Meet Helo, Bubba and Oscar, three incredible military working dogs based at Fort Meade, Maryland. Together, with their Army Handlers, they protect the men & women of the United States Armed Forces both here and overseas. Read more
Kick Off!
Game starts at 1500 EDT
#GoNavy
#GoArmy
Navy: We Give a Ship
Clearing Afghanistan’s Caves
Clearing the caves in Afghanistan was a very dangerous phase in the war on terrorism — entering the underground fortresses of the al Qaeda. Most high-tech weaponry such as night-vision goggles won’t work in the total darkness of the caves. Instead, small groups of soldiers will have to go room to room with gun-mounted flashlights to hunt out the enemy. via CNN.com 
Read more
The Six Most Epic One Man Armies in the History of War: #3 Herbert Christian
Here’s a handful of men (6) who absolutely refused to go gently, instead opting to erupt violence like a volcano onto everything around them. I’ll post their stories individually.
#3. Herbert Christian
In June 1944, Private Herbert F. Christian was on a patrol in Central Italy with 12 other men when they were ambushed by a force of about 60 enemy soldiers rolling deep with three tanks at a range of only 30 yards. Understandably, Christian gave the signal to his patrol that they should probably get the hell out of there. Read more
Charges of communists in the U.S. Army raised: 1945
In testimony before the House Military Affairs subcommittee, the subcommittee’s chief counsel, H. Ralph Burton, charges that 16 officers and non-commissioned officers in the U.S. Army have pasts that “reflect communism.” The charges, issued nearly 10 years before Senator Joseph McCarthy would make similar accusations, were hotly denied by the U.S. Army and government. Read more
Quiz: Basic Army Knowledge
“Here are ten questions that test your basic knowledge of the United States Army.”
1. When would you most likely use the acronym S.P.O.R.T.S.?
During drill and ceremony
When setting up a site
When firing a weapon
During physical training Read more
Send Her My Love: Dearest AJ, March 28, 1945
Here’s the last set of letters sent from WWII Army Medic, Marty Mitchell to his darling, AJ. The war is coming to an end.
“… The war news is wonderful. It should be over soon.”
In the spring of 1945, the Fifth Army amassed more than a quarter of a million men for its final push north. It was the beginning of the end. Mitch could feel it.
March 28, 1945
“Your letter was wonderful. Oh! Anne it did so much for me. The men know that they can ask for almost anything on the days that I receive a letter from you. I can tell I have a letter from you before it gets into my hands because the mail clerk has a big smile when he comes up to me.
The war news is wonderful. It should be over soon. It would be a great gift from God if it would end before Easter Sunday.
…I am getting that spring feeling also and long more and more to be with you. Do you ever find me in your dreams? Most every night when I fall off to sleep I live over the times we were together – the things we did – what we said and the many things we should have said … Oh my sweet how I miss you. All my prayers are to get home in one piece to you…”
All yours,
Mitch
Throughout the war, Mitch and A.J. sometimes sent each other gifts. One time, Mitch got a bottle of liquor from A.J. Years later, she told her family how she did it. “You’d dig out the inside of the bread and put the bottle in and wrap it up good. You didn’t want them to shake it and know what it was. In the bread, it would be fine.”
Mitch loved it.
April 8, 1945
Dearest A.J.,
Today was a red letter day for me. I received two letters (wonderful letters) and a package from you. The package contained a wonderful bottle, which is at present being admired by two other officers. I don’t know how long it will be before the top will come off. The two officers (Davis & Fish) are pleading with me to open it up. I think I have teased them enough so here goes. It is real good … Just had another drink the second (both of them for you my sweet). Both Davis & Fish say thanks for your thoughtfulness.”
But the war was never far away.
… Oh! Anne I am praying for this war to end and to get home to you. The way it looks now Hitler is going to fight until the last German. I can’t understand how a few men can have such control over a country when the majority know that they are fighting for a lost cause. Such useless loss of life and limb. The Germans were supposed to be a smart race but … When they picked Hitler, that – – – – (fill in anything as long as it is real bad) is beyond me.
When you receive this letter we should be working real hard. Remember my sweet that I am always thinking of you and that you have all my love.
Yours,
Mitch
By April 1945, Mitch and the men of the Fifth Army were working real hard. The final push of the war was underway. The combined might of the U.S. Fifth Army and British Eighth Army broke through the remaining German forces and poured into the Po Valley and up to the foothills of the Alps. Finally, on May 2nd, the war in Italy was officially over. Mitch witnessed the victory and the final defeat of their implacable foe.
