On this day, December 23, 1783 General George Washington resigned his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. That act signaled his return to civilian life at Mount Vernon, but ultimately it was much more than that. It set the stage for how the United States would ultimately be led and governed. Today, Luke and I took a walk down to the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Unfortunately, because of the current health crisis, the State House is closed to the public, so we couldn't get in to shoot this as we'd intended—undeterred, we sat down on a park bench outside and did it there. We posted some additional photos from our previous visits to the State House. It was a windy day, and we did this pretty quickly--but hopefully, it will serve as a good reminder of how significant this day is, and especially, how meaningful George Washington's actions were 237 years ago. Today.

Arguably, if you had to pick one day that mattered most in the 20th Century, I'd say that D-Day would be that day. 

But how much do we really know about D-Day?  What importance do we place on it?   

I decided to canvass the internet as a kind of ad hoc method of determining what people regarded as the top events in 20th Century world history.  After reading many accounts, it ran the gamut: the Assassination of JFK, Apollo 11's First Steps on the Moon, the Challenger Disaster, the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand...and many others.

I talk about the results of that research project in one of the emails that you receive when you opt in to The D-Day Experience.

But what was so surprising to me is that D-Day was not in the top 10 of any of those lists I found.  

Was this a mistake of ignorance, omission or commission?  

You could probably make an argument for all three, but my immediate answer--giving society the benefit of the doubt--was that it's probably just the result of basi...

75 years ago, today, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. passed away from a heart attack in Normandy.

Ted and his younger brother Quentin were the sons of President Theodore Roosevelt. Ted was wounded at Soissons during the summer of 1918 and received the Distinguished Service Cross. In July of that year, Quentin was killed in combat.

As assistant division commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Ted led the first wave on Utah Beach on D-Day. For his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Both Quentin and Ted are buried side-by-side at Normandy American Cemetery.

Many things to think about today on the eve of our nation’s independence, but if you’re looking for a great example of all that is right about America, here is one young man who 156 years ago this afternoon—led by example, who wouldn’t quit, and who sacrificed himself at a place called “The Angle,” near a weed-choked corpse of trees on Cemetery Ridge in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

His name is 1st Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing. He was 22 years-old and an experienced veteran of numerous battles. At Gettysburg, he commanded Battery A, 4th United States Artillery. He died defending a vital part of the Union line against Pickett's Charge, and although mortally wounded would not leave his post. Grasping his intestines with one hand and the lanyard of his gun with the other, he shouted above the chaos of the battle to his Sergeant, Frederick Fuger standing beside him, "I’ll give them one more shot!" Seconds later a Confederate bullet struck him through the mouth, killing him instantly. His lifel...