As a fitting tribute to our Members of Together We Served, your service to our country is now honored in our Roll of Honor, the most powerful online display of Living, Fallen and Deceased Veterans existing today. Our 1.67 million Veteran Members, who served from WWII to present day, now have a dedicated entry displaying a brief service summary of their service and their photo in uniform if posted.

You can find your Roll of Honor entry easily - click on the graphic below and select your service branch. Then enter your Last Name in the search window at top right and scroll down. Please check your entry for accuracy and Log in to TWS to update any information on your Profile Page, such as your Last Unit, and add your service photo for completeness if you haven't already done so. 

If you have any questions regarding your entry in our Roll of Honor, please don't hesitate to contact us at Admin@togetherweserved.com or contact our Live Help Desk at the bottom left of your TWS website.
 

 

Do you have old photos from your service days stashed away in a drawer or in a shoe box in your attic? Old photos fade with time and if they are not scanned and preserved digitally, they risk eventually being lost forever.

This is where TWS can help. We have just invested in a high quality Fujitsu book and photo scanner that can scan any size of photo or yearbook. As a service to our members, we would like to offer you a free photo scanning service for your most significant photos from your service which we will then return to you, in original condition, along with a CD containing your photo files.

In addition, we can upload your photos for you to your Photo Album on your TWS Service Profile which will also appear in your Shadow box and available to you to access or download at any time.

Please contact us at Admin@togetherweserved.com for full details on this Free Service. 

 

By the summer of 1951, the Korean War had reached a stalemate as peace negotiations began at Kaesong. The opposing armies faced each other across a line which ran with many twists and turns along the way from east to west, through the middle of the Korean peninsula, a few miles north of the 38th parallel. UN and communist forces jockeyed for position along this line, clashing in several relatively small but intense and bloody battles. 

One bloody ground battle took place from August 18 to September 5, 1951. It began as an attempt by UN forces to seize a ridge of hills which they believed were being used as observation posts to call in artillery fire on a UN supply road.

It was a joint operation conducted by South Korean and the U.S. Army's 2nd Division. Their mission was to seize a ridge of hills used by the North Koreans as observation posts to call in artillery fire on a UN supply road. Leading the initial attacks was the 36th ROK Regiment. It succeeded in capturing most, but not all, of the ridge after a week of fierce fighting that at times was hand to hand. It was a short-lived triumph, for the following day the North Koreans recaptured the mountain in a fierce counterattack. 

The next assault was made by the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Division. The battle raged for ten days, as the North Koreans repulsed one assault after another by the increasingly exhausted and depleted U.S. forces. After repeatedly being driven back, the 9th succeeded in capturing one of the hill objectives after two days of heavy fighting. The weather then turned to almost constant rain, greatly slowing the attacks and making operations almost impossible because of the difficulty in bringing supplies through "rivers of mud" and up steep, slippery slopes.

Fighting continued, however, and casualties mounted. The 2nd Division's 23rd Infantry Regiment joined the attack on the main ridge while the division's other infantry regiment, the 38th Infantry Regiment, occupied positions immediately behind the main ridge which threatened to cut off any North Korean retreat. The combination of frontal attacks, flanking movements and incessant bombardment by artillery, tanks, and airstrikes ultimately decided the battle. Over 14,000 artillery rounds were fired in a 24-hour period. Finally, on September 5, 1951, the North Koreans abandoned the ridge after UN forces succeeded in outflanking it.

The American soldiers called the piece of terrain they had taken "Bloody Ridge." which indeed it was: 2,700 UN and perhaps as many as 15,000 communists were casualties, almost all of them killed or wounded with few prisoners being taken by either side. The much higher communist casualties were probably caused by poor discipline in the KPA and constraining orders so strict to the point where subordinate leaders were often not allowed to withdraw under any conditions, in which case the entire unit would be blooded. Even when permission was granted for a withdrawal, it often came only after the large majority of troops in the unit had been killed.

 After UN forces withdrew from Bloody Ridge, the North Koreans set up new positions just 1,500 yards away on a seven-mile-long hill mass that quickly earned the name "Heartbreak Ridge."

The month-long battle took place between September 13th and October 15th, 1951and was one of several major engagements in the hills of North Korea a few miles north of the 38th parallel-the pre-war boundary between North and South Korea.

If anything, the Communist defenses were even more formidable here than on Bloody Ridge. The U.S. 2nd Infantry Division's acting commander, Brig. Gen. Thomas de Shazo, and his immediate superior, Maj. Gen. Clovis E. Byers, the X Corps commander, seriously underestimated the strength of the North Korean position. 

They ordered a single infantry regiment, the 23rd, and its attached French Battalion, to make what would prove to be an ill-conceived assault straight up Heartbreak's heavily fortified slopes.

All three of the 2nd Division's infantry regiments participated, with the brunt of the combat borne by the 9th and 23rd Infantry Regiments, along with the attached French Battalion. 

The initial attack began on September 13th and quickly deteriorated into a familiar pattern. First, American aircraft, tanks, and artillery would pummel the ridge for hours on end, turning the already barren hillside into a cratered moonscape. Next, the 23rd's infantrymen would clamber up the mountain's rocky slopes, taking out one enemy bunker after another by direct assault. Those who survived to reach the crest arrived exhausted and low on ammunition. The inevitable counterattack soon came-waves of North Koreans determined to recapture the lost ground at any cost. Many of these counterattacks were conducted at night by fresh troops that the North Koreans were able to bring up under the shelter of neighboring hills. Battles begun by a bomb, bullet and shell were inevitably finished by grenade, trench knife and fists as formal military engagements degenerated into desperate hand-to-hand brawls. Sometimes dawn broke to reveal the defenders still holding the mountaintop.

The battle progressed for two weeks. Because of the constricting terrain and the narrow confines of the objectives, units were committed piecemeal-one platoon, company or battalion at a time. Once a unit could no longer stand the strain a replacement would take its place until the 23rd Infantry as a whole was fairly well shattered.

Several units up to company size of 100�??200 men were wiped out. The Americans employed massive artillery barrages, airstrikes, and tanks in attempts to drive the North Koreans off the ridge, but the KPA proved extremely hard to dislodge.
 
