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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

94th Fighter Squadron

94th Fighter Squadron

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"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."Eddie Rickenbacker, Major, USAAS The 94th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force 1st Operations Group located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The 94th’s primary weapon system is the F-22 Raptor at this time. Throughout its full course and its precursor units, the 94th has been assigned to 70 different stations worldwide, and since its inception, has flown 43 different airframes....

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Service Reflections of CMCS Daniel McKinnon, U.S. Navy (1976-1997)

Service Reflections of CMCS Daniel McKinnon, U.S. Navy (1976-1997)

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My decision to join the Navy was heavily influenced by my stepfather, a seasoned World War II and Korean War Navy veteran who retired as a Boatswain’s Mate First Class (BM1). After my mother remarried, he was transferred from the Navy shipyard in Boston to the Navy shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, just when I started high school, and it was not an easy transition for me. During my senior year of high school, his no-nonsense advice was clear: he strongly encouraged me to enlist, telling me to visit the recruiter because, upon graduating from high school, I’d need to leave his house. His experience as a crusty old salt and his ‘firm guidance’ (nice way of saying it) steered me toward a Navy enlistment.

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How Armistice Day Became Veterans Day

How Armistice Day Became Veterans Day

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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....

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The U.S. Military’s Anti-Communist Vampire Allies

The U.S. Military’s Anti-Communist Vampire Allies

To be clear, the U.S. military did not have an actual vampire in its arsenal. There was no secret alliance with Romania to use Count Dracula in combat. In the 1950s, Romania was part of the Eastern Bloc anyway, and it's unlikely the count would have been able to escape from behind the Iron Curtain.  Psychological Operations Philippines Used Fear Also, vampires aren't real. But that's the glory of psychological operations. The boogie men don't have to be real; the enemy just has to think...

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The Fighting Arkansans

The Fighting Arkansans

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Lloyd L. "Scooter" Burke - the most highly decorated soldier in Arkansas' history - was born in Tichnor (Arkansas County) on September 29, 1924, one of five children of A. D. Burke, a foreman at a lumber mill in Clarendon (Monroe County) and his wife, Belly Burke. In 1942, Lloyd Burke graduated from Stuttgart High School and enrolled at Henderson State Teachers College, now Henderson State University. Lloyd Burke Rose Through Courage and Leadership In 1943 when Burke was 18-years-old, he...

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Service Reflections of MSgt George Fillgrove, U.S. Air Force (1977-1994)

Service Reflections of MSgt George Fillgrove, U.S. Air Force (1977-1994)

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My father, whose World War II military service was limited to the Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps, and my grandfather, a World War I veteran, were major influences. In my family, service to your country was something that was expected of you. Someone on either side of my family had served in just about every major conflict our country has fought. For me, it was just something that I felt called to do — an important goal in my list of life experiences. Besides, I’m from the same hometown as Col. Francis “Gabby” Gabreski. I lived near his brother, went to school with his nieces and nephews, and remember vividly the day he flew over our house. I was hooked forever.

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Service Reflections of CDR Allen Allegretto, U.S. Navy (1982-2021)

Service Reflections of CDR Allen Allegretto, U.S. Navy (1982-2021)

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I was proud that my father served in the Army during the Korean War, and my grandfather and several uncles served in the Navy. While attending Penn State University, I learned about an opportunity to join the Navy Nuclear Power Officer Candidate Program (NUPOC). I loved technology, so the idea of serving on a nuclear-powered submarine and learning about all of the technology on board fascinated me. I was excited to join the NUPOC program and was only required to maintain good grades and graduate with an engineering degree. I enjoyed the monthly E5 pay.

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Korean War – The Forgotten War

Korean War – The Forgotten War

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Calling the war in Korea, the "forgotten war" has been part of the American lexicon since 1951. However, why it was called that in the first place is not completely understood. The Forgotten War Began With a Surprise Attack To understand how the words and, more importantly, how its meaning became part of our national mentality, one must first appreciate the history of what was occurring on the Korean peninsula before, during, and following the war. Korea was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the...

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Service Reflections of Sgt Max Reynolds, U.S. Air Force (1975-1981)

Service Reflections of Sgt Max Reynolds, U.S. Air Force (1975-1981)

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I graduated from high school on May 23, 1975, and I had originally planned to attend Vincennes University to become a Conservation Officer. My dream was to be a police officer, but I could not afford the tuition at the time. In June 1975, SSgt Terry Johnson, USAF Recruiter, called from his office in Logansport and asked me to come over and talk with him. He provided me with the option to join the USAF as a Security Police officer, with the guarantee that after Basic Training, if no SP positions were available, I could cross-train to another field or process out with an Honorable Discharge. I figured Uncle Sam would always need cops, so I headed to the AFEES at 141 S. Meridian in Indianapolis on July 10, 1975, for my physical and took an oath to serve, protect, and defend the United States as a member of the USAF Reserve. I went home to finish my work schedule and returned to Indianapolis on October 2, 1975, where I went on active duty in the USAF.

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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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U.S. Military Rank Insignia

U.S. Military Rank Insignia

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The U.S. Military Rank Insignia has a long and proud history. Many of the ranks adopted by the United States military at the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 are still in use today. The early military took a lot of inspiration from the British and French forces. Over time, the military rank insignia has come to represent American valor. These emblems, worn on the uniform to denote rank, help people identify military personnel’s rank and pay-grade at a glance. Evolution of U.S. Military...

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