For Memorial Day, find time to honor these six Americans, and the many others, who sacrificed their lives so the United States could stay a free country.
Joseph Kennedy Jr., the older brother of the late American President John F. Kennedy, died on Aug. 12, 1944, after aLt. Joseph Kennedy Jr. had volunteered for the bombing mission, code named"Operation Aphrodite," in which he ultimately died, the National Park Service says.
However, the explosives ignited before the Navy lieutenant and his counterpart could eject, killing them instantly. The cause of the explosion has never been determined. Army Pfc. Milton Olive III became the first African American recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War after falling on a grenade to save his fellow infantrymen.
"It was the most incredible display of selfless bravery I ever witnessed," his platoon commander reportedly said later. 3-4. Gary Gordon & Randall Shughart During the conflict, when the pair learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure a Black Hawk helicopter crash site, they"unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site," the Army says.
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