Alexander Bonnyman was as American as a young man in the 1940s could possibly get. He was born in Atlanta in 1910, but his father moved the family to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take the presidency of the Blue Diamond Coal Company. Young Alex graduated from public schools in his youth and attended Princeton University, where he became a star athlete on the football team.
When his grades slipped at Princeton in 1932, Bonnyman decided he had a higher calling than engineering and football. He dropped out of college and joined the Army Air Corps. But although he was an excellent airman, the stick of a fighter plane wasn't where he belonged. He left the Air Corps to follow in his dad's footsteps. His lasting legacy, however, came when his country needed him. He answered the call to service, even though he didn't have to, and would receive the Medal of Honor for leading his outnumbered Marines to victory at Tarawa.
Being discharged from the Army might have been a disappointment, but Bonnyman recovered and did very well for himself. By 1938, he had moved to New Mexico and started his own copper mining company. When the United States was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1941, Bonnyman was reportedly agitated listening to the news coming from Pearl Harbor. Now 31 with a wife, three kids, and a thriving business that was vital to the war effort, he was exempt from the military draft and did not have to go off to war. He tried the Air Corps again anyway, and, yet again, he washed out.
When he couldn't make it as a pilot, he enlisted as a private in the Marine Corps.
In October 1942, he was aboard a transport headed for the South Pacific. Then-Cpl. Bonnyman landed at Guadalcanal as a Marine pioneer, a kind of combat engineer. Toward the end of the Battle of Guadalcanal, he received a battlefield promotion to 2nd lieutenant and a trip stateside to visit his family. Upon returning to the Pacific Theater, he and the Marine Corps were planning their next island-hopping invasion: Tarawa.
The 1943 Battle of Tarawa should have been a blowout victory for the Allies if you're just looking at troops' numbers on paper. Some 18,000 Marines and the Army's 27th Infantry Division would land on the island to knock out its 2,600 defenders and their 2,200 construction workers. But at this time, the Japanese garrison was well-supplied and reinforced and had spent a year building concrete bunkers, hidden tunnels, and trenches on the tiny atoll.
The Allies brought its largest invasion force yet assembled to invade Tarawa, but the ocean hampered their progress, and the Japanese heavily contested the landing. Of the 5,000 Marines put ashore on the first day, more than a third became casualties. The fight for Tarawa, a 500 square kilometer island about half as big as Indianapolis, would last three days. The network of concrete pillboxes, bunkers, snipers, and artillery cut the Marines to pieces at every opportunity.
The November 1863 Battle of Chattanooga was a series of battles that were fought over the course of three days. It was also a series of battles that probably should have never happened in the first place.
Around the same time, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the key city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Union Army defeated Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg; Gen. William Rosecrans managed to defeat Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga, forcing the south out of middle Tennessee. But Rosecrans failed to follow up on his big win in good time. When he finally did, he was soundly beaten at Chickamauga and pushed back to Chattanooga.
It was only because of Gen. George Henry Thomas’ determined stand at Chickamauga in September 1863 that the Union Army avoided destruction. Chattanooga was an important transportation hub at the time critical to both the Union and the Confederates. There was no going around it: both sides needed the city. So Grant replaced Rosecrans with Thomas.
Union troops had fortified Chattanooga since its capture, which prevented a frontal assault by the ill-equipped rebels, so Bragg had no choice but to lay siege to the city. Union forces began to starve, and horses began to die by the end of October 1863. He probably had no idea he would be fighting an all-star team of the Union’s best and most capable leaders.
Thomas would finish the war as the only undefeated general on either side of the war. He was commanded by Grant and would soon be joined by Gen. William T. Sherman from Vicksburg and Gen. Joseph Hooker from the Army of the Potomac. Even Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan commanded a division during the battle.
Thomas’ first move was to open a supply line to the city using the Tennessee River. Once the supply line was in place and secured against rebel attacks, Thomas began planning a way to break Bragg’s stranglehold on Chattanooga. His idea, of course, was to attack. Once Gen. Sherman arrived, his troops would cross the Tennessee River and hit Bragg’s right flank on Missionary Ridge while Thomas attacked the center and Hooker hit his left flank. If Bragg tried to retreat, Hooker’s forces would push southward and cut off his escape.
Bragg, meanwhile, had little useful information. He held the high ground, but he also had no cavalry, which was critical at the time to gathering intelligence on enemy movements. To make matters worse, they were stretched precariously thin along their main defensive line. Bragg didn’t help matters by dispatching 11,000 men to stem a Union advance on Knoxville – only it wasn’t going to Knoxville; it was headed to Chattanooga.
On Nov. 23, 1863, 14,000 Union troops began marching on Orchard Knob, a valley to the city’s east, easily overrunning the position’s 600 defenders in the Confederate center. Gen. Grant made his headquarters there for the rest of the battle.
The next day, Hooker advanced on Lookout Mountain, the rebels’ left flank, with three divisions. They, too, overwhelmed the defenders at the foot of the mountain. When the Confederates attempted a counterattack, they found themselves not only in a heavy fog but dangerously outflanked. They retreated into the same dense fog they charged into. Hooker informed Grant that the enemy would probably evacuate their positions during the night, and he was right. Bragg pulled his forces out.
