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.” 

Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009)

(FROM FOXNEWS)

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)