A Moment In Time ~ February

BATTLES

BY » Mickey Dunaway IN FEBRUARY

Given that February is the month of love, I am going in the opposite direction, keeping with my somewhat offbeat approach to the events in this column. This month’s Moment in Time will focus on little-known and/or significant battles that took place in February. I might even throw in a February divorce or two!

1, 1662

Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes Taiwan after a nine-month siege. I never knew the China and Taiwan issue went so far back.

2, 1943

Last German forces surrender to Soviet Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. The Russian winter claims another megalomaniac bent on dominating the world.

3, 1943

U.S. Captures the Marshall Islands in WWII. The Marshall Islands had been occupied by Japan since the start of WWI. U.S. troops landed on January 31st and took control on February 3rd.

4, 1985

George Foreman divorces Andrea Skeet after 3 years. Maybe she didn’t appreciate his grill. Perhaps she was right.

5, 1945

Gen. MacArthur fulfills his promise and returns to Manila. MacArthur understood the far east better than any other American, making him perfect for managing Japan after the surrender. 5, 1958

A Hydrogen bomb was lost by U.S. Air Force off the coast of Savannah, GA, and was never recovered. N.C. had a similar incident. On January 23rd, 1961, the Air Force accidentally dropped two Mark 39 hydrogen bombs over Goldsboro, North Carolina. Had the last fail-safe mechanism not worked, much of the east coast would have been wiped out.

9, 1965

First U.S. combat troops sent to South Vietnam. The emotionally moving Vietnam Memorial is worth a visit to D.C. My wife and I both have friends’ names on that polished black wall.

10, 1258

Mongols swamped Bagdad and burned it to the ground. It was captured by Hulagu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan. As many as 800,000 people were killed.

11, 1943

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was made Supreme Commander of armies in Europe. Controversial at first because several Brits were ranked higher and had more battle experience.

14, 1919

Einstein divorced Mileva Maric after 16 years of marriage. Perhaps he could see the relativity of their marriage. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

14, 1989

Robin Givens divorces Mike Tyson. Tyson’s first time being knocked out?

14, 1999

Singer Prince divorces belly dancer Mayte Garcia after 2 years. I didn’t delve into why, but maybe she just didn’t move him anymore! Sorry again.

17, 1865

Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman marched north from Savannah, and Union troops burned Columbia, SC, in much the same manner and reasons as Atlanta. Charleston thought Sherman would march up from Savanah and lay waste to the city. Sherman chose Columbia because he had an affinity for Charleston, having served at Fort Moultry in the 1840s.

18, 1932

Japan declares Manchuria independent from China. Japan’s war in Manchuria was one of the most brutal in history.

19, 1915

The Battle of Gallipoli began. Great Britain lost 115,000 troops. Most were under the command of Winston Churchill. Yet he recovered politically to lead England as only he could to victory in WWII.

23, 1836

A 13-day siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio. The first time I saw the Alamo up close, I was disappointed it was in downtown San Antonio!

23, 1945

Perhaps the most iconic war picture was the photo taken when a group of Marines reached the peak of Mt. Suribachi and were posed, raising the American flag signifying victory. • 27,071 total casualties • 6,821 Marines killed • 539 Navy sailors killed • 19,709 wounded • 137 tanks destroyed • 153 airplanes destroyed

There was never a good war. Or a bad peace. -Benjamin Franklin

25, 1921

The Democratic Republic of Georgia was re-occupied by Soviet Russia after the DRG declared its independence in May 1918 following the Russian Revolution. A familiar refrain.

29, 1704

French forces and Native Americans destroy Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 100 men, women, and children. Known as Queen Anne’s War. My history book back in American History class at Semmes High School in Semmes, Alabama, in 1964 called this the French and Indian Wars.

War of the Roses?

According to Texas Family Attorney V.Wayne Ward (https:// www.wwlawman.com/february-the-divorce-month/), “A recent study confirmed the post-Valentine’s Day increase in divorce activity: February divorce filings are about 18 percent higher than those in an average month. This statistic becomes all the more remarkable when you consider that February is also the shortest month of the year.”

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