On March 19, 2003, the United States, along with coalition
forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on
Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s
capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a
televised address, “At this hour, American and coalition
forces are in the early stages of military operations to
disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world
from grave danger.”

President Bush and his advisors built much of their case
for war on the specious claim that Iraq, under dictator
Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of
building weapons of mass destruction.

Hostilities began about 90 minutes after the U.S.-imposed
deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war
passed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford, who
commanded a dress rehearsal flight for the 1969 moon
landing and the first U.S.-Soviet space linkup, died Monday
in a hospital near his Space Coast Florida home.

Stafford, a retired Air Force three-star general, took part in
four space missions. Before Apollo 10, he flew on two Gemini
flights, including the first rendezvous of two U.S. capsules in
orbit.

Stafford was one of 24 NASA astronauts who flew to the moon,
but he did not land on it. Only seven of them are still alive.

ASTRONAUT THOMAS P. STAFFORD DURING GEMINI 9 MISSION.

SANDY KOZEL

FEEDING TUBE REMOVED ON THIS DAY IN 1990.

Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman whose condition sparked an epic legal, medical and political battle 
that gripped America, died 13 days after her feeding tube 
was removed by the wishes of her husband and the orders
of several courts.

On March 17, 1776, British forces were forced to evacuate Boston following General George Washington’s successful placement of fortifications and cannons on Dorchester Heights, which overlooks
the city from the south.

Nearly 10,000 Redcoats, thousands of loyalists left for Canada in ‘disgrace’  —  still celebrated as Evacuation Day in Boston.