Military History

Here in the United States, there’s a certain image of the Astronaut’s journey we’ve grown accustomed to: a dramatic launch, a majestic weightless experience, turbulent reentry, and finally, a splashdown somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. From there, America’s Navy swoops in, picking up the floating Astronauts and their capsules (barring an embarrassing incident like Gus […]

On June 18, 1983, Dr. Sally Ride was strapped into the Space Shuttle Challenger as it rocked and shook, blasting out of earth’s atmosphere and into the great, empty expanse of space. And in that moment, she became the first American woman to have ever left the planet earth. Sally Ride hailed from Encino, CA, […]

Twenty years ago on June 7, CNN aired a new a story entitled “Valley of Death,” which twisted one of the most heroic missions during the eight-year war during the Vietnam War into an erroneous story. The claims alleged that 16 Green Berets and 120 indigenous troops on that top-secret mission deep inside Laos had […]

It is very warm. It is also humid, but what else would you expect? Singapore is roughly 60 miles North of the Equator and essentially has no seasons. The young National Servicemen are in formation. Only a couple of days into their training, but today’s events will confirm the change in their lives. In a […]

Vestal, New York: it’s a relatively small town in rural New York state, near the border of Pennsylvania and just under a four hour drive to New York City. The town houses around 28,000 people, has pristine neighborhoods, a couple of run-down ones and everything it between. It’s littered with grocery stores and gas stations […]

Smallpox. To the veteran or some aid workers, it means a shot and a scar on the upper arm. To some older folks, it is one of many things that was spoken of and discussed in medical circles years ago, but no longer. To the average person it is an ancient ailment that, like many […]

Guest author William Bayless: William spent 9 years on active duty Navy as an analyst with 2 years aboard the USS John F. Kennedy and duty stations in Maryland and the United Kingdom. He has an MBA as well as a two year degree in Information Systems and a solid foundation of basic cyber security principles and […]

74 years ago, thousands of troops carried out the largest amphibious assault known to man. Operation Overlord, otherwise known as D-Day, was a massive coordinated effort carried out by Allied forces in WWII, on this day in history: June 6, 1944. Around 160,000 men from an assortment of countries landed on stretches of beach and […]

An article in one of Burma/Myanmar‘s local publications bore a headline that might turn some heads in the United States: “Is the President Truly Above the Commander-in-Chief?” The title “commander-in-chief” is actually a military position, designating the person who is in charge of a nation’s armed forces. In the United States, of course, the commander-in-chief […]

The United States boasts many iconic monuments like the Statue of Liberty or the United States Marine Corps War Memorial. These achievements in architecture and art all serve different purposes — some are utilitarian like the Golden Gate Bridge, and others are commemorative like the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. Whatever their purpose, these images are stamped […]

When many think of the first World War, they think of infantrymen charging no-man’s land, trench warfare and chemical gas attacks. There were some pivotal naval battles, but they aren’t discussed as often as some of the naval battles from WWII. For example, the Battle of Jutland was a significant naval engagement involving 250 ships. […]

As I sat in church on Sunday morning, our Pastor asked the congregation if anyone had known a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice. Along with a few others, I stood. Yes, I have known several Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors, but one sticks out on this Memorial Day Weekend — the mission that claimed […]