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i was a Pt Sgt. In 2AD Forward in Germany, we got alerted to got to the Gulf War. To pump my men I ordered each of them a leather an and an MIA bracelet to wear while we were gone from Garlstadt. We drew new tanks and took them to Grafenwohr to qualify them befor putting them on the ship for the purshin gulf. While at Graf I was sitting in the shitter one morning after chow reading the Army Times and was reading an article about them finding three sets of remains in Vietnam. It gave the names of the three men and one just froze in my mind. I looked down and I was wearing his bracelet. Chills went up my spine. Everyone in my Company freaked out that I had purchased all these MIA bracelets for my platoon fron the Cav store by mail and they had found one of the missing. To this day I still have the bracelet and the article out of the Army Times and have contacted the family with my story.

Bradley B Blaise
Rineyville, KY

Rear Admiral William Banks Caperton, USN (Ret.) 30 June 1855 - 21 December 1941

Admiral William Caperton was designated as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, by the President of the United States on 22 July 1916, he proceeded to San Diego, California to assume his new duties in the rank of Admiral, and hoisted his flag in USS Pittsburgh.

He was in charge of the patrol of the East Coast of South America which cleared southern waters of German raiders during World War I and he greatly aided in the development of good will between the US and her Allies.

For his services as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet during World War I, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with citation as follows:

Distinguished Service Medal

"For exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet on the East Coast of South America in establishing friendly diplomatic relations with the countries of South America."

Billy Caperton
Claremore, OK

In Honor of my Uncle "Bill" Willis Charles Caperton who served and was killed fighing with the elite squad of Rudders Rangers.

Bill and his unit of Army Rangers stormed the beach at Pointe du Hoc and, under constant enemy fire, scaled 100-foot (30 meter) cliffs to reach and destroy German gun batteries. The battalion's casualty rate for this perilous mission was greater than 50 percent.

Rudder's Rangers dug in and fought off German counter-attacks for two days until relieved. Rudder and his men helped to successfully establish a beachhead for the Allied forces.

Unfortunately, "Bill" Willis Charles Caperton lost his life in service to his country on D-Day storming the beach of Normandy France with his battalion.

Two movies were made to reflect the horror of taking the beach. The 1962 war film The Longest Day is devoted to the Pointe du Hoc landings and the acclaimed 1998 film Saving Private Ryan.

I was honored by being named after my Uncle.

Billy Caperton
Claremore, OK

1st Lt George K. Villinger

We honor our uncle from Palmyra, New Jersey, 1st Lt George K. Villinger, 336th Fighter Squadron, KIA March 2, 1944 while on a mission over Germany, buried at Maargraten, The Netherlands. John, Jim and Mark.

Anonymous
Longs, SC

Our Dad - Battle of Okinawa Veteran

Mario J Borgatti entered active service in the United States Navy on October 31, 1942. Upon completion of basic training he was assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Degaussing Project. Degaussing is a process in which a system of electrical cables are installed around the circumference of ship's hull, running from bow to stern on both sides. A measured electrical current is passed through these cables to cancel out the ship's magnetic field. The highly fictional film “The Philadelphia Experiment,” also referred to as “Project Rainbow,” was loosely based on the U.S. Navy’s Degaussing Project.

Seaman 1st Class Mario J. Borgatti’s next assignment was at the U.S. Navy’s Brooklyn Navy Yard Annex, Bayonne, NJ. This is where they carried out what had been learned in the degaussing project was implemented. Although too expensive and not as efficient as an an alternative development called wiping, further refinements led to the development of the highly successful “HTS Degaussing” system tested and deployed by the US Navy in 2009. One famous ship that used the degaussing technique successfully was the RMS Queen Mary.

BM 2nd Class Mario J. Borgatti was assigned to the USS Prentiss in early 1945. After a shakedown cruise in the Chesapeake Bay area, Prentiss sailed from Norfolk for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 13 April. She departed Hawaii on 6 May with ammunition and general cargo for Okinawa. Within hours of her arrival on 21 June, she underwent one of that area's frequent attacks. During the action her gunners shot down a kamikaze. Following this spirited reception, unloading of her volatile cargo was speedy; she departed the area on 27 June. Returning to San Francisco on 28 July, she remained on the west coast until after the end of hostilities.

Our Dad passed away on October 8, 2014

Mario J. Borgatti Jr.
S. DENNIS, MA

I became Army Strong!!!