That just left Missionary Ridge, the rebel army’s original right flank. Grant ordered Hooker to hit it from the south while Sherman advanced from the north and west. Thomas’ 24,000 men hold their positions in the center. On Nov. 25, the third day of fighting, the attack goes forward. Sherman’s men see quick success but soon tire as they meet more resistance up the mountain.
Things might have looked good for the rebels had it not been for Hooker’s surprise hit from the south. He launched a three-pronged assault that surrounded the surprised rebels there. At the same time, Thomas’ forces are ordered to take the Confederate rifle pits in the center of the line. His 24,000 men once again overwhelm the thin line of defense, but the Union troops don’t stop at the pits as ordered; they begin scaling the mountain.
Though the fighting was fierce, where Sherman’s Army of the Tennessee was duking it out with the rebels, it was hard to maintain a battle when the center of the army was crumbling, and the southernmost forces were beginning to surrender. Bragg had no choice but to abandon the Siege of Chattanooga. The next spring, Sherman would be ready to take the fight south – to Atlanta.
Well, I was working on my family military history before I discovered "Together We Served" and was working on the shadowboxes for Granddad, Dad, and my own. Contributing to these pages has fine-tuned several areas of my memoirs; thank you very much. There is so little on the Internet from back then before all this Internet. Every site like this helps out. Browsing through my records for relevant things to post is a labor of love. It was nice to serve with good people who understood we were part of something important.
SSgt Kelly Michler US Air National Guard Veteran
Served 1981-1987
Ever since the premiere of "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998, there's been a little bit of confusion around how and why the Army might want to pull one of its soldiers out of a combat zone, even if all of his many brothers were killed in combat.
During World War II, there were very few exemptions to the military draft. Most of the time, potential recruits were rejected for things like medical issues, having jobs critical to the war effort, or religious exemptions. It wasn't until after the war that the Department of Defense began considering things like families losing multiple sons in combat.
"Saving Private Ryan" was loosely based on the story of the four Niland Brothers. Edward Niland's B-25 Mitchell Bomber was shot down over Burma in May 1945, and he was considered killed in action (he was later liberated from a Japanese POW camp). Brothers Preston and Robert Niland were both killed at Normandy in June 1944. Sgt. William "Fritz" Niland was with the famed 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, and is mentioned in historian Stephen Ambrose's book "Band of Brothers."
Fritz Niland, upon learning his three brothers were killed in action, was shipped back home to the United States, where he spent the rest of the war as a military policeman. "Saving Private Ryan" was inspired by his story some 54 years after he came home.
Americans were shocked in January of 1943 when they learned that five brothers from Iowa were killed off the coast of Guadalcanal in November 1942. The Navy had a policy of not posting brothers to the same ship, but these were the days before computers, and the Navy had a massive influx of ships and sailors to man them. As a result, the rules were rarely enforced, if at all.
That changed on January 12, 1943, when three men from the Navy Department came calling to the Sullivan home in Waterloo, Iowa. They informed Tom and Alleta Sullivan that all five of their sons had been killed in combat the previous November.
George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Al Sullivan were stationed aboard the USS Juneau, a light cruiser fighting in the naval battle for Guadalcanal. After being hit by a Japanese torpedo, it attempted to limp out of the area but was struck in its ammunition magazine and exploded. The Navy, under fire at the time, believed it was impossible anyone might have survived the explosion. It continued its withdrawal, determining the risk to other ships was too great at the moment.
But there were survivors, and a lot of them. In the confusion that followed the naval engagement, Navy personnel forgot to go search the wreckage when the smoke of Guadalcanal had cleared. It took days for the survivors to be rescued, and by then, the Sullivan Brothers had died.
The Sullivan parents decided to join a tour to raise money for war bonds, asking that their sons' lives had not ended in vain. Theirs weren't the only sets of brothers to die during the war either. Joining the Sullivan and the Niland families was the Borgstroms, whose four sons died within a six-month period in 1944.
After World War II, Congress passed the Military Selective Service Act of 1948, which included provisions for sole surviving sons to be exempt from military service. If one or more sons or daughters from a family had been killed in combat, their siblings would then be exempt from the draft in peacetime or war. In 1971, Congress amended it to exclude any son from being drafted if their sibling or father had been killed in the line of
duty before 1959. Moreover, if that son or sibling had already been drafted, they would be able to apply for an immediate discharge.
These days, the Selective Service System doesn't classify potential draftees. Each military branch has its own provisions regarding the loss of siblings in combat. Most require the survivor to apply for their exemption, and if deployed when their siblings are killed in action, they are usually shipped back to the United States and not discharged.
The Sullivan Brothers are remembered today both in their hometown and in the Navy. Their hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, contains an entire wing of a museum dedicated to their memory. In 1943, the Navy launched the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans, which saw action in World War II and Korea. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer named for the Sullivans was commissioned in 1997 and provided security along the Atlantic coast during the September 11th attacks.
