Honor, Courage, Commitment

Chief Tomich, center seated, with fellow Chief Petty Officers

He never forgot the sight. Passing through Pearl Harbor on his way to the Marshall Islands during WWII, 17-year-old J. Robert “Bob” Lunney witnessed, for the first time in his life, the carnage of war: capsized and damaged ships, oil-stained water, and battle-scarred buildings. As a young sailor from the Bronx, his brief time at…

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An Angel in Fatigues

Nurses leaving for the America. Every nurse was awarded a Bronze Star for their bravery during captivity, 20 February 1945.

“Now don’t worry, you won’t be in any wars . . .”   – US Army recruiter’s promise to Ruby Bradley in 1933 In a little-known chapter of WWII and Korean War history, thousands of women served and sacrificed as nurses. Although often overlooked, their expertise, dedication, and courage under fire were an important part of…

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They Pray Like Angels and Fight Like Demons

Borinqueneers in the Korean War

“The Puerto Ricans are proud of their heritage, and on top of that, the soldiers of the 65th Infantry are very proud of their Regiment . . .”  – William W. Harris, Commanding Officer, 65th Infantry Regiment Fought in sub-zero temperatures, brutal terrain, and knee-deep snow, the Chosin-Hungnam campaign, the most costly and potentially disastrous four weeks…

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The Fighting Irish of the Korean War

Marines manning an outpost in Korea, 1952. The static, bloody, trench warfare resembled that of WWI.

As a young boy, I remember how proud my grandfather, Patrick J. Sullivan, was of his Irish ancestry. As the son of an Irish immigrant from County Kerry, he was also proud of the USA and everything it stood for. From his humble beginnings in Holyoke, Massachusetts, to his international career as a US Public…

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Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve

Members of the 9th Infantry Regiment near the Naktong River in early September 1950.

Born in 1926, Julius W. Becton Jr., the first of two children in a proud family from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was the kind of student that teachers and coaches loved. He was polite, smart, athletic, and driven. It’s what his parents expected. Growing up in Bryn Mawr Courts, an apartment complex where his father worked…

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Walking in the Boots of a Marine

A Marine rifle platoon moves toward the enemy. June, 1952.

“I have good memories of my time with the Marines.” – Johnny Nam, interpreter and guide during the Korean War He’ll always remember his first week scrubbing pots and pans for the Marines stationed near Yongchon, his hometown. “I thought it might be a good way to learn English, get food, and maybe even earn…

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We Will Remember Them

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment attacking an enemy position in Korea in 1951.

A lot has been written about our brave young boys who went off to many theatres of war and came back maimed or didn’t come back at all, but very little has been written about the effects that these wars have had on Australian families who are left behind to battle on.  –  Louise Evans,…

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1,010 Days of Hell

A David Douglas Duncan photograph of Hellfire Valley

“They closed in steadily on us. There was no rush, no storming our positions. We kept knocking them down like ducks in a shooting gallery but they kept coming.”     – Marine SSgt James Nash Chosin: Hellfire Valley Throughout the horrific night of November 29, 1950, Major John “Jack” McLaughlin and his men fought off wave…

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