On October 1, the US Naval Institute tweeted this story of Seaman Apprentice John Urtchok who, in 1943, was swept off the deck of his destroyer. He flailed in rough seas for 40 minutes before another huge wave lifted him onto the deck of a different destroyer. Where did this story originate? It's a
The little-known SS Mayaguez Incident of 1975 was the last act of the Vietnam War. Coming two weeks after the Fall of Saigon, the armed conflict between the US military and Cambodian Khmer Rouge naval forces resulted in the last US casualties of the war. The names of these 41 casualties appear at the very
Written by Todd DePastino Veterans will talk with other veterans. Anyone who works with those who’ve served discovers that quickly. Judge Robert Russell saw the bonds of service work magic one day in his Buffalo courtroom in 2007. A Vietnam veteran appeared before him for missing appointments and failing to keep in touch with his
October 22, 1962 started out like a normal day aboard the USS Canberra (CAG-2), an old heavy cruiser in port at Norfolk. But then word came from President John F. Kennedy himself that we were to head south toward Cuba to blockade the island. It was the culmination of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a
Written by Todd DePastino Folks old enough to remember Desert Shield and Storm will recall that when the war started, yellow ribbons sprouted like daffodils on front doors and mailboxes, lamp posts and traffic signs. They became a symbol of support for troops sent into harm’s way and an expression of hope that they would
Written by Todd DePastino For much of our history, Halloween wasn’t about candy and costumes. It was about vandalism. All that changed in World War II, when Americans invented trick-or-treating. Paper-mache jack-o’-lantern (National Museum of American History, Smithsonian) Several Octobers ago, I woke up, looked out the window and saw pumpkins smashed,
