The lithograph that hung in the McKinley family dining room. Combat artist and Army Lieutenant Rudolph Charles von Ripper made it from a sketch he did during the fighting in Anzio, Italy. Staff Sgt. Philip McKinley is the soldier on the field phone. (Jane McKinley) By Jane McKinley Jane McKinley is a
By Todd DePastino In March 1966, the war in Vietnam was expanding rapidly, and hundreds of thousands of American service members were preparing for deployment. That's when the Department of Defense published this excellent illustrated booklet titled Know Your Enemy: The Viet Cong. I say the publication was "excellent," and it was in terms
VBC Vietnam Veteran Sonny Hanlon was recently recognized for his 30 years of service to a wonderful Pittsburgh non-profit called Animal Friends. He's come to VBC events over the years to let our other veterans know about Animal Friends' special outreach to veterans, providing comprehensive adoption and resource support program for vets and their
We're grateful to Barb Smith for introducing us to Art and Rose Gelbart, Holocaust survivors who joined our livestream on December 1, 2025. Barb wrote an account of their World War II experiences in the DD214 Chronicle, a print newspaper serving northern Ohio. Thank you to publisher and USMC veteran Donald Stark for giving
Below is Part 2 of VBC veteran Jerry Augustine's account of serving in 1966-1967 with B Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. The excerpt below is adapted from Jerry's Vietnam Beyond and Combat, Suffering and Renewed Passion in Life: A Veteran-to-Veteran Oral History. You can order signed copies from
By Bill Spanos I was living where I still reside today, in Arlington, Virginia, during my final Army assignment before retirement in 1985. As a result, I closely followed the planning, construction, and eventual dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982 through local and national coverage. The Wall evokes powerful emotions in all
