Texas native James Marion Logan was the embodiment of the U.S. military's greatest tactical weapon: its Non-Commissioned Officer Corps. Every branch has some kind of saying about NCOs. They're the backbone of the Air Force, they lead the way in the Army, and in the Marine Corps, they wear special swords. 

If you want to see how poorly an armed force without NCOs performs in combat, just look at how the Russians are doing in Ukraine.

Sgt. James M. Logan was one of the first American troops to hit the beaches of Salerno on Sept. 9, 1943 and almost immediately, he and his fellow soldiers found themselves under a heavy German assault. Logan, unlike many of the men with him on the beaches that day, wasn't a conscript and would show the Nazis and Fascist defenders what it means to be a professional soldier.

Logan grew up in Luling, Texas during the Great Depression. Like a lot of Americans at the time, he had to help the family make ends meet. By age 15, he was an unskilled laborer, making $15.00 a week. In 1936, he joined the Texas National Guard to help boost his income. He was only 15 years old. 

With World War II looming over the country, many National Guardsmen were mobilized for active duty service, and Logan was sent to the Fifth Army's 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division. They trained in Florida and in the U.S. Army's 1942 Carolina Maneuvers before shipping off to the Mediterranean, where the Americans were cutting their teeth against German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps.

Sgt. Logan and the 36th (Texas) arrived in North Africa in April 1943 but were held in reserve for the remainder of the North African Campaign. As the fighting there wound down and the Allies moved on to invade Sicily, the 36th was held in reserve, training in Algeria for the next seaborne invasion: mainland Italy. 

A lot happened between the fall of the Axis in North Africa in May and the invasion of Italy in September 1942. The Allied invasion of Sicily led to the fall of the Fascist government and Italian capitulation. Germans then disarmed Italian forces and took over its defensive positions. The Salerno invaders would be facing stiff resistance if they couldn't achieve surprise.   

As the U.S. 36th (Texas) Infantry Division headed to the shores of Salerno at 3:30 in the morning, a voice came over a loudspeaker in English: "Come on in and give up. We have you covered." The Germans were ready for the invasion and knew the Americans were landing. The U.S. Army attacked anyway. 
 
Logan landed with the lead battalions from 141st and 142nd Infantry Regiments at Paestum, their landing craft coming under heavy artillery fire. He was one of the first soldiers to land on the beaches in the first wave. He led Company I 800 meters inland, where they came to a stop along a canal. German machine guns opened up on them in a blaze of tracers and bullets, positioned behind a wall some 200 yards away. With his men pinned down, he took action.

Sgt. Logan ran through the lead hailstorm to the opposite side of the wall, killing three enemy soldiers as they tried to attack. When he reached the wall, he silenced the two machine guns, killing their gunners. As the Germans began to retreat from the area, he took over their machine gun, and turned it around on them as they ran – he also captured an officer and a soldier who didn't escape in time. 

Later that morning, his company again came under fire. This time, it was coming from a sniper in a house 150 yards away. Instead of taking cover, he made a mad dash for the house while under enemy fire. He shot the lock off the door and, as he kicked it in, killed the enemy sniper descending the staircase.

Logan would receive the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Salerno, and would go on to receive another Medal of Honor nomination for actions at Velletri the following year. Since the Army no longer awarded two Medals of Honor to one individual, he received the Distinguished Service Cross.

Sgt. James M. Logan would survive the war, also receiving a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and (after it was created in 1997), the Texas Legislature Medal of Honor. He died at age 78 in 1999 and was laid to rest in Austin, Texas.

Have you claimed your FREE Military Service Plaque yet? This attractive custom presentation, which can be accessed via the 'Plaque" button on your Profile Page, contains a visual summary of your military service including service photo, ribbon rack, badges, primary unit patch, and sleeve insignia.

Your plaque is very versatile. It can be printed out as an 11"x 6" landscape print and framed. You can also upload your Plaque to your cellphone which is perfectly sized to display as a convenient Veteran ID or printed out as a business card.

Login to Together We Served today to view your FREE Military Service Plaque and add any information needed to complete.

Every American is familiar with the words of Francis Scott Key's epic poem-turned song-turned national anthem. 

"Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, ⁠O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?"

As we stand there, listening to the words while waiting for our football or baseball game to start, it likely doesn't occur to us just how miraculous it was for the broad stripes and bright stars to still be gallantly streaming that morning in September 1814. At the outset of the battle, things looked pretty grim for the Americans. 

When the War of 1812 began, Britain was fighting a defensive war, mainly because it was focused on defeating Napoleon in Europe. When Napoleon was exiled to Elba in May 1814, the Royal Navy was free to take the offensive – and it did, in a big way. 

