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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

Service Reflections of RM3 Sidney Weinstein, U.S. Coast Guard (1942-1946)

Service Reflections of RM3 Sidney Weinstein, U.S. Coast Guard (1942-1946)

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I was in high school at the time of Pearl Harbor. I had never heard of Pearl Harbor and didn’t know where it was. That was true for many of my friends, but we sure found out quickly. We all became Gung Ho and were ready to enlist; however, we had a couple of months left before graduation, so I opted to finish school. Many of my friends did enlist, going into the US Army Air Corps to become pilots. That was my desire also, but my father said “NO.” He was in the First World War, captured by the Germans, and gassed. He was shot, and he lost three fingers on his left hand.

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Service Reflections of Cpl Donte Moore, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-2006)

Service Reflections of Cpl Donte Moore, U.S. Marine Corps (2002-2006)

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While in high school, I was a member of the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (1998-2002). This interest was ignited by observing my uncle, mentor, and Vietnam Veteran, Percy. I always considered him a hard-working and disciplined person. We both also served as Law Enforcement Officers. During my Junior year in high school (2000), I met with a Marine Corps Recruiter, Staff Sergeant Johnson, and from that moment, I was struck! I had to be a Marine! Then, the events of September 11th, 2001, transpired, and that further tugged on me. I enlisted that year in the Delayed Entry Program. I left for Recruit Training in September 2002.

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Service Reflections of SSgt Tom Bauman, U.S. Air Force (1966-1970)

Service Reflections of SSgt Tom Bauman, U.S. Air Force (1966-1970)

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I was attending Junior College part-time and working. In October 1965 I received my notice to appear for my pre-induction draft physical. To be honest, in spite of the fact that the Vietnam conflict was going on, I really had not given much thought to the military other than registering for the draft. I was in a fraternity and several of my friends had joined the Marine Reserves. This was just before things heated up and the first group of combat Marines landed in Da Nang. So I went down to sign up. The Marine recruiter told me that they were full up. So I decided to talk with the Navy recruiter. They had a delayed enlistment program. Meaning you could defer going on active duty for up to one year. So I decided to sign up.
In December 1965 I went to Navy Basic Training in San Diego. I was also required to attend weekend drills. After several months I was having second thoughts about serving Active Duty in the Navy. My best friend had joined the Air Force six months prior to my enlisting and liked it. He suggested that I see an Air Force recruiter. I took the AFQT and got 95 percentile across the board. The recruiter said that ALL technical training areas would be open to me. The only rub was that I had to be formally released from the Navy so I could join the Air Force. I got a release and I enlisted in August 1966 and went through Basic Training at Amarillo AFB.

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Service Reflections of COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

Service Reflections of COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

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I had several friends who served in the Air Force, including Dick Berghorn and his K-9 Rommel at Pleiku AB. My uncle Ed served in the Air Corps in England in WW II, and my uncle Art served in the US Navy but didn’t get overseas before VJ Day.
As the Vietnam War began to spool up in the mid-’60s, I knew the draft would be hot on my tail as I was graduating college, so I decided to pick my own destiny versus being drafted. I also came from the baby boomer generation following WW II and knew the value of serving. When my grades slipped in 1966, I got tapped for a pre-induction physical in Minneapolis. It was right out of a scene from Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” that’s popular every Thanksgiving….). I actually witnessed the USMC take inductees that day to fill their shortfall in enlistees.

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Service Reflections of COL John R. (Dick) Power, U.S. Army (1963-1992)

Service Reflections of COL John R. (Dick) Power, U.S. Army (1963-1992)

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It was straightforward. My father, a WWII veteran who left the Army as a Captain, gave me sage advice. I was about to enter my freshman year in college in 18. There was still a draft. He told me to get into the ROTC program because it was better to serve as an officer than an enlisted soldier. I would not challenge his credibility about this and so on. Unusually for an 18-year-old, I listened to my father. And went on to serve for almost 30 years and retired as a Colonel. I sure wish he had lived to see that!

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Service Reflections of CW2 Martin Leddy, U.S. Army (1976-2010)

Service Reflections of CW2 Martin Leddy, U.S. Army (1976-2010)

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I think it was a series of events. I was influenced by having my college scholarship pulled by the school finance office because they felt my father should pay my way through school. They offered me a full ride, then pulled it before the first day of school. Frustrating.
I went home and found two part-time jobs to help out. Dad had just resigned from the Director of Technical and Vocational Ed at Illinois Central College which he helped found.
Dad had an old Army buddy who had been SF in Vietnam and who was medically retired. He had cancer and came to stay with us for a while. He and I talked a lot about opportunities. I think more than anyone, he influenced my decision to serve. He was truly a great guy.

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Service Reflections of LCDR Leroy Jones, U.S. Navy (1954-1975)

Service Reflections of LCDR Leroy Jones, U.S. Navy (1954-1975)

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I was 7 years old when Pearl Harbor was hit. I grew up wishing I could get involved. We did in the ways kids could, collecting scrap medals and tinfoil (from cigarette packs) and learning and practicing the “Scout Run” to be able to act as messengers as Scouts in England, if necessary.
When graduating from high school I couldn’t wait to join. Korea was going then (1954). I missed Korea but, made the Navy a career and was involved in Vietnam.
No one person influenced me to join the Navy. World events played that role.

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Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

Service Reflections of CWO3 Scott Pipenhagen, U.S. Marine Corps (1982-2005)

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As to why I chose the Marines, it was a no-brainer once I decided to join the military since anything else would leave me wondering if I could have made it in the Marines.
Despite growing up in a family of veterans (Grandpa, Dad, and two Uncles), I never really gave much thought to joining the military myself. This all changed one day when, out of the blue, one of my cousins came to me and said that he was going to talk to the Marine Corps recruiter and wanted me to drive him there. I agreed to drive him and, on the way to the recruiter, he told me about a “Buddy Program” in which we, supposedly, could enlist together and then be stationed together throughout our enlistment. Needless to say, this was probably not the most accurate information, but it sounded good to me.
Once we got to the recruiting station, I had already made up my mind that I needed a change in my life and was going to sign up if my cousin did since I was just wasting money at college and needed a break from schooling.
Bottom line: He did not sign up but I did.

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Service Reflections of LCDR Ed Swift, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-2000)

Service Reflections of LCDR Ed Swift, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-2000)

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Growing up in Delaware, I spent a few weeks every summer at Dewey Beach. I recall seeing a 44-foot motor lifeboat from Indian River Inlet Station on patrol and then working with an HH-52A helicopter from Air Station Cape May, N.J.
Over the radio, I learned that some folks were rescued by the Coast Guard that day and that I had probably seen part of the rescue procedure. One summer, a high school friend and his father were fishing in the Atlantic about 12 miles offshore when their boat sank. They were ultimately saved by the Coast Guard and that made a distinct impression on me.

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VA Updates: What If My Veteran Dies?

VA Updates: What If My Veteran Dies?

End-of-life planning is uncomfortable, which is why so many people avoid it. I know this from personal experience. What Happens When My Veteran Dies My father was a wonderful man – a career Army Officer and patriot, a loving husband, and a strong and tough mentor to four children. He was also a lifelong cigarette smoker. So we were not surprised when they discovered he had lung cancer. During his final two years, he put off all efforts to address issues that required he acknowledged he...

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