DID YOU KNOW?

When Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States was drawn into the Second World War, some 700 US soldiers seized the Disney Studio.  Their purpose was to help protect the near by Lockheed aircraft plant, an installation that was vital to the nation's security.  The next day President Roosevelt declared war.  And for the next eight months, until other provisions could be made, soldiers ate, trained, and lived in Walt Disney's Burbank, California studio.

The Tomb of the Unknown's is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  The Tomb Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats.  Each "Walk"  is a half an hour long in the summer, and an hour in the winter and at night.  The 21 steps represent the 21 gun salute, which symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed.

Because of its use as a staple of the US Navy messes since the mid 19th century, the humble white bean was christened "Navy bean".

Soldiers arrived to fight the Battle of Marne in WWI-not on foot or by military airplane, or military vehicle-But by taxi-cabs.  France took over all the taxi cabs in Paris to get soldiers to the front.

President's George Washington and John Adams had to employ protection money-paying off certian pirates in the Mediterranean Sea with a couple of million dollars-while Congress debated the creation of the US Navy.

Fredrick Mellinger, founder of Fredrick's of Hollywood, introduced racy lingerie to post war America in 1946 though a mail order business, selling scanty products that his WWII Army buddies told him their girlfriends would like.

The "HEAD" aboard a Navy Ship is the bathroom.  The term comes from the days of sailing ships when the place of the crew to relieve themselves was all the way forward on either side of the bowsprit, the integral part of the hull to which the figurehead was fastened.  Also known as the "poop deck".

Russian submarine designer's are building military submarines out of concrete.  Because concrete becomes stronger under high pressure, "C-subs" could settle down to the bottom in very deep water and wait for enemy ships to pass overhead.  Concrete would not show up on sonar displays, (it looks just like sand or rocks) so the passing ships would not see the sub lurking below.

At the outbreak of WWI, the American Air Force consisted of only 50 men.

Jean Marie Butler was the first woman graduate from the United States Coast Guard Acadamy.  She was also the first woman to graduate from any US service acadamy.

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, there were 45 stars on the American Flag.

4.7 million served in WWI, over three times as many 16.1 million served in WWII.

President Ulysses S. Grant, was once arrested during his term of office.  He was convicted of exceeding the Washington speed limit on his horse and was fined $20.

1918, Walt Disney was 16-too young for the military.  When he heard that the Red Cross Ambulance Corps would accept 17 year olds, he lied about his age, joined, and began training.  He almost missed his chance when he came down with influenza in an epidemic that killed about 20 million people worldwide.  The war ended.  But the Ambulance Corps still needed 50 more men, and Walt was the 50th selected.  For the next year, Walt drove an ambulance, chauffeured officers, played poker, started smoking, and wrote letters.  He made money with another young man painting helmets with camouflage colors, banging them up to look battle scarred, and then selling them to American's in search of realistic souvenirs.