The squadron emblem roundel pictured above is still current and has been in active use since 1933. As of this year, there are twenty-six active reconnaissance squadrons in the United States Air Force. The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, by that specific unit designation, was not technically constituted until 1991-94 but was preceded by the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron in 1966 and two training units utilizing similar nomenclature in between. Yet, this organization traces its full roots back to the US Army Air Service, 1st Provisional Aero Squadron in 1913. In all but six of its fifteen inclusive designations, its duty has been observation, as it was once termed, reconnaissance by the current definition. 
According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency, that role is "Reconnaissance" complements surveillance in obtaining, by visual observation or other detection methods, specific information about the activities and resources of an enemy or potential enemy or in securing data concerning the meteorological, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area. Reconnaissance generally has a time constraint associated with the task. Collection capabilities, including airborne and space-based systems that are manned and unmanned and their associated support systems, are tailored to provide the flexibility, responsiveness, versatility, and mobility required by the strenuous demands of fluid, global tasks. Intelligence critical to the prosecution of current combat operations is evaluated and transmitted in near real-time to those elements needing that information… these capabilities are valuable across all levels of war. Their specific employment at any one level should consider possible effects on other levels. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance must operate together, enabling commanders to preserve forces, achieve economies, and accomplish campaign objectives. They are integral to gaining and maintaining information superiority." Virtually all operations they perform are highly classified or top secret.
"During [its] first US military air actions, the 1st Aero Squadron flew 346 hours on 540 flights and covered more than 19,300 miles, performing aerial reconnaissance photography while transporting mail and official dispatches. More importantly, the Army learned that the airplane could no longer be considered an experiment or an oddity but could become a useful military tool." Between 1913 and the present day, this organization has earned eighteen Outstanding Unit Awards, including one with Combat V, one PUC, two DUCs, and seventeen Campaign Streamers. It has been led by ninety-nine Commanders and had forty-six stations from Texas City AS to Beale AFB and Schriever Space Force Base most recently. The unit has been assigned to sixteen separate parent echelons, most of which involved performing observation or reconnaissance duties. It has flown forty-six different aircraft, starting with the fragile Wright B (S #3), through the mighty RB-29 Superfortress, gigantic RB-36 Peacemaker, and SR-71 Blackbird forward to the U-2 Dragon Lady and remotely piloted RQ-4 Global Hawk of today.
The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is, in effect, the United States Military's oldest Fixed Wing flying unit. Over a span of 110 years, it has carried out an unbroken heritage of reconnaissance missions during the Mexican Punitive Expedition, The Great War, the Army of Occupation, World War II, and throughout the Cold War on bases ranging from Kansas to Florida, Panama to France, Germany to Trinidad, Philippines to Guam and RAF Fairford, England.
Although the following description from WWI may seem quaint a century later, its context has not changed much: "The doughboys were going over the top, and we intended to follow them through hell if necessary. The work done by this Squadron during the drive [at St Mihel] was, in general, the work of a divisional squadron. At first, infantry contact patrols were of the most importance since during the confusion of an advance; the airplane was the only agent that could obtain for the divisional command the vital information as to where his front line elements actually were." In SEA, that urgency was echoed: "During the Vietnam era of the late sixties and early seventies, the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron gathered photographic and electronic intelligence products of the Southeast Asian nations involved in the conflict. SR-71 crews risked their lives each day to obtain the information that was vitally important for the American war effort's success. Photos taken from Blackbird missions flown over North Vietnam were used in planning the attempt to rescue American POWs from Son Tay prisoner-of-war camp," locate enemy emplacements, assess troop movements and analyze bomb damage. During the 21st century GWOT campaigns of OEF and OIF, the venerable Lockheed U-2, in service since 1956, performed as it still does similar high altitude reconnaissance functions carrying 1st Reconnaissance Squadron colors.
During Operation Inherent Resolve up through the war in Ukraine, six different models of the Global Hawk, now sometimes flown by enlisted pilots, continued missions involving SIGINT, weather mapping, ground clutter suppression, targeting of close air support, calculating troop movements, and humanitarian locating of designated human groups from up to 60,000 feet altitude at a maximum speed of about 400 mph. Because effective air reconnaissance and observation are so dependent on surprise, invisibility, stealth, and accuracy, it is the equipment being flown and carried aloft that is the primary focus of this and other similar squadrons. Gathering the information, whether on nitrate film in rolls or infrared technology transmitted digitally in microseconds and getting it to combatants or other commanders in a timely manner is essential. The 1st RS has the bird's eye view aerial capability of seeing military conditions for all five branches as needed.
"The legacy of the 1st Recon Squadron is a microcosm of the legacy of the Air Force," said Richard Rodrigues, former 9th RW historian. It was the organization that pioneered the first tactical deployment of US military airpower, and it helped create some of our early leaders, such as Capt. Charles de Forest Chandler, Capt. Benjamin Foulois and Lt. Herbert Dargue, among others who, impacted the Air Service and later the Air Corps with only eight airplanes, eleven pilots, and eighty-two enlisted men. 1916 was the first time American aircraft were used in an actual military operation for the sole purpose of capturing the bandit Pancho Villa in Mexico under the command of General John J. Pershing.
