military book reviews Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

Carl Reiner was a multifaceted American entertainer, celebrated for his significant contributions to comedy, television, film, and literature. But did you know that Carl Reiner was also a veteran? Carl Reiner’s World War II service took him from a Signal Corps radio classroom to the Army’s Special Services entertainment units, where he used humor to boost morale across the Pacific instead of fighting on the front lines. That experience not only kept him out of some of the war’s deadliest...

Vietnam War – Battle of Ngok Tavak & Kham Duc

Battlefield Chronicles, Vietnam War

Kham Duc Special Forces Camp (A-105), was located on the western fringes of Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam. In the spring of 1968, it was the only remaining border camp in Military Region I. Backup responsibility for the camp fell on the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal), based at Chu Lai on the far side of the province. Battle Of Ngok Begins As Kham Duc Becomes Outpost The camp had originally been built for President Diem, who enjoyed hunting in the area. The 1st Special Forces Detachment...

5 Medal of Honor Stories Overlooked by History

Civil War, Profiles in Courage

These days, to be considered for the Medal of Honor, a member of the U.S. armed forces has to have a pretty well-documented action of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." The action has to happen in combat, with incontestable evidence, usually involving eyewitness accounts. Early Medal of Honor Stories Were Barely Recorded But the earliest Medal of Honor stories weren't as well-documented. They tend to be so short and so limited that we...

The Allegedly Secret Origins of the Space Force

Military Myths and Legends

For a certain corner of the conspiracy theorist world, "Solar Warden" is the magic phrase that turns our ordinary satellite age into full-blown science fiction. In that telling, the United States operated a classified fleet of anti-gravity warships since the 1980s, patrolling the solar system, intercepting alien craft, and defending Earth from threats the public never heard about. How Solar Warden Sparked Conspiracy Theories When the U.S. Space Force stood up as a separate branch in 2019,...

Bayonet Charge

Profiles in Courage, World War II

Following World War I, Americans reached the conclusion that our country's participation in that war had been a disastrous mistake, one which should never be repeated again. This resulted in a major segment of the population becoming "isolationist" hoping to avoid dragging the country into another disastrous foreign war. Lewis Lee Millett Enlisted Before America Entered the War Even when Nazi German invaded Poland in 1939 and began conquering and controlling much of continental Europe, most...

Made in Taiwan by T.C. Brown

Military Book Reviews, Vietnam War

T.C. Brown's "Made in Taiwan: A Naïve American's Chaotic Journey to Manhood in an Exotic Culture During Radical Times" is a Vietnam-era memoir set mostly in the bars, back alleys, and barracks of Taiwan. Brown, a church-going kid from Columbus, Ohio, joined the Air Force in 1968 at age 18, hoping to play in the Air Force Band, and instead found himself shipped to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung. From 1968 to 1973, he served as a military policeman in Taiwan and Vietnam. Made in...

Absolute Resolve and the EA-18G Growler

The Defiant One: Col Robin Olds, U.S. Air Force (1942-1973)

Korean War, Profiles in Courage, Vietnam War

Fighter pilots used to say that there was a glass case in the Pentagon building to the precise dimension of then-Colonel Robin Olds, who would be frozen in time and displayed wearing his tank-less flight suit, crashed fore and aft cap, gloves, and torso harness with .38 pistol and survival knife. Beside the case was a fire ax beneath a sign reading: "In case of war, break glass." Born for War and Raised to Fly It was something of an exaggeration, but it contained an element of truth: Robin...

Korean War – Night Fighter Team

Battlefield Chronicles, Korean War

On January 21, 1953, during Korea’s Winter War. Night fighter team "George" of composite squadron three (VC-3) was operating from USS Oriskany (CVA-34) in the Sea of Japan. The Night Fighter Team Filed a Misleading Report Excerpt from combat report: Saw 75-100 trucks on G-3, seven trucks seen damaged. Meager to intense AA, much rifle fire was seen. The plane hit by 30 cal. Item - Lt. James L. Brown, USNR assigned F4U-5N #124713. One-night landing aboard without incident. 2.6 combat hours....

Gulf War – The Battle of Khafji

Battlefield Chronicles, Gulf War

By late January 1991, the "war" part of the Gulf War still looked strangely distant. Since Operation Desert Shield transitioned to Operation Desert Storm, the war appeared very one-sided. Coalition jets had been pounding Iraqi command posts, radars, and armored columns in Kuwait and southern Iraq. That was all about to change. Saddam Hussein aimed to strike back in The Battle of Khafji On the ground, Saddam Hussein still had large forces dug in, and he wanted to prove they could strike...

The Kandahar Giant