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The Christy Collection

Military Stories and Articles

The Last Airborne Deployment of WWII

The Last Airborne Deployment of WWII

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In the early morning hours of March 24, 1945, a massive WWII airborne operation known as Operation Varsity launched with an attempt to deploy 17,000 American and British Airborne troops across the Rhine River. It was the largest single-day airborne operation in history. Operation Varsity Launches Bold Airborne Assault C-47 Transport Planes Release Hundreds of Paratroopers during Operation Varsity. In the final months of WWII, Western Allied Forces advanced east into Germany. This meant...

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Sgt David Adams, U.S. Marine (1986-1994)

Sgt David Adams, U.S. Marine (1986-1994)

I only knew him as Ted, a frail ninety-some-year-old senior citizen whom I had met while volunteering at a nursing home. Pleasant and humble, he mostly talked about his late twin brother, who had been a fighter pilot stationed in Pearl Harbor at the time of Japan’s attack in December 1944 and later flew combat missions throughout WWII. His war stories were detailed, and he told them with such heartfelt emotions and passion as if he had been there next to his twin brother. Sometimes he would tear up in the middle of a story and gaze at the ceiling before saying, “Enough for today young man, go enjoy your day!” His thoughts, memories, and emotions seemed so intertwined with his war-hero twin brother that one would think he had not had a life of his own. I contributed this psychological entanglement to the strong bond between twins and did not think much of it.

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Honoring Sacrifice: Remembering Memorial Day with Together We Served

Honoring Sacrifice: Remembering Memorial Day with Together We Served

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Memorial Day is a deeply significant and cherished national holiday in the United States, providing an opportunity for Americans to reflect on and pay tribute to the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the armed forces. As we observe this solemn occasion, TogetherWeServed, the largest online community of military veterans and their families, is dedicated to sharing the rich history of Memorial Day, highlighting its distinctions from Veterans Day, and...

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Service Reflections of Sgt Max Reynolds, U.S. Air Force (1975-1981)

Service Reflections of Sgt Max Reynolds, U.S. Air Force (1975-1981)

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I graduated from high school on May 23, 1975, and I had originally planned to attend Vincennes University to become a Conservation Officer. My dream was to be a police officer, but I could not afford the tuition at the time. In June 1975, SSgt Terry Johnson, USAF Recruiter, called from his office in Logansport and asked me to come over and talk with him. He provided me with the option to join the USAF as a Security Police officer, with the guarantee that after Basic Training, if no SP positions were available, I could cross-train to another field or process out with an Honorable Discharge. I figured Uncle Sam would always need cops, so I headed to the AFEES at 141 S. Meridian in Indianapolis on July 10, 1975, for my physical and took an oath to serve, protect, and defend the United States as a member of the USAF Reserve. I went home to finish my work schedule and returned to Indianapolis on October 2, 1975, where I went on active duty in the USAF.

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Service Reflections of SSgt Michael Weaver, U.S. Marine Corps (1983-1993)

Service Reflections of SSgt Michael Weaver, U.S. Marine Corps (1983-1993)

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I thought after high school that I might go into the Navy. However, my brother was killed in an accident in the Army, and my mother did not want me to attend, so I didn’t. I floundered around for two years, trying college, working for Transcontinental Bolt Company selling tools, nuts, and bolts door-to-door to farmers in western PA, and then working at Wendy’s. My father was a Marine during WWII. After a bad day at Wendy’s, I went home and announced that I was going to the Marine recruiting station. Dad, would you like to go with me? He did, we went, and I left for the Marines shortly thereafter.

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MAJ Mark Nunn, U.S. Army (1988-2010)

MAJ Mark Nunn, U.S. Army (1988-2010)

Did Any of Your Parents or Grandparents Serve? What Facts or Stories Do You Remember About Their Service?:

My father, 1st Lieutenant Omar Nunn, flew the C-47 Transport Plane in the Pacific off Saipan during WWII. On Oct 12, 1944, he landed on Peleliu while the battle still raged and was confronted by a platoon of ragged Marines. Although they were filthy, dirty, skinny from starvation and dehydration, with clothes torn to tatters, they had an air of excitement and anticipation about them.

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PFC Harold Agerholm, U.S. Marine Corps (1942-1944)

PFC Harold Agerholm, U.S. Marine Corps (1942-1944)

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PFC Harold Agerholm had a quiet start to his life. After qualifying from school in Racine, Wisconsin, he worked as a multigraph operator for the Ranch Manufacturing Company. Then in July 1942, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve. Upon completing his recruit training in San Diego, California, Harold Agerholm was sent to the Headquarters and Service Battery, 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, and 2nd Marine Division. He received further training for eleven months with his battalion in Wellington, New...

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DEL Service Reflections of AVT1 Daryl Harrington, U.S. Coast Guard (1988-2001)

DEL Service Reflections of AVT1 Daryl Harrington, U.S. Coast Guard (1988-2001)

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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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Teenage Sisters Persuaded German Soldiers

Teenage Sisters Persuaded German Soldiers

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When the Nazis steamrolled into the Netherlands in May of 1940, Jannetje Johanna "Hannie" Schaft and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen were just 19, 16, and 14 years old, respectively. Jannetje Johanna "Hannie" Schaft and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen As for the Oversteegen sisters, their mother, Trijn, had left their father years before. Freddie states of this, "She was just fed up one day - we lived on a large ship in Haarlem, but my father never made any money and didn't pay anything for the...

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DEL Service Reflections of AVT1 Daryl Harrington, U.S. Coast Guard (1988-2001)

Service Reflections of ET2 David E. Hendrick, U.S. Coast Guard (1960-1964)

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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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Gulf War – The Lightning in Desert Storm (1991)

Gulf War – The Lightning in Desert Storm (1991)

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The Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne were among the first soldiers deployed to Saudi Arabia following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990. Before Operation Desert Storm Roughly six months later, the storied division would launch an unprecedented airborne assault taking them over 150 miles (241 kilometers) behind enemy lines and within 100 miles (161 kilometers) of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. In 1990, a coalition of forces from around the world, headed by the United States,...

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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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