Finally, on September 27th the 2nd Division's new commander, Maj. Gen. Robert N. Young, called a halt to the "fiasco" on Heartbreak Ridge as American planners reconsidered their strategy.

As long as the North Koreans could continue to reinforce and resupply their garrison on the ridge, it would be nearly impossible for the Americans to take the mountain. After belatedly recognizing this fact, the 2nd Division crafted a new plan that called for a full division assault on the valleys and hills adjacent to Heartbreak to cut the ridge off from further reinforcement. Spearheading this new offensive would be the division's 72nd Tank Battalion, whose mission was to push up the Mundung-ni Valley west of Heartbreak to destroy enemy supply dumps in the vicinity of the town of Mundung-ni.

It was a bold plan, but one that could not be accomplished until a way had been found to get the 72nd's M4A3E8 Sherman tanks into the valley. The only existing road was little more than a track that could not bear the weight of the Shermans. To make matters worse, the road was mined and blocked by a six-foot (2 m) high rock barrier built by the North Koreans. Using shovels and explosives, the men of the 2nd Division's 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion braved enemy fire to clear these obstacles and build an improved roadway. While they worked, the division's three infantry regiments-9th, 23rd and 38th-launched coordinated assaults on Heartbreak Ridge and the adjacent hills.
 
By October 10 everything was ready for the main operation. On October 11th, led by more than 30 tanks and supported by artillery and airplanes, the 2nd Division started advancing into the valley. The sudden onslaught of a battalion of tanks racing up the valley took the enemy by surprise. By coincidence, the thrust came just when the Chinese 204th Division was moving up to relieve the North Koreans on Heartbreak Ridge. The Chinese unit under fire was the 610th Regiment of the 204th Division (Commander: Wenfang Luo), dispatched by the 68th Army (Commander: Niansheng Wen). The regiment's mission was to reinforce the North Korean defense along the valley against a possible American armored offensive; more specifically, it was ordered to prevent the Americans from reaching the town of Mundung-ni at all costs.

 Before the Chinese could dig in, the 2nd Division had already started the attack. Caught in the open, the Chinese division suffered heavy casualties from the American tanks as the armored vehicles penetrated to a depth of 6 km of the Chinese defense lines and caused great damage. However, the 610th Regiment managed to damage five Sherman tanks before the Americans halted the offensive. 

On October 12th the 2nd Division began an airborne and artillery bombardment that lasted for two hours on Hill 635 and Hill 709 before the 23rd Regiment, led by 48 tanks, assaulted Chinese defensive positions. Having learned the American tactics from the previous day, the 610th Regiment of the Chinese army had already reinforced the anti-tank trenches flanking the road that runs through the Mundung-ni Valley; in addition, a battalion of anti-tank guns was assigned to the regiment (49 infantry guns, recoilless guns, and rocket launchers were also distributed among the front-line soldiers.) At point-blank range, the Chinese soldiers fired upon the advancing American tanks. Before the 23rd halted the assault at 4 pm, the Chinese had destroyed or damaged 18 tanks.

The 23rd Regiment did not assault the hills on the next day. The South Korean 8th Division, however, starting from October 13, launched its attack on hills 97, 742, 650, 932 and 922. These battles were subsequently known to be brutal and costly; for example, a company of the Chinese 610th Regiment was defending hill 932. Under the attack of four South Korean battalions, the company resisted for four days to the last man before the South Korean army took the hill on its 11th assault. 

On October 14th eight Sherman tanks in arrow formation attacked the Chinese positions along Mundung-ni Valley. All the tanks were knocked out by the crossfire of Chinese anti-tank guns. Two more were lost on October 19th due to mines. During the five days, the Shermans roared up and down the Mundung-ni Valley, over-running supply dumps, mauling troop concentrations and destroying approximately 350 bunkers on Heartbreak and in the surrounding hills and valleys. A smaller tank-infantry team scoured the Sat'ae-ri Valley East of the ridge, thereby completing the encirclement and eliminating any hope of reinforcement for the beleaguered North Koreans on Heartbreak Ridge.

The armored thrusts turned the tide of the battle, but plenty of hard fighting remained for the infantry before French soldiers captured the last communist bastion on the ridge on October 13th. 

After 30 days of combat, the Americans and French eventually gained the upper hand and secured Heartbreak Ridge. Yet the Sherman tanks did not penetrate through the Mundung-ni Valley and reach the town of Mundung-ni after 38 of the armored vehicles were destroyed and nine were damaged. The defense of the Mundung-ni Valley (or as it is known today in North Korea, the Battle of Height 1211) is today celebrated as a great victory in North Korea, with a claim of a total of 29,000 enemy casualties (certainly inflated), 60 tanks destroyed and 40 airplanes shot down: North Korean propaganda today enhances the defense of the heights around the valley and a number of significant acts of courage and sacrifice (real or alleged) committed during the battle. Actually, the failure of the Allied offensive inside the valley and the heights above gave to the North Korean Army one of the few victorious actions during the last phase of the war.

Both sides suffered high casualties-over 3,700 American and French and an estimated 25,000 North Korean and Chinese. These losses made a deep impression on the UN and US command, which decided that battles like Heartbreak Ridge were not worth the high cost in blood for the relatively small amount of terrain captured.

However, the UN offensives were to continue with equally high casualty rates for the 1st Cavalry in Operation Commando, and the 24th Division in Operation Nomad-Polar, which was the last major offensive conducted by UN forces in the war.

Public opinion had by this time turned against "limited-objective" operations of this nature, and military censorship resulted in far less media focus on the other October battles that followed Heartbreak Ridge.

Heartbreak Ridge is regarded as a good illustration of simple lessons. First among them as in World War I and World War II, simply using tremendous quantity of firepower did not guarantee victory in mountainous terrain. For attacks to succeed, attacks had to be made on a large scale and combining maneuver where possible. Even then attacks in the mountains would be a slow and laborious process, even where the enemy was vastly outnumbered and suffering grotesquely disproportionate casualties. In this sense what Heartbreak Ridge also showed was that the U.S. Military could be amazingly stubborn about having to re-learn the same lessons over and over again.