The Squadron recruits and trains pilots who fly high-altitude reconnaissance flights around the world. After initial interviews, orientation flights, and selection for the program, new pilots undergo approximately six months of extensive training, including twenty sorties in the U-2. The 1st RS also trains mission planners who must know the wing's objectives, the aircraft and sensors capabilities, plus detailed information on target and threat assessment at specific locations. After planners complete training, they deploy to the overseas detachments and design flight tracks that allow pilots to gather the best data with the least personal risk. Since 1922, the 1st Squadron has been associated with the 9th Bomb Group and the USAF 9th Reconnaissance Wing, where it continues to be an active flying unit responsible for training all High-Altitude Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircrew for the U-2S Dragon Lady and the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Aircrew members consist of pilots, mission planners, and sensor operators. Training for all U-2S pilots includes additional qualification in the T-38A Talon, the companion trainer to the U-2S. The Squadron flies over 5,400 U-2S/T-38A training hours and 2,400 RQ-4 combat support hours annually. This program produces twenty-four U-2S pilots, forty-eight RQ-4 pilots, and thirty-six RQ-4 sensor operators each year. As of October 2023, Air Force Together We Served lists twelve members who served with the 1st RS.
The Squadron's home since 1966 is Beale Air Force Base, located outside of Linda, California, about ten miles east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City and about forty miles north of Sacramento. The host unit at Beale is the 9th Reconnaissance Wing assigned to the Sixteenth Air Force, Air Combat Command. The Wing collects intelligence essential for presidential and congressional decisions critical to the national defense, flying the USAF fleet of Dragon Lady and Global Hawk aircraft and operating associated ground support equipment. The illustrated plaque boulder was unveiled on 8 March 2013 on Beale AFB in Heritage Park, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron.
I was looking for an old shipmate that was stationed at another unit. When I couldn't find them, I went ahead and started filling out my information. I thought it was cool to have the option to "Tell my story."
BM1 Alvin O'Brien, US Coast Guard Veteran
Served 1996-2012
You may not recognize the name, but you'll definitely recognize the face. Let's be honest: a Burt Young movie marathon is a day well spent. He appeared in more than 160 roles in 50 years in Hollywood, acting alongside the silver screen's most recognizable names: Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, and, of course, Sylvester Stallone.
His credits include "Chinatown," "The Killer Elite" and "Once Upon a Time in America," along with his turn as Paulie in the 1976 film "Rocky." He continued in the role through all of the "Rocky" sequels, but it was his performance in the first film that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Unlike many other famous faces in Hollywood, Burt Young (born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise in 1940) never thought about being an actor at a young age. He (and his father) always referred to himself as a king of hoodlum. His parents tried to keep their son from growing up on the streets of Queens, New York, by sending him to an exclusive high school and a private boarding school. But it was no use. He was kicked out of both.
At age 16, his father marched him down the Marine Corps recruiter's office, where they both lied about his age to enlist. Young joined the Corps and served between 1957 and 1959. While he was in, he discovered boxing and began training and fighting his fellow Marines. It turned out he was a pretty tough boxer In the Corps; his record was 32-2.
After lea
ving the service, he began boxing professionally, training with Charley Goldman, a boxing legend who also trained the heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. His manager was Cus D'Amato, whose clients included Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. That kind of training and support will take you as far as your natural talent will take you, and it was the same for Burt Young. After 17 wins and zero losses, he decided it was time for something else.
It wasn't long before the young man was running a carpet business with a few employees. It was an okay living, but he was hardly excited about his life. He started trying to get with a waitress at a local bar when he asked her if she ever thought about being an actress. She lit up, telling Young she wanted to learn from legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg.
Young didn't even know who that was, but he was determined to find out and help her get into his class. He wrote a letter to Strasberg and asked to meet with him. When the two men met, the teacher was more interested in Burt Young than his girlfriend. He asked Young to work with him, and Young agreed.
By 1971, Young was appearing on the big screen next to George Segal and Robert De Niro in "Born to Win." The next year, he was in "Across 110th Street" with Anthony Quinn. "Chinatown" was released in 1974, and the year after that, he appeared in "The Killer Elite." His performance alongside James Caan and Robert Duvall impressed a young writer and actor who was casting a picture about a hard-luck boxer, Sylvester Stallone.
Stallone asked Young to play the role of "Paulie" in his movie "Rocky." Young loved the script and agreed immediately, calling it "a masterpiece of simplicity." He was the highest-paid actor in the first movie and would reprise his role in six sequels. Young would also appear in a number of television shows, including "M*A*S*H," "The Rockford Files" and "Miami Vice."
He died at his home in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 2023. He was 83.
The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor those who served in the military. I call or email my Veteran friends, catch up, and thank them for their service. I display the flag and watch any military movie I can find. I also visit the graves of Veteran family or friends at Arlington National Cemetery, even though I know that's much more the focus of Memorial Day.
One group of Veterans I find myself thinking about is elderly Veterans who, because of age or other reasons, aren't as visible. The reason I bring this up is because an FAQ I often receive is about their possible benefits.
