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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Service Reflections of SSgt William Randolph, U.S. Air Force (1974-1987)

Service Reflections of SSgt William Randolph, U.S. Air Force (1974-1987)

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My father was the greatest influence on my life and the primary reason I joined the Air Force in April 1974, even before I graduated from high school. I grew up in an Air Force family. I was born at Hunter AFB, Savannah, GA, in 1955, and we moved seven times to various bases before my father medically retired in 1968. My father had just reenlisted in 1967 while stationed at Da Nang AB, Vietnam, and had planned on staying in to reach at least 25 years. My dad was also a great advocate and recruiter for the Air Force. Not only did he influence my older brother and me to join the Air Force, but he also influenced three of our friends to enlist. Two attended basic training with me. In the case of my youngest brother, he joined the Navy.

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MSG Jerry M. Shriver, U.S. Army (1962–1969)

MSG Jerry M. Shriver, U.S. Army (1962–1969)

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When Jerry Shriver left the United States for Vietnam, the only reason he ever came home was because the Army forced him to get some R&R. Even then, Shriver spent his time stateside talking tactics with fellow soldiers and looking for weapons to use in his unconventional, often personal war against the communists of Southeast Asia. He earned the nickname "Mad Dog" from Radio Hanoi for his fierce raids into enemy territory, his ability to fight his way out, and his refusal to use...

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5 Legendary Heroes of the U.S. Air Force

5 Legendary Heroes of the U.S. Air Force

We all know the Marine Corps celebrates its birthday in a big way, but that doesn't mean the other branches aren't worth celebrating. The United States Air Force was created after President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. On September 18, 1947, W. Stuart Symington became Secretary of the Air Force, making September 18 the service's official birthday. In honor of its 77th birthday, let's take a look at some of the airmen who shaped the history and development of the...

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MSgt Elliott Wayne Carmack, U.S. Air Force (1961-2003)

MSgt Elliott Wayne Carmack, U.S. Air Force (1961-2003)

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My decision to join the Air Force was influenced by the following:

FAMILY: My maternal uncle enlisted in the Army at Camp Blanding, Florida, in 1942, shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was assigned to the Army Air Corps. He was stationed at Keesler Army Airfield (Keesler Field), Mississippi, until his honorable discharge as a Sergeant the following year due to a service-connected injury sustained while working on military aircraft. My father was too old for military service, but worked in federal civil service at military bases during and following World War II, initially at Drew Field in Tampa, Florida during the war, and at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia after the war, a base I visited as a child.

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A1C Bob Baxter, U.S. Air Force (1962-1966)

A1C Bob Baxter, U.S. Air Force (1962-1966)

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My South East Asia Experience: Working on the Canberra B-57, November 10, 1963, to May 9, 1965: I joined the Air Force at the age of 19 in 1962 for no reason other than that I was unemployed, immature, and had no goals or direction for my future. My recruiter told me that aircraft mechanics were needed, and I fit their profile. So, off I went to Basic Training, followed by Technical Training at Amarillo AFB. I graduated as an aircraft mechanic helper. My OJT continued at Scott AFB, Illinois, until November 1963. This was the start of the aviation career that I have pursued for over 50 years. As I reflect on those years from 1962 to 1966, I can see why so many of us young men grew up quickly. We had some good times and some exceptionally bad times, but we bonded together. Many of us were lucky and came home. I was able to take full advantage of the extensive training and experience provided to me during my four years in the Air Force. I was convinced early that I would stay in the Air Force for thirty years. On November 1, 1964, the reality of war hit home.

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

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

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"…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....

