My Fight Ended at Arlington Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tennessee

The Battle of Missionary Ridge took place on November 25, 1863, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and resulted in a Union victory. It was one in a series of battles in the Chattanooga campaign.

Arthur MacArthur Jr was just 18 years old when, as regimental adjutant, he served in the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. Under heavy fire, in which many of his comrades fell, he rushed forward to retrieve the company flag which had fallen to the ground along with its bearer. Leading a surge of the Union troops, he broke through the Confederate lines, and led them to victory.

Arthur MacArthur Jr received the Medal of Honor for his feats that day; his son Douglas Macarthur, General of the United States Army, Field Marshal to the Philippine Army and Chief of Staff of the United States Army was also awarded the Medal of Honor during action in World War I. This made them the first father and son to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. Arthur is interred in Arlington National Cemetery while Douglas is interred at his memorial.

The question was fired off by Phoenix Rising teammate VegemiteKid.

Answer: Southern Cheyenne

The Red River War was a campaign that saw the US government seeking to re-locate members of the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the southern regions of the Great Plains to reservations in areas that would become known as the Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The engagement would start in June of 1874 and the heaviest contacts would be in the later months of that year, winding down as the Native American forces started to run out of supplies.

The person outlined in the question is Frank Dwight Baldwin. In November of 1874 he led a surprise attack on the camp of Grey Beard, a Southern Cheyenne medicine man and chief, and, in the process, rescued two young girls whose parents had previously been killed. This clash earned Baldwin his second Medal of Honor because he'd taken on a much larger force than his own and one that was holding a strong defensive position. Baldwin had previously distinguished himself in the Battle of Peachtree Creek (1864) during the American Civil War and it was here that he'd earned his first Medal of Honor. Later, Baldwin was a part of General William Tecumseh Sherman's famous March to the Sea that would hasten the end of that conflict.

Grey Beard, whose force at the time numbered some 500 strong, managed to escape with some 120 of his warriors despite being pursued by a US Army contingent for two days. However, faced with starvation two months later, he surrendered and was taken to Fort Marion in Florida. From there he dictated a letter to his people requesting that they settle and co-operate with the US government, attempted to commit suicide at one point and was, eventually shot and killed while attempting to escape.

This question was written with distinction by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Spanish-American War

Willard Miller and his younger brother Harry enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served aboard the gunboat USS Nashville (PG-7). On May 11, 1898, they were part of a mission to disrupt Spanish communications between Cuba and Spanish command during the Spanish-American War. The operation involved destroying underwater telegraph cables off Cienfuegos on the southern coast of Cuba. Fifty-two sailors and marines, the Millers among them, received the Medal of Honor for bravery and coolness under fire. Willard Miller is buried in Arlington. His brother Harry moved to Costa Rica and is buried there in the Cemetery of Tres Rios.

This question was telegraphed into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: An African-American soldier

Buffalo Soldiers were African-Americans who served in segregated units the United States Army after the Civil War. Many were former slaves. Tradition holds they were named Buffalo Soldiers by the Native American tribes they fought against in the Indian Wars.

The Battle of Tayacoba occurred in 1898. It was an American intervention in the Cuban struggle for independence during the Spanish-American War (1898). The aim of the special operations was to deliver supplies and reinforcements to the Cuban rebels. A small party was sent ahead to scout out the landing site but they were discovered by Spanish troops and a skirmish left some of the party dead or wounded. Four rescue attempts were mounted but were foiled by Spanish fire. The fifth attempt, undertaken by five men, was successful. Four of the rescuers, all of whom were Buffalo Soldiers from the 10th cavalry regiment, were awarded the Medal of Honor, and of these four, George H. Wanton and Dennis Bell were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery after their passing.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising team members tazman6619 and purelyqing.

Answer: FALSE

The Boxer Rebellion took place between 1899 and 1901 and was an uprising led by a Chinese militia group (known as the Boxers in English because they practiced martial arts) against an alliance of eight foreign and colonial powers - which included the United States. The ruler of the Chinese Qing dynasty officially sanctioned the uprising in 1900 by declaring war on the alliance countries. There was no declaration of war from the US Congress.

The Battle of Veracruz in April 1914 marked the beginning of a seven-month occupation of the Mexican port city by US forces - however, it was not part of a wider war between the two countries and no declaration of such was made by either side. The incident was instead sparked by the Tampico Affair in which several US sailors were arrested by the Mexican authorities and the discovery of an arms shipment to the leaders of the Mexican Revolution.