When I was 17 years old I wasn't making very good choices with my life. Deep down inside I knew I had the drive to be something, do something with my life so I chose the military. I went to basic training as a very scared kid, I turned 18 in basic, graduated and felt like a whole new person. I am 3rd generation Army. My grandmother was in the Army Air Corp and my father was also Army. I went on to be the first female training NCO in the state of Ohio and I was also an instructor at the Ohio Military Academy. I'm proud to call myself a veteran, I spent 10 wonderful years serving my country. The military molded me into something I was very proud of. I was Army strong which helped me quite a bit when I decided to be a Paramedic a few years after leaving the Army. I served my country and my community and it all started at 17 when I made a wise decision. My son is 4th generation Army. He is an MP serving in Germany.

Shannon Laubach
Lenoir, NC

MIG 23, if you want it.

I was a crew chief on F-4 Phantoms during the Vietnam war. I volunteered to go to Nam, but was sent to Japan, Okinawa and three times to S. Korea in a span of two years without once coming home. During one of my TDY assignments to Korea, we had an alarm go off that something / someone penetrated our air space, uninvited. We scrambled two of our F-4's and two Korean jets. We had radios and could hear some of what was going on. Turns out, a North Korean pilot was defecting and brought a MIG 23 with him. He simply stated his purposes and asked "Where do you want it?". It helped in our efforts in the war in Vietnam, with regards to our F-4's. History in the making.

George
West Dptford, NJ

Life and work

I have always loved my family, my Country, my God, and my faith. After graduating High School in 1999 I had a huge wake up call of how to pay for college. Not wanting to compete in applying for scholarships, I decided to join the Utah Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer. I primarily picked my MOS, so I could see my family on the weekends that I had drill. I served an LDS mission during my IRR time to Chile, during which time 9/11/01 occurred and when I came home my unit was deployed. I served about an 18 month deployment to Iraq from Feb 2003-May 2004, spending most of my time in Baghdad. For the most part I loved serving with my fellow soldiers in Iraq. The closest near death experience I had, was an IED hit the first vehicle on our convoy back to Baghdad airport. It hit an uparmored hummer, I was in a soft shell hummer in the 2nd vehicle. My unit did not have armored plates until after being in Iraq for about 4 months (or so?). I was in the 1457 unit attached to the 1AD. I know for some miracle I was preserved from death that day. My heart went out to the soldiers who were wounded, missing fingers, etc. We thought one would lose an eye. My greatest challenge came in 2010 when I started Graduate school for an MSW, with 2 kids, a part time job at UPS, school Full time, church full time, big research project, and other challenges I was neglecting my family. My life was a mess and I suffered from anxiety, severe depression and it even got to the point of contemplating suicide. I had too much on my plate and no one seemed to work with me so I ended up dropping out of Grad school and looked for full time employment for about 3 years. Until I finally got the opportunity to become a driver full time at UPS. I am grateful to God for my life and blessings.

Kurt
Payson, UT

veterans

It amaze ' s me that the Vietnam Era dealt with so much negativity and hate when they returned home yet they say that our deployments were worse than theirs. We (the current veterans) feel so much gratitude towards them and the things that they endured. I guess I just want to say thank you to all the Veterans past and present for the sacrifices that we had to go through by taking the oath to support and defend the constitution of the USA

Tim Drye
Peyton, CO

My Dad, My Hero.

My Dad, Col. James H. Hall (USAF) ret. was the best Dad ever. He enlisted in the navy at 17. Spent time on a carrier at very end of WWII. He received a fleet appointment to the US Naval Academy. He graduated in 1950. He took his commission in the Air Force, and became an Ace fighter pilot during the Korean war. He always joked that instead of flying for the Navy he flew for the Air Force, because he liked his runways where he left them. When he proposed to my Mother he said marry me and you marry his airplanes. He always flew anything "hot and fast." A direct quote. It was a very sad day when he was no longer able to fly, due to eyesight. Pilots don't where bifocals. But he stayed in aeronautics, flying a desk as he put it. He retired in 1976. Something he really wasn't ready for, but decided the military was not the same, and it was time. We lost him to a very rare disease in 2001. He was only 74. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Something he said was not necessary, but as a family we felt her deserved it. It was worst day of my life, but I have never been so moved. I miss him every minute of everyday. I will always love him, and he will always be my hero!

Mary Hall Doak
Mechanicsville, VA