Someone will ask about a distant Uncle who is a Veteran or a Veteran who is a neighbor, less active in the community but still nearby. A common theme is the concern that as the Veteran gets older, he may not have the resources to continue to support himself. The question then becomes – Is there a VA benefit that could help him?
The VA benefit I direct them to is called Veterans Pension. This benefit is a tax-free monthly payment to those with limited financial resources, providing modest support that can be used for their expenses. It's not a true pension, which is really a retirement payout. VA pensions are safety net payments for those in need.
Eligibility depends upon several items, and more detailed information can be found at VA.gov. One is service. The Veteran had to have served honorably during periods defined as wartime. (The Veteran did not have to have served in combat.) Many older Veterans qualify because they served during the Vietnam Wartime period.
Eligibility also depends on age and disability. For simplicity, let's focus on age. A Veteran is eligible if they are 65 years old or older. If the Veteran meets this age requirement, he is eligible regardless of health.
Eligibility also depends on net worth. Through the end of November 2023, the Veteran's net worth can not be greater than $150,538. Often, at this point, many assume the Veteran they are concerned about is not eligible because he owns a home. However, VA exempts certain items from the net worth computation – your home, car, and essential home items like appliances. Consequently, the Veteran living in his home but struggling due to limited resources may be eligible.
To those who ask about an elderly Veteran, I point out that completing the application for a Veteran's pension can be complicated because of the need to validate net worth. This is where no-cost assistance from a Veteran Service Officer from your state, county, or a Veteran Service Organization can be invaluable. Many lawyers can also assist with this process, though they will charge for their services.
Two other points about this situation. If the VA determines the Veteran cannot manage his finances, they can appoint a Fiduciary. A Fiduciary is a person (or entity) who acts on behalf of the Veteran, putting his interests ahead of their own. Thus, in this situation, not only can a VA benefit provide financial support, but it could also provide support to assist with their finances.
Finally, here I have focused on an elderly male Veteran as this reflects the demographics of our military when they served. But I have also been asked about the wife of a Veteran who has passed. Similarly, they are worried that she is depleting her resources and wonder if there is a VA benefit available to help her, given her husband was a Veteran.
VA provides a Survivor Pension, which would be relevant here. It provides a tax-free payment to the un-remarried spouse or unmarried children of an eligible deceased Veteran. The deceased Veteran must meet the service and discharge requirements described above. The wife must also meet the net worth requirements. So, yes, under certain circumstances, just like the Veterans Pension, the Survivor Pension could assist the surviving wife.
I hope you have a meaningful Veterans Day and reconnect with your Veteran friends. Remembering that the average male Veteran is now 65, take a moment to think about an older Veteran in your life and whether some of the concerns others are asking about might be relevant to him.
Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., served as Under Secretary of Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from May 2018 to January 2021. He is the author of "Veterans Benefits for You: Get What You Deserve," available from Amazon.
Fellow Marines of Fox Company 2nd Battalion, 5TH Marines, The Arizona Territory-The veritable doorsteps of Hell-will always be foremost in our memories for those of us who served in that rice paddy hell. My purpose is to share with you my memories of when we served together in The Arizona more than fifty years ago.
When not engaged in firefights, ambushes, movement to contact or under mortar fire, and RPG attacks for days, weeks, and months on end, we Marines of Fox Company were continuously exposed to the relentless monsoon rains and the ever-present threat of tripping boobytraps. Many of these memories will be directly relevant to what we collectively experienced, how we lived, and what we endured. I think you will agree that Once a Marine, always a Marine. This is our creed!!!
To be called a Marine is a distinction which, by definition, requires no further explanation of excellence. Nobody ever said the Marine Corps was perfect, and nobody promised us a rose garden (much less hot water in our fighting hole), but what separates the Marine Corps from the other services is a level of devotion (Semper Fidelis/always faithful), a set of standards, and a code of honor unmatched by any other military service.
Those of us who stood shoulder to shoulder on that battlefield in Vietnam shared a distinct kinship. We knew in our hearts as "brothers" that we were enduring similar, if not parallel, experiences. Symbolically, if not in reality, we were kindred spirits, slogging through those mud-sucking rice paddies, enduring the sweltering heat of the leach-infested Asian jungle, while ever mindful of our duty and responsibility to our Marines, our "brothers" and to our Corps.
While it is true we should not grow too fond of war, as Gen Robert E. Lee said, failure in our profession is unforgivable. Especially in view of the consequences it can have on human life, specifically those young lives which were entrusted to us at the fire team, platoon, and company levels.
Being a Marine is about being strong but knowing when to be gentle, being brave but not foolishly reckless, being proud without being overbearing, being serious but not unreasonable, setting high goals but knowing when to settle for less, and being compassionate without being soft.
The greatest mystery in life is knowing our inner self. We all have a choice. Being a Marine requires having the heart of a lion. And it demands a commitment to a cause greater than us.
Our young Marines, such as those who served with me in that rice paddy hell, are the best investment in the future of our Corps. It is said that nothing lasts; well, being a Marine is FOREVER.
In the recesses of my memory, it seems like only yesterday when I think of that first sleepless night at Quantico, Virginia, where I took my first steps in my journey through life as a Marine.