The U.S. saw success in the Great Lakes and against Britain's American Indian allies, but the Royal Navy controlled the oceans. They reinforced Canada and pushed the Americans out of Ontario, captured what is today Maine (it was still part of Massachusetts during the war), and sent an expedition of 5,000 Redcoat veterans of the war in Europe to the Chesapeake Bay. 

British troops landed in August 1814, swiftly defeating opposition to their landing, then defeating the Americans at Bladensburg, Maryland, before burning Washington, D.C., and capturing Alexandria. They then set their sights on Baltimore, a much more appealing target, given its importance as a major port city. 

The British would attack by land and by sea, with the seaborne invasion striking Fort McHenry, Baltimore Harbor's primary defense. When they arrived at Baltimore, they found the road to the city blocked by 10,000 Americans and 100 guns, a much more powerful defense than they anticipated. The British needed to reduce Fort McHenry to provide naval gunfire for the attacking land forces. 

On the morning of Sept. 13, 1814, a British task force of 19 warships began a bombardment of the fort. Heavier ships can't approach Fort McHenry because of the shallow waters, so only the bomb ships can get close enough to fire exploding mortars and Congreve rockets – these Francis Scott Key's "bombs bursting in air" and "rockets' red glare."

Key was a lawyer from a wealthy family who became an agent for prisoners of war held after the burning of Washington. He was aboard the HMS Tonnant, flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Cockburn, commander of British forces in North America. Key dined with the admiral to negotiate the release of an elderly prisoner who was a family friend but would remain aboard during the Battle of Baltimore, watching the Siege of Fort McHenry. 

The heavier ships would eventually exchange cannon fire with the guns of Fort McHenry but would also veer off out of range. The battle over the fortress would go on for 27 hours, even amid a heavy rainstorm, as 1,500 shots were fired between the two sides. The British would even launch a land-based diversionary attack in an attempt to draw fire away, but it, too, would fail. 

When morning finally came, the Americans were still in control of the fort, which was still in fighting shape. They lowered their storm flag and raised the massive flag they used every morning for reveille, specially made by a local flag maker named Mary Pickersgill. This was likely the "broad stripes and bright stars" Key saw at the twilight's last gleaming. 

Since the Royal Navy couldn't break Fort McHenry, the British were forced to abandon their assault on Baltimore, sparing it the same fate as Washington. Their next stop would be certain defeat at the Battle of New Orleans. 

Do you have old photos from your service days stashed away in a drawer or in a shoe box in your attic? Old photos fade with time and if they are not scanned and preserved digitally, they risk eventually being lost forever.

This is where TWS can help. We have just invested in a high quality Fujitsu book and photo scanner that can scan any size of photo or yearbook. As a service to our members, we would like to offer you a free photo scanning service for your most significant photos from your service which we will then return to you, in original condition, along with a CD containing your photo files.

In addition, we can upload your photos for you to your Photo Album on your TWS Service Profile which will also appear in your Shadow box and available to you to access or download at any time.

Please contact us at Admin@togetherweserved.com for full details on this Free Service.

ETCS/SS David Scheffler US Navy (Ret)
Served 1972-1995

Even before the creation of the U.S. Space Force, American military leaders have had to grapple with what a war in space might look like and what we would need to be successful. In 2022, Russia launched what U.S. intelligence believes to be an orbital anti-satellite weapon into space. China is thought to be pursuing a range of anti-satellite weapons. 

While that may seem surprising to some and downright frightening to others, it's important to remember that the U.S. has had the capability to shoot satellites out of orbit for almost 40 years – and it didn't require advanced rocketry, fuels, or some kind of secret weapons to do it, either. 

About 50 years ago, the U.S. Air Force's newest air superiority fighter took to the skies for the first time. The F-15 Eagle was intended to take lessons learned from the Vietnam War while creating a fighter that could match the power, altitude, and speed of the Soviet Union's newest MiGs, the MiG-23 and MiG-25. 

Long story short, it was a rousing success. The F-15 and its iterations, F-15A through F-15E, were so successful that the aircraft was given new life in 2021 as the F-15 EX Eagle II. Not bad for a design that first entered service in 1976, which was an interesting time during the Cold War and the Space Race. 

Younger readers won't remember the mix of awe and fear Americans felt when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space in 1957. They could see Sputnik in orbit over their country from their earthbound vantage point, an amazing achievement for man but a grim reminder that the U.S. was falling behind the Communists' space technology. The U.S. launched its first satellite, Explorer I, in 1958. 

