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Military Campaign Stories

SSG Wilson Watson, U.S. Army (1942-1966)

SSG Wilson Watson, U.S. Army (1942-1966)

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Within the ranks of the military, there exists a certain rivalry between those who serve on the front lines and those who serve in the rear with the gear. While all jobs contribute to putting Americans in the fight, the Marines have long prized their beloved infantry above all. In modern terms, it is referred to as the "grunt versus POG debate" with POG referring to "persons other than grunts." In Vietnam, one might have heard the term REMF. Whatever one might call those in the rear, it would serve students of history well to hold their tongue before calling men like Army mess hall cook Wilson Watson a POG or REMF. Little would they know that they would be speaking of a former Marine who fought the Japanese Army alone for 15 minutes on Iwo Jima before the rest of his platoon caught up. The cook serving up a healthy dose of S.O.S on a plate had previously served up violence on Iwo Jima that would lead to the deaths of 60 enemy soldiers. Yes, quite literally, the soldier cracking eggs...

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Witness to the Storm by Werner T. Angress

Witness to the Storm by Werner T. Angress

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On June 6, 1944, Werner T. Angress parachuted down from a C-47 into German-occupied France with the 82nd Airborne Division. Nine days later, he was captured behind enemy lines and, concealing his identity as a German-born Jew, became a prisoner of war. Eventually, he was freed by US forces, rejoined the fight, crossed Europe as a battlefield interrogator, and participated in a concentration camp's liberation. Although he was an American soldier, less than ten years before, he had been an enthusiastically patriotic German-Jewish boy. Rejected and threatened by the Nazi regime, the Angress family fled to Amsterdam to escape persecution and death, and young Angress then found his way to the United States.  In Witness to the Storm, Angress weaves the spellbinding story of his life, including his escape from Germany, his new life in the United States, and his experiences in World War II. A testament to the power of perseverance and forgiveness, Witness to the Storm is the compelling...

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Service Reflections of A1C James Strickland, U.S. Air Force (1955-1960)

Service Reflections of A1C James Strickland, U.S. Air Force (1955-1960)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents A1C James Strickland's legacy of his military service from 1955 to 1960. 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. Collings Foundation B-17 The first item seeing the "Memphis Belle" during its WWII bond drive, sitting on a wooden platform in front of the courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, when I was 6 years old. The second item, late fall 1943 or early spring 1944, was standing in the middle of...

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Service Reflections of SSGT Kenneth Russell, U.S. Air Force (1951-1954)

Service Reflections of SSGT Kenneth Russell, U.S. Air Force (1951-1954)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SSGT Kenneth Russell's legacy of his military service from 1951 to 1954. 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. My draft number was coming up, and I preferred the Air Force over the Army. The Korean War was on, and it looked like I would be drafted, so I enlisted in the Air Force in Salt Lake City, Utah, in January 1951. My basic training took place at Lackland AFB, Texas, but it was...

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Service Reflections of ETCS David Scheffler, U.S. Navy (1972-1995)

Service Reflections of ETCS David Scheffler, U.S. Navy (1972-1995)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents ETCS David Scheffler's legacy of his military service from 1972 to 1995. 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 Navy. The Next Adventure I served in the US Army during the Vietnam War, developing a sense of Duty and Service. As my 'Sense' of duty developed, I simply knew that I was born to serve. Perhaps I was influenced by my years as a Boy Scout sitting around myriad campfires listening to the...

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Korean War – The Battle of Chipyong-Ni

Korean War – The Battle of Chipyong-Ni

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On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when some 75,000 Soldiers from the North Korean People's Army (NPKA) poured across the 38th parallel and, within days, captured Seoul, the South Korean capital. For two months, the outnumbered South Korean army and the small American force fought numerous battles with NPKA as they withdrew down the Korean peninsula to the Pusan area at the southeast tip of Korea. It was here that they set up a final defensive perimeter where they were able to impede the enemy's advancement. To take the pressure off the continuous attacks by the NKPA, a counteroffensive began on Sept. 15th, when United Nations forces made a daring landing at Incheon on the west coast. The unexpected attack crushed the meager NPKA defenses within a few days, cutting off North Korean supply lines to the south.  U.N. casualties during the Incheon landing and subsequent battles resulted in 566 killed and 2,713 wounded. In the fighting, the NKPA lost more than 35,000 killed and...

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General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Meteoric Rise

General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Meteoric Rise

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Speaking of Eisenhower, Field Marshal Lord Montgomery once said, "nice chap, no general." General George Patton once lamented that it was too bad that Eisenhower had no personal knowledge of war. General Omar Bradley would write that Eisenhower "had little grasp of sound battlefield tactics." That might seem like some pretty harsh criticism considering the West tends to look back on Eisenhower as the man who led the allies to victory in Europe. His iconic status was further cemented in history when he became President of the United States in 1952. However, the historical facts would prove that Eisenhower was but a LtCol at the start of 1941 and an officer who had never personally seen combat. Yet, that wouldn't stop him from getting the keys to one of the largest military force the world has ever known. General Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Mediocre Rise to Power Dwight D Eisenhower entered the halls of West Point in 1911 with a greater chance of becoming a football star than the Supreme...

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Service Reflections of GYSGT Edward Androlones, U.S. Marine Corps (1954-1974)

Service Reflections of GYSGT Edward Androlones, U.S. Marine Corps (1954-1974)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents GYSGT Edward Androlones's legacy of his military service from 1954 to 1974. 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. Platoon Photo of young recruits. As a young seventeen-year-old school dropout, I knew my future was questionable at that time. I was hardworking at various jobs to help support my family. I was the oldest of eight boys. My stepfather was a hardworking Italian...

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Service Reflections of YN2 James Hopton, U.S. Navy (1965-1969)

Service Reflections of YN2 James Hopton, U.S. Navy (1965-1969)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents YN2 James Hopton's legacy of his military service from 1965 to 1969. 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 Navy. Graduation at Boot Camp San Diego 1965 I was in 10th grade in high school, and one day I was walking downtown and saw a recruiting poster of a sailor in dress blues with "Travel and see the World" with the USS Constitution behind him. I was hooked from that moment on. That's all I...

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Service Reflections of MMC Kenneth Parment, U.S. Navy (1981-2004)

Service Reflections of MMC Kenneth Parment, U.S. Navy (1981-2004)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents MMC Kenneth Parment's legacy of his military service from 1981 to 2004. 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 Navy. My family was a military family. I always knew I would join and serve, just not what branch or specialty. My father (Army Air Corps) and Uncle (Navy) said the Navy had the best chow and no marching. I wanted to try out for the Army Ranger program, but following my parent's advice,...

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Service Reflections of SGT Bill Lee, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1969)

Service Reflections of SGT Bill Lee, U.S. Marine Corps (1966-1969)

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PRESERVING A MILITARY LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS The following Reflections represents SGT Bill Lee's legacy of his military service from 1966 to 1969. 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. I grew up in a dysfunctional, alcoholic, domestically violent home on Minneapolis's North Side. I was just hanging out after being expelled from two separate high schools. My girlfriend, at age 16, was an Irish Catholic beauty on the dean's list. She had gone away to be a nun...

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