Thomas Edward Sizemore Jr. (November 29, 1961 – March 3, 2023)
Tom Sizemore is known for his supporting roles in Born on
the Fourth of July (1989), Harley Davidson and the Marlboro
Man (1991), Passenger 57 (1992), True Romance (1993),
Natural Born Killers (1994), Strange Days (1995), Heat (1995),
Saving Private Ryan (1998), Red Planet (2000), Black Hawk
Down (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), and the revival television
series Twin Peaks (2017), and for voicing Sonny Forelli in the
video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002).
On February 18, 2023, Sizemore suffered a ruptured brain
aneurysm at his Los Angeles home that occurred as a result
of a stroke and was hospitalized where remained in critical
condition, in a coma and in intensive care and never
regained conciseness."
Tom Sizemore and Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan (1998)
More than 100 million Americans tuned in to bid "Goodbye,
Farewell and Amen" to the doctors, nurses and staff of the
fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital on this day
in history, Feb. 28, 1983.
The final episode of the hit CBS sitcom "M*A*S*H" remained
the most-watched television program in American history for
27 years.
It was finally surpassed by Super Bowl XLIV (the Saints over
the Colts) in February 2010.
Its finale is still the most watched scripted TV show in
American history, 40 years later.
On February 24, 1836, in San Antonio, Texas, Colonel William
Travis issued a call for help on behalf of the Texan troops
defending the Alamo, an old Spanish mission and fortress
under siege by the Mexican army.
Though Santa Ana’s 5,000 troops heavily outnumbered the
several hundred Texans, Travis and his men determined
not to give up. On February 24, they answered Santa Ana’s
call for surrender with a bold shot from the Alamo’s cannon.
Furious, the Mexican general ordered his forces to launch a
siege. Travis immediately recognized his disadvantage and
sent out several messages via couriers asking for some
reinforcements. Addressing one of the pleas to “The People
of Texas and All Americans in the World,” Travis signed off
with the now-famous phrase “Victory or Death.”
William Barret "Buck" Travis
(August 1, 1809 – March 6, 1836)
The Texas Flag
Six United States Marines raised the American flag atop Mount
Suribachi amid horrific combat on Iwo Jima, the intense wartime
scene captured in perfect angle and frame by photographer
Joseph Rosenthal, on this day in history, Feb. 23, 1945.
Joseph John Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006)