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Falling On A Grenade
Falling on a grenade is the deliberate act of using one's body to cover a live time-fused hand grenade, absorbing the explosion and fragmentation in an effort to save the lives of others nearby. Since this is almost universally fatal, it is considered an especially conspicuous and selfless act of individual sacrifice in wartime; in United States military history, more citations for the Medal of Honor, the country's highest military decoration, have been awarded for falling on grenades to save comrades than any other single act. Such an act can be survivable: in World War II, U.S. Marine Jack Lucas, in the Battle of Iwo Jima, placed two grenades under his steel M1 helmet and himself before they exploded. Lucas lived, but spent the rest of his life with over 200 pieces of shrapnel in his body. In 2008 near Sangin in Afghanistan, British Royal Marine Matthew Croucher used his rucksack to pin a tripwire grenade to the floor; his body armor absorbed the majority of the blast. On Nov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic device, or military munition, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately. However, when being specific (and in particular in a military context), the term ''fuse'' describes a simple pyrotechnic initiating device, like the cord on a firecracker whereas the term ''fuze'' is used when referring to a more sophisticated ignition device incorporating mechanical and/or electronics, electronic components, such as a proximity fuze for an M107 projectile, M107 artillery shell, magnetometer, magnetic or acoustic signature, acoustic fuze on a sea mine, spring-loaded grenade fuze, pencil detonator, or anti-handling device. History Documented evidence suggests that the earliest fuses were first used by the Song Chinese between the 10th and 12th centuries. After the Chinese invented gunpowder, they began adapting its explosive properties for use in military technology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced that airstrikes targeting Al-Qaeda and the Taliban had begun in Afghanistan. Operation Enduring Freedom primarily refers to the War in Afghanistan, but it was also affiliated with counterterrorism operations in other countries, such as OEF-Philippines and OEF-Trans Sahara. After 13 years, on 28 December 2014, President Barack Obama announced the end of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Subsequent operations in Afghanistan by the United States' military forces, both non-combat and combat, occurred under the name Operation Freedom's Sentinel. Subordinate operations Operation Enduring Freedom most commonly referred to the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan. The codename was also used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade generally consists of an explosive charge ("filler"), a detonator mechanism, an internal striker to trigger the detonator, and a safety lever secured by a cotter pin. The user removes the safety pin before throwing, and once the grenade leaves the hand the safety lever gets released, allowing the striker to trigger a primer that ignites a fuze (sometimes called the delay element), which burns down to the detonator and explodes the main charge. Grenades work by dispersing fragments ( fragmentation grenades), shockwaves ( high-explosive, anti-tank and stun grenades), chemical aerosols (smoke and gas grenades) or fire (incendiary grenades). Fragmentation grenades ("frags") are probably the most common in modern armies, and when the word ''gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nathan Elbaz
Nathan Elbaz ( he, נתן אלבז; 17 October 1932 – 11 February 1954) was an Israel Defense Forces soldier who sacrificed his life for his friends, receiving the Medal of Distinguished Service. Biography Elbaz was born in Morocco, to a Jewish family. He attended Hebrew school, and he and his friends dreamed of making aliyah. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Elbaz and his friends were determined to move there. When he was 18, he left for Israel as part of Aliyat HaNoar ("Youth Aliyah"). Elbaz was inducted into the IDF in 1952 and served in the Infantry Corps. During his service, he was entrusted with the task of disassembling hand grenades. On 11 February 1954, Elbaz and another soldier were disassembling grenades, when a grenade he was holding was accidentally activated. He immediately called out a warning to his comrades to take shelter, but when he saw that there was no way to throw the grenade without endangering them, he ran away from them, pressing it to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roi Klein
Roi Klein ( he, רועי קליין; ; (July 10, 1975—July 26, 2006) was an Israeli major in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces (and one of its most highly decorated soldiers) who died during the 2006 Lebanon War. Klein was killed in the Battle of Bint Jbeil after jumping on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. Early life Klein was born and raised in Raanana, Israel. His parents, Aharon and Shoshana Klein, were Holocaust survivors. His father's side originated from Germany and fled to Israel at the onset of World War II. Most of his mother's family was killed in the Holocaust. Klein was involved in the Bnei Akiva youth movement as a teenager. He excelled in his studies at the Amit Technological High School, completing his mathematics matriculation in 10th grade, and took a few undergraduate mathematics courses during high school. After graduating high school, he studied at the Bnei David mechina (pre-military preparatory school). He studied Jewish religious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Robert Osborn
Company Sergeant Major John Robert Osborn, VC (2 January 1899 − 19 December 1941) was a Canadian soldier. Osborn was a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was born in Norfolk, England, and served in the Royal Navy during World War I. Details Osborn was born in England and came to Canada in 1920, after serving World War I with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Osborn first lived in Saskatchewan and then settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 42 years old, and a Warrant Officer Second Class, holding an appointment as Company Sergeant-Major for A Company in the 1st Battalion, The Winnipeg Grenadiers, during the Second World War when the following deed took place on Mount Butler, Hong Kong for which he was awarded the VC. His citation in the London Gazette reads: Osborn was the first Canadian awarded a Victoria Cross in the Second World W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McFadzean
William Frederick McFadzean VC (9 October 1895 – 1 July 1916) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. Early life William Frederick McFadzean was born in Lurgan in County Armagh, Ireland on 9 October 1895. His parents, William McFadzean and his wife Annie Pedlow , were from Belfast and lived in the suburb of Cregagh. Known as "Billy", he was educated at Mountpottinger National School and then the Trade Preparatory School of the Municipal Technical Institute. A keen sportsman and standing tall, McFadzean played rugby union for Collegians RFC. After completing his schooling, McFadzean worked for a manufacturer of linen. He was also interested in the military, and was a member of the East Belfast Regiment of the Ulster Volunteers and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human Shield
A human shield is a non-combatant (or a group of non-combatants) who either volunteers or is forced to shield a legitimate military target in order to deter the enemy from attacking it. The use of human shields as a resistance measure was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi as a weapon of peace. On the other hand, the weaponization of civilians has also developed as a tactic by some non-state actors like ISIS. Legal background Forcing non-combatants to serve as human shields is a war crime according to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, and the 1998 Rome Statute. According to law professor Eliav Lieblich, "Armed groups might be responsible for harm that they occasion to civilians under their control. But to argue that this absolves the other party from responsibility is to get both law and morality wrong." Law professor Adil Ahmad Haque states that involuntary shields "retain their legal and moral protection from intentional, u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Altruistic Suicide
Altruistic suicide is the sacrifice of one's life in order to save or benefit others, for the good of the group, or to preserve the traditions and honor of a society. It is always intentional. Benevolent suicide refers to the Self-denial, self sacrifice of one's own life for the sake of the greater good. Such a sacrifice may be performed for the sake of executing a particular action, or for the sake of keeping a natural balance in the society. Altruistic suicide was seen by Émile Durkheim in his book ''Suicide (Durkheim book), Suicide: A Study In Sociology'' as the product of over-integration with society. Real-life examples in his book include "a soldier choosing to go to war for his family/community/country". However, this type of categorization remained controversial, as it downplayed the valor of such actions. According to Durkheim, Altruism, altruistic suicide contrasts with Egoistic suicide, egoistic suicide, Fatalistic suicide, fatalistic suicide, and Anomic suicides, ano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded by countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. No civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two-thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace. The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, of which 11 to members of the Britis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Carmichael (VC)
Sergeant John Carmichael (1 April 1893 – 20 December 1977) was a British Army soldier and a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Carmichael was 24 years old, and a sergeant in the 9th Battalion, The North Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's), during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 8 September 1917, when excavating a trench near Hill 60, Zwarteleen, Belgium, Sergeant Carmichael saw that a grenade had been unearthed and had started to burn. Rather than simply throwing the bomb out of the trench and endangering the lives of the men working on top, he immediately rushed to the spot shouting for his men to get clear, put his steel helmet over the grenade and then stood on the helmet. The grenade exploded, blowing him out of the trench causing him seri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fighting occurring throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died in genocides within the Ottoman Empire and in the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war. Prior to 1914, the European great powers were divided between the Triple Entente (comprising France, Russia, and Britain) and the Triple Alliance (containing Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy). Tensions in the Balkans came to a head on 28 June 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
