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Great Military Stories

The Battle of Mosul

The Battle of Mosul

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Politics, they say, makes strange bedfellows. But it wasn't politics that brought an unlikely group of military forces together at the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul between 2016 and 2017 – it was the Islamic State. The band of terrorists, otherwise known as ISIS (or ISIL), captured the Iraqi city in 2014 after a battle that lasted just six days. ISIS fighters then executed captured Iraqi defenders, consolidated their gains, and continued their stunning but tragic advance.  The Battle of Mosul: The Rise of ISIS and the Caliphate The success of the ISIS offensive in Mosul led its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to declare the beginning of the group's self-proclaimed caliphate as the leader of Muslims all over the world. He proclaimed Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri, a unique holy site that was first constructed in the 12th century. The mosque, like tens of thousands of Iraqis, would not survive the Islamic State.  It also led to military interventions by the unlikely (and...

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Famous Coast Guard Unit: USCGC Point Orient (WPB-82319)

Famous Coast Guard Unit: USCGC Point Orient (WPB-82319)

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The Coast Guard vessel, Point Orient, was stationed at Fort Pierce, FL, from 1961 to 1965 and was first used for law enforcement and SAR (Search and Rescue). On 15 January 1965, she towed the disabled M/V Sally 120 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, TX, to safety. She was assigned to CG Squadron One, Division 12, Vietnam, from July 1965 to May 1970. On 15 July 1967, Point Orient captured an enemy trawler. The Point-class cutters were 82-foot patrol boats designed to replace the United States Coast Guard's aging 83-foot wooden hull patrols being used at the time.  The Early History of USCGC Point Orient The design utilized a mild steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. Following the Coast Guard custom in place in 1960 of not naming vessels under 100 feet in length, the first 44 Point-class patrol boats were only identified by their hull number using the scheme of WPB-823xx, where 82 was the design length of the hull. Beginning in January 1964, the Coast Guard started naming...

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Afghanistan War – The Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif

Afghanistan War – The Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif

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It might come as a surprise, but the United States and Afghanistan enjoyed friendly relations for the overwhelming majority of their shared history, a history spanning some 200 years. It was only following September 11, 2001, that relations soured between the two countries. In the days that followed the terror attacks of September 11, the American government demanded the Taliban deliver Osama bin Laden or face the wrath of the U.S. military – and the Afghans almost avoided a war. The Strategic Importance of Mazar-i-Sharif in the Battle of Mazar-i-Sharif Muslim clerics across Afghanistan actually voted to expel Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, but in the same vote, they decided that an invasion from the United States would trigger a jihad for the Muslim faithful. With that in mind, Mullah Muhammaed Omar, the founding leader of the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, decided not to deliver bin Laden. Al-Qaeda was, after all, a close ally of the Taliban.  So when none of the demands made by...

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James E. Williams, U.S. Navy (1947–1967)

James E. Williams, U.S. Navy (1947–1967)

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After serving nearly 20 years in the Navy, many enlisted sailors might opt for an easy assignment for their so-called twilight tour. But that was not why James E. Williams joined the Navy. He joined in 1947 because he thought getting paid to serve your country was possibly the greatest thing he could ever do. Over the course of the next 20 years, Williams would eventually become the most decorated enlisted sailor to ever serve in the U.S. Navy.  Born in 1930, Williams was a South Carolina native who convinced a county clerk to fudge the date on his birth certificate so he could enlist in the Navy at 17. Early Career and Naval Beginnings of James E. Williams After graduating from basic training in San Diego, he became a Boatswain's Mate. He didn't get the adventurous assignment he wanted from his first Navy enlistment, but he did learn a valuable lesson that would carry him through the rest of his career.  "I'd got orders to an [landing ship, tank] that just sat around a buoy in the...

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Famous Navy Unit: USS Constitution: Old Ironsides

Famous Navy Unit: USS Constitution: Old Ironsides

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Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!Long has it waved on high,And many an eye has danced to seeThat banner in the sky;Beneath it rung the battle shout,And burst the cannon's roar;The meteor of ocean airShall sweep the clouds no more! "Old Ironsides" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr (1809-94) The Birth of USS Constitution: Old Ironsides As it turned out, that 1830 poem sparked public concern, and the ship's ensign was not torn down at all then or since. The USS Constitution was designed by Joshua Humphreys and developed and constructed in response to the Ottoman and Berber Barbary corsairs, which menaced American merchant shipping off the northern coast of Africa. Following the Revolution, the United States' Continental Navy was disbanded, leaving the new nation without a credible sea power to defend its interests abroad. Signed into law on March 27, 1794 by President George Washington, the Naval Armament Act called for the construction of six frigates to be built at shipyards along the...

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WW1 – The Angels of Mons

WW1 – The Angels of Mons

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The World War I Battle of Mons was famous for a number of notable firsts. It was the first test of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), the first time Mons switched hands during the war, and probably the first time ghosts reinforced a living army to cover their retreat; ghosts who absolutely slaughtered the enemy – or so the legend goes. The First Battle of Mons took place on August 23, 1914, one of the earliest battles on the Western Front of World War I and the first time the British operated jointly with the French against the German invasion. The British were trying to protect the French left flank from an advance by the German 1st Army, and they held their ground well.  For 48 hours, they fought outnumbered three to one, yet they inflicted an incredibly disproportionate number of casualties, with estimates as high as three German casualties for every British one. It was a good start to the war. It would have been a great start, but the French lines began to break, and the...

