The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Air Marshall William Bishop – WW1 Air Ace

Air Marshall William Bishop – WW1 Air Ace

Air Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop was a Canadian fighter pilot in WWI who crashed his plane during a practice run and was ordered to go back to flight school. He didn't. Instead, he went on to shoot down 72 enemy aircraft, making him a legend in his own time and earning him a Victoria Cross. William Bishop Faced Setbacks Before the Skies Bishop's military career didn't start off well. He joined the Royal Military College of Canada in 1911, was caught cheating, and had to start his first...

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The Barracks of 1814

The Barracks of 1814

At the time, it was the most devastating military disaster to ever occur on American soil. On August 24, 1814, British troops marched into Washington, the capital of the United States, and set key buildings ablaze. These included the White House, the Capitol, and finished off what was left of the Navy Yard.  The Barracks of 1814 Stood Firm Amid Defeat What was miraculously untouched, however, was the Marine Barracks and the Commandant's House. No one really understood why these buildings...

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Together We Served’s Buddy Finder Provides a Faster Method to Find Former Service Friends

Together We Served’s Buddy Finder Provides a Faster Method to Find Former Service Friends

Buddy Finder Tool is Free and Easy to Use Togetherweserved.com's new Buddy Finder was created specifically to help Veterans find those they served with. Now with more than 2.5 million members in five separate service branch websites, TWS has possibly reconnected more Veterans than any other website or organization. The secret behind this high rate of success is the depth of TWS’s hand-built databases that contain hundreds of U.S. military units, ships, squadrons and bases going back to WWII....

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WW2 – Operation Centerboard

WW2 – Operation Centerboard

In 1944, Col. Paul Tibbets was summoned to Wendover Army Air Field in Utah for what must have seemed like an impossible mission. He was ordered to create and organize a combat group with the sole purpose of delivering a weapon that didn't even exist yet. Operation Centerboard Trained Crews on Nonexistent Bombs Tibbets' name might sound familiar to World War II history buffs. He would pilot the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay as it dropped the atomic bomb codenamed "Little Boy" over the Japanese...

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The Tragic Defeat of the Bonus Army

The Tragic Defeat of the Bonus Army

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In 1932, the Great Depression was in full swing, and American citizens were increasingly homeless and hungry. Among those destitute masses were tens of thousands of veterans of the trenches of World War I. Their only hope came in the form of a promised "adjusted compensation certificate," a cash bonus for their dedicated service worth the certificate's face value with compound interest.  The only problem was that the payment wasn't supposed to...

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Who Brings an Accordion to Vietnam? by V. E. Flango

Who Brings an Accordion to Vietnam? by V. E. Flango

Army veteran Dr. Victor Eugene Flango usually writes about court reform. He has authored more than 100 publications and articles (and even a web video) on the topic. His 2024 book, “Who Brings an Accordion to Vietnam?: A Lighthearted Look at the War,” is a standout, not only because it’s not about court reform, but it’s also not a combat memoir, because Flango didn’t serve in a combat role.

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Distinguished Military Unit: USS Langley (CV-1) By A3C Michael Bell

Distinguished Military Unit: USS Langley (CV-1) By A3C Michael Bell

The USS Langley (CV-1), as the first carrier vessel in the U.S. Navy, was pivotal in the history of naval aviation warfare. It served as a test bed for developing procedures and technologies still used on aircraft carriers today. It was originally nicknamed “Covered Wagon” by its crew due to its appearance. Following World War I, the growing importance of aviation in naval warfare led to authorization to convert the USS Jupiter (AC-3), a collier (coal tender), into an aircraft carrier on 11 Jul 1919. The conversion was carried out at the Norfolk Navy Yard, involving the addition of a flight deck and aircraft elevators. The large coal holds of the collier proved suitable for conversion into aircraft hangars. The retrofitted ship’s dimensions were 542 ft. length, sixty-six ft. beam, draft of twenty-four ft. with a displacement of more than 15,000 tons; fully loaded, it carried twenty-two to thirty-six aircraft and four .50-cal. deck guns. The carrier could make about 15 knots, and its full complement (including the air arm) was 468. On 11 Apr 1920, the ship was renamed USS Langley (CV-1) in honor of aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley, an American scientist and inventor, and was recommissioned on March 20, 1922.

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Extortion 17

Extortion 17

On August 6, 2011, a quick reaction force (QRF) aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was dispatched from Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan's Logar Province. They were on their way to support U.S. Army Rangers on a kill-or-capture mission against a senior Taliban official. It was carrying 30 U.S. military members, mostly American special operators.  Extortion 17 Was Sent on a High-Risk Mission in Afghanistan But the transport, callsign Extortion 17, was shot down before it could...

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Turning Point in Vietnam War

Turning Point in Vietnam War

Most military historians and analysts agree the 1968 Tet Offensive was the turning point in the war in Vietnam. They reason that many Americans, seeing the bitter fighting raging up and down South Vietnam on the evening news, fostered a psychological impact that further generated an increased anti-war sentiment.

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Vietnam War – A Shau Valley

Vietnam War – A Shau Valley

The A Shau Valley is a rugged, remote passageway near the border of Laos and the Ho Chi Ming Trail in Thua Thien province. It runs north and south for twenty-five miles. It's low, mile-wide, flat bottomland is covered with tall elephant grass and flanked by two strings of densely forested mountains that vary from three to six thousand feet. Because of its forbidden terrain and remoteness - and the fact it was usually hidden from the air by thick canopy jungle and fog and clouds - it was a key...

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AFN Jamie Farr, U.S. Army (1957–1959)

AFN Jamie Farr, U.S. Army (1957–1959)

Jamie Farr, best known for his iconic portrayal of Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger on the classic television series *M*A*S*H*, brought an irreplaceable sense of authenticity to the screen—largely inspired by his real-life service in the United States Army. While millions remember him for his comedic antics and cross-dressing attempts to secure a Section 8 discharge, Farr’s genuine military experiences were far removed from the character he played, rooted instead in duty, discipline, and personal...

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