May 11, 1945
Dearest A.J.
Darling this is the first opportunity I had to write you since the wonderful defeat and surrender of the German Army. They were really beaten and out maneuvered.
I have so much to tell you that I don’t know where to begin. I wish I could take off right now so I could tell it to you in person. My name was in to go home this month, but since the end of hostilities all temporary duty to the U.S. has been canceled …
During this last drive we had many close calls and there were a few night that I will never forget. The Bn. (battalion) was very lucky not one man was lost. The first few days were very rough, but then prisoners started to roll in by the thousands. Oh! It was wonderful to see. We all knew that the end was in store a week before it was announced. When it did come there was very little celebrating. Did the people at home do much in the way of celebrating? Our greatest thrill will be landing in the good old U.S.A. where our loved ones are.
At present we are located in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian Alps. It is very beautiful. I don’t think I have ever seen such scenery in all my travels. Oh! How I wish I could enjoy it with you. It may be soon now. The mountains all around are snow capped and the valley and low hills are green-green and just covered with flowers …
My sweet I will close this letter as I have been interrupted so many times. Hoping to one of the lucky ones and home soon to you.
All my love,
Mitch
After the long Italian campaign, Mitch and the Fifth Army stood as victors but at a great price. By the cease-fire of May 2, the Fifth Army was engaged in continuous combat for more than 600 days, more than any other combat group during the war. They fought through rugged terrain, harsh, bitter weather, and a skillful and determined foe. It was a dogged advance of hundreds of miles. Throughout the war, the Fifth Army suffered more than 100,000 causalities. Who knows how many Mitch’s unit were treated.
For his service, Mitch was awarded the Bronze Star. His citation read:
SYLVESTER C. MITCHELL, First Lieutenant, Medical Administrative Corps, United States Army. For meritorious services in support of combat operations from 10 September 1944 to 2 May 1945, in Italy. Operating an ambulance control point, First Lieutenant Mitchell rendered praiseworthy service in the prompt and efficient evacuation of wounded men. Displaying keen foresight and resourcefulness, he made a sound and equitable distribution of causalities among the hospitals, insuring the most effective treatment of critical surgical cases. The initiative and untiring devotion to duty of First Lieutenant Mitchell are exemplary of the finest traditions of the Medical Department of the United States Army.”
Years after the war, Mitch took A.J. and his sister Peg to Italy and showed them the places where he served. Peg recalled a story Mitch told during that 1984 visit.
“There was quite a big battle and the Americans were losing … a German plane went over and dropped a bomb and it fell between the unit where your father was and where Tom (“Mitch’s brother) was. And each one thought the other’s unit got hit and your father took us to that spot where the bomb fell.” Peg recalled, “Nobody in Tom’s original unit ever came home.”
They also visited the American cemetery at Anzio. “It was sad” A.J. would say “hundreds and hundreds of crosses.” These were the ones who didn’t come home to their sweethearts. Mitch was 27 when he entered the service and 32 when he got out. He gave some of the best years of his life, but he knew others who had given the “last full measure of devotion” would not be coming back. Mitch like millions of other soldiers faced the dangers and witnessed the horrors of war. This generation – called the “greatest” by some – rose to the challenge of their age and defeated the tyranny threatening the world. But Mitch, like many veterans seldom mentioned the war when he came back. There was a family to raise and a country to rebuild.
The war was over but the romance went on. With Tom as his best man and Elly as her bridesmaid, Mitch and A.J. wed on November 17, 1945. Like many other young couples after the war, they lived in various places for a while including the Hotel Edison in Lynn, Mass., for six months. But by the fall of the next year, they settled into their first new home, an apartment right on the border of Lynn and Swampscott, Mass. It looked out over the Atlantic, the same ocean that kept them apart for three long years. But now they could walk its beaches and build the life they had longed for, hoped for, and prayed for. This new life deserved a good start and one last letter.
Nov. 20, 1946
My darling Wife,
I thought it would be proper and nice for me to be the sender of the first letter to you in our new home.
What memories are running thru my mind — Of the places where I used to be, and how far away you were when writing to you and how close you are now. This being my first letter to you since our marriage seems very strange esp. after leaving you this morning, in fact after just talking to you on the telephone about a chair for our home.
I wish so much for you and me. I hope that God will be good to us and protect and bless our home. I desire your happiness so much.
So my darling I wish you all the best in our new home.
