March 13, 1852 — Frank Bellew’s cartoon, “Uncle Sam,”
made its debut in the NY Lantern Weekly.

The character’s name is attributed to Samuel Wilson, a
meat packer who supplied food to the troops during the
War of 1812. Legend has it that he conspicuously marked
“U.S.” on the packages and before long the soldiers took
to calling him “Uncle Sam.”

However, the first use in literature of the concept of the
patriot Uncle Sam was in the 1816 book, “The Adventures
of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor,” by Frederick
Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq.

Uncle Sam is mentioned as early as 1775, in the original
“Yankee Doodle” lyrics of the American Revolutionary
War.

Frank Henry Temple Bellew
(April 18, 1828 – June 29, 1888)

Samuel Wilson (September 13, 1766 – July 31, 1854)

Corporal Doss receiving the Medal of Honor from
President Harry S. Truman.

Private First Class Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia,
was presented the Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery
as a combat medic, the first conscientious objector in
American history to receive the nation’s highest military
award.
 

When called on by his country to fight in World War II, Doss,
a dedicated pacifist, registered as a conscientious objector.

Eventually sent to the Pacific theater of war as a medical
corpsman, Doss voluntarily put his life in the utmost peril
during the bloody Battle for Okinawa, saving dozens of lives
well beyond the call of duty.

Desmond Thomas Doss
(February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006)

The 2016 film directed by Mel Gibson focuses
on the combat experiences of Desmond Doss.

Henry Ossian Flipper (March 21, 1856 – April 26, 1940)

Flipper, born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia, became the
first African American cadet to graduate from the United States
Military Academy at West Point, New New York on June 14, 1877.

After losing his commission in the Army, Henry Flipper
worked throughout Mexico and Latin America as an
assistant to the Secretary of the Interior. He retired
to Atlanta in 1931 and died of natural causes.

The United States Military Academy—the first military school
in America—was founded by Congress in 1802 for the purpose
of educating and training young men in the theory and practice
of military science.

Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5 April 1964)

After struggling against great odds to save the Philippines
from Japanese conquest, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur
abandons the island fortress of Corregidor under orders
from President Franklin Roosevelt. Left behind at Corregidor
and on the Bataan Peninsula were 90,000 American and
Filipino troops, who, lacking food, supplies and support,
would soon succumb to the Japanese offensive.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his family left the Philippine
island of Corregidor on this day in history, March 11, 1942. 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to
leave the island after it became clear it was no longer safe
for MacArthur to remain with his troops, notes the History
Channel website.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945)

On this day in 1970, the U.S. Army accused Capt. Ernest Medina
and four other soldiers of committing crimes at My Lai (also
known as Songmy) in March 1968. The charges ranged from premeditated murder to rape and the “maiming” of a suspect
under interrogation. Medina was the company commander of
Lt. William Calley and other soldiers charged with murder and
numerous crimes at My Lai 4 in Song My village.

Ernest Lou Medina
(August 27, 1936 – May 8, 2018)