On December 20, 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays
at Graceland, his newly purchased Tennessee mansion, rock-
and-roll star Elvis Presley received his draft notice for the
United States Army (above).

A battalion of the U.S. 9th Infantry Division left Saigon in the
initial withdrawal of U.S. troops. The 814 soldiers were the
first of 25,000 troops that were withdrawn in the first stage
of the U.S. disengagement from the Vietnam War.

There would be 14 more increments in the withdrawal, but
the last U.S. troops did not leave until after the Paris Peace
Accords were signed in January 1973.

On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized
the enlistment of expert riflemen to serve the United
Colonies for one year.

This launched the U.S. Army as America’s first national institution, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was published on July 4, 1776.

Faith (December 22, 2002 – September 22, 2014) was a bipedal
dog, born with three legs; two fully developed hind legs and a
deformed front leg, which was amputated when she was seven
months old.

Many people, including veterinarians, advised that Faith be
euthanized. Instead, using a spoon with peanut butter as an
incentive, Jude taught Faith to hop. Faith began to walk on
her own.                        

Faith was given a non-commission rank of E5 Sgt. at Ft. Lewis, Washington in June 2006. She visited more than 2,300 wounded
warriors in hospitals and wards throughout the world, and was
seen by more than 2,000,000 active soldiers at bases, airports,
and ceremonies.

She wore an Army Combat Uniform jacket and would get excited
when it was pulled out of the closet, as she knew it meant she
was about to meet some soldiers.  
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

On April 1, 1945, after suffering the loss of 116 planes and
damage to three aircraft carriers, 50,000 U.S. combat troops,
under the command of Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner
Jr., landed on the southwest coast of the Japanese island
of Okinawa, 350 miles south of Kyushu, the southern main
island of Japan.

Determined to seize Okinawa as a base of operations for
the army ground and air forces for a later assault on
mainland Japan, more than 1,300 ships converged
on the island, finally putting ashore 50,000 combat
troops.

Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.
(18 July 1886 – 18 June 1945)

Buckner was among the casualties,
killed by enemy artillery fire just three
days before the Japanese surrender.

The 1952 film Okinawa starring Pat O’Brien, is one of several movies to depict this decisive episode in the history of the
war.

Fort Buckner is a small United States Army base located immediately south of Camp Foster, near Futenma, on
Okinawa, Japan.