TogetherWeServed Blog - Page 2 of 91 - The Most Incredible Military Stories

VA Guidance: Answer to Five FAQs from Veterans

In the weeks just before Veterans Day, I talked to several companies' Veteran groups about their benefits. Across the groups, I noticed five common questions. I am sharing these, with answers, below. Question 1 – I am not happy with the results of my claim for disability compensation. What can I do? The short answer is: Appeal the decision. I described this process in detail in this article. When I asked each Veteran who posed this question, I learned that they filed the claim without help....

The Legendary Audie Murphy

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

The U.S. Army's history is filled with heroes, battlefield legends, and stories that seem like they could only come from the minds of Hollywood screenwriters. There are few larger-than-life tales of greatness bigger than that of World War II legend Audie Murphy, whose battlefield daring became an instant silver-screen classic – starring Audie Murphy himself. Audie Murphy: Medal of Honor, Movies and Advocacy Murphy's early life did not suggest a life destined for greatness. He was the son...

Colder Than Hell by Joseph Owen

Korean War, Military Book Reviews

Joe Owen enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1943. He deployed shortly afterward with a forward observer squad during World War II. If you talked to the man, however, you would quickly learn it was the Korean War that defined his service to the country. In 1997, he would literally write a book about his experiences in Korea, an experience that culminated with the infamous Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. By the time North Korean tanks rolled into South Korea in June 1950, Owen was a...

Korean War – The Chosin Reservoir

Battlefield Chronicles, Korean War

Few battles loom as large in modern Marine Corps history, like the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. A massive, combined force of U.S. Marines and U.S. Army soldiers, along with troops from Britain and South Korea, suddenly found themselves surrounded, outnumbered by around four-to-one and forced to fight their way out while enduring subzero temperatures and often knee-deep in snow. The "Frozen Chosin" and Strategic Consequences The "Frozen Chosin" may not get a specific mention in the...

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

Army Reflections, Global War on Terror

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.

Adm. David G. Farragut, U.S. Navy (1810-1870)

Civil War, Profiles in Courage

We've all heard the phrase, "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" at some point in our lives. We may have even used it ourselves. But do we know what it actually means, aside from being a really cool thing to say right before you do something insane, irrational, or both? If you're a fan of U.S. Navy history, you might know it was the command barked by David Farragut during the Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. The Legacy of Adm. David G. Farragut Badass orders weren't the only legacy...

A1C Stevin John (Blippi), U.S. Air Force (2006-2008)

Celebrities Who Served, Global War on Terror

Blippi, a beloved children's entertainer known for his vibrant personality and educational content, may not be the first person that comes to mind when thinking about military service. However, before captivating young minds with his joyful videos, Blippi served in the Air Force as a loadmaster. Blippi: Real Name and Early Life Blippi, whose real name is Stevin John, is also known by other names, including Stephen Grossman (his birth name) and Steezy Grossman (a pseudonym he used earlier...

Famous Marine Corps Unit: VMFA-214 (The Black Sheep Squadron)

Famous Military Units, World War II

"…We are poor little lambsWho have lost our way?Baa! Baa! Baa!We are little black sheepWho have gone astray.Baa! Baa! Baa!Gentlemen songsters off on a spreeDamned from here to eternityGod have mercy on such as we.Baa! Baa! Baa!" From Espiritu Santo, the Squadron was moved forward to Guadalcanal and Henderson Airfield in the Solomon Islands. At first, the Squadron was not assigned aircraft or ancillary personnel; its pilots flew to Guadalcanal and later the Russell Islands in borrowed planes....

LCDR Montel Williams, US Navy and USMC (1974-1986)

Celebrities Who Served, Cold War

Montel Williams is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of The Montel Williams Show, which aired nationally for seventeen years. Montel Brian Anthony Williams, known to most as simply “Montel,” is also an actor and motivational speaker. But did you know that Montel Williams served in the military? His decorated military service spanned 22 years in two branches of the service—the United States Marines and the United States Navy. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and later became the...

Service Reflections of Sgt Thomas Voss, U.S. Air Force (1975-1978)

Air Force Reflections, Cold War

My father was the primary reason I joined the USAF. He served during the Korean conflict from 1951-1954. Sadly, he passed away in August 2020. He didn’t leave any hard copy records behind to define his timeline. He spoke to me at length about his tour of duty in Hawaii, where he was a radio security specialist. His group monitored the communications between aircraft pilots and their contacts. They reported on any non-regulation exchanges on radio frequencies. After my original posting of this reflection, I have secured my dad’s military records and DD-214 from the National Archives. Now I have a much clearer picture of his military service, especially the ribbons and medals he was awarded. During his four-year tour in Hawaii, he was decorated with the following: Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and the U.N. Service Medal.

How Armistice Day Became Veterans Day

Military Myths and Legends, World War I

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....

The Battle of Mosul

Battlefield Chronicles, Global War on Terror

Politics, they say, makes strange bedfellows. But it wasn't politics that brought an unlikely group of military forces together at the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul between 2016 and 2017 – it was the Islamic State. The band of terrorists, otherwise known as ISIS (or ISIL), captured the Iraqi city in 2014 after a battle that lasted just six days. ISIS fighters then executed captured Iraqi defenders, consolidated their gains, and continued their stunning but tragic advance. The Battle...

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