Jan. 14, 1865: U.S. Army 1st Sgt. William Elise of Company K, 3d Wisconsin Calvary, would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions this day during combat at Dardanelle, Ark., according to the This Day in Military History website. Born in England but claiming residence in Wisconsin, Elise remained at his post after "receiving three wounds, and only retired, by his commanding officer's orders, after being wounded the fourth time," according to the award citation.
Jan. 15, 1943: The Pentagon was dedicated on this day, according to the This Day in Military History website. Before the Pentagon was built, the U.S. Department of War was headquartered in the Greggory Building, a temporary structure erected during World War I along Constitution Avenue on the National Mall.
Jan. 16, 1991: Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm as the Allied Coalition launches an air campaign against targets in Iraq and occupied Kuwait to liberate Kuwait and enforce the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, according to the This Day in Military History website. The operation included more than 415,000 U.S. troops.
Jan. 17, 1955: The USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear-powered submarine, casts off lines at 11 a.m. and sends the message, "underway on nuclear power," according to an entry on Navy.mil.
Jan. 18, 1911: Eugene Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania, the first ship to be equipped with a landing deck and arresting system, while it was anchored in San Francisco harbor, becoming the first pilot to land on the deck of a ship, according to an online U.S. Air Force history. Just several months earlier, Ely was the first person to take off from an anchored ship when he took off in his airplane from the USS Birmingham in Hampton Roads, Va.
Jan. 19, 2003: The United States offers Saddam Hussein immunity from prosecution if he leaves Iraq. Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recommends during a television interview that provisions be made to allow "senior leadership in that country [Iraq] and their families could be provided haven in some other country" in order to avoid war, according to the This Day in Military History website.
Jan. 20, 1783: The second battle for Khe Sanh begins when Marines from 3d Battalion, 26th Marines attack a North Vietnamese battalion, according to the Marine Corps History Division website. The enemy battalion was located between Hill 881 South and Hill 881 North; more than 100 enemy troops were killed in the battle.
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