Official blog
TWS Website
TWS Website
U

MENU

Global War on Terror

Service Reflections of SFC John Westlake, U.S. Army (1967-2010)

Service Reflections of SFC John Westlake, U.S. Army (1967-2010)

,

I was influenced by a few factors. I was brought up in a patriotic New England family. I had uncles who fought in Vietnam, Korea, and WWII, and my grandfather on my mother’s side fought in WWI. I remember as a young boy going with most of them to the local Memorial Day parade. We would always stand near a bridge where the parade would stop and a wreath would be thrown into the water.
The other factor that influenced me was the 6 o’clock news. As I was growing up in the ’60s, the Vietnam War was in full swing, and the daily body count of US GI’s and Viet Cong would always be announced. I remember how it bothered me when there were more GI’s killed on any given day than VC. My mind was made up just as I started high school. I wanted to go over there and even the odds. Having grown up on a farm and already having handled rifles and shotguns, I felt I was ready.

read more
Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

,

As to why I chose the Marines, it was a no-brainer once I decided to join the military since anything else would leave me wondering if I could have made it in the Marines.
Despite growing up in a family of veterans (Grandpa, Dad, and two Uncles), I never really gave much thought to joining the military myself. This all changed one day when, out of the blue, one of my cousins came to me and said that he was going to talk to the Marine Corps recruiter and wanted me to drive him there. I agreed to drive him and, on the way to the recruiter, he told me about a “Buddy Program” in which we, supposedly, could enlist together and then be stationed together throughout our enlistment. Needless to say, this was probably not the most accurate information, but it sounded good to me.
Once we got to the recruiting station, I had already made up my mind that I needed a change in my life and was going to sign up if my cousin did since I was just wasting money at college and needed a break from schooling.
Bottom line: He did not sign up but I did.

read more
Service Reflections of QM1 Robert Grant, U.S. Coast Guard (1978-2015)

Service Reflections of QM1 Robert Grant, U.S. Coast Guard (1978-2015)

,

In 1977 I was 19 when we returned home from Australia; my father was an SMSgt assigned to the US Embassy in Canberra and stationed at the RAAF Base in Richmond, New South Wales. I entered Solano Community College, living at home, going to classes full-time and working a midnight to six shift. After a year and a half, I was growing disenchanted with my life. I got off early one morning (about 4 AM in early December 1978) returned home and could not sleep. I turned on the TV and there was a thirty minute (public service) advertisement for the USCG (it was now about 5 AM). I became enthralled as I watched it, 2/3 of the way through the topic changed and focused on at sea drug interdiction in the Caribbean Sea – the narrator described this as “The Coast Guard Goes To War.”

read more
Service Reflections of 1STSGT Bill Hudson Gross, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-Present)

Service Reflections of 1STSGT Bill Hudson Gross, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-Present)

,

I grew up in rural, southeastern Kentucky and worked with my father and grandfather roofing and working tobacco fields seasonally. My father was a very strict man and most of my youth can be summed up by trying to identify a way to escape my then reality of never leaving my hometown. I participated in NJROTC and sports during high school to keep busy.
During high school, vocationally, and soon after graduation, I worked on a degree and certification in Masonry seemingly solidifying the reality that I would never leave Kentucky. The lack of opportunity teamed with the fall of the twin towers in my Senior Year, AP History led me to pursue the Navy Recruiting office. After multiple visits with no Navy Recruiter in the Office a lean, well-articulated Marine Recruiter approached me. Then, Sergeant Wesley Trucks inquired as to my intentions and made a very strong, positive impact on my tentative decision.

read more
The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper

The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper

,

The Outpost is the heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America's deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic. At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 Americans there prevailed against 40 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war for the fight for the U.S. that year.  Four months after the battle, a Pentagon review revealed that there was no reason for the troops at Keating to have been there in the first place. In The Outpost, Jake Taber gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destructions, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families and to a place and war that has remained profoundly distant to most Americans. Reviews of The Outpost "The Outpost is a mind-boggling,...

read more
Service Reflections of SSG Wasim Khan, U.S. Army (1998-2010)

Service Reflections of SSG Wasim Khan, U.S. Army (1998-2010)

,

As a kid, I always liked the military. As a young kid, I wanted to join the Navy. When I got to high school, we had Army JROTC, and my interest changed to Army or Marines. My dad, who was in the Army, convinced me that the Army was the way to go because it was bigger and promoted faster. He was a tanker and tried to steer me to armor. I wanted to be an airborne ranger, and my dad said whatever you do, ensure you get what you want in your contract. When I went to the recruiter, I scored very high on the ASVAB. The career counselor told me that he didn’t have airborne infantry available. He said the only thing with airborne was the 31C Radio Operator, probably because of the high GT. I believed him and felt good about getting guaranteed airborne. It first took me to the 82nd, and as soon as I got there, I started applying for a Ranger assignment because I got put in the Engineer Battalion, and it wasn’t what I wanted. After a year and a half, I got my wish and orders for Ranger Indoctrination and the 2nd Ranger Battalion.

read more
Service Reflections of CWO2 Jon Nolan, U.S. Coast Guard (1988-2011)

Service Reflections of CWO2 Jon Nolan, U.S. Coast Guard (1988-2011)

