Official blog
TWS Website
TWS Website
U

MENU

The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

LCpl William R. Carter, U.S. Marines (1994-1998)

LCpl William R. Carter, U.S. Marines (1994-1998)

College was a quest for me that started in 1998 and ended in 2011 due to breaks in service, deployments, and family situations. Where do I begin? I had the Montgomery GI Bill from my Marine service, which covered 1994-1998, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill because I served in the Army and National Guard for OEF from 2003-2006 and again from 2009-2012. I went back into the National Guard for 3 years, the last time just to finish my last year of college to complete my bachelor’s degree.

read more
GWOT – The Battle of 73 Easting

GWOT – The Battle of 73 Easting

,

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...

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

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

,

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.

read more
LCDR Curtis J. Smothers, U.S. Navy (1962-1986)

LCDR Curtis J. Smothers, U.S. Navy (1962-1986)

Did Any of Your Children Follow Your Footsteps into Military Service? If so, Which Branch Did They Join, What Career Path Did They Take, and What Were Some of Their Most Notable Achievements?:

A Navy Father and an Army Son. Yes—one of my children did follow my footsteps into military service. My son, Mark, chose a different path, but one just as meaningful. After growing up for 20 years as the son of a Navy man, he decided the Army was the right fit for him. I was serving as an active-duty Navy officer when Mark made his decision. One of the proudest moments of my life came in 1981 at an Army Recruiting Station in Fresno, California, when I had the honor of administering the oath of enlistment to my own son. Watching him raise his right hand and swear to serve our country was a powerful reminder that service is not only a profession, but a legacy.

read more
MSG Michael N. Caldwell, U.S. Army (1994-2015)

MSG Michael N. Caldwell, U.S. Army (1994-2015)

Did Any of Your Children Follow Your Footsteps into Military Service? If so, Which Branch Did They Join, What Career Path Did They Take, and What Were Some of Their Most Notable Achievements?:

As a Soldier parent I never wanted to pressure any of my children to join the Armed Forces. I stressed education or just a trade. My oldest son needed no persuasion. He was Army or nothing from probably around the 5th grade. When the time came for him to start the exciting process of enlisting, he was hit with an almost impassible obstacle. When he was about seven years old he had an allergic reaction to some fish sticks that he ate. Just slight itching i the throat, but we chose to take him to the emergency room just in case. There was no treatment necessary, but the doctor prescribed an EpiPen. This EpiPen was never used and honestly forgotten about until the Army Recruiter reminded us. Instead of being a lifesaving device, this thing nearly killed my son. When the Recruiter told him that he was medically disqualified my son went into a state of depression that was extremely scary for his mother and I. We didn’t know how to help him.

read more
ATC Jerry A. Burkholder, U.S. Navy (1974-1994)

ATC Jerry A. Burkholder, U.S. Navy (1974-1994)

Did Any of Your Children Follow Your Footsteps into Military Service? If so, Which Branch Did They Join, What Career Path Did They Take, and What Were Some of Their Most Notable Achievements?:

Let me start by acknowledging my family’s service. My father retired from the Navy having served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Both of his brothers served in the Army. My mom’s brother served in the Army. Two cousins on my mom’s side served, one in the Navy the other in the Air Force. I, myself, was born in a naval hospital at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. I was destined to serve. I retired from the Navy after Vietnam, the Cold War and the first Gulf War. Service is in my family.

read more
SGT Mark Evans, U.S. Army (1971-1977)

SGT Mark Evans, U.S. Army (1971-1977)

Did Any of Your Children Follow Your Footsteps into Military Service? If so, Which Branch Did They Join, What Career Path Did They Take, and What Were Some of Their Most Notable Achievements?:

My Son, CW2 Mark W. Evans, Jr. started his military career in the Navy as an Aircrew Rescue Swimmer, he had been to Afghanistan and Bosnia in the Navy, and was one of the first to respond when the USS Cole was attacked. After 7 years he decided he wanted to be in the front of the helicopter and switched to the Army, went to Warrant Officer School and Flight School. He chose to fly the Blackhawk. The most notable flight he said was, he got to fly the Washington Redskin Cheerleaders around in Iraq. He had been scheduled to fly Sadam Husain after he was captured but he had accumulated to many hours so he had to hand that flight off.

read more
SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

Did You Meet Your Spouse while Serving? How Did Your Story Begin, and What Challenges Did You Have to Overcome in Adjusting to Married Life in the Military?:

In early 1978, during my assignment to West Point, I began dating a fellow enlisted soldier, Rodney Helmers, whom I met while I was serving as Charge of Quarters (CQ) one evening. I had never had someone of Rod’s personality and temperament in my life. He was like a breath of fresh air. To this day, I can honestly say that his kindness, generosity and work ethic were above and beyond any expectations I’d ever had of any man. There was nothing that he would not do for anyone, if it were within his power. Rod’s laid-back, even-tempered and compassionate characteristics set him apart.

read more
WWII – The Defense of Wake Island

WWII – The Defense of Wake Island

,

In December 1941, as Japan ripped across the Pacific, most American outposts collapsed in days. Guam fell between Dec. 8 and Dec. 10 to a larger Japanese landing force after only brief resistance by a small, lightly armed garrison of sailors and Marines. Wake Island was supposed to be another speed bump. Instead, a few hundred Marines, sailors, and civilian contractors turned it into a two-week fight that delivered the first American tactical victory of the Pacific War and a badly needed...

read more
PFC Ross Andrew McGinnis, U.S. Army (2004–2006)

PFC Ross Andrew McGinnis, U.S. Army (2004–2006)

,

On the afternoon of Dec. 4, 2006, a Humvee rolled through the narrow streets of Adhamiya, a tense neighborhood in northeast Baghdad. It was one of hundreds of patrols that had blurred together for the men of 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment. The mission that day was the same as it had been for months: show presence, deter sectarian violence, and make it just a little harder for insurgents to own the streets. Ross Andrew McGinnis Grew Up Wanting to Be a Soldier In...

read more
SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

Is There a Particular Incident You Can Recall Where a Person You Served with Demonstrated Extraordinary Devotion to Duty or Bravery? Please Describe What Happened and How This Impacted You:

In November 1976, I entered my first reenlistment after a year at Fort Dix and almost two in Hawaii. I chose West Point, NY because my family lived close by and my sister was stationed there as the first female MP assigned to West Point. Debi had entered the military in early 1973 as a way to “follow” our brother, who was then stationed in Germany. She and Bill were very close. I was the eldest, Bill second and Debi was the youngest; there were two years between each of us.

read more
SFC Elajiah Lynn Oyaski, U.S. Army (1994-2013)

SFC Elajiah Lynn Oyaski, U.S. Army (1994-2013)

Is There a Particular Incident You Can Recall Where a Person You Served with Demonstrated Extraordinary Devotion to Duty or Bravery? Please Describe What Happened and How This Impacted You:

It was a week day in Iraq and our unit had only been in country for about 2 weeks. It was early, about 0330, when the first mortar came in. My 1SG blew her whistle as we all ran for the bunkers. All of us within the company made it to the bunkers except the 1SG and company commander for they were making sure we Soldiers were all in. I was in the middle of the bunker when I heard my company commander’s voice. I looked up to answer his roll call and immediately starting laughing. He asked what I was laughing at and I said, “sir! Did u forget something?” He answered yes as I asked, “where are your pants sir?” Then the other Soldiers looked up and some laughed but some were too shaken up to do so.

read more