Posts Tagged ‘Vietnam War’
Jimmy Stewart’s Wonderful Life
With the holiday season once again upon us, it’s time to share a story I wrote a year ago about Jimmy Stewart. I’ve always admired the Academy-award winning actor for his role in the classic Christmas movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and for his service as WWII bomber pilot. But it wasn’t until I started researching his…
Read MoreA Shining Example to the World
WW2 Army Air Corps veteran Jimmy Stewart WWII Veteran Richard Overton, US Army, who died at the age of 112 (PC: AP) Col. Ruby Bradley, US Army Nurse Corps (PC: findagrave) Marine veteran Jin Park, Iraq (PC: Jin Park) Korean War veteran and MOH recipient PFC Gene Obregon, USMC (PC: US Marine Corps) Veterans Day,…
Read MoreThe Bravest Man I Ever Knew
“My God, to witness him sing the national anthem in response to having a rifle pointed at his face – well, that was something to behold. Unforgettable.” – John McCain A tribute to George “Bud” Day, one of the most decorated veterans in US history and the only person to be awarded the Medal of…
Read MoreEnter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve
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…
Read MoreA Lifetime of Waiting
You Are Not Forgotten Their stories are heartbreaking. For decades, thousands of families – over 7,700 – have wondered when and if their son, husband, brother, or uncle will return from the Korean War. They’ve spent a lifetime waiting for a letter, a phone call, or a visit from a government official. But there’s been…
Read MoreThe Army’s Been Good to Me
In 1948, Travis Brann, an immature and disillusioned high school kid, dropped out of school. He wanted to make money, he told his parents, not sit in a classroom. A year later, tired of working part-time jobs and going nowhere, he decided to join the military. A month before his seventeenth birthday, Travis forged his…
Read MoreShe Eats, Sleeps, and Fights Like the Rest of Us
In a few weeks the 67th publication anniversary of a little-known Korean War book will quietly come and go. The non-fiction work won’t make headlines, and its author won’t be remembered in editorials or magazines. But things were different in 1951. The book, War in Korea, and its author, the award-winning Marguerite Higgins, were hugely…
Read MoreTeamwork, Freedom, and Choco Pies
Remember the footage a few months ago of a North Korean soldier dashing across the border into South Korea, his fellow countrymen frantically chasing, yelling, and firing their guns at him? The video was seen by millions around the world. In the hours immediately following the dramatic escape, the 24-year-old, riddled with bullets and bleeding…
Read MoreA Famous Landing and an Infamous Missile Launch
Yesterday, the 67th anniversary of the Inchon Landing, was a particularly memorable Friday. For South Koreans, the commemoration of one of the boldest, most successful amphibious operations in military history began with a typical early-morning commute and “Americano” – the coffee drink of choice for millions of Koreans. But, as has been the case all…
Read MoreHonoring Our POW/MIA’s – You Are Not Forgotten
As a school kid in the 1970’s, I remember seeing the six letters “POW” and “MIA” on bumper stickers, billboards, and flags and wondering, “What do they mean?” and “Does it stand for something, or is it just a person or new fad?” I wasn’t sure, and as a know-it-all middle schooler, I wasn’t about to…
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