On This Day in History

1945: On the Japanese-held island of Corregidor in Manila Bay, C-47s drop 2,065 paratroopers to support an American amphibious landing aimed at capturing the harbor of Manila.

1951:  H-5 pilots of the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron fly through a blinding snowstorm and 40-knot winds to deliver blood plasma and medical supplies to the U.S. Army’s 2d Division at Chipyong, Korea. They also

1973: Operation HOMECOMING/MACKAY TROPHY. After N. Vietnam releases its POWs, MAC airlift returns them to Clark. When the POWs reach America, the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing transfers them to various military hospitals. Altogether, the Military

1977: Jimmy Carter becomes the first President to fly in the E-4A National Emergency Airborne Command Post in a flight from Andrews AFB, MD to Robins AFB, GA.

1952: KOREAN WAR/MEDAL OF HONOR. While leading a flight of 3 F-86s, Maj George A. Davis, Jr., engages 12 enemy MiG-15s, shooting down two. He is the shot down and killed by a Mig-15. For

1945: The Yalta Conference between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin ends.

1972: Operation LAM SON 719. South Vietnamese troops from three divisions, supported by US planes and artillery, cross the border into Laos to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail and interdict the flow of supplies

  1915: The first 20 aviation mechanics are designated after passing specified exams.

1986: CHALLENGER DISASTER. The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after launch, killing Astronauts Francis R. Scobee, Navy Cmdr Michael J. Smith, Dr. Judith Resnik, Dr. Ronald E. McNair, Air Force Lt Col Ellison S.

  1968: The US calls ANG and AFRES units to active duty based on the Pueblo Incident and increased enemy activity in Vietnam.