Seriously wounded aboard LCS-122 off Okinawa in June 1945, McCool’s steadfast leadership and disregard for his own safety saved the lives of his crew and his ship.

The construction of a democratic order in Japan during the American occupation was one of the more significant outcomes of the conflict.

Japanese military leaders debated Japan's possible surrender up to the last moment. Emperor Hirohito's intervention was critical.

Australian forces, backed by American artillery, assaulted Japanese positions on Bobdubi Ridge in one of World War II’s bitterest campaigns.

 By January 1945 the African American soldiers of the 761st Tank Battalion, the Black Panthers, were battle-tested veterans. But they would encounter one of their toughest fights in January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge.