In the dark days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, America needed a hero. ...more

December 23, 2008

Aging, frail survivors of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor gingerly sifted dirt as they helped to break ground on a new visitor's center for the USS Arizona Memorial. ...more

November 6, 2008

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from former Sebring resident Charles A. Martin's book "The Last Great Ace." The book is about Highlands County's most decorated soldier. Maj. Thomas B. McGuire, Jr. earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics as a pilot fighting in the South Pacific. Here is the final of three parts from chapter 28 of the book. This chapter tells of some of his heroic feats that earned him numerous honors, and nearly killed him. If you're interested in purchasing the book and reading the entire history, visit: http://www.lastgreatace.com/ Part 3 The Zekes (Japanese fighter planes) had broken off, but his troubles were not over yet. McGuire pulled the yoke back to bring the P-38 out of a dive, but his controls were useless and he realized that the bullets passing through the cockpit had severed the control cables. He'd have to get out of the plane while it was still in a steep dive. He chopped both throttles and pulled the emergency hatch release. The canopy ripped away in the slipstream. He released his seat belt and shoulder harness, climbed into the seat and jumped. The thought of that great knife-like elevator at the back of the plane flashed through his mind as he went into the blasting air of the slip stream. ...more

February 8, 2008

It's heartwarming to know that a memorial marker was placed on the crash site in the Philippines in honor of Highlands County's most decorated war hero. That hallowed spot is worth remembering, considering the incredible acts of bravery Maj. Thomas McGuire demonstrated during World War II. McGuire, who earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics is honored here in Highlands County, were he was born and raised. Medal of Honor Park reminds all of us that a native son did his hometown and nation proud. Charles Martin is the man responsible for the marker at McGuire's plane crash site. He also is a Sebring native who wrote a book on McGuire titled "The Last Great Ace." Parts of the wreckage were still there, according to Martin who was there for the dedication. Martin now lives in Jacksonville. ...more

January 18, 2008

Sebring native Thomas B. McGuire Jr., one of the most decorated American war heroes of all time, won the Congressional Medal of Honor in a dog-fight air battle over an island in the Philippines. Following is the Army Air Corps official citation of that battle and the reason he was awarded, after his death, the highest military medal an American can receive, the Congressional Medal of Honor. ...more

January 17, 2008