The Christy Collection
Military Stories and Articles
My father, Joseph Swier, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WW II in the Pacific Theater, inspired me to join the United States Army.
My father was in the seminary to become a priest, but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, he left the seminary to join the Army.
President John F. Kennedy, who served in the Pacific Theater, as did my father, also influenced me.
Both of these men and fellow veterans were and still are my heroes.
I came from an extremely abusive childhood; my mother constantly abused my siblings and me physically and psychologically. If I did not get my ass kicked 3-4 times per week for some minor infraction, that was a good week. I was constantly told that I would never amount to anything. Around my 13th birthday, my parents found an adult whom they felt would be a good role model and mentor for me. It turned out that this person was a pedophile, and he abused me until I was 16 years old. I tried to speak to my parents about this type of abuse, but they thought I was lying.
When I turned 16, I could no longer take abuse from my parents or our family friends. I obtained the handwritten birth certificate that my parents received from the hospital after I was born. This was not the “Official” birth certificate kept at the Clark County, Chicago hall of records office. With a friend’s help, I changed my DOB to reflect my age as 18. During that time, the need for volunteers to join the Military was incredible, and I am sure my recruiter looked the other way regarding the forgery.
I was now on my way to the induction center in downtown Los Angeles where I was sworn in as a member of the US Army.