It wasn’t long thereafter that I arrived at the doorsteps of my war. My very first memory of that experience was while moving through the reception and departure center in Da Nang.
On one side of the railing were the gaunt, bronze-faced worriers and worn-looking men of color, with a distant look in their eyes, wearing tattered sun-bleached uniforms and white jungle boots. I was soon to learn that those white jungle boots were a rite of passage caused by the constant abrasiveness of the numerous patrols through the muddy rice paddies for those who lived.
On the opposite side of the railing were us, the recent arrivals. Soft-looking men of color, and likewise, I was pale colored by comparison, wearing a clean, starched, crisp uniform and shined boots. This contrast of appearance spoke volumes about two generations, only 13 months apart, which was a routine combat tour.
For me, these are emotionally laden memories as I also vividly recall my first combat command as an Infantry Platoon Commander. That recollection is punctuated by the faces of the young Marines whom I was privileged to lead. In combat, your time is spent constantly living in the elements, continually aware of your environment, and knowing that your adversary is hunting you as well as you are hunting him. Although you and your Marines are continually exhausted, you must not fail to be situationally aware and extremely alert. Consequently, when your radio operator trips a booby trap, you must have the presence of mind to intuitively take immediate action.
And, when the chaos is over, it is gratifying to see the undaunted spirit of your Marines. Even the Radio Operator, as you are filling out his medievac tag, asking him, "How do you spell your name, Tveit?" And in good humor, he responded, "T-V-E-I-T, sir, and I am going home."
In combat, there will be occasions when you may want to brutalize your enemy because of such maiming and debilitating booby traps. Never forget, however, that in war, it is as much your duty to protect your enemy, once defeated and captured, as it was your obligation to close with and kill or capture him in the first place. You must give your Marines the skills to kill, the will to kill, but never the thrill to kill.
That first combat tour was almost prematurely ended by an enemy machine gunner who, fortunately for me, misjudged his range. Permanently embossed in my memory is that unmistakable distant flicker of muzzle flashes from across the rice paddy, only microseconds before the stump I was seated on erupted with the ricochet of bullets.
At the other end of the emotional spectrum, there is an indescribable emptiness you can only feel at the loss of a fellow Marine in combat. When, on another wet and drizzly night after the chaos and pandemonium of another firefight has ended and in the quiet darkness, you hear and feel your Marine’s last living breath leave his body. Unfortunately, this, too, is part of being a Marine.
And why did we Marines of that time do such things? I agree with the words written by a fellow Marine from the 5th Marines, Jim Webb. That the men who fought WWII were our heroes and role models ‘The Greatest Generation.’ We honored our fathers by emulating their service, and we largely agreed with our father’s wisdom in attempting to stop Communism’s spread into Southeast Asia.
Now, let me leave you with this image of the Marines from my youth while operating on the doorsteps of Hell. In my mind’s eye, I can still see them clearly in a drizzly world of wet misery.
Day in and day out, they did their duty slogging through those mud-sucking rice paddies during the monsoon rains, eating in the rain, sleeping in the rain, patrolling in the rain, ambushing in the rain, and unfortunately for some, bleeding and dying in the rain. There will be those who read this and recall my proclivity for moving at night in the rain. Although it was miserable for us all, it covered our movement and concealed our new location from the enemy who stayed hunkered down during the rain. To survive, we had to outwit the enemy, indulge in stay-behind ambushes to kill or capture the enemy, and out-endure the illusive enemy we were fighting in both the rice paddies of The Arizona and in the surrounding triple canopy rain forest mountains.
There were many times I wished that I could have been a fly on the wall among them to observe the intricacies of how this enemy functioned with so little and under such adverse conditions. I was fascinated then, and in the twilight of my fading memory, I am still impressed with how they operated against us. However, we were there for only a finite amount of time, whereas they were there for an eternity.
For our Marines, deprivation from the amenities of life was the daily routine: rarely a restful sleep, seldom a hot meal, and bathing infrequently except in a muddy bomb crater. Aye, aye, these were better Marines than I, Together we fight, Together we die, Together we eat, Together we sleep, and together we cross the rivers deep.
But in the mind of every Marine, there was the belief that the tide of battle could be swayed by that one Marine who believed he COULD NOT BE STOPPED, that one Marine with absolute confidence of purpose, focus on the mission, and fidelity to his fellow Marines and to our Corps.
"To Observe a Marine is Inspirational, To Be a Marine is Exceptional"
TWS has some fun stories and made me feel like relating some of my experiences without being embarrassed.
RD2 Lawrence Smith, US Navy Veteran
Served 1966-1970
Webster's Dictionary defines amalgam as "a mixture or blend", making it the perfect word to describe Vietnam veteran Robert Engelmeier's experience in country, as well as his 2023 memoir of it.
The author has written countless academic articles about his chosen career in dentistry and prosthetics as a retired professor who directed the graduate program at the University of Texas Houston Dental Branch for 14 years and served as Prosthodontic Department chair at the University of Pittsburgh and is still a visiting Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Simply put, he knows dentistry well.
