Persian Gulf Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

Service Reflections of SSG Randy Cross U.S. Army (1980-1998)

Initially, I had no intention of joining the military. However, right before I graduated High School, Lee Iacocca announced that Chrysler was bankrupt. There was no place in Michigan where the impact of this wasn’t felt. I lost my job in a furniture factory and was unable to find one, even at McDonalds. After a fruitless day of job hunting, an Army recruiter asked if he could talk to me. I signed up for the Army National Guard in hopes that after basic and AIT, the job market would become better. During my time in basic, I began to understand what the military was and how it served the nation. I fully intended to stay in the military, so after two months in the Guard, I enlisted to become active duty. It is a decision I have never regretted.

Lieutenant Mark Baden – Heroic Pilot Just Managed to Land and Save His Buddy’s Life

Gulf War, Profiles in Courage

Being launched off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a normal routine, but adrenaline junkie pilots love the radical feel of about 4 Gs. On July 9, 1991, an A-6 Intruder modified to be a refueling aircraft was shot off the Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. Lieutenant Mark Baden was the pilot and had his friend and navigator (BN), Lieutenant Keith Gallagher beside him. It was Gallagher's birthday, and he advised Mark Baden when they returned it would be his 100th trap recovery on an...

USS Midway Historic Aircraft Carrier & Naval Museum

Battlefield Chronicles, Cold War, Vietnam War, World War II

The USS Midway aircraft carrier is America’s most popular naval warship museum. Located in downtown San Diego, the museum is open 10am to 5pm 7 days a week, closing only for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The museum holds over 700 events a year, from Navy retirements and re-enlistments to changes of command. What is the USS Midway Known For? Commissioned after the culmination of World War II, the USS Midway was one of the longest-serving aircraft carriers of the 20th century. The United...

Service Reflections of SGT Timothy Meltabarger, U.S. Marine Corps (1981-1990)

Gulf War, Marine Reflections

When I graduated from High School in 1980, I was about four months away from turning 18. I worked in the Oil Field with my brother through the Summer and decided that I needed to get an education, so I enrolled in a Technical College in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. I entered college as the hostages in Iran were being released. I was in a drafting program and sat at a table in a classroom with about 40 people. About 25 percent were veterans, and none were Marines. We had a radio that played in the classroom, and on March 30, 1981, I listened to the news of Reagan being shot. When the semester was over, I decided to quit college and go back home and do something greater. Exactly what, I had not decided.

Service Reflections of SSgt Rob Matlock, U.S. Air Force (1979-1999)

Air Force Reflections, Cold War

My father was in Korea, and he regretted not reenlisting and making the USAF a career. He told us stories of his time in the Air Force with such enthusiasm that I wanted to experience what he described. My uncle on my mom’s side learned to fly helicopters in the AF and talked to me about the training that I could receive in the military and how it could help me get a job if I got out. My girlfriend and I talked to an AF Guard recruiter, and I joined ANG at 17 1/2. I went to Basic, and she decided she did not want to go. She married someone else while I was in photographer training.

Service Reflections of GySgt Dan Edick, U.S. Marine Corps (1978-2000)

Cold War, Marine Reflections

I am a fraternal twin. I knew my parents couldn’t afford to send us both to college, and I personally didn’t want to go. I felt as though my whole life had been spent in school already, and I wanted to do something different.

My father and several uncles served in the military. Some of them retired from the service. I respected them for serving and decided that I wanted to serve my country. My original choice was the Army, so I set an appointment with the Recruiter while a sophomore in high school. They showed no interest in me because of my age, so I left. The following year, I tried again. I sat with the Army and Air Force Recruiter. The Army didn’t impress me as much as the Air Force. The A.F. Recruiter said I was still too young and to come back in another year.

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