Low earth orbit would soon be filled with man-made satellites, 115 by 1961. It wasn't long before there were communications satellites, navigation satellites, explorers, researchers, and telescopes. Spy satellites would be crucial in gathering information about Cold War adversaries. It was spy satellite data, after all, that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

But even the most well-made satellites have a shelf life, and back then, those were much shorter than they are today. A number of satellites, long dead, still hang out in orbit around the Earth. The same was true in 1985, but one of those obsolete satellites made history as the target of the world's first-ever orbital kill.

Air Force Maj. Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson Jr. took off from Vandenberg Air Force base in a highly-modified "Celestial Eagle" F-15A on Sept. 13, 1985. His objective: the Solwind P78-1 satellite orbiting 340 miles above Earth. His weapon of choice was an ASM-135 ASAT anti-satellite missile: 3,000 pounds of infrared-seeking explosives moving at Mach 12 in an 18-foot-long projectile. 

Pearson took off at a 65-degree angle, headed for the edge of space at Mach 1.2. At  38,100 feet, the missile was automatically activated, firing in three stages. The final stage was its homing mechanism, which hit 15,000 miles per hour, completely destroying the satellite. Pearson is, to date, the world's only "Space Ace." 

The test not only proved that it was possible to hit satellites with conventional but specially made weapons, but it also helped NASA deal with the problem of orbital debris and see what a hypervelocity collision in space might look like. 

Together We Served has a growing archive of more than 23,000 Boot Camp/ Basic Training Graduation Photos which we now display on your Military Service Page and Shadow Box. We also have a growing collection of Yearbooks which we will be made available on the site shortly.

We are still searching for Boot Camp/ Basic Training Photos and Yearbooks. So if you have yours available, please contact us at Admin@togetherweserved.com.

Either you can send us a scanned file of your photo or you can send it to us for scanning. We will add this for you to the Recruit/ Officer Training section of your Military Service Page.

All photos and yearbooks will be returned to you in the original condition along with a CD containing your scanned photo.

Approximately 800 Marines and Sailors of the "Two Five" comprised of H&S Co, Echo Co, Fox Co, Golf Co, and Weapons Co. are based at MCB Camp Pendleton, California under command of the 1st Marine Division. The 2/5 is a battalion-level infantry unit composed of Marines and support personnel. Infantry battalions are the basic tactical units that the regiment uses to accomplish its mission of locating, closing with and destroying the enemy by fire and close combat.

Marines: Together We Served lists 3,104 registered members who had been assigned to this unit as of August 2023, from Col. Abbink to Sgt Zwarka. A superior and reliable summary of the 2/5 from its own lineage history and Marines TWS reads: "The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines was initially formed in July 1914 and immediately sailed to the Caribbean due to political turmoil in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The battalion returned to the United States in late 1914. In June 1917, the battalion sailed for France with its present regiment. During World War I, the battalion participated in the Battle of Belleau Wood, Soisson, and the Meuse-Argonne Campaign. For these actions, the battalion was twice awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and once with Gold Star. The Fouraggere, representing these awards, is worn today by members of the battalion.

"The story of the Corps' first shoulder unit patch is a strange one to say the least, and was borne out of the chaos and mass movement of troops to the Western front in World War I. The iconic American Indian head unit insignia eventually sported by Marines during the conflict had a tactical advantage, helping them and the unit they served under, the 2nd Army division, move supplies to the correct units and destinations… The unit shoulder patches (SSI) worn by the Army and Marines were not approved until relatively late in the war, around November 1918 - well after the Corps' hallowed battle at Belleau Wood. Vehicles and trains carried the emblems as early as March 1918."

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines participated in the post-war occupation of Germany and returned to the United States in August 1919. In 1920, at Quantico, Virginia, the battalion was ordered to guard U.S. mail trains. During this period, it also participated in reenactments of Civil War battles. The battalion was sent to Nicaragua in 1927 to fight bandits and supervised the 1928 national elections there.

At Quantico from 1934 on, the battalion participated in numerous exercises contributing to the development of the Marine Corps Amphibious Doctrine. In 1941 2nd Battalion 5th Marines joined the newly formed 1st Marine Division at New River, North Carolina. The 1st Marine Division departed the East Coast in 1942 and has never returned. During World War II, that battalion fought at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu, and Okinawa. After the war, the battalion served on occupation duty in North China until 1947.

