1745 John Gunby (March 10, 1745 â May 17, 1807) was an American planter and soldier from Somerset County, Maryland who is considered by many to be “one of the most gallant officers of the Maryland Line under Gen. Smallwood”. He entered service volunteering as a minuteman in 1775 and fought for the American cause until the end earning praise as probably the most brilliant soldier whom Maryland contributed to the War of Independence.
1796 James Bowie was a 19th-century American pioneer, slave trader and soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
1808 William David Porter (10 March 1808 â 1 May 1864) was a flag officer of the United States Navy. He was the son of Commodore David Porter (1780â1843) and brother of Admiral David Dixon Porter (1813â1891) as well as foster brother of Admiral David Farragut (1801â1870).
1897 Robert Meier Robert Meier (10 March 1897 â 29 January 2007) was, at the age of 109, Germany’s oldest living man, a combat-wounded veteran of World War I and one of Germany’s last surviving veterans of that war.
1917 Perconte was a non-commissioned officer in 1st Platoon. In 1942, while on leave from Toccoa, he married Evelyn and had a son named Richard. He participated in the division’s airborne assault on France on D-Day, and saw action during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. On Easy’s assault on the town of Foy on January 13, 1945, he was shot in the thigh by a German sniper. Frank was out for a couple of days before re-joining Easy at the town of Haguenau.
1940 Chuck Norris joined the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman (AP) in 1958 and was sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea. It was there that Norris acquired the nickname Chuck and began his training in Tang Soo Do (tangsudo), an interest that led to black belts in that art and the founding of the Chun Kuk Do (“Universal Way”) form. When he returned to the United States, he continued to serve as an AP at March Air Force Base in California. Norris was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in August 1962. Following his military service, Norris applied to be a police officer in Torrance, California. While on the waiting list, Norris opened a martial arts studio. To promote it, Norris did demonstrations and fights in all kinds of events.
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