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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

MSG Gary Gordon (1978–1993) and SFC Randy Shughart (1976–1993), U.S. Army

MSG Gary Gordon (1978–1993) and SFC Randy Shughart (1976–1993), U.S. Army

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The story of Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart is one of the most extraordinary acts of bravery and self-sacrifice in modern military history. Both were soldiers; U.S. Army Delta Force members who gave their lives trying to protect their fallen comrades in the face of overwhelming odds. It came in 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu, famously depicted on the screen in the 2001 film, "Black Hawk Down."  Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart Faced Chaos American forces in Somalia were looking to...

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Last In, First Out A Desert Storm Diary by Ed “Tuna” Fisher

Last In, First Out A Desert Storm Diary by Ed “Tuna” Fisher

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These days, Ed Fisher (callsign: “Tuna”) is twice-retired and living with his wife on Washington State’s Whidbey Island. His second career was as a lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School, from which he retired in 2021. His first career was much more exciting. As Lt. Col. Fisher, he was a U.S. Air Force Wild Weasel Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO), who performed this duty during Operation Desert Storm. “Last In, First Out” is his diary from his days fighting combat missions there.

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The Boys on Cherry Street by Ron Boehm

The Boys on Cherry Street by Ron Boehm

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Tens of thousands of books have been written on the Vietnam War. Thousands more are in the process of being written, and thousands more are being considered by other veterans. Such books inevitably deal with heroic actions and stories of courage and sacrifice. Boehm brilliant book also includes stories about heroes and their courage, but he wrote the book to be a different kind of book on Vietnam. He was highly successful.

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Fire in the Hole by Bob Parsons

Fire in the Hole by Bob Parsons

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Bob Parsons was a 0311, a Marine Corps Rifleman, with 1st Battalion 26th Marines in South Vietnam’s Quang Nam province. When he first arrived on Hill 190, where his company operated, it was all rice paddy as far as his eyes could see. He was told that his time in-country would change him. He may not have realized just how much he would change.

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LT Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy (2000–2005)

LT Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy (2000–2005)

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Whether you're a fitness enthusiast or not, you might have heard about "The Murph Challenge." Every Memorial Day, veterans, military members, and fitness nuts around the country pledge to take the challenge. It not only helps remember the courage and sacrifice of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy, but also helps send military-connected individuals to college through the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation. Lt. Michael P. Murphy Leads SEAL Mission in Afghanistan To call the...

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Events in the Life of an Ordinary Man by Richard R. Pariseau

Events in the Life of an Ordinary Man by Richard R. Pariseau

In his introduction, the author wrote: “ordinary implies middle-class Americans without special privileges of wealth or title.” He was referring to his own family in Attleboro, Mass. When one reads the entire book, however, one learns he is a modern renaissance man and a high achiever who excelled in sports, academics, science, military and almost anything he set his mind to – as well as a few failures. He referred to it as a cumulative assortment of life experiences that were humorous, others sad, motivations and educational as he continually sought excitement with new or unfamiliar areas to explore.

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Unlikely Warriors by Lonnie M. Long and Gary B. Blackburn

Unlikely Warriors by Lonnie M. Long and Gary B. Blackburn

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At the peak of the war, over 6,000 Army Security Agency (ASA) soldiers were assigned to every major U.S. Army unit operating in Vietnam. They were sworn to secrecy and, for the most part, never receiving any recognition for the magnificent job they did. That, however, changed over the last few years, allowing two ASA veteran authors, Lonnie Long and Gary Blackburn, to chart the years that ASA operated in Vietnam – occurring from 1961 to 1973.

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SFC Paul Ray Smith, U.S. Army (1989–2003)

SFC Paul Ray Smith, U.S. Army (1989–2003)

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Despite the years of civil war and insurgency that followed, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a well-planned and well-timed operation, so successful in its initial phases that American and Coalition forces had captured Baghdad within just three weeks. Major combat operations famously ended on May 1, 2003, in less than two months. But despite the speed and skill of the Americans, it was not without considerable effort – or losses.  SFC Paul Ray Smith: A Soldier's Journey One of those...

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The Gunner and the Grunt: by Michael Kelley and Peter Burbank

The Gunner and the Grunt: by Michael Kelley and Peter Burbank

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“The Gunner and the Grunt” is a unique Vietnam War memoir because it’s actually two memoirs. Two men from Massachusetts join the Army to do very different jobs, train for those jobs, and both go to Vietnam to serve their country. The book is written in two distinct voices, both members of the same reconnaissance unit, the 1st Cavalry Division, providing two very different perspectives of the war. One flies an armed helicopter above, while the other pounds the ground through the jungles below.

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To Hear Silence by Ronald W. Hoffman

To Hear Silence by Ronald W. Hoffman

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Five years ago, the author returned to Vietnam on a battlefield tour with his wife, Nancy. In a conversation with the guide, Bill Stilwagen, he mentioned how his unit had accomplished a lot in its first 13 months in-country, yet when he looked on the internet, he couldn’t find anything. Stilwagen challenged him by saying, “Why don’t you write a book about it?” Hoffman took the challenge seriously.

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Bullets in My Bottom Drawer: The Lighter Side of Combat by John Montalbano

Bullets in My Bottom Drawer: The Lighter Side of Combat by John Montalbano

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For some, finding humor in war and combat might seem to make light of a very heavy situation. Some might even find it offensive. But those of us who have served in combat know that humor, even dark humor, is sometimes the only way to break the tension, ease the pain, and build the camaraderie that comes with fighting in a war.  John Montalbano, a retired Vietnam veteran who was drafted into the Army in 1967, would not only agree that humor is important, even in war, but he literally wrote...

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SgtMaj Daniel J. Daly, U.S. Marine Corps (1899–1929)

SgtMaj Daniel J. Daly, U.S. Marine Corps (1899–1929)

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Only two Marines have received the Medal of Honor for two separate actions: Maj. Gen Smedley Butler and SgtMaj. Daniel J. Daly. And you know it has to mean something when Butler called Daly "the fightingest Marine I ever knew." SgtMaj Daniel J. Daly and the Boxer Rebellion Daly served in the Marine Corps for 30 years, seeing every major Marine Corps campaign between 1899 and 1929. Growing up in New York City as a slender youth, he had to be tough; he even became a semi-pro boxer before joining...

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