A street photo and statue evoke vivid memories of war’s destruction.

Higgins Industries is best known for the design and construction of landing craft, dubbed “the boats that won the war,” but the multi-faceted company also contributed to the most top-secret program of the war, the Manhattan Project.

In WWII’s aftermath, July 4 also became Independence Day for the Philippines in 1946.

A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Ernest Childers became the first American Indian to be awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II.

Find out the story behind one of the boldest defiant acts of World War II.