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Military Campaign Stories

Did World War II Soldiers Mutiny after V-J Day?

Did World War II Soldiers Mutiny after V-J Day?

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On May 8, 1945, the Allies accepted the formal surrender of Nazi Germany. The capitulation of the last Axis power in Europe marked the end of World War II there. The war in the Pacific, however, was still raging. American troops, along with the rest of the Allies, began to reorient their forces to concentrate on fighting the Japanese. But they didn't have to work for very long. Just a few months later, the Japanese Empire also surrendered. On August 15, 1945, the Japanese forces officially surrendered, and World War II was finally over (V-J Day). The Allies had won the war.  What Was before V-J Day? Over the course of four years, the United States had enlisted, trained, equipped, and shipped some 7.6 million men and women overseas. They had done their duty, and they were ready to go home - they wanted to make it home by Christmas.  Unfortunately, four months was not enough time to move millions of men from the four corners of the globe back to their stateside homes. Many...

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Service Reflections of YN1y Gary Haythorn, U.S. Coast Guard (1966-1970)

Service Reflections of YN1y Gary Haythorn, U.S. Coast Guard (1966-1970)

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I was 18, having just finished a semester of junior college, and just had no clue where I wanted to go in life. My girlfriend broke up with me, so I thought I would join the Marines. But my cousin, who was already a USMC Captain, aviator, and Vietnam veteran, talked to me. He said, “If you join the Marine Corps, I’ll kick your a@#.” Then he laughed and said, “Look, you’d be a fine Marine, but join the Coast Guard or Air Force. They treat their people better.” Having grown up in Florida, being around water and boats all my life, I went to the CG recruiting office in Orlando, FL, where SS1 Gravett signed me up.

PS That girl that broke up with me married me four years later. We’ve been married for over 40 years now. Blessed.

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Eileen Nearne – British WWII Heroine

Eileen Nearne – British WWII Heroine

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The "Croix de Guerre" or "Cross of War," is a French military decoration honoring people for their resistance against the Nazis in WWII. Furthermore, being appointed a "Member of the Order of the British Empire" by King George VI for services rendered in France during the enemy occupation was a high British honor. Any man who was awarded such honors must have been a remarkable one. Only, in this case, we are dealing with a woman and a brave and tenacious one at that. The Perilous Life of Eileen Nearne in WWII Eileen Nearne, the woman who received these accolades, lived a perilous life in WWII. To a large extent, her exploits mirrored those of Charlotte Gray in the 2001 movie bearing the same name. The film, based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks, features the adventures of female agents in German-occupied France. But why have most of us never heard of Eileen Nearne? Is it because her missions were so top-secret that information never leaked out? Or is it like many events during the...

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

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

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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.

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Service Reflections of SSGT Jorge Hernandez, U.S. Air Force (1968-1972)

Service Reflections of SSGT Jorge Hernandez, U.S. Air Force (1968-1972)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SSGT Jorge Hernandez's legacy of his military service from 1968 to 1972. 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 Air Force. Old Times Square Recruiting Station With a year left in high school, the local Draft Board strongly suggested that I join the Army. I went down to Times Square in New York City recruiting stations and talked to all recruiters. The Air Force recruiter was the most informative,...

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Service Reflections of EM2 Michael Lewis, U.S. Coast Guard (1967-1971)

Service Reflections of EM2 Michael Lewis, U.S. Coast Guard (1967-1971)

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As a young man in the 60’s after my HS graduation, I was employed in Canton, Ohio, in the summer of 1966.

Growing up during the Vietnam era, I knew that at the age of 18, I would most likely get drafted into the military. At that time, I felt that if I were going to serve our country, I would take it upon myself to choose the branch of service that appealed to my character. So the US Post Office was right across the street from my employment, and one lunch hour, I walked over to look at the branches represented by recruiters.

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Service Reflections of MSGT Willie McGee, U.S. Air Force (1974-1998)

Service Reflections of MSGT Willie McGee, U.S. Air Force (1974-1998)

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I was fascinated with aircraft before I could write! Whenever I saw a plane (or even an airship) flying, I would have to stop and just watch it until it was out of sight. I WAS HOOKED whenever I saw the “US Air Force Blue” promotion on (the late 50s) TV! Even now, I remember my first model plane kit, an F-86 Super Sabre, and I was too young to read the instructions telling me I needed glue! Anyways, this love of aircraft stayed with me all through my formative years and into high school. During that time, the anti-Viet Nam movement was escalating. That and my “only son” status made thoughts of joining the military disappear.

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Service Reflections of SGT Raymond L Britt, U.S. Marine Corps (1965-1971)

Service Reflections of SGT Raymond L Britt, U.S. Marine Corps (1965-1971)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT Raymond L Britt's legacy of his military service from 1965 to 1971. 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 Marine Corps. 17-year-old, Raymond L Britt Sometimes other people believe they know more about another person's health than a doctor. This is the case in this story and how one's ignorance forced me to change my life. After sustaining a severe brain concussion in gym class in...

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

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

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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...

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Service Reflections of SGT Michael Fouts, U.S. Army (1972-1976)

Service Reflections of SGT Michael Fouts, U.S. Army (1972-1976)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT Michael Fouts's legacy of his military service from 1972 to 1976. 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. My father was in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, which included service in SAC and service in an AEW&C unit (full of C-121 Constellation aircraft) that patrolled the waters off the East Coast in the '60s. He served during WWII, Korea, and the Vietnam eras. The Vietnam draft was...

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