Incredible Military Stories
The Most Decorated Enlisted Sailor in Navy History

The Most Decorated Enlisted Sailor in Navy History

In the history of the United States Navy, only seven men have earned all of the big three valor awards: Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and Silver Star. Six were World War II officers, including one aviator. The seventh was James Elliott "Willy" Williams - considered the most decorated enlisted man in the history of the Navy. James Williams Joined the Navy at Sixteen James Williams, a Cherokee Indian, was born November 13, 1930, in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Two months later he moved with his...

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WW2 – Bataan and Corregidor

WW2 – Bataan and Corregidor

Within hours of their December 7, 1941, attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Japanese military began its assault on the Philippines, bombing airfields and bases, harbors and shipyards. Manila, the capital of the Philippines, sits on Manila Bay, one of the best deep-water ports in the Pacific Ocean, and it was, for the Japanese, a perfect resupply point for their planned conquest of the southern Pacific. After the initial air attacks, 43,000 men of the Imperial...

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250th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps

250th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps

Happy 250th birthday, United States Marine Corps! From the earliest days of the Continental Marines to present-day missions, the Marine Corps continues to stand as a symbol of courage and resilience. Celebrations this year span the globe, highlighting the Corps’ storied past and ongoing commitment to readiness. The Birth of the U.S. Marine Corps On November 10, 1775, the United States Marine Corps was established by the Second Continental Congress, which authorized “two Battalions of Marines”...

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Veterans Day: Honor a Veteran on TogetherWeServed

Veterans Day: Honor a Veteran on TogetherWeServed

In United States, Veterans Day is observed on November 11 of every year as a federal holiday. On the eleventh hour of November 11, 1918, fighting ceased during World War I. This was seven months before the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, which marked the official end to the conflict. Because of these origins, the nation celebrates Veterans Day as we recognize it today and takes time to honor America’s veterans “for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve...

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How Armistice Day Became Veterans Day

How Armistice Day Became Veterans Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the belligerent armies fighting World War I finally laid down their arms and stopped killing each other for the same pieces of blown-up mud they'd been fighting over since 1914.  The Origins of Veterans Day The First World War killed as many as 22 million people worldwide and left some 23 million more wounded. An estimated 53,000 of those killed were American service members. Another 204,000 Americans would return home wounded....

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Common Myths of the Vietnam War

Common Myths of the Vietnam War

Myth of the Vietnam War #1: Most Were Volunteers Common belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.  Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. Myth of the Vietnam War #2: Fewer Suicides Than Claimed Common belief that the media reported suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. ...

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Maj Bernie Fisher – First Air Force MOH

Maj Bernie Fisher – First Air Force MOH

A separate design for a version of the Medal of Honor for the U.S. Air Force was created in 1956, authorized in 1960, and officially adopted on April 14, 1965. Previously, members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, U.S. Army Air Forces, and the U.S. Air Force received the Army version of the medal.  The first person to receive the new U.S. Air Force Medal of Honor was Major Bernie Fisher during the Battle of A Shau Valley in March 1966. He also received a Silver Star during the same battle. Into...

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Rainy Street Stories by John William Davis

Rainy Street Stories by John William Davis

"Rainy Street Stories" isn't a single tale so much as a map of scars. Author John William Davis is a retired U.S. Army counterintelligence officer, a seasoned veteran of the shadow trades. In this book, he takes readers around the world as he threads together short vignettes, essays, and memory-shards about espionage, terrorism, and the people who live between those crosshairs.   Rainy Street Stories Beyond the Headlines Unfold If you're expecting a Tom Clancy showstopper with satellite...

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Cold War – Operation Urgent Fury

Cold War – Operation Urgent Fury

In late October 1983, the Caribbean went hot; much hotter than usual. Grenada, a postcard island with beaches, nutmeg fields, and a strategic runway under construction, had just spiraled into chaos. A Marxist government split, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was executed by hardliners, and a Revolutionary Military Council seized power.  Operation Urgent Fury Unfolded Amid Chaos in Grenada Nearby governments understandably panicked. Washington, worried about the hundreds of American medical...

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The Taliban Prison Revolt of Qala-i-Jangi

The Taliban Prison Revolt of Qala-i-Jangi

In the first chaotic weeks after 9/11, two Americans walked into a 19th-century Afghan fortress with nothing but a translator, a notebook, and the kind of quiet confidence you get from hard jobs and worse timing.  Qala-i-Jangi Becomes the Center of a Deadly Encounter The place was Qala-i-Jangi, a sprawling mud-brick stronghold outside Mazar-i-Sharif where hundreds of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters had just "surrendered" to the Northern Alliance. And those Americans were CIA officers Johnny...

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1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment By A3C Mike Bell

1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment By A3C Mike Bell

"We are obligated to live meaningful and purposeful lives. We will never forget them... We will earn what they have given us." George Benson, LtCol 1/6 USMC, 2012 Initially activated on 11 Jul 1917 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines (1/6), sometimes called “Deathwalkers" or “Comanche" with the mottos “1/6 Hard" (a name derived from its commander at Belleau Wood, Maj. John Arthur Hughes, aka "Johnny the Hard") and “Ready to Fight" is an infantry battalion in the...

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General John Kelly’s Speech About Two Heroic Marines

General John Kelly’s Speech About Two Heroic Marines

Two years ago, when I was the Commander of all U.S. and Iraqi forces, in fact, the 22nd of April 2008, two Marine infantry battalions, 1/9 "The Walking Dead," and 2/8 were switching out in Ramadi. One battalion in the closing days of their deployment going home very soon, the other just starting its seven-month combat tour. Haerter, Jordan, LCpl Yale, Jonathan Tyler, Cpl Yale and Haerter Form an Unlikely Brotherhood in Ramadi Two Marines, Corporal Jonathan Yale and Lance Corporal...

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Soldier and Writer
Lt Col Michael Christy (USA) Ret.

Many articles contained in this Blog were written by Together We Served’s former Chief Editor, Lt Col Michael Christy, and published in TWS’s Dispatches Newsletter.

Lt Col Christy’s military career spanned 26 years, beginning in 1956 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Following two years active duty, he spent another two years in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. In 1962, he joined the Army National Guard and in 1966 was called up for active duty with the U.S. Army. After an 18 year distinguished Army career, Lt Col Christy retired from military service in 1984.
Lt Col Christy saw action in Vietnam with Special Forces Units, including the renowned Delta Force, and was awarded two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars (three with Valor), and two Purple Hearts.
As a military consultant and accomplished writer, Lt Col Christy has contributed to several TV military documentaries, including those found on the History Channel, plus significant military history publications, including Vietnam Magazine.