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Service Reflections of SPC Justin Olson U.S. Army (2003-2006)

Service Reflections of SPC Justin Olson U.S. Army (2003-2006)

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I joined after September 11th after the two towers fell. I wanted to be a pilot. There were no current positions, so I was going to be an aircraft mechanic. There were also no positions, so I was offered the 63 Alpha Abrams system maintainer main battle tank mechanic position. I said, “But that’s the opposite; tanks are heavy. Aircraft are light.” I was told the main battle tank had the same AGT 1500 turbine engine as the Blackhawk helicopter. I was told I could double mosQ to aircraft engines after 3 years, and that’s the first people that I would look to for pilots. So I looked at it like a six-year-goal. My military career didn’t quite pan out that way. I went to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for unique training for five and a half months, then 2 weeks of hometown recruiting back in Utah and Ogden. I got married. I then reported for duty in December 2003 to Fort Hood, Texas, where within a short few months, I was already at the real head and leaving for Iraq, where being wounded doesn’t take mechanic would end my career. Luckily, I got to use my skills while using my post-911 GI Bill to go to college at Texas State Technical College as an aircraft mechanic, where I also got to do my initial flights. That’s not currently what I do today.

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SPC Zulay Henao, U.S. Army (1997-2000)

SPC Zulay Henao, U.S. Army (1997-2000)

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Zulay Henao, best known for her captivating performances in both film and television, where she easily transitions from intense dramas to light-hearted comedies, is also a proud U.S. Army veteran. This Colombian-American star traded her fatigues for film scripts after serving three years, proving she can tackle any role with the same gusto she once applied to obstacle courses at Fort Bragg. Whether she's playing a tough-as-nails character or a loving friend, Henao brings an undeniable charm and authenticity that keeps audiences coming back for more—evidence that her basic training prepared her not just for combat, but for conquering Hollywood as well. Zulay Henao’s Early Life & Military Service Zulay Henao was born on May 29, 1979, in Medellín, Colombia. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child, settling in New Jersey. After graduating high school, Henao made the bold decision to enlist in the United States Army, a choice that would shape her future in...

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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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The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A. Freeman

The Forgotten 500 by Gregory A. Freeman

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On the night of August 2, 1944, a team of operatives from the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of today's Central Intelligence Agency, parachuted into the town of Pranjani, Serbia. Led by U.S. Army Lt. George "Guv" Musulin, the team of three was to contact Gen. Draža Mihailović, the leader of a Serbian nationalist band of fighters called the Chetniks.  He was there to plan how the United States' 15th Air Force would airlift the more than 500 downed Allied pilots the Chetniks rescued and bring them back to safety. Operation Halyard, as the mission was named, would be the largest rescue operation of American airmen in military history.  The Forgotten 500: The Daring Rescue Mission "The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II" is a 2008 book that describes in detail how some 500 airmen were shot down over Serbia, how they were protected by Serbian civilians and the brave group of resistance...

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Service Reflections of LIC Jack De Merit, U.S. Navy (1961-1990)

Service Reflections of LIC Jack De Merit, U.S. Navy (1961-1990)

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Many of us in a high school fraternity decided that the best way to complete our military obligation was to enlist in the Naval Reserve. As I was older than the others, I had already graduated when the Naval Reserve Recruiter came to Fairfax High School in Los Angeles to make his presentation. They were all Gung Ho, and they tried to convince me to join them. I told them that I would check it out on my own and give them an answer within the next week. As they were not graduating until the end of the semester, the only rush was that summer vacation would be a great time to do our Boot Camp. Being Reservists would allow us to continue our education while attending Reserve Meetings.

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Service Reflections of ATCS Frank Nelson, U.S. Navy (1972-1994)

Service Reflections of ATCS Frank Nelson, U.S. Navy (1972-1994)

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My dad influenced me tremendously. I had no prospects of getting a job living overseas. My dad did all he could to get me into the Academy. He wrote letters and made phone calls to BUPERS and NAVSTA Rota (in those times, there were no recruiters nearby). I was tentatively accepted to the Prep School in Bainbridge, MD, but I was medically disqualified when they received my physical results due to my vision. I had vision correctable to 20/20, but there was too much refractive error between the left eye and the right one. My parents couldn’t afford to send me to college back in the States, so off to the Navy I went.
But before I joined up, my dad made sure I got into a field where I would have a good chance of advancement, so I took a whole array of tests and was found qualified for the ADVANCED ELECTRONIC FIELD, qualifying for either AT, DS, or FT. I signed up for six years, and I would get PO3 upon successfully completing “A” school.

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Service Reflections of JOC Arthur Frith, U.S. Navy (1970-1991)

Service Reflections of JOC Arthur Frith, U.S. Navy (1970-1991)

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Several things influenced my decision to join the Navy. Two other classmates and I at Lemoore High School were considering joining the Air Force. Being a “Navy Brat”, I was looking at being stationed someplace I’d not lived where my father had been stationed in the Navy. We completed the physical and paperwork and had a date in July to enlist and head for San Antonio. However, when the time arrived, I received a call from the Air Force recruiter saying that my date had been moved to October. Given the fact that I’d quit my job at Boy Scout summer camp, quit my jobs with the Fresno Bee and Lemoore Advance, and the fact that Dad was PCSing to NAS Memphis in September, I had very few options other than the Draft. I drove to Visalia, picked up my package from the Air Force recruiter, and walked down the hall to the Navy’s office. There was a Chief sitting at a desk. I put my folder in front of him and asked, “Chief, how soon can I enlist?” He looked it over, looked up at me, and said: “What about tomorrow? I asked him if I could use his phone. I called Dad at his office back on NAS Lemoore: “Hey. Do you have anything going on tomorrow?” He said, “Nope.” “Good. You’re taking me up to Fresno to swear me in the Navy.” It was off to RTC San Diego the following afternoon.

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Service Reflections of GySgt Lawrence B. Hoffa, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-2000)

Service Reflections of GySgt Lawrence B. Hoffa, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-2000)

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While in high school, I was a member of the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (1998-2002). This interest was ignited by observing my uncle, mentor, and Vietnam Veteran, Percy. I always considered him a hard-working and disciplined person. We both also served as Law Enforcement Officers. During my Junior year in high school (2000), I met with a Marine Corps Recruiter, Staff Sergeant Johnson, and from that moment, I was struck! I had to be a Marine! Then, the events of September 11th, 2001, transpired, and that further tugged on me. I enlisted that year in the Delayed Entry Program. I left for Recruit Training in September 2002.

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Service Reflections of Capt Wilfred J. Clifford, U.S. Marine Corps (1953 – 1973)

Service Reflections of Capt Wilfred J. Clifford, U.S. Marine Corps (1953 – 1973)

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My brother was a Marine; he served in WWII and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Three of my uncles also served during WWII, and all saw serious action. When I was about 13 or 14, I read a book about the Iwo Jima campaign, and while it brought tears to my eyes, I probably wasn’t crying, but anyway, I knew that I wanted to be around men like that.
Because of my family situation, with a single mother with three kids, I knew that I would serve at least 20 years to retirement even before I enlisted. I was a depression-era kid, and my future looked bleak. Somehow, I always desired to attend college, and if I didn’t serve the 20, I would have the Korean War GI Bill to help me. (Which it didn’t, as I have enumerated under the college questionnaire).

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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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