find your military buddies Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

LTJG Robert (Bob) William Barker, U.S. Navy (1943-1945)

Bob Barker, renowned for his charismatic presence on television screens as the beloved host of "The Price is Right," is a man of many talents and accomplishments. Beyond his illustrious career in the entertainment industry, Barker's life story includes a remarkable chapter that often goes unnoticed: his dedicated service in the military. Robert or ‘Bob’ William Barker who served in the US Navy Reserves between 1943 and 1945, is best known for hosting the iconic game show The Price Is Right...

Civil War – The Battle of Stones River

Battlefield Chronicles, Civil War

It was cold at the turning of the year in Murfreesboro, right in the middle of the state of Tennessee. The little town nestled under a crook in the arm of the Stones River, near where the water rushed and chattered over a long shallow ford. The Civil War had raged across the country for nearly two years. At the end of December in 1862, the Union force called the Army of the Cumberland was maneuvering into position to challenge the Confederacy's Army of Tennessee. Opposing Forces of the Battle...

The Unbearable Weight of Medieval Knight Armor

Military Myths and Legends

Somewhere along the way, film and television got it into their heads that the medieval knight armor were so heavy that it restricted their movement. One common belief is that the armor was so heavy that knights going into battle had to be hoisted onto their horses with the help of a crane. While going into battle fully protected by armor would be important to a soldier of any era, those of us who have worn body armor in combat will tell you the body armor also has to be functional. After...

PVC Anthony Dominick Bennett (Tony Bennett), U.S. Army (1944–1946)

Celebrities Who Served, World War II

Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Tony Bennett is a jazz legend, with a career spanning over half a century. He is also a painter, and the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. But did you know that before entering the music business, he served in the United States Army? He was sent to Europe to participate in the...

US Navy Sailor Tattoos and Their Meanings

Military Myths and Legends

Sailors have probably been getting tattoos since landlubbers could become sailors. Many cultures have used tattoos as markings for warriors since even before the Roman Empire’s heyday. Pope Hadrian the First ended the practice in the West when he outlawed tattoos in 787. US Navy Sailor Tattoos found a rebirth in the 16th Century, however, and have been popular ever since. The Significance of Sailor Tattoos Sailors tattooed themselves for many reasons. Tattoos were used as identification, to...

The Wild Deserters of World War I

Military Myths and Legends, World War I

At the 1918 Battle of the Somme, a British cavalry officer orders a search party to follow a dozen German troops into No Man's Land, swearing he saw them go underground. He was advised against it as the sun was setting – soon, the legend says, wild, ghoul-like men will feast on the Germans and kill anyone who gets in the way. Of all the military myths and legends that sprung from World War I, there is possibly no greater mystery – and nothing closer to the men in the trenches – than the Wild...

Civil War – The Battle of Memphis

Battlefield Chronicles, Civil War

By June of 1862, the Civil War was not going well for the Union cause. A string of Union defeats in 1861 dampened the enthusiasm for the Union cause, but a victory at the Battle of Shiloh and the Federal capture of New Orleans was enough to restore hope for the preservation of the Union. The First Battle of Memphis: The Battle of the Rams On June 6, 1862, the Union and Confederate Navies would fight a pitched battle on the Mississippi River that would have a resounding significance, not just...

PFC Hugh Hefner, U.S. Army (1944-1946)

Celebrities Who Served, World War II

It's well-known that the late Hugh Hefner was the founder of one of history's most iconic global brands. He transformed the adult entertainment industry with his groundbreaking publication Playboy. Less widely reported, however, is his contribution to the war effort during World War II. Just seven years before he created Playboy magazine from his kitchen table, Hefner joined the Army, serving as an infantry clerk and drawing cartoons for various military newspapers. Hugh Hefner's Early...

SSgt John (Johnny) R. Cash, U.S. Air Force (1950-1954)

Celebrities Who Served, Korean War

Johnny Cash, also known as the "Man in Black," is a legendary figure in the world of country music. He received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career as a musician. He won 15 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1996. Cash's contributions to American music also earned him inductions into several other halls of fame, including the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But before he...

Gunnery Sgt. John Lee Canley, U.S. Marine Corps (1953-1981)

Profiles in Courage, Vietnam War

As 1967 turned to 1968, American forces had officially been fighting in Vietnam for years, and many believed the Vietnamese Tet holiday would pass uneventfully, as it had in years past. They were wrong. On January 31, 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched an offensive across South Vietnam, targeting more than 100 towns and cities. It was the largest operation from either side until that point in the war. Eighty thousand communist troops hoped to spark a mass uprising...

WW2 – The Battle of Saipan

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

War inevitably equals mass casualties, whether numbering in the dozens or the hundreds, or the hundreds of thousands - this truth that has accompanied war for thousands of years. A generally accepted fact is that these casualties, whether civilian or military, are usually the direct result of enemy soldiers attacking, disease, and famine in the wake of an invasion. Sometimes, however, other means account for mass deaths in war. Such was the case of the Battle of Saipan in the Second World War...

Capt. Kristoffer Kristofferson, U.S. Army (1967-1975)

Celebrities Who Served, Vietnam War

Kristoffer Kristofferson is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night", all of which were hits for other artists. But considering his family background and his education, Kristofferson seemed destined to become a military officer. The son of an Air Force major general, he served as a captain and helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army during his...

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