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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Just Dust: An Improbable Marine’s Vietnam Story by Wes Choc

Just Dust: An Improbable Marine’s Vietnam Story by Wes Choc

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By their very nature, books on war deal with death, near-death experiences, injuries and all the unpleasant but inevitable aspects of war, like homesickness, bad food, substandard leadership, impossible missions and seeing friends die but above all, is the fear; fear of being killed, fear of losing body parts, fear of not living up to the challenge, fear of fear itself. Just Dust: An Improbable Marine's Vietnam Story has all of that but focuses more on the author's contemplation of the...

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Historic Japanese Internment Camps At Risk!

Historic Japanese Internment Camps At Risk!

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Because of proposed cuts in the United States budget for 2019, the National Park Services would be severely reduced. This may have a negative impact on many NPS sites, including those where Japanese Americans were confined following America's entry into WWII in 1941. Japanese Internment Camps Began With Fear and Prejudice In 2006, the government set up the Japanese American Confinement Sites Grants Program via the National Parks and set aside thirty-eight million dollars to educate the public...

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Sgt Henry Johnson, U.S. Army (1918-1919) – America’s First World War Hero

Sgt Henry Johnson, U.S. Army (1918-1919) – America’s First World War Hero

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Henry Johnson was a World War I soldier who singlehandedly beat back a German assault while critically wounded. He was a great American hero and received the highest military honor of two different countries. One of those countries, however, his very own, didn't bestow that medal until nearly 100 years after his service in WWI. The honor this man deserved was not awarded by the U.S. government upon his return home, because he was black. But that racism was eventually overcome, if only by the...

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Service Reflections of Sgt Robert Leon, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-1969)

Service Reflections of Sgt Robert Leon, U.S. Marine Corps (1967-1969)

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I was inspired by John Wayne’s portrayal of the Marines, which influenced me to join after my brother Jesse, who had been ordered to do so by a judge. We were both leading interesting lives with a lot of violence involved. After he joined the Marine Corps, he looked so good in his uniform, and I knew he was an ass-kicker, so I wanted to be a part of that. Going to Vietnam was easy; all they needed were bodies in 1968. When I ended up being a Casualty Reporter for the 3rd Marine Division, that sort of screwed everything up. I was up to my ears in casualty reports on a daily basis, and the people I hung with were combat veterans I could relate to. I was able to visit alot of the battalion aid stations, like Delta Med in Dong Ha where Graves Registration was and participating in helping Khe Sanh wounded off the choppers, USS Sanctuary off the coast, U.S. Army Mortuary in Danang, 22nd Casualty Staging Facility in DaNang, Cam Ranh Bay Army Mortuary, Ammo convoys to LZ Stud and some I just forgot about. I was the guy you didn’t want to meet, as that meant you were either dead or wounded. Man, what times those were. I’ll never forget the men who touched my life, dead and wounded, and those who gave their lives for this country. I’m a lucky man, and I still thank God I’m alive to share the stories of the brave, brave, badasses I ran across in Vietnam. My head is still screwed up. I’ll see them soon. Semper Fi

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The Ghost of Mad Anthony Wayne

The Ghost of Mad Anthony Wayne

The average American living in Ohio and Pennsylvania may not know exactly who Gen. Anthony Wayne was, what he did, or what became of the man, but they've definitely heard his name, because so many streets and buildings are named after him there.  Mad Anthony Wayne Became a Legend Through Combat But those who drive along U.S. Route 322 through Pennsylvania might even catch a glimpse of him, even though he's been dead for almost 230 years. Wayne was a politician, a Founding Father, and a...

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Revolutionary War – The Battle of Green Spring

Revolutionary War – The Battle of Green Spring

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The Battle of Green Spring isn't as celebrated a battle as the great American victories at Saratoga or Cowpens, but it is a relatively simple meeting between two great opposing forces, one that would demonstrate the evolution of the Continental Army in the face of superior British numbers and firepower.  Lafayette’s Maneuvers Led to the Battle of Green Spring It was the summer of 1781, and the outnumbered Marquis de Lafayette was dogging British Gen. Charles Cornwallis as the two armies...

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The Civil War Resulted in America’s First-Ever Income Tax

The Civil War Resulted in America’s First-Ever Income Tax

For anyone who’s ever wondered why the federal government gets a taste of your annual earnings like some kind of mafia godfather, the answer goes all the way back to the Civil War. And the saga doesn’t end until the turn of the 20th century. It’s safe to say that no one who saw income taxes as a temporary, extraordinary measure ever thought we would still have one more than 160 years later.

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VADM John D. Bulkeley, U.S. Navy (1933-1975)

VADM John D. Bulkeley, U.S. Navy (1933-1975)

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John D. Bulkeley was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy and one of its most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was also the PT boat skipper who evacuated General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor in the Philippines.  VADM John D. Bulkeley Led Daring WWII Missions John D. Bulkeley was born in New York City and grew up on a farm in Hackettstown, New Jersey, where he graduated from Hackettstown High...

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PFC Sixto Escobar, US Army (1941-1945)

PFC Sixto Escobar, US Army (1941-1945)

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Sixto Escobar, of the United States Army between 1941 and 1945, was Puerto Rico’s first world boxing champion, and International Boxing Hall of Fame member. Remembered today with the Estadio Sixto Escobar, the San Juan home of River Plate Puerto Rico, as well as many buildings, roads, and statues, he is a favored son of the island territory. Not as many people know, though, that he served in the military during the Second World War as an Army PFC.

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SGT Robert D. Pryor, U.S. Army (1967-1969)

SGT Robert D. Pryor, U.S. Army (1967-1969)

What Advice Would You Give A New Recruit Just Starting Out Their Military Career?:

Those entering the military should pay attention to every word in training. Learn from those with superior training, experience, and higher ranks. If stationed abroad, learn the language and customs. You never know what seemingly trivial lesson may be the one that saves your life or that of a buddy. Learn to be the “gray man.” I learned that lesson the hard way when I couldn’t stay in step in Basic Training. Consequently, I spent a lot of time with grease traps. While cleaning one, someone entered the Mess Hall, asking who signed up to be a paratrooper. That wasn’t me. I was a wimp and the last one chosen when picking teams as a kid. They added that everyone going Airborne needed to take the Airborne Physical Training test. I took that test to get out of the grease trap and barely passed.

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SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

SSG Victoria Ryan, U.S. Army (1973-1988)

What Advice Would You Give A New Recruit Just Starting Out Their Military Career?:

There Is A Right Way . . . There Is A Wrong Way . . . And There Is The Army Way! These were words spoken loudly and forcefully from the time I, as a recruit, exited the bus at Fort McClellan, Alabama, my basic training station, on numerous occasions until my graduation to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) several months later. Other applicable words included This Is Not The Army . . . This is Basic Training. And, all I could think was, “thank goodness.”

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SK2 Carolyn Pivarnik, U.S. Navy (2000-2005)

SK2 Carolyn Pivarnik, U.S. Navy (2000-2005)

What Advice Would You Give A New Recruit Just Starting Out Their Military Career?:

Two pieces of advice: 1) Keep all your request chits, and 2) Explore! For the first, I was able to renegotiate an evaluation because of this. I was marked down for not trying to pursue higher education, even though I had repeatedly sent chits up the chain of command to do so. They would either be denied or my work schedule would be changed, making it impossible for me to follow through with classes. When my evaluation came back to me to sign, I refused to until they changed that category to a better score, and I was able to prove my case because I had heeded the early advice given to me and saved all my request chits. When my chiefs saw their own signatures, they changed the score to a Promote.

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