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NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, June 17, 1944 – In the preceding column we told about the D-day wreckage among our machines of war that were expended in taking one of the Normandy beaches. But there is another and more human litter. It extends in a thin little line, just like a high-water mark, for miles along the beach. This is the strewn personal gear, gear that will never be needed again, of those who fought and died to give us our entrance into Europe. Here in a jumbled row for mile on mile are soldiers’ packs. Here are socks and shoe polish,...

The Horrible Waste of War NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, June 16, 1944 – I took a walk along the historic coast of Normandy in the country of France. It was a lovely day for strolling along the seashore. Men were sleeping on the sand, some of them sleeping forever. Men were floating in the water, but they didn’t know they were in the water, for they were dead. The water was full of squishy little jellyfish about the size of your hand. Millions of them. In the center each of them had a green design exactly like a four-leaf clover. The good-luck...

A Pure Miracle NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, June 12, 1944 – Due to a last-minute alteration in the arrangements, I didn’t arrive on the beachhead until the morning after D-day, after our first wave of assault troops had hit the shore. By the time we got here the beaches had been taken and the fighting had moved a couple of miles inland. All that remained on the beach was some sniping and artillery fire, and the occasional startling blast of a mine geysering brown sand into the air. That plus a gigantic and pitiful litter of wreckage along miles of shoreline. Submerged...

In Memory of a Fallen Comrade I write this in memory of one we left behind, MSG William B. Hunt, U.S. Army Special Forces, MIA, November 5, 1966. It is an account of the sacrifice he made to his country, to his comrades, and to the Vietnamese people. In November 1966, SSG Hunt and I served together at Special Forces ODA Camps under Detachment B-32, 5th Special Forces Group, Tay Ninh Province, in the Republic of Vietnam. Hunt was with ODA-322 at Camp Suoi DA, and I was assigned to ODA-323 at Camp Trai Bi. Our camps were about 30...

This memorial of the USS Forrestal,CVA 59; on July 29-Th, North Vietnam; has actual pictures and the voice of Captain John K. Beling at the time of the fires. The Hymn played is, Pass Me Not Oh Gentle Savior, with mandolin and verse sung was covered by me, who served at that time.

A scenic river in Chepachet R.I., in Autumn, with live video, and animation, the voices of animated dear and rabbit are myself and grandson.

Are there alternatives to the Navy's direction?

FORT HUACHUCA — An important piece of naval history has been transferred from a private collection to the National Museum of the United States Navy. On Monday, a flag believed to have belonged to Vice Admiral Frank Fletcher — a highly decorated World War II Navy hero — was transferred from the Wisniewski and Hildebrandt families to the Navy where it will be displayed in the naval museum in Washington D.C. The flag had been gifted to retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tom Wisniewski by his cousin and friend John Hildebrandt, who served in the Navy from 1961 to 1965....

A woman who was exposed for posing as a U.S. Army Lieutenant by Guardian of Valor in 2015 was just sentenced to prison by a Nevada judge last week. Kelsie Hoover, a transgender woman who began to undergo gender reassignment surgery a few years ago, was caught posing as a male U.S. soldier at Baltimore Washington Airport named “Michael Cipriani.” Following Guardian of Valor’s video being posted, Hoover was arrested in Oregon and extradited back to Nevada to face charges. Hoover went through trial and was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.American Military News spoke to Anthony...

Comparing the Current Military Retirement Plan with the New Military Retirement Plan Specifics about the new military retirement plan are scarce, so will do our best to compare the current military retirement plan with the new military retirement plan based on information obtained through news sources and briefings. If you know of something that we can add to the comparison chart below, let us know about it. We hope that this continues to be a growing resource comparing the two plans so we can all learn more. The current plan is listed on the left and is compared with the...

Charlie Liteky, an Army chaplain in Vietnam who won the Medal of Honor for rescuing more than 20 wounded men but later gave it back in protest and became a peace activist, has died.

Hit the road jack wagon, you hate-America agitator, and don't come back. AMF! You were nothing but a usurper and domestic enemy that divided our country. Barry's domestic legacies will be "The Porkulus," which lived for 8 years in CR's, which deepened the economic pain. The disappearing Middle Class. Eight years of massive debt and his catastrophic social engineering of our military. The U.S. military is in deep trouble. Our new Secretary of Defense (retired Marine Corps General James Mattis) will no doubt be dealing with topics such as Navy ships that breakdown, Air Force planes without spare parts...

Have faith and live forever.

CA MAU, Vietnam — It could have been 1969 again as Secretary of State John F. Kerry stood on the bow of the small boat chugging up the Bay Hap River on Saturday, the wind billowing his sleeves and his eyes darting left and right toward banks shrouded in dark foliage. As a young Navy lieutenant, Kerry commanded a Swift boat along this stretch of churning brown waters in the middle of a free-fire zone. Here, he earned a Silver Star for his heroics when he leapt ashore after an ambush to pursue a fleeing Viet Cong with a grenade...

This memorial of the USS Forrestal,CVA 59; it will be 50 years ago this July 29-Th; has actual pictures and the voice of Captain John K. Beling at the time of the fires.

My dad is 86 and starting to fail physically and somewhat mentally. For the first time he is talking in his sleep about his experiences in a MASH unit during the Korean War. He never volunteered much about what he went through there. Mainly when he talks he is just griping about being a soldier which I find kind of humorous. But he has started to talk about having to be on point all the time on missions to retrieve bodies at night. He says that they can't use any light because it would draw enemy fire. I don't know...

To some one enduring the "wolf" hour

Oliver North asked for a vote for Ryan as a Rare Eagle. Here's the details: Ryan Behm is an extraordinary young man who served our nation in combat and continues to serve by helping injured Servicemembers heal the silent wounds of war through his work. He served in the Army as a combat medic and was exposed to the horrors of war, yet he has found peace and comfort through his strong faith and in helping others who have gone through the same thing. Ryan has been working at a non-profit organization that supports the military and through events like...

The classic M16A1 was the iconic rifle of the Vietnam War. It was issued to the vast majority of U.S. soldiers during the conflict, and it’s general success in combat led to its continued service in the U.S. armed forces in varied forms over the years. And of course it wasn’t too long before the M16’s popularity translated to the civilian market as well.Luckily, earlier this summer at the 2016 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Louisville, Kentucky, Colt teased the release of a reproduction, semi-auto-only M16A1 that faithfully replicates the look and features of the original, Vietnam-era rifle....

A young Marine killed in the bloody World War II Battle of Tarawa has finally been brought home and has been laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Pfc. Wilbur C. Mattern was 23 years old when he was killed on November 21, 1943, the second day of the three-day battle to take the atoll back from the Japanese. He was found earlier this year by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), whose function is to search for missing American servicemembers around the world, identify them and return them home for proper burial with honors. Mattern was buried on the...