In the case of Heartbreak Ridge, it emerged as the consequence of an earlier, also bloody battle for the aptly named Bloody Ridge, where lightly-armed Communist troops used terrain to negate some of the effects of UN firepower, and relied chiefly on stubbornness and willpower to protract the fighting in this first stage. 

In spite of the fanatical nature of the Communist resistance on Bloody Ridge, UN troops assigned to Heartbreak Ridge which consisted initially of a U.S. infantry regiment and a French battalion to capture this ridge. Against them were dug in a large number of far more lightly armed North Korean and Chinese troops. 

The result was that the UN forces prepared a full-strength divisional attack on the ridge, using concentrated armor in an attempt to outflank the North Koreans. By this time the Chinese were preparing to send their own reinforcements, which is one of those chance co-incidences possible in warfare collided with UN troops which had managed to clear means through a minefield-ridden defensive position for the armored strikes to start pushing through. 

At the same time, UN infantry forces began what proved to be an unpleasantly slow, slogging drive against a primarily North Korean defense. The Chinese troops, unpleasantly for them but happily for the UN got caught in the open by the armored detachment, were massacred, but the UN found that mountains canalize armor, and from this one incident at the start came far more slow, steady slogging of air, infantry, and armor that would finally take Heartbreak Ridge at the close of a month's worth of major combat, between September and October of 1951. The result was an increasing tendency among UN troops to decide that such costly battles, with a sum total of 3,700 UN troops (as opposed to 25,000 Communists) were not a good augur for any kind of significant breakthrough operation. 

Editor's Note: A well-written story of one man's experience on Heartbreak Ridge gives a personal account on what it was like to fight in this bloody battle. He is Sgt. 1st Class Bill Wilson who served as a Platoon Sergeant in Company I, 23rd Regiment 2nd Division U.S. Army during the Ridge. 

http://www.accesskansas.org/kskoreanwar/stories/story_wilson2.html


 

On December 6-8, 1915, the Allies met in France for the Second Chantilly Conference, which would lay the groundwork for World War I's Battle of the Somme, a four and a half month-long battle in France that would prove to be one of the war's bloodiest.

At the Second Chantilly Conference, held in early December 1915, the Allies agreed to coordinate simultaneous offensives to exhaust German resources and manpower. As part of this, the British and French agreed to a joint French-led offensive on the Somme River for the summer of 1916. But the Germans attacked the French at Verdun in February, forcing the British to shoulder the bulk of the planned Somme offensive, which developed the subsidiary purpose of relieving pressure on the French at Verdun.

The Somme offensive, stretching along a front 25 miles long, began with artillery barrages on June 24h that lasted a week. The plan was to so overwhelm the Germans with the bombardment that the infantry would have a relatively easy time. However, the bombardment was largely ineffective, which meant that when the infantry climbed out of the trenches on July 1 and crossed into No Man's Land, they were cut down by German machine guns and artillery. It was the single bloodiest day in British army history, with nearly 60,000 British casualties, a third of them killed.

While there was some success in breaking through the German front line along the southern part of the front on that first day of the battle, there was no real progress along the majority of the line. The Battle of the Somme would last for 4 1/2 months, with periods of renewed fighting. One of the most notable of these was the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the first time tanks were used in battle.
By the time the Battle of the Somme finally ended in November with inconclusive results, both sides had sustained high casualties, with more than a million total killed, wounded, captured, or missing, making it one of the bloodiest battles of the war.


 

Together We Served is pleased to feature one of our Association Partners, the USS America Carrier Veterans Association.

The USS America Carrier Veterans Association is a group dedicated to preserving the history and stories of the Sailors and Marines who served on the USS America. 

If you would like more information on the The USS America Carrier Veterans Association and how to join, please contact NTWS member Carl Mottern at aw1cfmottern@yahoo.com or visit their website at https://www.ussamerica.org



 

More than likely, many of us have seen the 1963 American World War II epic film "The Great Escape" based on a real escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from a German POW Camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Sir Richard Attenborough.

The film is based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 book of the same name, a non-fiction first-hand account of the real mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Zagan, Poland), in the province of Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany. The characters are based on real men, and in some cases are composites of several men. As in any films depicting real events, many details of the actual escape attempt were changed for the film, and the role of American personnel in both the planning and the escape was largely fabricated.

The actual escape attempt took place one night in late March 1944 when 76 Allied Airmen escape through a tunnel from their Prisoner of War Camp deep in occupied Poland. Their aim was not only to get back to Britain and rejoin the war but also to cause as much inconvenience for the German war machine as possible.

Within a few days, all but three of the escapees were recaptured, having been hampered by incorrect papers, bad weather, and bad luck. The escape so infuriated Hitler that he ordered 50 of them to be shot. They were executed singly or in pairs. 

The breakout from Stalag Luft III has become an iconic event of the Second World War, enshrining both Allied bravery and Nazi evil.

But how much of what we know is true?

Myth 1: Airmen had a duty to escape from their POW Camps
One of the most enduring myths about the Great Escape is that the POWs had a duty to escape. Indeed, the myth is so persistent that even some former prisoners maintain they had an obligation to break out of their camps. The short answer is that there was none.

When they were shot down, Allied Airmen were indeed expected to avoid being captured, but once they were in the hands of the enemy, there was no formal expectation that they should try to escape. Instead, as one former POW has said: "There was a kind of corporate policy of intent that it was part of our duty to play a part in escape arrangements."

In other words, the duty to escape was an expectation of how Airmen should behave - rather like the expectation that they should be brave - and there was nothing in the King's Regulations that stipulated that the men had to escape.

Indeed, surprisingly, two-thirds of POWs had little or no interest in breaking out, and regarded escape activities with wariness - an attitude that is certainly at odds with the common celluloid depiction of Allied POWs all being desperate to escape. Many were glad not to have to fight anymore and felt that they had 'done their bit', and had no wish to risk their lives once more. Others felt that they lacked the necessary escape skills - such as languages or simple physical ability and that their time could be better spent studying or improving themselves.

In fact, there was often hostility between the 'stayers' and the 'goers'. In one camp, it grew so bad that one POW threw over the wire a tin containing a note which informed the Germans that there was a tunnel being built.

