Navy Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

AZ3 Martha Huddlestun, U.S. Navy (2001-2004)

What Was Your Nickname or Callsign During Your Military Service? Can You Recall the Nicknames or Callsigns of Other Characters From Your Service and How These Were Earned?:

I recall my nickname well, it was Lil’Bit. Some even called me Lil’Bit with a silent “ch.” My AO buddies, and a few others, added the last part when I held a Marine over board after slapping my butt. Many may say oh that overreacting, but no it wasn’t. Especially if it was your 100th time, or more, of politely and rudely asking him to stop. The name arrived from the fact that I was, and Am, 4 foot 8.5 inches tall and 98 pounds. However, no matter my height, I did my job even though it should have been physically beyond my capabilities due to my height and weight. How did I hold a bullying male Marine over the edge of a ship at that height and weight, you may ask? Simple, my boot size was 3 1/2-4 in male’s red wings. They fit perfectly in the pad eyes on carriers. They are not only perfect for anchoring aircraft to the ship, but my feet and body as well. I was able to carry over 40 chains we used to anchor the F-18’s I dealt with, weighing at 5 pounds each, across a U.S. Carrier (length of 2 football fields) for almost 5months straight. Before joining the Navy, I was a gymnastic power tumbler, which I had done 15 years prior. Helping me to have the leg and arm strength to lift and carry the chains, which allowed me the ability to defend myself and my dignity from hands’y rude males who wouldn’t take stop and no as an answer. I never let my height deter me from being able to confidently complete a task, even if it means thinking outside the box and using the tools handy to me, like getting a ladder from the F-18 down, ways to get it back up for the jet to take off.

John J. Kelly Received Two Medals of Honor for the Same Action

Profiles in Courage, World War I

On Oct. 3, 1918, the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division, along with the French Fourth Army, advanced on Blanc Mont Ridge, the Imperial German machine gun death trap that the Entente forces had failed to capture over the past four years. The goal was to capture the ridge and push the Huns back over the Aisne River. It was a good plan, but like all World War I strategies, it was easier said than done. John Kelly Charged Through Fire to Make History The Americans stepped off toward the ridge...

ET2 David B. Binder, U.S. Navy (1963 – 1967)

VA Military Memories Competition

What Was Your Favorite Memory of Returning Home After a Long or Temporary Deployment? What Made This So Special?:

My four years in the navy included two tours of duty on the USS Hissem, DER 400 (destroyer escort) in Vietnam on Operation Market Time, which was the blockade of the entire 1,200-mile coastline of South Vietnam. We searched watercraft for arms, ammunition, and supplies that were being smuggled to the enemy; and did close in gunfire support with our three-inch guns and .50 caliber machine guns. My job was to hold the boat crews at gun point while the rest of the team searched and I also was a .50 caliber machine gunner while on patrol. I earned the Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon.

Service Reflections of RM2 Tim Roach, U.S. Coast Guard (1962-1966)

Coast Guard Reflections, Vietnam War

I would give most of the credit for my decision to join the Coast Guard to my uncle. He was in the Coast Guard during WWII and often talked about his experiences while patrolling the beaches on horseback along the New Jersey shores. I was in high school during my senior year in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the fall of 1961. My high school counselor informed me that I would not be able to graduate because I had failed to earn credits in algebra during my ninth-grade year. To put it mildly, I was never a fan of school.

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

Cold War, Navy Reflections

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.

AE2(AW) LaTonya N. Davison, U.S. Navy (1996-2010)

VA Military Memories Competition

Do You Remember Your Drill Sergeants/Instructors Names From Basic Training? Recount Any Specific Memories of Your Drill Sergeants/Instructors and How They Shaped You as a New Recruit:

Picture it. Great Lakes, IL, 1996. This towering 6-foot-something man walks into the barracks bay, informing us he’ll be our division commander for the next 8 weeks. Intimidating from the jump, it took only a few days to realize he had a perfectly crafted persona to make sure we quickly established discipline and respect. Fred Pharr from North Carolina, who would later become the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Force Master Chief, would be whipping 83 women into shape and making them into sailors.

Service Reflections of SK1 Richard Lee Wailes, U.S. Navy (1968-1989)

Cold War, Navy Reflections

I joined the Navy because of my family’s military history. My grandfather was drafted into the National Guard in WWI and was one of the original members of the California National Guard 40th Infantry Division., assigned to the 115th Sanatiation Train. He served in France as a Saddler Private caring for horses and was stationed in France from 1917 to 1919. He was then discharged and returned to Colorado and then to Idaho.

Service Reflections of Col Christopher Steinhilber, U.S. Marine Corps (1987-2021)

Global War on Terror, Marine Reflections

Great question…I don’t think I can pinpoint any one person or a singular event that motivated me to enlist in the Marines in 1986. I was an average (okay, maybe a little below average) student in HS and decided I wanted to enlist in my Junior year as part of the Delayed Entry Program. The idea of four more years of academia at an institute of higher learning did not particularly appeal to me, despite the majority of my peers seeming excited to head off to college. Maybe it was because, like many youths, I questioned what I wanted to do with my life and what my true purpose was. I visited my local recruiter, Staff Sgt. Webster Bridges to find out more information. Unfortunately, in order to enlist at age 17, I needed the permission of my parents, who both wanted me to attend college. They made me a deal that I had to apply to at least one college before they would consider signing my enlistment documents. My mother has heard about a small military college in Vermont, Norwich University, and she insisted on driving me three hours there (one-way) for a visit. I was intrigued by the Corps of Cadets and its regimented lifestyle. However, I was still more interested in enlisting on active duty in the Corps than in pursuing a college education. I begrudgingly completed my Norwich application and short essays and continued to work with the local recruiting office on my enlistment. I was somehow accepted to Norwich, despite my somewhat lackluster HS academic performance. Truth be told, I was more interested in playing sports (lacrosse), street hockey, and other sports with my friends. In the end, I compromised with my parents, who agreed to sign my enlistment documents in the Marine Corps Reserves if I attended Norwich in the fall of 1987.

Korean War – The Forgotten War

Battlefield Chronicles, Korean War

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...

Service Reflections of SSgt William Randolph, U.S. Air Force (1974-1987)

Air Force Reflections, Vietnam War

My father was the greatest influence on my life and the primary reason I joined the Air Force in April 1974, even before I graduated from high school. I grew up in an Air Force family. I was born at Hunter AFB, Savannah, GA, in 1955, and we moved seven times to various bases before my father medically retired in 1968. My father had just reenlisted in 1967 while stationed at Da Nang AB, Vietnam, and had planned on staying in to reach at least 25 years. My dad was also a great advocate and recruiter for the Air Force. Not only did he influence my older brother and me to join the Air Force, but he also influenced three of our friends to enlist. Two attended basic training with me. In the case of my youngest brother, he joined the Navy.

WW2 – Midway and Guadalcanal

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

There is some debate on the turning point of the war in the Pacific Theatre. Some historians believe the Allied victory at the Battle of Midway was the defining moment, followed by aggressive island-hopping all the way to the Japanese homeland. Others view Midway as the tipping point in the war where the initiative hung in the balance only to swing toward the Allies following its major victory in the Guadalcanal campaign. According to many other historians, however, the turning point of...

The Curse of the Willy Dee

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

The crew of the USS William D. Porter should have had better things to do than worry about some silly "curse." The ship was a Fletcher-class destroyer, one of more than a thousand warships built after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the United States was fighting a world war. But many of the crew were more concerned with surviving the ship, and not the war. The "Willy Dee" (as it came to be called) appeared to be cursed almost from the day it was launched. Willy Dee Earns a Cursed...

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