The Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 was the first great clash between the U.S. and North Vietnamese armies. About 237 Americans were killed, along with 132 South Vietnamese, and many more NVA soldiers. The clash was immortalized in the film, “We Were Soldiers.” Five South Carolinians died in that... read more →
Oct
29
Oct
15
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A museum filled with artifacts from every war in which South Carolinians have fought since the American Revolution inevitably contains many artifacts that were once the treasured possessions of people who, alas, are now long dead and gone. Or are they? Particularly at this time of year,... read more →
Aug
28
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Confederate soldiers were always short of supplies, but in September 1864 things were worse than ever. Besieged in Petersburg, Va., the Army of Northern Virginia was facing starvation. Robert E. Lee saw that somebody had to do something. That somebody turned out to be South Carolina’s own... read more →
Jul
09
The longest battle of the American Revolution happened in South Carolina. That was the Siege of Ninety Six. One Patriot played a large role in that episode: Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Who? You can learn all about him by attending a free lecture at noon on Aug. 16 at the Richland Library... read more →
Jun
05
The first U.S. military pilot to be shot down and taken prisoner in Vietnam was naval aviator Everett Alvarez Jr. It happened on Aug. 5, 1964. He would endure eight years and seven months of brutal captivity at the Hỏa Lò Prison, ironically called the "Hanoi Hilton" by fellow POWs.... read more →
May
20
The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will be closed to general admission, starting June 3. It will still be available to small groups by appointment, and the staff will still be working every day. But the work the staff will be doing necessitates the temporary closure. The... read more →
May
13
The television show “M*A*S*H” made Americans somewhat more conscious of the role of the Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, decades after the fact. The average civilian knows far less about those who served in that capacity in Vietnam. That will be addressed on Saturday, May 25 – Memorial... read more →
May
11
Col. Elliott White Springs was a flying ace in World War I, shooting down 16 enemy aircraft. After the war, he needed a way to turn around the family business – Springs Industries. He tried a number of things, and eventually he turned to the American pin-up girl for help.... read more →
Apr
26
Moss Blachman looks every bit the academic he has been for nearly a half-century, but one thing stands out: His suit coat usually features a small Bronze Star lapel pin. He is proud of his service as an Air Force intelligence officer in Vietnam from September 1965 through the next... read more →
Apr
10
The notice in The New York Times was like so many from 1945: Pfc. Herbert J. Rosencrans, Company C, 415th Infantry, 104th Division, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin J. Rosencrans of Woodmere, L.I., who died of wounds last Feb. 25 in Arnoldsweiler, Germany, has received posthumously the Silver Star... read more →