,

PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents CWO2 Jon Nolan's legacy of his military service from 1988 to 2011. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Coast Guard. I was working for the Liberty County Sheriff's Department. While on patrol, I heard a Coast Guard advertisement on the radio and remember thinking to myself…Hey, I've heard of them. I wanted to leave for the Sheriff's Department and return to action. I took a chance and never...

read more
HM3 Johnathan Loper, U.S. Navy (2010-2016)

HM3 Johnathan Loper, U.S. Navy (2010-2016)

,

What was the biggest personal challenge that you encountered during your military service? How did you approach and overcome this?:

As a Navy Ceremonial Guard Casket Bearer, we did 6 funerals daily, 5 days a week in Arlington National Cemetery. However, one funeral in particular was very tough. Everything seemed normal. The car pulled up to the chapel; I removed the urn from the back seat and carried it past the seated family to the front of the chapel. I placed the urn on the small table and made my way out and down to the basement, where we usually waited for the family to speak and pay their final respects upstairs.

read more
1SG Randy Taylor, U.S. Army (2002-2023)

1SG Randy Taylor, U.S. Army (2002-2023)

,

What was the biggest personal challenge that you encountered during your military service? How did you approach and overcome this?:

In 2006, I deployed to Iraq for my second 12-month tour, this time to Baghdad. I had previously been deployed to this theater in 2003 during the Initial Invasion but in Kirkuk. This time, my deployment experience has drastically changed with the counterinsurgency agenda, operating during the surge within a Sunni and Shia Faultline, as well as pinned up against the developing/ evolving use of IEDs and ambush techniques. Every patrol, either mounted or dismounted, would prove to be a gamble of committed forward movement within the muhallahs. Every Platoon operating within the Area of Operations was in tune with each other and shared in the concern and worry for elements leaving and entering FOB Falcon. Platoons and Sections on a mission would be met and sent off at the gates with supportive encouragement, and a couple of cigarettes as final pre-combat checks were being completed. I was a squad leader during this deployment and shouldered the safety and leadership of my M1114 truck crew, which included 1 gunner, 1 driver, and 2 dismounts.

read more
Service Reflections of 1SG Sean Hayes, U.S. Army (1984-2010)

Service Reflections of 1SG Sean Hayes, U.S. Army (1984-2010)

,

As a kid, I always liked the military. As a young kid, I wanted to join the Navy. When I got to high school, we had Army JROTC, and my interest changed to Army or Marines. My dad, who was in the Army, convinced me that the Army was the way to go because it was bigger and promoted faster. He was a tanker and tried to steer me to armor. I wanted to be an airborne ranger, and my dad said whatever you do, ensure you get what you want in your contract. When I went to the recruiter, I scored very high on the ASVAB. The career counselor told me that he didn’t have airborne infantry available. He said the only thing with airborne was the 31C Radio Operator, probably because of the high GT. I believed him and felt good about getting guaranteed airborne. It first took me to the 82nd, and as soon as I got there, I started applying for a Ranger assignment because I got put in the Engineer Battalion, and it wasn’t what I wanted. After a year and a half, I got my wish and orders for Ranger Indoctrination and the 2nd Ranger Battalion.

read more
Service Reflections of MAJ James C Camel, U.S. Marine Corps (1987-2006)

Service Reflections of MAJ James C Camel, U.S. Marine Corps (1987-2006)

,

PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents MAJ James C Camel's legacy of his military service from 1987 to 2006. If you are a Veteran, consider preserving a record of your own military service, including your memories and photographs, on Togetherweserved.com (TWS), the leading archive of living military history. The following Service Reflections is an easy-to-complete self-interview, located on your TWS Military Service Page, which enables you to remember key people and events from your military service and the impact they made on your life. Start recording your own Military Memories HERE. Please describe who or what influenced your decision to join the Army. Photo before Officer Candidate School Board Early in life, I was always drawn to superheroes and men wearing military uniforms. One of my favorite television shows growing up was the G.I. Joe cartoon. My imagination grew from watching soldiers in action. It was the best...

read more
Service Reflections of CPL Dan Olson, U.S. Marine Corps (2009-2013)

Service Reflections of CPL Dan Olson, U.S. Marine Corps (2009-2013)

,

As a child, I always wanted to be a Marine and spent many hours watching movies and playing “war” with friends in the backyard wearing surplus WWII, Korea, and Vietnam apparel and gear given to me by my “uncle” Jr. The late 90s, while I was in high school, was a relative time of peace, and the few people I did see joining the military were doing it for college money, which, while making sense to me, also kind of soured the idea for me. In my senior year in 2000, the Army National Guard ran a recruiting event in the quad area at lunch, and a friend and I added our names to a list to get more information; my mother always told me that the military would brainwash me and that I was flat-footed and wouldn’t be accepted anyway (I’m not flat-footed) and when that Army Sgt called the house I heard my mother quickly give him a piece of her mind and then abruptly hang up on him, and that was the end of that, I wasn’t fully committed to the idea myself and had apprehensions and concerns about whether I’d be up to military life and honestly was unsure that I even had what it takes to make it through boot camp. After high school, I worked for my family, got engaged, and took out a loan for my first home. Then September 11th happened. I was angry, and silly as it may sound, I was filled with guilt as I saw on the news the brave men and women my age who answered the call to service both before and during this unprecedented time in our country. Still, I had obligations here at home and continued on my current course at the time. Years passed, and I grew older and feared that my youth would quickly pass me by. Then, the economic recession of 2008 hit.

read more