Myth 2: The Great Escape took place in beautiful weather
In the movie The Great Escape, the action is played out in glorious spring sunshine that really shows off the use of colored film stock. However, in reality, the escape took place in unseasonably bad conditions, with the temperature hovering around zero, and a thick layer of snow on the ground. According to one POW, it was the coldest winter that that part of Poland had suffered for 30 years, and it was these conditions that did more to hamper the efforts of the escapees than anything else.

Many were equipped with totally unsuitable clothes, such as lightweight trousers that would normally only be issued in the desert, and boots quickly became waterlogged as the escapees tramped through woods and streams. Many came close to suffering from frostbite and were forced to sleep in obvious shelters such as barns, which only increased the likelihood of them being captured.

Myth 3: The escape opened up a new front inside Germany
One of the supposed objects of the Great Escape was that it would help the war effort by wasting German time and manpower - resources that would otherwise be used on the frontline.

Unfortunately, such thinking was misguided. When the Germans searched for the escapees, they only used whatever existing capacity they had within the Reich. They certainly did not requisition fighting men for the hunt.

The escape actually helped the German war effort, as, during the large-scale hunts, thousands of other escaping POWs, regular prisoners, and absent foreign workers were rounded up in the dragnet. In fact, as a result of the Great Escape, the Nazis tightened the Reich's internal security and thus made it harder for other Allied Prisoners of War also trying to escape. Therefore, the idea that the Great Escape somehow 'opened a front' inside Germany is simply wishful thinking.
 
Myth 4: The Great Escape was unique
It wasn't. Throughout the war, there were plenty of mass escapes organized by Allied POWs. There were some 11 'great escapes' carried out by British prisoners alone before March 1944.

One example is the March 1943 escape from the POW camp at Szubin, Poland, in which 43 Allied Airmen tunneled out. All the men were recaptured, apart from one, who sadly drowned.

The Germans ridiculed mass breakouts, dismissing them as futile acts of bravado - and the resulting increase in security made mass escapes less likely to succeed. In fact, in Stalag Luft III, one German advised POWs to escape in twos and threes to improve their chances of getting home!
 
Myth 5: There was a motorbike chase
Of all the scenes in The Great Escape, that of Virgil Hilts, played by Steve McQueen, trying to jump over the border wire on his motorbike while being chased by hundreds of Schmeisser-toting Germans is the most memorable. It's certainly a thrilling sequence, but it has no basis in truth.

None of those who escaped from Stalag Luft III even used so much as a bicycle to get away. The motorbike scene is so gross a misrepresentation of the true escape that former POWs booed it when they were shown the movie!

Hilts's nationality also flags up another myth about the escape - that Americans were part of the breakout. Although US Airmen watched out for patrolling Germans during the tunnel's construction, the commandant moved them to a different compound a few months before the escape.

As The Great Escape is an American film, it is unsurprising that the hero is an all-American boy complete with baseball glove and ball. But, in reality, there was no Virgil Hilts.


 

TWS has nearly 1.7 million members who served in a wide range of units, ships, squadrons and duty stations. Get more people to your Reunion by sending your Reunion information to us in the following format and we will post it for free in our Reunion Announcements on Together We Served, in emails that go to our members and in our Newsletters.

Please contact us at admin@togetherweserved.com with the following details of your Reunion:

Your Reunion Name:
Associated Unit or Association:
Date Starting:
Date Finishing:
Place Where Held:
City:
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Contact Phone Number:
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Other Comments: 

 

Exercise Tiger is one of Britain's most harrowing wartime secrets. It involved the slaughter of young American soldiers on the shores of a Devon beach.

At the time the incident was hastily covered up, and the bodies of the GIs who were killed were buried in complete secrecy.

If Allied high command wanted to use Exercise Tiger to give their soldiers a taste of what they would experience during the D-Day landings, they cut far too close to the core. The sea ran red with their blood as corpses bobbed in the surf.

Officially, the deaths were attributed to a surprise attack launched by German E-boats the day after the exercises. The authorities have never acknowledged what happened on Slapton Sands on April 27, 1944, although as time has passed information about the tragedy has become more widespread.

The whole point of the exercise was to make the dress rehearsal as realistic as possible. Dummy enemy positions were built alongside concrete pillboxes. There were 30 men in each assault team armed with flamethrowers, bazookas, machine guns, and mortars.

Slapton was the perfect place to carry out the exercise. The beach consists of coarse gravel and is similarly shaped to the one in Normandy where the real assault would take place.

To make the exercise as realistic as possible, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered that live ammunition was to be used. He wanted it to smell, look and feel like a real battle. He wanted the men to experience seasickness, wet clothes, and the pressure that comes with performing under fire. Instead of giving the soldiers a taste of what would be waiting for them in Normandy, the mock German defenders cut down their comrades in droves.

The Guardian newspaper at the time reported how Lieutenant-Colonel Edwin Wolf heard shots zinging past his ear and saw infantrymen hit the beach and remain there motionless. Royal Engineer Jim Cory recalled that men were 'mown down like ninepins' before counting 150 fatalities.

An error in communication was also responsible for further friendly fire deaths. During the landing, a naval bombardment was supposed to fire rounds over the top of the assaulting troops. However, American Admiral Don P. Moon delayed the exercise by an hour. When the second wave of GIs hit the beach, they came under fire from artillery, suffering an unknown number of casualties.

The official death toll of Exercise Tiger was 749 men, which is more than perished at the hands of the real enemy during the Utah beach landings. It was the worst loss of life since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

Officially, many of the deaths were assigned to the Battle of Lyme Bay. It occurred the morning after the training when a Convoy T-4, which consisted of eight landing craft carrying men from the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, was attacked by German E-boats in Lyme Bay.

Two ships had been assigned to protect the convoy, but only one was present. Because of a typographical error, the British and Americans were on different radio frequencies and could not properly coordinate. As a result, they were in the dark about the danger lurking below the depths.

The Germans ruthlessly attacked the landing craft, sending men overboard and sinking others. 496 servicemen were on board; 424 died. After the Nazis had launched torpedoes, Allied commanders ordered boats to scatter to avoid more casualties.