What he didn't know when he arrived in Vietnam was life in the U.S. military. As a result, the recollections in his memoirs are filled with stories and incidents from his time there, where his ignorance of military protocol occasionally got him into a bit of trouble. Engelmeier was a young dentist when he deployed to South Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay. He was a fresh graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.
His book gives readers the perspective of someone prepared to serve U.S. troops with fillings, extractions, and general dentistry and saw much more than he expected. Engelmeier spent 24 years in the Air Force and came to the 483rd U.S. Air Force Hospital just three months after graduating from dental school.
Like its author, "Rockets, Sand and Amalgam" is anything but a traditional military story. Engelmeier writes from the perspective of the men in the "rear," offering an insightful look at how the military functions and operates from the perspective of support personnel. Both military veterans and those who work in the world of dentistry will love some of his "fish-out-of-water" stories, but veterans who served in Vietnam may get a kick out of recalling visits to the rear – and their military dentist.
"Rockets, Sand and Amalgam" is available at Barnes and Noble or Amazon now. Ebook editions start at $8.99, while paperbacks are $16.99, and hardcovers are available for $21.99.
When his grades slipped at Princeton in 1932, Bonnyman decided he had a higher calling than engineering and football. He dropped out of college and joined the Army Air Corps. But although he was an excellent airman, the stick of a fighter plane wasn't where he belonged. He left the Air Corps to follow in his dad's footsteps. His lasting legacy, however, came when his country needed him. He answered the call to service, even though he didn't have to, and would receive the Medal of Honor for leading his outnumbered Marines to victory at Tarawa. 
The 1943 Battle of Tarawa should have been a blowout victory for the Allies if you're just looking at troops' numbers on paper. Some 18,000 Marines and the Army's 27th Infantry Division would land on the island to knock out its 2,600 defenders and their 2,200 construction workers. But at this time, the Japanese garrison was well-supplied and reinforced and had spent a year building concrete bunkers, hidden tunnels, and trenches on the tiny atoll. 
Around the same time, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the key city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Union Army defeated Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg; Gen. William Rosecrans managed to defeat Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg at Chattanooga, forcing the south out of middle Tennessee. But Rosecrans failed to follow up on his big win in good time. When he finally did, he was soundly beaten at Chickamauga and pushed back to Chattanooga.
Thomas’ first move was to open a supply line to the city using the Tennessee River. Once the supply line was in place and secured against rebel attacks, Thomas began planning a way to break Bragg’s stranglehold on Chattanooga. His idea, of course, was to attack. Once Gen. Sherman arrived, his troops would cross the Tennessee River and hit Bragg’s right flank on Missionary Ridge while Thomas attacked the center and Hooker hit his left flank. If Bragg tried to retreat, Hooker’s forces would push southward and cut off his escape. 
That just left Missionary Ridge, the rebel army’s original right flank. Grant ordered Hooker to hit it from the south while Sherman advanced from the north and west. Thomas’ 24,000 men hold their positions in the center. On Nov. 25, the third day of fighting, the attack goes forward. Sherman’s men see quick success but soon tire as they meet more resistance up the mountain. 
During World War II, there were very few exemptions to the military draft. Most of the time, potential recruits were rejected for things like medical issues, having jobs critical to the war effort, or religious exemptions. It wasn't until after the war that the Department of Defense began considering things like families losing multiple sons in combat. 
George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Al Sullivan were stationed aboard the USS Juneau, a light cruiser fighting in the naval battle for Guadalcanal. After being hit by a Japanese torpedo, it attempted to limp out of the area but was struck in its ammunition magazine and exploded. The Navy, under fire at the time, believed it was impossible anyone might have survived the explosion. It continued its withdrawal, determining the risk to other ships was too great at the moment. 
duty before 1959. Moreover, if that son or sibling had already been drafted, they would be able to apply for an immediate discharge. 
According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency, that role is "Reconnaissance" complements surveillance in obtaining, by visual observation or other detection methods, specific information about the activities and resources of an enemy or potential enemy or in securing data concerning the meteorological, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area. Reconnaissance generally has a time constraint associated with the task. Collection capabilities, including airborne and space-based systems that are manned and unmanned and their associated support systems, are tailored to provide the flexibility, responsiveness, versatility, and mobility required by the strenuous demands of fluid, global tasks. Intelligence critical to the prosecution of current combat operations is evaluated and transmitted in near real-time to those elements needing that information… these capabilities are valuable across all levels of war. Their specific employment at any one level should consider possible effects on other levels. Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance must operate together, enabling commanders to preserve forces, achieve economies, and accomplish campaign objectives. They are integral to gaining and maintaining information superiority." Virtually all operations they perform are highly classified or top secret.
