The annual Armed Forces salute begins with a drill team composted
of four members from each of the four branches of the military.
Garry welcomes a pigeon named “G.I. Joe,” who during World War Two
got a message across enemy lines that prevented Allied troops from bombing
their own people. Joe was decorated for
his “heroism” and retired to the Detroit Zoo.
Colonel James "Jabby"
Jabara was the first U.S. jet ace.
Jabara served in World War II and the Korean War, and would later serve
briefly in the Vietnam War before dying stateside in a traffic accident at the
age of 43. The Jabara Award for
Airmanship is given annually by the Air Force Academy to a graduate who demonstrates
superior performance.
Commander [Frank Cane] of the US
Navy was a “frogman” during World War Two, a member of the Navy’s Underwater
Demolition Team.
Marine Corps corporal Rene Gagnon claims
to be one of the men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima. Gagnon also appeared on the Armed Forces
special in 1955. See
E136
for more
details about Gagnon and the controversy surrounding his claim.
A.H. Waite, a civilian working for
the Signal Corps Laboratories at Fort Monmouth, NJ, was part of all three
expeditions to rescue Robert Byrd in the South Pole.
Air Force General Lee Wade was a
pilot on the first round-the-world flight in 1924. The flight took place between April 6 and
September 28.
Gus Lambert was part of Walter Reed’s
yellow fever experiments in 1900.
Dick Shanafelt from Lawrence,
Kansas was the youngest of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders He was only 19 years old
when he participated in the Battle of San Juan Hill in 1898, making him about 79
here.
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