It was a death sentence to those still bobbing in the sea. Men died from exposure to the elements but more died because they put their life jackets on around their waists instead of under their armpits. Doing so turned them onto their fronts and forced their faces under water.

As a result of the Battle of Lyme Bay, the Normandy invasion was nearly called off. Ten officers with BIGOT-level clearance were missing. That level of clearance meant they knew about the invasion plans and subsequently their capture would have compromised the Allies.

In the aftermath of the disaster, there were multiple reports of mass graves being dug in the Devon countryside to hide the shameful carnage that had been carried out that day. The Guardian reported anecdotal evidence that supported the claim, although it was fiercely disputed.

There were some lessons gained from the grim episode - albeit ones that would seem like common sense now. Radio frequencies were standardized. Better life jacket training was also put in place for soldiers, and guidance was provided for small craft to pick up survivors who were floating in the water on D-Day.

All that cannot hide the fact that the death toll was completely unacceptable and the cover-up was shameful. Those men should never have met their death in a training exercise on friendly soil and the lessons learned from the exercise can never mitigate that.


 

By popular request, we are pleased to offer our Members your very own Together We Served Military Store with a whole range of items to peak your interest including custom shirts and caps, jackets, decals, badges, automotive and items for the home.

Now you can also purchase custom Together We Served branded merchandise. Please check out our range of ball caps, polo shirts, T-shirts, jackets and windbreakers HERE.

Our Store is offered in cooperation with Military Best, one of the most trusted suppliers in the United States, who offer a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on all items purchased. Many items are made in the USA and a proportion of the proceeds from your purchase help support our military's underfunded MWR programs.

We appreciate your feedback at admin@togetherweserved.com your comments regarding what you like, what you like less and if there are any additional items you would like us to stock.  

 

If you wish to make a post to our new Bulletin Board - People Sought,  Assistance Needed, Jobs Available in Your Company, Reunions Pending, Items for Sale or Wanted, Services Available or Wanted, Product or Service Recommendations, Discounts for Vets, Announcements, Death Notices - email it to us at admin@togetherweserved.com.

Volunteer of the Month
SSgt Larry Caldwell
US Marine Corps
(1964-1977)

SSgt Caldwell has been a member of Marines Together We Served since almost the very beginning of TWS. Feb 2, 2005. His member number is 4 digits.
 
From the beginning, Larry was good at spotting posers, wannabes and pretenders. He made it part of his every day routine to look through our index of members as well as the new joins to make sure that no one was there that shouldn't be.

In 2014 he officially joined our Profile Integrity Team.

Thank you, Larry, for all your hard work to make TWS the best it can be.

You can view Larry's shadow box here: http://marines.togetherweserved.com/bio/Larry.E.Caldwell

Service Reflections Video of the Month 
#TributetoaVeteran - Cpl David Engler, U.S. Marine Corps, 1942-1946
 

Looking for Army and Marine Corps Volunteers Memorial Team
Do you have a passion for making sure that all of our Fallen are not forgotten? This is the team for you. We have Fallen profiles that have either been orphaned or created by someone who has not been online for a very long time and there is nothing in those profiles. TWS is working to make sure that all of our Fallen profiles are as complete as possible.

If you're interested in joining our Memorial Team, please contact us at admin@togetherweserved.com

TWS Brochures Available
Do you have a reunion coming up and would like to spread the word about Together We Served? We now have brochures available that helps explain a little bit about who we are and what we do.

Send your requests to admin@togetherweserved.com. Please include your name and address along with how many brochures you require.

TWS Invite Cards
Did you know we have Together We Served invite cards that you can hand out to any veteran you meet? It even has a place to put your name, service branch and member number so you get credit for the invite.

If you would like some cards, email us your name and address to admin@togetherweserved.com and we will get them in the mail to you.

Behind the Scenes at Together We Served
Happy New Year!

There are so many different features of Together We Served that it sometimes may be a bit overwhelming. For instance, did you know we have a feature where you can either build a page for a family member from any service or add an existing page to your family?

There are many of our members who are the family historians. They have clicked on Remember a Veteran and built a page for their ancestors. We have quiet a few profiles that are go back to the Revolutionary War. Even more from the Civil War. We even have a member who is going through his local cemetery to build a page for every veteran buried there.

Once you have added members to your family, you'll see a button under your photo that says Family Who Served. Click it and you will see your family in a brief shadow box format. To see this image in larger format, click here.

You can also view a short video here that will walk you through the steps.

VA and Other News
VA's High-Tech Health Care Improvement Center
Continuous improvement is a priority at VA. And every day, we're building on this commitment at our state-of-the-art health care improvement center, which opened earlier this year at our headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Here, employees are responsible for tracking the clinical performance of VA hospitals throughout the country, identifying any issues that arise, and making sure those issues get resolved quickly. This is made possible in part by a large multi-screen setup displaying maps and lists with various data points that workers can monitor, such as staffing, wait times and avoidable complications.

Although the center has only been operating for just a few months, it's already had many successes. For example, when the nurse vacancy rate became too high at a VA facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, the center's employees delivered assistance that resulted in a job fair along with same-day employment offers to dozens of nurses. And when the center was informed of a poorly functioning type of ultrasound probe at our Poplar Bluff location, workers immediately shared the information with other hospitals using the probe, which eventually led to a national recall.

Such progress is driven by ambitious professionals who share an unwavering dedication to excellence. If this sounds like you, consider some of the advantages to being on our team.

For starters, we provide outstanding benefits, including generous paid time off, flexible scheduling and other perks that will help you keep a healthy work-life balance. We also offer access to groundbreaking research, the latest technology, and inspirational leaders, all of which can help you perform at your best while continually growing as a professional. Most importantly, we give you the unique opportunity to improve Veterans' lives.

