Commentaries

National Aviation Day and the 437th Airlift Wing
August 17, 2018 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a proclamation declaring August 19, 1939 National Aviation Day in honor of the 68th anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday. Orville was the younger brother of Wilbur Wright, who, together, became American aviation pioneers. On December 17, 1903, the Wrights made aviation history, when they successfully completed the first controlled flight of a powered flying machine. To put that achievement into perspective, the 437th Troop Carrier Group (TCG) was activated a mere 40-years later on May 1, 1943 and a year later they were flying combat sorties over France during Operation NEPTUNE, known by most as D-Day. In 1947, the United States Air Force was established as a separate and equal service alongside the Army and Navy. Two years later, on June 27, 1949, the 437th Troop Carrier Wing (TCW) was activated as a reserve wing at Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, Illinois. ... MORE

The C-17 Globemaster III performs at the 2018 Air and Space Expo April 28, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C. The expo offered more than 50 demonstrations and displays ranging from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities to World War II static display aircraft and aerial demonstration performances highlighting the F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-17 Globemaster III, F-86 Sabre and more.

The fifth branch of the Armed Forces: A historical perspective from MLEA
October 18, 2017 — At times overlooked as the nation's fifth branch of the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard has served in America’s wars, beginning with the 18th century quasi-war with France, through the Iraq War, and in all the major (and many not-so-major) conflicts in between. By law, the Coast Guard is an armed force at all times and may be transferred in its... MORE

American Shipbuilding and the Charleston Navy Yard: A Link to the Past
November 15, 2016 — In the 1720’s a large merchant ship sank at Browns Ferry on the Black River in Georgetown County approximately an hour northeast of the Naval Weapons Station Charleston. At the time of the sinking, Benjamin Franklin was a young man in his 20’s and George Washington was not yet born. The Browns Ferry carried 25 tons of bricks made on a local... MORE

In 1976, approximately eight thousand people line the banks of the Black River in Georgetown, South Carolina to watch as the early 18th century colonial merchant ship at Brown's Ferry is raised.