John McCloy of the US Navy is one of the small number of people to have been awarded two Medals of Honor. He earned his first award for "meritorious conduct" while taking part in a relief expedition in support of the Allied forces in China. His second was granted for his role in leading a small flotilla of boats along the Veracruz waterfront in order to draw Mexican fire and expose the positions of their guns so they could be destroyed. McCloy went on to serve in the First World War and was commissioned as an officer during that conflict, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He was eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1942, 14 years after his retirement from active service.

This question was written up by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81.

Answer: Western

The Western Front was one of the main areas of conflict during World War I. Fighting, here, began immediately after the outbreak of the war in August of 1914 with the German forces invading Luxembourg and Belgium. This then gave them the opportunity to gain a foothold in one of the strategic industrial areas of France, as they made their push toward the sea. Their advance was stopped at the Battle of the Mame and the conflict became a battle of the trenches.

This question was inspired by the deeds of John Henry Pruitt, a US Marine who fought in the above-named battle and was a dual Medal of Honor recipient for the same action. One Medal of Honor was from the US Army and one from the US Navy. The battle occurred during the month of October 1918, and it involved the armies of the United States and France against those of the German Empire. The result was an Allied victory, which saw the German forces driven out of the Champagne region of France. For his part, Pruitt took on two machine guns, captured them and dispatched the enemy. He would then capture some 40 of the enemy in a dugout nearby. Sadly, a few days later, on his twenty-second birthday, he was killed by shellfire.

This question was respectfully created by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Nicaragua

The US involvement in Nicaragua was part of the Banana Wars that took place from 1898 to 1934 throughout Central America. The intervention in Nicaragua began in 1912 and lasted until 1933. In 1979, the Sandinistas took power in Nicaragua ousting the US backed Somoza regime. In the early 1980s the Reagan administration backed the anti-communist Contras who were fighting the Sandinistas for control of Nicaragua. This led to the Iran-Contra Scandal that did much damage to Reagan's second term.

Christian F Schilt was serving in Nicaragua in 1928 as part of a Marine Observation Squadron. In January two Marine patrols were ambushed by Sandino rebels and Schilt made ten flights under heavy fire into a besieged town, rescuing 18 wounded Marines and bringing in a replacement commander along with crucial medical supplies. For these actions he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Schilt began as an enlisted man and would rise through the ranks to become a four-star general in the Marine Corps. He saw action not only in Nicaragua but also Haiti, World War I, World War II, and Korea.

This question was split into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: 3rd Infantry Division

The 1st Infantry Division is "The Big Red One", The 101st Airborne Division are the "Screaming Eagles", and the 3rd Armored Division is the "Spearhead". During World War II, the 3rd Infantry Division saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. In World War I they stopped a German advance on the Marne River and earned their nickname. Audie Murphy would go on to win the Medal of Honor in much the same fashion in WWII.

Audie Murphy served with the division in all of these arenas and won the Medal of Honor while fighting in France. He held off a German advance by mounting a disabled tank destroyer and using its 50-caliber machine gun for over an hour to inflict mass casualties on the assaulting Germans even though he was wounded in the leg during the action. He did not abandon the tank destroyer until he ran out of ammunition. For this and numerous other heroic actions Audie became the most decorated soldier of the war. After the war, Audie went on to write his memoir "To Hell and Back" and then to star in the movie made from the book.

This question was scripted into the quiz by entertainment reporter and Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Afghanistan

Ronald J Surer II received the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in the Shok Valley, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on April 6, 2008. He was serving as a Senior Medical Sergeant supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Under extreme enemy fire, and in inhospitable terrain, Surer moved through enemy lines to locate and stabilize wounded soldiers. He moved them to where the helicopters were waiting to evacuate the wounded, then ran back into the fighting to assist others who were hurt. He would repeat this heroism numerous times throughout the dreadful day.

Surer was born in Alaska of military parents and intended to enlist in the United States Marine Corps but was ultimately deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force as a Green Beret and a member of 3rd Special Forces Group. He urged the youth of America to "Find a way to serve". He died in 2020 after a protracted battle with lung cancer.

This question was written with gratitude for those who serve by Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid.

Answer: Operation Iraqi Freedom

The Persian Gulf War took place in 1990-1991 whereas Operation Iraqi Freedom lasted from 2003 to 2011. Operation Inherent Resolve occurred in 2014 in Iraq and Syria against ISIL. Operation Northern Watch lasted from 1997 to 2003 and was part of the No-Fly Zone over Iraq after the Persian Gulf War.

Private First Class Ross A McGinnis was a machine gunner in an infantry regiment when an insurgent threw a fragmentation grenade into his vehicle. He warned the other crew members allowing them to escape the vehicle while he shielded them by throwing his body over the grenade. He was mortally wounded in the explosion. His selfless sacrifice saved the lives of his teammates and won him the Medal of Honor. He was just 19 years old.

This question was written by an awe-inspired Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.