World War II Archives - TogetherWeServed Blog

BG James “Jimmy” Stewart, U.S. Army Air Forces (1942-1968)

One of the film's most beloved actors, Jimmy Stewart, made more than 80 films in his lifetime. He was known for his everyman quality, which made him both appealing and accessible to audiences. Jimmy Stewart Becomes a Hollywood Star Stewart got his first taste of performing as a young man. At Princeton University, he was a member of the Triangle Club and acted in shows they produced. Stewart earned a degree in architecture in 1932, but he never practiced the trade. Instead, he joined the...

The Kandahar Giant

Military Myths and Legends

The story of the Kandahar Giant sounds like something from a pulp adventure novel. According to this modern military legend, a unit of U.S. Army Special Forces encountered an enormous, red-haired humanoid in the remote mountains of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in 2002. Over the years, the tale has spread far beyond military circles, capturing imaginations but lacking any hard evidence. Soldiers Reported Finding The Kandahar Giant As the legend goes, an American patrol had gone missing in...

Women Combat Journalists

Profiles in Courage, World War II

The Second World War opened a new chapter in the lives of Depression-weary Americans. As husbands and fathers, sons and brothers shipped out to fight in Europe and the Pacific, millions of women marched into factories, offices, and military bases to work in paying jobs and in roles traditionally reserved for men in peacetime. It was also a time that offered new professional opportunities for women journalists - a path to the rarest of assignments, war reporters. Women Journalists Break...

SSG Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army (2003–2008)

Global War on Terror, Profiles in Courage

Staff Sgt. Robert J. "Rob" Miller didn't look like the square-jawed "GI Joe" people imagine when they hear "Green Beret." He was a former high-school gymnast, band kid, Boy Scout and part-time surf bum who liked classical music as much as hard rock. He just also happened to be the guy who would one day charge a valley full of enemy fighters so his friends could live. Robert Miller Was Shaped by Family and Values Miller was born in Pennsylvania in 1983, the second of eight kids in a family...

War in the Pacific – The Battle of Manila

Battlefield Chronicles, World War II

On February 3, 1945, American forces entered the outskirts of Manila, capital of the Philippines, beginning the Battle of Manila, a ferocious and destructive urban battle against the Japanese that would leave Manila the second-hardest hit Allied capital (following Warsaw) of World War II. The Road to Manila and the First Days of Battle As part of his campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese (who had captured it from the Americans in 1942), General Douglas MacArthur first...

Maj Audie Murphy, U.S. Army (1942-1969)

Profiles in Courage, World War II

He wanted to join the Marines, but he was too short. The paratroopers wouldn't have him either. Reluctantly, he settled on the infantry, enlisting to become nothing less than one of the most-decorated heroes of World War II. He was Audie Murphy, the baby-faced Texas farm boy who became an American Legend. Audie Murphy Begins Life in Hardship and Early Responsibility The sixth of twelve children, Audie Murphy, was born in Kingston, Hunt County, TX, on June 20, 1925. The son of poor...

94th Fighter Squadron

Famous Military Units, World War I

"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."Eddie Rickenbacker, Major, USAAS The 94th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force 1st Operations Group located at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The 94th’s primary weapon system is the F-22 Raptor at this time. Throughout its full course and its precursor units, the 94th has been assigned to 70 different stations worldwide, and since its inception, has flown 43 different airframes....

Service Reflections of CMCS Daniel McKinnon, U.S. Navy (1976-1997)

Cold War, Navy Reflections

My decision to join the Navy was heavily influenced by my stepfather, a seasoned World War II and Korean War Navy veteran who retired as a Boatswain’s Mate First Class (BM1). After my mother remarried, he was transferred from the Navy shipyard in Boston to the Navy shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, just when I started high school, and it was not an easy transition for me. During my senior year of high school, his no-nonsense advice was clear: he strongly encouraged me to enlist, telling me to visit the recruiter because, upon graduating from high school, I’d need to leave his house. His experience as a crusty old salt and his ‘firm guidance’ (nice way of saying it) steered me toward a Navy enlistment.

Send Us More Japs!

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

The defense of Wake Island in December 1941 became one of the only bright spots in a month of disasters for the United States and its Allies in the Pacific. A tiny garrison of Marines, Sailors, Army radiomen, and civilian contractors held out from Dec. 8–23 and even stopped the first Japanese landing attempt cold, sinking two destroyers and inflicting heavy casualties in the process. Early war coverage turned the defenders of the tiny atoll into instant heroes. Wake Island Myth Became A...

Taco Rice and the Legacy of Marines on Okinawa

Military Myths and Legends, World War II

In 1984, Matsuzo Gibo added traditional Mexican-style spices to ground beef and put the spicy meat mixture on a bed of rice, then added lettuce and shredded cheese. He started selling it from his food stall as a quick lunchtime meal. The simple dish, now known the world over as "taco rice," conquered Okinawa faster and with far less resistance than the U.S. military did during World War II. How Taco Rice Became a Beloved Dish Near Camp Hansen Gibo, who died in 2014, was the owner of the...

Everything You Never Knew About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

5 Unsung Heroes of the U.S. Marine Corps

Profiles in Courage, World War II

When it comes to famous Marine Corps veterans, everyone remembers Lewis "Chesty" Puller, John Basilone, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly, and a slew of other legendary devil dogs. But to celebrate the Marine Corps' 250th birthday, it's important to remember that the Corps has no end of heroes, many of whom fade away further and further with time. So we don't forget the Marines who fought with distinction, but may not have been as quotable as Chesty, as political as Smedley Butler, or as smart as John...

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BG James “Jimmy” Stewart, U.S. Army Air Forces (1942-1968)

The Kandahar Giant

Women Combat Journalists

SSG Robert J. Miller, U.S. Army (2003–2008)

War in the Pacific – The Battle of Manila

Maj Audie Murphy, U.S. Army (1942-1969)

94th Fighter Squadron

Service Reflections of CMCS Daniel McKinnon, U.S. Navy (1976-1997)

Send Us More Japs!

Taco Rice and the Legacy of Marines on Okinawa

Everything You Never Knew About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

5 Unsung Heroes of the U.S. Marine Corps

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