Your loving,
Husband
God answered Mitch’s prayer. He was good to them. He gave Mitch and A.J. four children and later seven grandchildren. They lived through the Cold War, survived the tumultuous ’60s, endured financial setbacks, physical ailments and met the challenges of raising four children in an ever-changing world. Through 53 years of marriage, two constants remained: their unshakable faith in God and the enduring love they shared. It’s been years since they’ve been here. But when their children re-discovered these letters – this long silent heritage come alive, they bore witness to the love that survived between Mitch and his “dearest” A.J.
Used with Permission: @ Dearest AJ.
Related articles
A Soldier
There is discipline in a soldier
you can see it when he walks,
There is honor in a soldier
you hear it when he talks.
There is courage in a soldier
you can see it in his eyes,
There is loyalty in a soldier
that he will not compromise.
There is something in a soldier
that makes him stand apart,
There is strength in a soldier
that beats from his heart.
A soldier isn’t a title any man
can be hired to do,
A soldier is the soul of that man
buried deep inside of you.
A soldier’s job isn’t finished after
an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week,
A soldier is always a soldier
even while he sleeps.
A soldier serves his country first
and his life is left behind,
A soldier has to sacrifice what
comes first in a civilian’s mind.
If you are civilian –
I am saying this to you…..
next time you see a soldier
remember what they do.
A soldier is the reason our land
is ‘Home of the free’,
A soldier is the one that is brave
protecting you and me.
If you are a soldier –
I am saying this to you…..
Thank god for every soldier
Thank god for what you do.
BOWE BERGDAHL, AMERICAN POW IN US CUSTODY!
US POW HAS BEEN RELEASED! HE IS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE UNITED STATES! HE’S COMING HOME!
If anyone wants to welcome Bowe home, his support blog is here on WordPress! Leave a message for him there!
KEEP LIT FOR BOWE
POW Since Tuesday 30 June 2009
NEVER FORGET
LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND
Related articles
Tom Cruise Returns From 39th Combat Deployment To Burbank, California – Duffel Blog
MALIBU, CA — Saying that he’s so glad to be home after suffering extreme hardships while on the backlot of his latest combat tour, actor Tom Cruise has returned to Malibu after enduring nearly 40 deployments, sources confirmed today.
“Oh boy that last movie was brutal. Brutal,” said Cruise, who endures the same post-traumatic stress disorder as people who watched him in the film Vanilla Sky. “Oblivion was just like a war zone. I felt like I could have been killed at any moment.”
Sources confirmed that Cruise, who has a net worth of roughly $270 million, patrolled the dangerous streets of the Relativity Media backlot daily and was awarded his fourth Purple Heart medal for stubbing his toe last month while in his trailer.
“We lost a lot of good takes out there,” said James Elwood, his stunt double.
The City of Malibu announced a homecoming ticker-tape parade to celebrate his return on Monday, and the Department of Veterans Affairs had approved the disability claim he submitted years ago for depression caused by viewing the film Lions for Lambs.
“It’s just been really rough out here and it’s good to be back,” Cruise told reporters. “I feel like I just got back from flying a cargo plane full of rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong.”
At press time, the U.S. Army had awarded Cruise with an honorary Silver Star (with V for vagina) and an expert infantryman badge.
LEGAL
We are in no way, shape, or form, a real news outlet. Everything on this website is satirical and the content of this site is a parody of a news organization. No composition should be regarded as truthful, and no reference of an individual, company, or military unit seeks to inflict malice or emotional harm.
All characters, groups, and military units appearing in these works are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual military units and companies is purely coincidental.
via Tom Cruise Returns From 39th Combat Deployment To Burbank, California – Duffel Blog.
“Knock Knock”
The following pictures show us how doors are opened in a combat zone. I wonder if–out of habit–doors have [almost] been opened this way once the Soldier is stateside? 😉 A veteran told that simply driving had to be “re-learned” when he returned home. (The middle of the road is how “they roll” on missions in Iraq & Afghanistan as to avoid IED’s as much as possible). My veteran friend said being aware of his surroundings and staying focused was needed until he got used to driving here again; now he and his wife and kids don’t have to take separate vehicles when they go out. (He said that in jest).
If anyone reading this has a story of driving or opening/creating doorways, I’d welcome them in the comments. Enjoy!
Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction: 1967
Loud Vibrators Are Causing Soldier To Lose Sleep
FORT POLK, La. — Staff Sgt. Tina Lang, an Explosive Ordnance team leader taking part in pre-deployment mass war-game training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Polk, needs her sleep.
Maiden on the Midway 
You must be logged in to post a comment.