Although the following description from WWI may seem quaint a century later, its context has not changed much: "The doughboys were going over the top, and we intended to follow them through hell if necessary. The work done by this Squadron during the drive [at St Mihel] was, in general, the work of a divisional squadron. At first, infantry contact patrols were of the most importance since during the confusion of an advance; the airplane was the only agent that could obtain for the divisional command the vital information as to where his front line elements actually were." In SEA, that urgency was echoed: "During the Vietnam era of the late sixties and early seventies, the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron gathered photographic and electronic intelligence products of the Southeast Asian nations involved in the conflict. SR-71 crews risked their lives each day to obtain the information that was vitally important for the American war effort's success. Photos taken from Blackbird missions flown over North Vietnam were used in planning the attempt to rescue American POWs from Son Tay prisoner-of-war camp," locate enemy emplacements, assess troop movements and analyze bomb damage. During the 21st century GWOT campaigns of OEF and OIF, the venerable Lockheed U-2, in service since 1956, performed as it still does similar high altitude reconnaissance functions carrying 1st Reconnaissance Squadron colors.
The Squadron recruits and trains pilots who fly high-altitude reconnaissance flights around the world. After initial interviews, orientation flights, and selection for the program, new pilots undergo approximately six months of extensive training, including twenty sorties in the U-2. The 1st RS also trains mission planners who must know the wing's objectives, the aircraft and sensors capabilities, plus detailed information on target and threat assessment at specific locations. After planners complete training, they deploy to the overseas detachments and design flight tracks that allow pilots to gather the best data with the least personal risk. Since 1922, the 1st Squadron has been associated with the 9th Bomb Group and the USAF 9th Reconnaissance Wing, where it continues to be an active flying unit responsible for training all High-Altitude Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircrew for the U-2S Dragon Lady and the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Aircrew members consist of pilots, mission planners, and sensor operators. Training for all U-2S pilots includes additional qualification in the T-38A Talon, the companion trainer to the U-2S. The Squadron flies over 5,400 U-2S/T-38A training hours and 2,400 RQ-4 combat support hours annually. This program produces twenty-four U-2S pilots, forty-eight RQ-4 pilots, and thirty-six RQ-4 sensor operators each year. As of October 2023, Air Force Together We Served lists twelve members who served with the 1st RS.
You may not recognize the name, but you'll definitely recognize the face. Let's be honest: a Burt Young movie marathon is a day well spent. He appeared in more than 160 roles in 50 years in Hollywood, acting alongside the silver screen's most recognizable names: Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, and, of course, Sylvester Stallone. 
ving the service, he began boxing professionally, training with Charley Goldman, a boxing legend who also trained the heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. His manager was Cus D'Amato, whose clients included Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. That kind of training and support will take you as far as your natural talent will take you, and it was the same for Burt Young. After 17 wins and zero losses, he decided it was time for something else. 
By 1971, Young was appearing on the big screen next to George Segal and Robert De Niro in "Born to Win." The next year, he was in "Across 110th Street" with Anthony Quinn. "Chinatown" was released in 1974, and the year after that, he appeared in "The Killer Elite." His performance alongside James Caan and Robert Duvall impressed a young writer and actor who was casting a picture about a hard-luck boxer, Sylvester Stallone. 
One group of Veterans I find myself thinking about is elderly Veterans who, because of age or other reasons, aren't as visible. The reason I bring this up is because an FAQ I often receive is about their possible benefits. 
Eligibility also depends on net worth. Through the end of November 2023, the Veteran's net worth can not be greater than $150,538. Often, at this point, many assume the Veteran they are concerned about is not eligible because he owns a home. However, VA exempts certain items from the net worth computation – your home, car, and essential home items like appliances. Consequently, the Veteran living in his home but struggling due to limited resources may be eligible.
VA provides a Survivor Pension, which would be relevant here. It provides a tax-free payment to the un-remarried spouse or unmarried children of an eligible deceased Veteran. The deceased Veteran must meet the service and discharge requirements described above. The wife must also meet the net worth requirements. So, yes, under certain circumstances, just like the Veterans Pension, the Survivor Pension could assist the surviving wife.
When not engaged in firefights, ambushes, movement to contact or under mortar fire, and RPG attacks for days, weeks, and months on end, we Marines of Fox Company were continuously exposed to the relentless monsoon rains and the ever-present threat of tripping boobytraps. Many of these memories will be directly relevant to what we collectively experienced, how we lived, and what we endured. I think you will agree that Once a Marine, always a Marine. This is our creed!!!
Being a Marine is about being strong but knowing when to be gentle, being brave but not foolishly reckless, being proud without being overbearing, being serious but not unreasonable, setting high goals but knowing when to settle for less, and being compassionate without being soft. 
For me, these are emotionally laden memories as I also vividly recall my first combat command as an Infantry Platoon Commander. That recollection is punctuated by the faces of the young Marines whom I was privileged to lead. In combat, your time is spent constantly living in the elements, continually aware of your environment, and knowing that your adversary is hunting you as well as you are hunting him. Although you and your Marines are continually exhausted, you must not fail to be situationally aware and extremely alert. Consequently, when your radio operator trips a booby trap, you must have the presence of mind to intuitively take immediate action. 
Now, let me leave you with this image of the Marines from my youth while operating on the doorsteps of Hell. In my mind’s eye, I can still see them clearly in a drizzly world of wet misery. 
Webster's Dictionary defines amalgam as "a mixture or blend", making it the perfect word to describe Vietnam veteran Robert Engelmeier's experience in country, as well as his 2023 memoir of it.