying effort that pressed for, and eventually obtained, a new federal hate crimes statute named after him.
From left: Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were charged with the murder of Matthew Shepard and are both serving long prison terms.
John J Mellencamp (previously known as John Cougar Mellencamp) is 67 years old today.
Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp is best known for his #1 hit song, "Jack & Diane." He has been nominated for more than ten Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
