Today in history: April 17

1864: Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant suspended prisoner of war exchanges.

Also today in history, in the U.S. and elsewhere:

1861: Virginia seceded from the Union.

1945: The Eighth Air Force bombed Dresden. In a desperate measure to slow the Allied advance through the Netherlands, German occupiers broke the dykes to flood Wieringermeer. In the Philippines, U.S. Army troops landed in central Mindanao.

1961: About 1,400 Cuban exiled land in the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Communist Commandant Fidel Castro. This did not end well.

1975: The Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge.

In Other News

Advocates urge Austin to act on active duty obesity ‘epidemic’

A new letter urges defense leaders to do more to prevent, identify and treat obesity in the ranks.

The Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient died rescuing Marines

When asked if he could go back and extract the overwhelmed Marines from Guadalcanal, the 22-year-old Munro reportedly gave a confident, “Hell, yeah!”

VA expands benefits options for vets with other-than-honorable status

Veterans Affairs officials are updating rules regarding benefits eligibility to include more individuals with other-than-honorable discharges.

Senators unsure about House plan to boost troop pay, housing stipends

House lawmakers are moving ahead with plans to increase junior enlisted pay and military housing stipends, but the idea could face opposition in the Senate

Navy authorizes combat awards and devices for Red Sea operations

The move is a nod to the near-daily battles that Navy destroyers have fought with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since October.

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