Frank McNamara (1894–1961) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria
Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry in the face of the enemy
that can be awarded to a member of the British and Commonwealth forces.
Serving with the Australian Flying Corps, he was honoured for his
actions on 20 March 1917, when he rescued a fellow pilot who had been
forced down behind enemy lines. McNamara was the first Australian
aviator, and the only one in World War I, to receive the Victoria
Cross. He later became a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air
Force (RAAF). Born and educated in Victoria, McNamara was a teacher
when he joined the militia prior to World War I. In 1915, he was
selected for pilot training at Central Flying School, Point Cook, and
transferred to the Australian Flying Corps the following year. He was
based in the Middle East with No. 1 Squadron when he earned the
Victoria Cross. In 1921, McNamara enlisted as a Flying Officer in the
newly formed RAAF, rising to the rank of Air Vice Marshal by 1942. He
held senior posts in England and Aden during World War II. Retiring
from the Air Force in 1946, McNamara continued to live in Britain until
his death from heart failure in 1961.
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Today's selected anniversaries:
The Erie Canal, connecting the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and
hence the Atlantic Ocean, was opened.
Second Sino-Japanese War: Xie Jinyuan and National Revolutionary Army
soldiers began the Defense of Sihang Warehouse against waves of
Japanese attackers during the Battle of Shanghai.
World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern history,
Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of
Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte.
Ngo Dinh Diem proclaimed himself president of the newly created
Republic of Vietnam after defeating former Emperor Bao Dai in a
fraudulent referendum supervised by his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu.
U.S. President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law,
significantly expanding the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies
in fighting terrorism in the United States and elsewhere.
Wiktionary's word of the day:
(literature) A protagonist who proceeds in an unheroic manner, such as
by criminal means, via cowardly actions, or for mercenary goals
Wikiquote quote of the day:
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your
soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
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