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SMSgt Clifton Wrencher, U.S. Air Force (1980-2003)

SMSgt Clifton Wrencher, U.S. Air Force (1980-2003)

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I decided to join the Air Force to serve my country further and travel the world. I had already been in the North Carolina Army National Guard for four years when I made the decision. It was time to get away from my day-to-day feelings of unfulfillment. The Security Forces career field was challenging and demanding. It offered a lot of prestigious assignments, but the work forced you to stay focused. If not, someone would very well be hurt or killed. I tried retraining a couple of times, but a crisis or war caused the career field to be frozen. The assignments were Andrews AFB, Zaragoza AB, Avon Park Bombing Range, Soesterberg AB, Howard AFB, Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Keflavik NAS, and Maxwell-Gunter AFB. After my Keflavik, Iceland assignment, I decided to return to Maxwell to teach leadership and management. I didn’t like the long periods in between classes, and the leadership there wouldn’t allow me to work with the Security Forces during downtime.

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Service Reflections of SMSgt Michael Kiedrowski, U.S. Air Force (1969-1993)

Service Reflections of SMSgt Michael Kiedrowski, U.S. Air Force (1969-1993)

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I had known for a long time that I would serve in the Air Force but didn’t know when. The draft helped me decide when they sent me a letter that began with the word ‘Greetings”. I believe the fact that my dad served in the Air Force had a great deal of influence on my decision. He had some great stories, and I guess I felt that it was what I wanted to do as well. He was a Clerk/Typist.

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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 COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

Service Reflections of COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

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I had several friends who served in the Air Force, including Dick Berghorn and his K-9 Rommel at Pleiku AB. My uncle Ed served in the Air Corps in England in WW II, and my uncle Art served in the US Navy but didn’t get overseas before VJ Day.
As the Vietnam War began to spool up in the mid-’60s, I knew the draft would be hot on my tail as I was graduating college, so I decided to pick my own destiny versus being drafted. I also came from the baby boomer generation following WW II and knew the value of serving. When my grades slipped in 1966, I got tapped for a pre-induction physical in Minneapolis. It was right out of a scene from Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” that’s popular every Thanksgiving….). I actually witnessed the USMC take inductees that day to fill their shortfall in enlistees.

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Service Reflections of SMSGT Ronald Radliff, U.S. Air Force (1964-1991)

Service Reflections of SMSGT Ronald Radliff, U.S. Air Force (1964-1991)

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I grew up as an Air Force brat. Our travels took us to Germany shortly after WW-II, France in the mid-50s, and a number of states here and there. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until I was in college that I actually started and completed two consecutive years in the same school.
The college I attended was a junior college. I was studying to be an electronics technician but didn’t graduate as I hadn’t taken all the required courses. I soon found that there was a recession going on and not a job of any kind to be found and the reality of the draft was a very serious part of every young man’s life. Volunteering for the military became the obvious next step, but which one?
I was hoping to get into a technical career field in the military. The Army and Marines seemed like I would have only two chances of a technical field. Slim and None. This left the Navy and Air Force as the obvious choices. I ruled out the Navy as I had no desire to spend any time at sea, let alone extended periods, so the Air Force was my choice.
At that time, my younger brother was out of high school and going nowhere with prospects that looked even less optimistic. I convinced him to go talk to the Air Force recruiter with me. After all the necessary paperwork, the recruiter told us we’d have to come back to take the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test). He scheduled us for the afternoon of November 22, 1963. A historic date indeed. President Kennedy was assassinated that day in Dallas. The recruiters were all gathered around the TV which was playing quite loudly in the next room to where we were taking our tests. The glass partition between the test room and the TV didn’t muffle the sound at all. What a stressful afternoon that was.

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White Buses by Jack DuArte

White Buses by Jack DuArte

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During World War II, Sweden was sandwiched between Finland and its ongoing war with the Soviet Union and Norway, which fell to the Nazis in the earliest days of the war in Europe. Somehow, throughout the war, it managed to maintain its neutrality – but that doesn’t mean the country or its diplomats did nothing during that time.  The Lifeline in the Final Days of WWII A Swedish noble, Count Folke Bernadotte, was among the most active. He managed to negotiate a prisoner exchange, getting...

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