Here are some military events associated with 4 July.
July 1843 — Warrigal Creek massacres, Gippsland.
The University of Newcastle Colonial Frontier Massacres project dates the Warrigal Creek massacre group to between 1 July and 31 July 1843, with Brataualung victims and settler attackers. That range includes 4 July, but the exact day is not established.
July 1866 — Euri Creek, Queensland.
The Euri Creek massacre is dated by the same project to between 1 July and 31 July 1866. It records Yuru victims and Native Police attackers, with about 30 people killed. Again, the exact day is uncertain, but 4 July falls within the date range.
1 to 15 July 1910 — Dungginmini, Northern Territory.
The Dungginmini massacre is dated to between 1 July and 15 July 1910, with Gurdanji victims and pastoralist attackers. This is a late frontier violence entry and the date range includes 4 July, but it cannot honestly be pinned to that exact day.
4 July 1901 — Naboomspruit armoured train ambush.
A Boer ambush of an armoured train near Naboomspruit took place on 4 July 1901, involving the 2nd Gordon Highlanders and Australians.
4 July 1916 — The “Bluebirds” left Sydney. Twenty Australian Red Cross nurses, known as the Bluebirds because of their blue uniforms, sailed aboard the hospital ship Kanowna for service in France.
4 July 1918 — Battle of Hamel. The Australian Corps, commanded by Lieutenant General John Monash, attacked and captured Hamel on the Western Front. 4 July 1918 — Monash’s first major set piece battle as Australian Corps commander. Hamel became one of the clearest examples of his careful planning and use of combined arms.
4 July 1918 — Australians and Americans fought together at Hamel. American troops were attached to Australian units, making Hamel one of the first significant Australian and American battlefield cooperations.
4 July 1918 — Tanks, aircraft, infantry, and artillery were coordinated at Hamel. The battle became a model for later Allied attacks in 1918.
4 July 1918 — No. 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps, supported the Hamel attack. Australian airmen carried out patrols and artillery spotting during the battle.
4 July 1918 — Aerial ammunition dropping was used at Hamel. No. 3 Squadron helped pioneer parachute supply drops to forward troops during the battle. 4 July 1918 — Thomas Axford’s Victoria Cross action. Private Thomas Axford of the 16th Battalion rushed a German machine gun position during the Hamel fighting and was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
4 July 1918 — Henry Dalziel’s Victoria Cross action. Private Henry Dalziel attacked a strong German machine gun post near Hamel Wood and was awarded the Victoria Cross.
4 July 1918 — Hamel completed in about 93 minutes. The planned 90 minute attack was completed almost exactly on schedule, making it one of the best known Australian operations of the First World War.
4 July 1940 — HMAS Nizam launched. The N class destroyer HMAS Nizam, later transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, was launched on 4 July 1940.
4 July 1941 — Hughie Edwards led the Bremen raid. Australian RAAF officer Hughie Edwards took part in a dangerous daylight bombing raid on Bremen; all twelve aircraft were hit and four were shot down. Edwards later received the Victoria Cross.
4 July 1941 — John Hurst Edmondson’s Victoria Cross was gazetted. Edmondson became the first Australian serviceman of the Second World War to receive the Victoria Cross.
4 July 1941 — Roden Cutler’s Victoria Cross action period continued in Syria and Lebanon. Cutler’s VC was awarded for actions between 19 June and 6 July 1941 in the Merdjayoun and Damour area, so 4 July falls within the combat period for which he was recognised.
4 July 1942 — 9th Australian Division joined XXX Corps at El Alamein. The Australians entered the El Alamein line and soon became heavily involved in the July fighting.
4 July 1942 — HMAS Nepal completed an Operation ES passage. HMAS Nepal berthed near Southampton after a 700 nautical mile passage connected with the Operation ES decoy movement during the Arctic convoy crisis around PQ 17.
4 July 1945 — 2/9th Battalion prepared for the Penadjam Point landing at Balikpapan. Members of the 2/9th Infantry Battalion embarked in Landing Vehicles Tracked for the move across the bay.
4 July 1945 — Australian engineers cleared mines at Balikpapan. Sappers of the 2/9th Field Company used mine detectors in the oil refinery area before tanks moved forward during Operation Oboe Two.
4 July 1945 — Fighting continued near the Opus and Operator features at Balikpapan. AWM material records Japanese dead in dugouts in the 2/33rd Battalion area along the ridge between those features.
4 July 1945 — RAAF artillery spotting at Lutong, Borneo. An RAAF Auster aircraft was used to pick up an observation officer for artillery spotting with B Troop, 15 Battery, 2/8th Field Regiment.
4 July 1945 — Lance Corporal Alfred William “Champ” Bell was killed in action at Balikpapan. Bell served with the 2/5th Cavalry Commando Squadron.
4 July 1969 — Long Hai Hills mine incident, Vietnam. During the night of 4 July, Australian troops suffered casualties from enemy mines, and Sapper Robert Earl was seriously wounded while assisting with a dust off casualty evacuation.
4 July 1969 — 5RAR casualties in South Vietnam. Private Leslie James Pettit of 5RAR was killed in action in South Vietnam on this date.
4 July 1969 — Private Wayne Herbert’s gallantry action. Herbert’s citation relates to his conduct with 7 Platoon, 5RAR, after an enemy mine exploded while the platoon occupied an ambush position.
4 July 1971 — A Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, arrived at Nui Dat. The battery began its Vietnam service supporting Australian infantry operations from the 1st Australian Task Force base.
4 July 1999 — East Timor crisis.
A humanitarian convoy was attacked by pro Indonesian militia at Liquiçá during the UNAMET period. Australia already had personnel committed under Operation Faber, and the worsening violence helped set the scene for the Australian led INTERFET deployment in September.
Oh yeah! There was also certain event in the “land of the Free”.
In Australia as well as the United States that freedom cannot belong only to those who already possess power. It must also extend to peoples of Colour, Indigenous peoples, Hispanic, Latino and Asian communities, Pacific Islanders, Religous groups, migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, LGBTQ people, the poor, the homeless, and all those who have been pushed to the edge of political, social, and economic life. Freedom that excludes the disadvantaged is not freedom in any meaningful sense. It is privilege wearing the language of liberty.