For more information on the center go to http://www.ksdk.com/article/news/nation-now/exclusive-va-goes-high-tech-with-uber-like-tracking-center-for-veteran-health-care/465-5c837f6d-7545-4289-b418-06a49030b862

Photograph of Great Grandfather in Uniform Inspires Teen to Film the Stories of WWII Veterans
When I was nine years old, I found a photograph of my late great-grandfather, Gene Therman Fancher in military uniform. Handwritten on the back of this aged black and white image was Italy, 1945. Being young, I had many questions regarding Gene Fancher, but very few answers from my family. Andy Fancher's grandfather in Italy during WWII

As it turned out, he spoke no detail of his personal World War II experience prior to his death in 1970. After a little research, I found out that my great grandfather's story was quite common, as this was the unfortunate case with so many WWII Veterans - such gallant narratives forever lost in time.

I felt a calling and realized WWII Veterans were in my hometown area of Dallas, Texas, but fading at a rapid rate.

And so, at the age of 16, I created a YouTube channel under my name and designated my project Andy Fancher Presents. The purpose of my time sensitive mission was simple; capture the first-hand accounts of our heroic WWII Veterans, and publish their stories.

That was nearly two years ago. I am a high-school senior now and have since then had the privilege of interviewing roughly 60 WWII Veterans. Sadly, seven of these individuals have passed away, leaving me the last to capture their story.

About the author: Andy Fancher is passionate about capturing the stories of World War II Veterans. To see some of his interviews, visit https://www.youtube.com/AndyFancher

Do Marines Really Need a New Parachute System? Congress Wants to Know
Lawmakers are calling on the Marine Corps to evaluate what its reconnaissance and special operations communities really need before investing in a new parachute.

A provision in the conference version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the service from fully investing in the enhanced multi-mission parachute system it wants until the secretary of the Navy submits a report evaluating whether other systems, such as the Corps' legacy multi-mission parachute, or the Army's new RA-1 system, would meet current mission requirements.

Cost-saving efforts like this are frequently found in the annual budget bill. Last year, lawmakers passed provisions that would keep the military from investing in new camouflage patterns without informing Congress and that slow-rolled the debut of the Navy's new unisex dress cover.

But the Corps' resident parachute expert told Military.com there's a reason the service has special parachute requirements.

Master Sgt. Mikel Latham, ground reconnaissance subject matter expert and parachute proponent for the Marine Corps, said contracting is underway for the enhanced multi-mission parachute, which is set to replace the legacy system after roughly a decade and a half of service life.

Contracting documents show the Marine Corps wants up to 1,200 of these parachutes, along with accessories including harnesses for working dogs and parachutist oxygen systems. While documents detail a range of specifications, Latham said a key feature is a drogue that serves to further slow descent in freefall.

This is a requirement specific to the Marines, who deploy aboard ships for a variety of amphibious missions and may not spend as much time on parachute training during deployments.

"Our recon teams are on the ships potentially for a long time," he said. "And they don't have the opportunity to maintain proficiency in that one skill. And our parachute kind of mitigates that risk. I hesitate to say it's safer, but it mitigates the risk of a guy who hasn't been able to maintain his currency and keep his jumps up."

It's easy to understand why Congress would not want to pay for different parachute systems for relatively small communities in the various services.

Last year, the Army inked a $99 million contract with Airborne Systems North America for the RA-1 Advanced Ram parachute to replace its MC-4 legacy system. That system does not include a drogue configuration.

"From our vehicles to our aircraft, we have a specific way of operating as a Marine Corps, and that's why our performance parameters are the way they are," Latham said. "If, for example, the other existing systems met that, that would be an easy adoption, but currently they don't meet all those parameters."

Drone Operator Faulted in NY Collision with Black Hawk
A recreational drone operator was at fault in the first confirmed midair collision in the U.S. between a drone and a manned aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday

The operator was unaware the Federal Aviation Administration had temporarily banned drone flights in New York when his small drone collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Sept. 21, the board said in a report on the incident. The U.N. General Assembly was meeting in New York at the time.

The helicopter suffered minor damage while the DJI Phantom 4 drone was destroyed, the report said.

The operator flew the drone 2.5 miles away despite a long-standing FAA prohibition on drone flights beyond the sight of an operator, the report said. The helicopter pilot saw the drone and tried to maneuver away from it, but it was too late to avoid the collision, the report said.

The collision occurred near Hoffman Island, just off Staten Island.

In his interview with investigators, the drone pilot "indicated that he was not concerned with flying beyond visual line of sight, and he expressed only a general cursory awareness of regulations and good operating practices," the report said.

The first confirmed drone collision with a commercial aircraft in North America took place in Quebec City, Canada, in October. The small drone crashed into a twin-propeller Beech 100 King Air with six passengers and two crew members aboard as the plane was descending to land. No one was injured, and the plane landed safely with only minor damage.

Robot Dog Will Help Marine Special Operators Practice Triage
A new extra-realistic robotic dog is helping troops with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command make sure they can save their four-legged battle buddies' lives when they are wounded or injured.

According to officials with MARSOC, which last held training sessions with the robot dog prototypes, the dog technology is under development by U.S. Special Operations Command and industry.

The dogs, which look like Belgian Malinois, can move realistically and have limbs swapped out to simulate a wide variety of injuries.

Previously, operators trained with "Critical Care Jerry" dogs, stuffed mannequins used by veterinarian emergency rooms to practice a variety of emergency medical procedures. While these dogs enable troops to practice intubation, splinting and resuscitation, their limited realism and inability to move presented a challenge for medical aid training.

Fielding of the new robot dog is expected to happen soon. According to a news release, production will begin in March, with fielding to the military canine force to begin as early as April.

Working dogs in U.S. special operations fill a wide range of roles and are an elite group, with a selection process almost as rigorous as that of their handlers.

The dogs are used to hunt down explosives, sniff out drugs and enemy fighters, and defend or attack when necessary. They go through rigorous training alongside their human partners and are conditioned to stay calm while performing tandem jumps out of airplanes and while in the noise and chaos of a firefight.

According to the MARSOC release, the robots will enable trainees to practice treating even some of the most severe of injuries, such as evisceration. The dog prototypes react when CPR is administered and show vital readings that stabilize when their injuries are treated properly.

"Having this capability during training helps you not second-guess yourself when deployed," a MARSOC multi-purpose canine handler, who was not publicly identified, said in a statement.

