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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Vietnam War – LZ Hereford (1966)

Vietnam War – LZ Hereford (1966)

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Twenty-three Montagnard mercenaries led by Special Forces Sergeants Burton Adams and David Freeman moved quietly through the front gate of the Vinh Thanh Special Forces camp on May 15, 1966, and slipped into the early morning darkness and light fog. Like other patrols sent out over the past week, they were hoping to find anything that would confirm a captured Viet Cong's claim that a combined North Vietnamese Army/Viet Cong force would soon attack their camp. The patrol members moved to the...

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

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

I’d been assigned to West Point for over a year when I met my future husband, SP4 Rodney Helmers, in early 1978. That summer, Rod had a vehicle accident determined to have been caused by a seizure while driving. It seemed like a one-off, and I was not overly concerned. We married at West Point in December 1978 and were awarded government quarters on-post shortly thereafter. In April 1979, we were joyous to learn I was pregnant.

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Service Reflections of SSG Eastman Jerry, U.S. Army (1974-1986)

Service Reflections of SSG Eastman Jerry, U.S. Army (1974-1986)

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I had always wanted to be in the military ever since I was a child. I was sure I wanted to join the US Marines and studied them while growing up. However, that was not to be the case, as my cousin, who is nine years older than I and was one of my primary babysitters growing up, went into the Marine Corps, became a sniper, and was in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive in 1968. Upon his return, he basically threatened me that if I even got close to a marine recruiter or office, he would personally “kick my butt.”

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War of 1812 – The United States Navy in America’s First Overseas Conflict

War of 1812 – The United States Navy in America’s First Overseas Conflict

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The Barbary Pirates were corsairs from the North African states of Morocco, Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli who raided European commerce unchecked for nearly three centuries. Not only did they capture ships, cargo, and weapons from their victims, but they also enslaved their Christian captives. Despite all the naval might projected by Europe's powerful military elite, it was the fledgling United States that ultimately dealt with the pirates. The Barbary Wars became America's first overseas war and...

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SPC 3C Salvatore Lorio, U.S. Army (1954-1956)

SPC 3C Salvatore Lorio, U.S. Army (1954-1956)

Where Was Your Favorite Place Visited, Either Through Deployment or R&R, From Your Time in the Service? Can You Recall Any Memories of This Place You Found Particularly Impressive or Enjoyable?:

Looking back many years into my Army days, I recall my R&R memories, and what I found most particularly impressive and enjoyable was the City of Tokyo, Japan. Recalling my memory of my Army stint from 1954 to 1956, comes to mind when I received my orders and was shipped to North Camp Fuji, Japan. The highlight of my Japanese experience and the most memorable time was my R&R in Tokyo. It was a wonderful experience. Tokyo was a city still recovering from World War II, rebuilt from wooden shanties to modern buildings.

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Service Reflections of MUCS James E. Richards, U.S. Navy (1971-1995)

Service Reflections of MUCS James E. Richards, U.S. Navy (1971-1995)

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I was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War and decided to join the Navy instead of entering the Army. My late uncle, a career Navy man, said to me when I was young, “Son, if you ever have to join the military, join the Navy. “You get three squares a day and a dry place to sleep!” I remembered those words, and when it came time to enlist, it was the Navy for me. The strange thing is that I realized that I really did find a home once in the Navy. I enjoyed the self-discipline you had to have to succeed in the military and found that I really liked my job and the shipmates I served with. I was out of “A” School and at my first command for about a month when I was ordered to sea. I enjoyed sea duty, especially the days steaming underway. I found the solace of being at sea very enjoyable. I was having such a great time in uniform, and I decided to keep re-enlisting and ended up with a wonderful 24-year career.

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ET1 Thomas Herendeen, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-1974)

ET1 Thomas Herendeen, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-1974)

Did Any of Your Parents or Grandparents Serve? What Facts or Stories Do You Remember About Their Service?:

My dad was a Navy veteran in World War II. He started out as an Aviation Cadet and transferred to the Amphibs because his math skills weren’t up to par. He was a crew member on the USS LCI (L) 537, which saw service on D-Day at Omaha Beach. After D-Day, he was part of the commissioning crew on the USS Troilus (AKA-46), which was slated for service as part of the invasion of Japan. After the surrender, Dad spent New Year’s Day 1946 in Tokyo and helped with Operation Magic Carpet. He always said that after D-Day, he was living on borrowed time.

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Service Reflections of SGT James Casey, U.S. Army (1971-1979)

Service Reflections of SGT James Casey, U.S. Army (1971-1979)

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I was honored to serve when my country called on me. I really didn’t think they would draft me. I was hoping to get some college behind me to have more options. I did not have good grades in school; my dad had me working at “The Big Cone” fast food restaurant, which we owned when I was fourteen to sixteen years old, so I didn’t have time to study; it was after school every day till 10 pm and every weekend. At seventeen, on September 8, 1968, I was in a single-car crash that claimed four friends: Max Pearson, Mickey Rushing, Nancy Ingram, and Kathy Lewis. I was not driving, and Mickey was driving. I was the only survivor. I made no plans to avoid the draft; in fact, I thought I would not be accepted, even if I tried to enlist, because of my injuries, both physical and mental, from the accident. What a miscalculation on my part! I believe I went through BCT and AIT with a compression fracture at the eighth thoracic vertebra from the car crash less than three years earlier. The crash and injuries are clearly documented on my entrance physical exam. I guess it was true that “All you need is a trigger finger.” Project 100,000, also known as McNamara’s Misfits or McNamara’s Morons, was a DOD program in the 1960s to recruit soldiers who would previously have been below military physical and mental standards. The number mobilized was 320,000-354,000, and they died at three times the rate of others serving in Vietnam. The program ended in December 1971.

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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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The Spanish–American War – The Battle of San Juan Hill

The Spanish–American War – The Battle of San Juan Hill

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When we think of the Spanish-American War's Battle of San Juan Hill, most of us likely think of future president Theodore Roosevelt and his band of Rough Riders gallantly charging a well-defended Spanish fortification. While that memory of the battle is certainly true, it doesn't give Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, or the other 8,000 U.S. troops there – including Black troops – the credit they so richly deserve.  San Juan Hill: Where Courage and Unity Led to Victory The Spanish-American War...

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