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Col Merryl Tengesdal, U.S. Air Force (1994-2017)

Col Merryl Tengesdal, U.S. Air Force (1994-2017)

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Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Merryl Tengesdal is the first African American female U-2 pilot in history and is the first African American woman to fly the Air Force's U-2 Dragon Lady Spy Plane. She is the only black woman alongside five white women and two black men to fly spy planes. Merryl Tengesdal was born Merryl David in 1971 in the Bronx, New York. She excelled in math and science classes in grade school and high school and graduated from the University of New Haven in Connecticut in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. She completed the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School in 1994. Merryl Tengesdal: The Trailblazer in Military Aviation and Engineering In her first assignment as a Naval Aviator at Naval Station Mayport in Florida, Tengesdal flew the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, a derivative of the Army's UH-60 Black Hawk. The SH-60B Seahawk is used for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, anti-ship warfare, drug interdiction, cargo lift, and special...

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WW2 – The Battle of Monte Cassino

WW2 – The Battle of Monte Cassino

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Allied forces landed in the Italian peninsula in September 1943. The Apennine Mountains divided the peninsula, and Allied troops split and advanced on both sides. They took control of Naples and continued the push towards Rome. Monte Cassino was the gateway to Rome. It towered above the city and provided unobstructed views. German troops occupied lookouts on the hillside but agreed to stay out of the abbey because of its historical importance. The precious manuscripts and antiquities housed in the abbey had been removed to Vatican City for safekeeping (although some works of art were stolen by German troops and transported north). The First Phase of The Battle of Monte Cassino The first phase of the operation began on January 17 with an Allied attack on German positions. Thomas E. McCall, a farm boy from Indiana, found himself in the crosshairs of the battle of Monte Cassino. On January 22, 1944, during heavy fighting, he was accidentally struck by friendly fire. After all his men...

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Capt. Larry L. Taylor, U.S. Army (1966–1971)

Capt. Larry L. Taylor, U.S. Army (1966–1971)

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Larry Taylor's family had a long history of military service. His great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, his great-uncle fought in World War I, and his father and uncles served during World War II. When Larry attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he joined the school's Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and carried on his family's longstanding military tradition.  Larry L. Taylor Begins His Journey in the Vietnam War When he began his studies in 1962, the United States had only a token involvement in the uncertain future of South Vietnam. By the time he graduated in 1966, the U.S. was fully committed, with more than 380,000 ground troops in the country. Initially, he was commissioned as an armor officer. Though he graduated from the Army's armor school, he knew he could do more flying helicopters. Because of his critical moment of self-reflection, he would lead a daring rescue under heavy fire, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers and performing an...

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Civil War – The Battle of Antietam

Civil War – The Battle of Antietam

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The early days of the Civil War were some of the darkest for the Union. The Confederate Army won many of those early pivotal battles, and where the Union did see success, it often failed to follow up on them. What so many Americans in the North believed would be a short war, a spanking for the unruly South, was turning into a long, drawn-out bloodbath – and things would get much worse before they got better.  The Turning Point for European Recognition The Confederates needed a hard-fought, decisive victory over the Union if they were going to get recognition from European powers. Meanwhile, the Union needed to prove to Europe that the Confederate States had little to no chance of success and weren't worth intervention. The South had one of the most capable commanders of the day in Gen. Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. In contrast, the Union had Gen. George B. McClellan, who was capable but feckless. Robert E. Lee's Invasion Begins the Battle of Antietam On Sept. 3,...

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Famous Air Force Unit – 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (37th ARRS)

Famous Air Force Unit – 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (37th ARRS)

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"There was only one man on the ground that day that would have turned down a ride out of that hellhole - and that man was Pitsenbarger." - F. David Peters, C Co, 2nd Btn, 16th Inf, 1st ID 37th ARRS: A Legacy of Courage in Air Rescue Operations The Air Rescue Service (later the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service) first used Kaman HH-43 Huskie helicopters, unofficially known as "Pedro" from their radio call sign. They later added larger Sikorsky H-3 helicopters, nicknamed "Jolly Green Giants," with greater range. The 37th ARRS was activated initially during the Korean War when helicopters were first used for medical evacuation. The Jolly Green most notably served during the Vietnam War, during which, in addition to their helicopters, they also flew the Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibious flying boat and the HC-130 specialized variant of the Hercules transport. They carried out numerous search and rescue operations in combat areas, including the evacuations of Phnom Penh and Saigon...

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Sergeant Reckless: America’s War Horse

Sergeant Reckless: America’s War Horse

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The young filly showed great promise every time she ran a race. Many believed she would be a prize winner. But she never got the chance. In June 1950, North Korean troops stormed across the border between South Korea in a surprise attack that changed life on the Korean Peninsula. It also brought the sport of horseracing to a standstill. With no races to run, owning racehorses became a financial liability for their owners. Like many others, she was abandoned at the Seoul racetrack. A young Korean stable boy named Kim Huk Moon took over feeding, watering, and grooming her. Why Did Kim Sell His Horse? In October 1952 some U.S. Marines from the 5th Marines' Anti-Tank Company's Recoilless Rifle Platoon discovered the young filly and decided she'd be valuable for carrying supplies into combat. The platoon leader, Lt. Eric Pederson, paid $250 of his own money to buy her. The only reason Kim sold his beloved horse was so he could buy an artificial leg for his older sister, Chung Soon, who...

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