"You're able to realize that you've used these steps before in training, and they worked in training, so they will work when needed. As long as you continue with the steps and do everything properly, you'll be successful and save your dog," the handler said.

VA, DoD Report Faster Disability Claim Processing Times
The Department of Veterans Affairs and Defense Department have improved disability claims processing time for troops leaving the military - but there is still more to be done, officials told lawmakers Wednesday.

Officials with the VA, DoD and the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) testified Wednesday at a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee hearing on the agencies' pre-discharge claims programs.

"The most important element that we've seen in making improvements is, in fact, better coordination between the DoD and VA," said Elizabeth Etsy, a Democrat from Connecticut and ranking member on the disability assistance and memorial affairs subcommittee. "That's not easy to do, but it's essential if we're going to continue to make progress."

The VA and DoD's Integrated Disability Evaluation System (IDES), which rolled out in 2009, is designed to streamline the medical discharge or retirement and rating process for service members.

Instead of duplicating many appointments and paperwork, IDES is meant to push troops through with one set of appointments while processing their claim simultaneously.

In 2007, the disability process took an average 540 days from start to finish for the VA to deliver benefits. But in 2017, that timeline dropped to an average of 250 days, Terry Adirim, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for health policy, told lawmakers.

And once claims enter the system, the VA is processing them in an average of 81 days -- 102 days faster than in May 2014, when the subcommittee last examined the topic, said Willie Clark, the VA's deputy under-secretary for field operations.

The VA early this fall shut down a claims process known as "quick start" that allowed troops with 59 days or fewer left in service, considered a late start, to begin the VA disability claims process.

A new program known as Decision Ready Claims was put in place to allow current troops to work with veteran service organizations, such as the American Legion or VFW, to build a claim that can be submitted as soon as they are off active duty and, in theory, processed within 30 days.

While an official with the American Legion said his organization has not heard consistently negative feedback, an official with the VFW told the committee that eliminating the quick start program is forcing many veterans to wait to start a claim until after they get out.

In the past, he said, up to half of the claims the VFW helped process were in the quick start category.

And while the new Decision Ready process appears to be valuable, he said, the VA needs to provide a pre-discharge solution for those who do not meet that 60-day cutoff.

"It troubles us that VA is telling service members it will no longer work on up to 50 percent of pre-discharge claims until they officially leave the military," said Ryan Gallucci, the VFW's director for its national veterans' service.

Lawmakers said they plan to hold additional hearings on the disability process.

"I'm hoping we can find out ways that DoD and VA can make all of the pre-discharge processes more efficient for our nation's service members," said Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican who chairs the subcommittee.

Defense Intelligence Agency Stony Beach Specialist 
At long last, the Vietnamese Government has formally given approval for a DIA Stony Beach Specialist to be permanently assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. This is not only good news, it is the result of many, many years of effort, by the League, but also several US Ambassadors to Vietnam and others posted in Hanoi, most recently the immediate past US Ambassador to Vietnam, Ted Osius, and to patients on the part of successive DIA Directors. For the efforts of all who helped form the DIA Stony Beach Team in 1986, though reductions, attempts to reassign irreplaceable specialists, etc., the League is deeply grateful. 
 
The Stony Beach Team is comprised of highly trained specialists, language capable and culturally familiar investigators, capable of augmenting DPAA Investigation Teams, as they have done effectively for years despite having to rotate on a temporary basis in and out of Vietnam. This decision by the Vietnamese leadership is most welcome and deeply appreciated as it will expedite the investigation process to develop leads by interviewing firsthand witnesses before they pass from the scene.    
 
There has long been a permanent Stony Beach specialist in Cambodia, filling the gaps since the former JTF-FA Detachment was pulled out and its responsibilities since handled by Detachment 1 in Bangkok. The Stony Beach specialist was the on-site point-of-contact and invaluable link to the very high-level Cambodia POW/MIA Committee.
 
More recently, though a few years ago and after 14 years of consistent effort by the League, the Lao Government agreed to permit a Stony Beach specialist to be permanently assigned to the US Embassy in Vientiane.  Having said that, however, they have most often been restricted to working within the limited timeframe of in-country JFAs (Joint Field Activities).  
 
The ability for Stony Beach to work outside and in addition to the parameters of the JFAs, whether in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia, on a continuing basis and wherever opportunities arise is the objective and the best way to truly augment DPAA's policy and operational efforts.     
 
I thought a positive result from this longstanding priority objective was most definitely worthy of a note in celebration!
 
Ann Mills-Griffiths
Chairman of the Board & CEO
National League of POW/MIA Families
5673 Columbia Pike, Suite 100
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-465-7432
www.pow-miafamilies.org
The League is a tax-exempt, humanitarian
organization (23-7071242), approved as eligible for donations
through the Combined Federal Campaign, #10218

Details of the DIA Stoney Beach organization:
http://www.pow-miafamilies.org/uploads/9/1/5/0/91501560/dia-millerfrank_remarks_6-23-17.pdf
 

Our Vietnam Veterans Who Served in Thailand Need Our Help!

I am asking all my friends and your friends in the USA to write to their State Senators asking them to please pass Senate Bill S1205 to help our Veterans!! It is an easy task to send a letter that might help save or prolong a life or give a Veteran's family some further hope. Please use the letters from here - This document has letters addressed to all 50 states Senators. Send the letters asking them to support Senate Bill S2105 that is going to help our Vietnam Era Veterans who served in Thailand. 

 

Some of you may know that the US Government sprayed the defoliant/dioxin Agent Orange in Vietnam and around bases in Thailand. This defoliant was known to be harmful to humans yet they still sprayed us while we were there, and to this day they deny it!! After 40 years the Government has opened a bit and has approved VA support for those Veterans who stepped foot in the Republic of Vietnam. There are 15 some ailments associated with Agent Orange that are now presumptive for those who served in Vietnam, but not yet for those of us who served in Thailand. The government kept it a secret until 1989 that they even sprayed in Thailand!! 

 

Anyway, we need your support in getting this legislation passed through our government. Bill S2105 has been presented to the Senate and is in committee with a 14% chance of passing, so they say!! So please stand up and let's make a difference that will help our Veterans who are suffering from all the diseases caused by this defoliant. 

