TogetherWeServed Blog - Page 16 of 117 - The Most Incredible Military Stories

Vietnam War – Battle of Ngok Tavak & Kham Duc

Kham Duc Special Forces Camp (A-105), was located on the western fringes of Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam. In the spring of 1968, it was the only remaining border camp in Military Region I. Backup responsibility for the camp fell on the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal), based at Chu Lai on the far side of the province. Battle Of Ngok Begins As Kham Duc Becomes Outpost The camp had originally been built for President Diem, who enjoyed hunting in the area. The 1st Special Forces Detachment...

Service Reflections of LT David G. Potter, U.S. Coast Guard (1968-1973)

Coast Guard Reflections, Vietnam War

In Spring 1968, the Vietnam War was very hot and heavy. Politicians were screaming about men hiding in colleges. I finished my college degree (B.S., wildlife biology, Washington State University) and received a research assistant full scholarship to Penn State for a master’s degree studying wood ducks. Drove 90 miles, including changing a flat tire on a snowy road shoulder, to hear my draft board take minimal time to decide I would be drafted if I didn’t get into an Officer program.

5 Medal of Honor Stories Overlooked by History

Civil War, Profiles in Courage

These days, to be considered for the Medal of Honor, a member of the U.S. armed forces has to have a pretty well-documented action of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." The action has to happen in combat, with incontestable evidence, usually involving eyewitness accounts. Early Medal of Honor Stories Were Barely Recorded But the earliest Medal of Honor stories weren't as well-documented. They tend to be so short and so limited that we...

The Allegedly Secret Origins of the Space Force

Military Myths and Legends

For a certain corner of the conspiracy theorist world, "Solar Warden" is the magic phrase that turns our ordinary satellite age into full-blown science fiction. In that telling, the United States operated a classified fleet of anti-gravity warships since the 1980s, patrolling the solar system, intercepting alien craft, and defending Earth from threats the public never heard about. How Solar Warden Sparked Conspiracy Theories When the U.S. Space Force stood up as a separate branch in 2019,...

Bayonet Charge

Profiles in Courage, World War II

Following World War I, Americans reached the conclusion that our country's participation in that war had been a disastrous mistake, one which should never be repeated again. This resulted in a major segment of the population becoming "isolationist" hoping to avoid dragging the country into another disastrous foreign war. Lewis Lee Millett Enlisted Before America Entered the War Even when Nazi German invaded Poland in 1939 and began conquering and controlling much of continental Europe, most...

Made in Taiwan by T.C. Brown

Military Book Reviews, Vietnam War

T.C. Brown's "Made in Taiwan: A Naïve American's Chaotic Journey to Manhood in an Exotic Culture During Radical Times" is a Vietnam-era memoir set mostly in the bars, back alleys, and barracks of Taiwan. Brown, a church-going kid from Columbus, Ohio, joined the Air Force in 1968 at age 18, hoping to play in the Air Force Band, and instead found himself shipped to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung. From 1968 to 1973, he served as a military policeman in Taiwan and Vietnam. Made in...

Absolute Resolve and the EA-18G Growler

GWOT – The Battle of 73 Easting

Battlefield Chronicles, Global War on Terror

In late February 1991, the desert along the Iraq–Kuwait border was a wholly unremarkable and barren place. There were no towns to name the coming battle; just wind, dust, and a flat horizon marred only by burning oil wells and the silhouettes of armored vehicles. The Battle of 73 Easting Started as a Map Line To make sense of that emptiness, coalition planners drew a grid across the map. One of those north–south lines, labeled "73 Easting," would become shorthand for the last great tank...

The Defiant One: Col Robin Olds, U.S. Air Force (1942-1973)

Korean War, Profiles in Courage, Vietnam War

Fighter pilots used to say that there was a glass case in the Pentagon building to the precise dimension of then-Colonel Robin Olds, who would be frozen in time and displayed wearing his tank-less flight suit, crashed fore and aft cap, gloves, and torso harness with .38 pistol and survival knife. Beside the case was a fire ax beneath a sign reading: "In case of war, break glass." Born for War and Raised to Fly It was something of an exaggeration, but it contained an element of truth: Robin...

Korean War – Night Fighter Team

Battlefield Chronicles, Korean War

On January 21, 1953, during Korea’s Winter War. Night fighter team "George" of composite squadron three (VC-3) was operating from USS Oriskany (CVA-34) in the Sea of Japan. The Night Fighter Team Filed a Misleading Report Excerpt from combat report: Saw 75-100 trucks on G-3, seven trucks seen damaged. Meager to intense AA, much rifle fire was seen. The plane hit by 30 cal. Item - Lt. James L. Brown, USNR assigned F4U-5N #124713. One-night landing aboard without incident. 2.6 combat hours....

Service Reflections of Capt Al Kyle, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-1971)

Marine Reflections, Vietnam War

My dad and father-in-law were both career Marines – a big-time influence! Also, I had an NROTC scholarship to Duke University, and graduated in 1967. I was a Marine officer for four years, from 1967 to 1971. Before graduation, we were asked our preferences for a duty station. We were given three choices: West Coast, East Coast, or Vietnam, and were guaranteed to get one of our first three choices. HA! Virtually every graduate ended up in Vietnam.

Korean War – Firefight at Outpost 3 (1952)