September 16 in U.S. military history

1776: Gen. George Washington chalks up his “first victory in the field” against British and Hessian forces under Gen. Alexander Leslie in the Battle of Harlem Heights, New York.

1944: When a U.S. Navy pilot is shot down in a heavily defended bay in Halmahera Island, two PT boats under the command of Lt. Arthur M. Preston charge through the mine-infested waters to retrieve the pilot. The boats are turned back twice by coastal artillery but they manage to reach the downed aviator. Helped by a smokescreen laid down by friendly planes, the sailors grab the pilot at near point-blank range from the enemy guns and race back through the gauntlet of shellfire to safety. For his two-and-a-half hour rescue mission, Lt. Preston is awarded the Medal of Honor.

1950: One day after hitting the beach at Inchon, Korea, the Marines have secured the peninsula. Meanwhile to the south, the Eighth Army has broken out of the Pusan Perimeter.

1994: Two NASA astronauts conduct the United States’ first untethered space walk in 10 years. Mark C. Lee flew F-4 Phantom IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons. Carl J. Meade also flew Phantoms before becoming a test pilot. Both retired as colonels from the U.S. Air Force.