 

Don't forget to send this to all your contacts so that we can help focus our Senators attention to the things that we Americans think is important, supporting those who support us!! 

 

PLEASE HELP OUR VIETNAM VETERANS WHO SERVED IN THAILAND BY SUPPORTING SENATE BILL S2105. 

 

Respectfully,

NAME Bill Doss

EMAIL doss@thefreedompt.com

PHONE 317-698-4178

Attention Texans!

Available for Together We Served members only! Together We Served has two hard working marines that devote their time and energy to help our members find long lost friends that are not yet members of our site.

If you have someone you are looking for, please send name, age they would be now and where they were from to us at admin@togetherweserved.com and we'll get them on the case for you.

 

General
I just wanted to send a quick note to thank you so much for all you do. You're making a real difference to so many veterans. Thanks again!
~Norman Williamson, U.S. Air Force

Thank you for your service as TWS Dispatch editor. The articles are always informative and well-written. They remind me of the camaraderie and sense of purpose that we shared while on active duty. "Bravo Zulu!"
~ Pamela Camosy MD, U.S. Navy


 

Man's been killing man since the beginning of time;
Volumes have been written in prose and in rhyme.
While the beauty of words reveal the cost of it all,
What if everyone refused to answer the call?

So many friends whose names are a blank
Enlisted to serve and climbed up the rank;
Put on the front lines to challenge the foe,
New young recruits are so often laid low.

Living with wars has been a part of our life;
Soldiers with scars have lived through the strife.
While those who somehow avoided the call
Missed having their names appear on the wall.

My uncle died in service aboard a navy ship,
Near an island folks go for a holiday trip.
My dad could not recall what he did each day,
But wept about friends who had passed away.

Families have lost parents, sisters and sons,
While arms manufacturers create more efficient guns.
Bankers have financed both sides in the fight;
They remain hidden, never in the light.

We never are told why soldiers must die;
Never get their share of the American pie.
Those who wrote history told lies in their game;
Making money on war to achieve their fame.

Billions of people since Man learned to kill
Have been murdered to enforce some maniac's will.
Everyone's connected and we want to survive,
But there's no joy in living when society takes a dive.


 

Across the Potomac River from Washington D.C., directly opposite the white marble temple of Abraham Lincoln, lays this nation's most sacred of grounds, Arlington National Cemetery. 

Upon these hallowed grounds are buried some of our nation's finest from as far back as the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I and II, Korean War, Vietnam and Iraq, and Afghanistan. Some 310,000 men and women call Arlington their final resting place, while every day another 25 brave men and women join them. These, our countrymen, flawed and imperfect, stepped forward when called and did what they could for an ideal, be it Democracy or freedom or country, family or brother.

This book by Ron MacDonald is incredible in telling the true stories of 119 individuals buried in Arlington National Cemetery - stories so eloquently written of ordinary men and women who showed courage and bravery against insurmountable odds.

The author's writing style for each of the 119 stories in this anthology is to "speak" in the first person, thereby allowing the reader to get a true sense of each person's background, the war in which they were fighting and of his or her bravery and sacrifice.

Clearly, the author searched thousands of historical and eyewitness accounts to create individual stories of bravery and sacrifice. It is also obvious that he did extensive research on each individual, allowing him to understand who they were and what they were thinking.

Among the most famous heroes written about in this well-written anthology are Medal of Honor awardees Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, Maj. Audie Murphy, Col. Robert Howard, and Capt. Joe Hooper. There is WWII cartoonist Sgt. William "Bill" Mauldin and American Red Cross Nurse Harriet Gowen. Stories that come from the Civil War include Brig. Gen. John Gibbon. He also "speaks" for the Unknown Soldiers from both the Confederacy and the Union Armies. 

Each of the individuals featured in this book touched and changed for the better the world in which we live. These noble souls who reside in Arlington National Cemetery bid us to think of life, not death.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about those who served our country with honor, courage, and bravery in all our wars. You will also love the author's style in writing in the first person.

Reader Reviews
Ron is an amazing writer. His stories of heroism often brought me to tears as I read of the great sacrifices these people made in the name of freedom. Makes me proud to be an American. God bless the men and women who risked and gave their lives for our great country. Ron MacDonald has made America proud, reminding us of the true price of freedom. These are stories of average people who went above and beyond to defend freedom for every American. The white markers on an endless field of graves at Arlington National Cemetery are not just graves. They are where heroes lie. Rest in peace! 
~Kelley Pierson

Through his knowledge, Ron has accomplished the task of giving his readers a good understanding of what it's like to die in wartime. If you were any type of hero, like Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, you can actually end up being buried with honor at Arlington.

I really liked Ron's style of writing.
~James E. Hanna

Excellent read. A must have for any history buff
~Joseph A. Barrera

About the Author
A native Californian, Ron MacDonald has been an accomplished and published photographer for over 20 years. While traveling and photographing in Europe he visited many historical cemeteries, including Omaha Beach Cemetery, where he found his uncle's final resting place. His love history drove him to tell the untold stories of those who reside at Arlington National Cemetery

Editor's Notes: Arlington National Cemetery is a historic 624-acre burial ground on the Potomac River that honors the service and sacrifice of America's brave military and their families. 

Since the Civil War, more than 330,000 of our nation's fallen and veterans have been laid to rest at Arlington. When the Cemetery first opened on June 28, 1864 - it was not yet considered an honor to be buried at Arlington. Only those whose families could not afford to pay for a service or died unknown were interred there. No one then foresaw that Arlington Cemetery would become this country's greatest shrine to our fallen heroes.

Since its founding in 1866, Arlington National Cemetery has provided a solemn place to reflect upon the sacrifices made by the men and women of the United States Armed Forces in the name of our country.

Soldiers killed in the Revolutionary War were brought from a neighboring cemetery to Arlington in 1892, as were those killed in the War of 1812. That's what makes the cemetery unique among national memorials: It's a comprehensive representation of American military history, filled with stories of courage and service.

Arlington National Cemetery, the most famous cemetery in the country, is the final resting place for many of our nation's greatest heroes, and veterans of every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq and Afghanistan.