In July 1950, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines sailed from Camp Pendleton, California, to Pusan, Korea. In August, the battalion fought at the Pusan Perimeter. The battalion participated in the landing at Inchon, the liberation of Seoul, the Chosin Reservoir Campaign, and the defense of the East Central and Western Fronts. From July 1953 to February 1955, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines assisted in the defense of the Korean de-militarized zone after which it returned to Camp Pendleton.

In 1959, the battalion deployed to Camp Schwab, Okinawa, and then in 1960, relocated to Camp Pendleton. In April 1966, the battalion deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. During the next five years the battalion participated in combat operations in Hue city, Khe Sahn, Phu Bai, Dong Ha and Phu Loc. The battalion returned to Camp Pendleton in 1971, and in 1975 participated in Operation New Arrival, the relocation of Southeast Asian Refugees.

During the next fifteen years, the battalion deployed regularly as part of the Marine Corps Unit Deployment Program. In December 1990, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines sailed for the Persian Gulf and participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines landed in Saudi Arabia and participated in the liberation of Kuwait. During the return transit to the United States, the battalion was diverted to Bangladesh in order to provide humanitarian relief as part of Operation Sea Angel.

In 1993, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines deployed as the Battalion Landing Team for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operation Capable) and participated in operations in Rwanda and Somalia. In 1995 the Battalion began regular deployments to Okinawa for service as the Battalion Landing Team for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and participated in several operations in East Timor.

In February 2003, the Battalion deployed to Kuwait as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In March, the Battalion attacked into Iraq, freed the Iraqi people and conducted peacekeeping operations in Muthanna Province until its redeployment in August. The Battalion earned its 14th Presidential Unit Citation for the Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign.

In August of 2004, the Battalion once again deployed to Iraq to participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom II in Ramadi, Iraq. 

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines is the most highly decorated battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Its motto comes from its actions at Belleau Wood during WW I. The fleeing French advised the newly arrived Marines to retreat in the face of overwhelming odds. The Battalion response: 'Retreat, Hell! We just got here! '"

SSgt. Reckless (1948-68) is an honored member of the 2/5. Lt. Eric Pederson purchased Reckless for $250 from a young Korean boy who, reportedly, was searching for money to buy his sister an artificial leg. Reckless was trained by Technical Sergeant Joe Latham to become familiarized with camp life and quickly became adored amongst her fellow Marines. She endured horrendous battle conditions, regular missions, and rough terrain while transporting essential ammunition and supplies for Marines during numerous battles; heroically. Reckless foaled three colts while at Pendleton after 1957, the first one being named Fearless. After her death, Reckless was initially buried behind the Camp Pendleton stables with full military honors. She was later exhumed and reinterred at the stable's front gate with a black granite marker and nearly life-size bronze equestrian monument. She received the following military recognitions:
•    Dickin Medal
•    Purple Heart (2)
•    Navy Presidential Unit Citation (2)
•    Navy Unit Commendation
•    Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
•    National Defense Service Medal
•    Korean Service Medal (4)
•    United Nations Korea Medal
•    Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery

Unit awards: 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines

Presidential Unit Citation Streamer With Two Silver And Three Bronze Stars
(Solomon Islands, 7 August-9 December 1942)
(Peleliu, Ngesebus, 15-29 September 1944)
(Okinawa, 1-21 June 1945)
(Korea, 7 August-7 September 1950)
(Korea, 15 September-11 October 1950)
(Korea, 27 November-11 December 1950)
(Korea, 21-26 April, 16 May-30 June, And 11-25 September 1951)
(Vietnam, (3d Mardiv), 5-12 April 1966)
(Vietnam, 27 May 1966 – 24 April 1967 And 6 June-15 September 1967)
(Vietnam, 25 April-5 June 1967)
(Vietnam, 16 September 1967 – 3 February 1968, 3 March – 22 July 1968
And 24-31 October 1968)
(Vietnam, 4 February – 2 March 1968)
(Vietnam, 20 November-6 December 1968)
(Iraq, 21 March-24 April 2003)
Joint Meritorious Unit Award Streamer
(Bangladesh, 10 May-13 June 1991)
Navy Unit Commendation Streamer With Four Bronze Stars
(Korea, 11 August 1952 – 5 May 1953 And 7-27 July 1953)
(Vietnam, 7 December 1968 – 8 March 1969)
(Southwest Asia, 14 August 1990 – 16 April 1991)
(11 September 2001 – 31 January 2002)
(Iraq, September 2004 – March 2005)
Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer With Three Bronze Stars
(Vietnam, 9-11 May 1969)
(Vietnam, 23 July-23 October 1968)
(Somalia, 2 March-3 June 1994)
(1 January-31 May 2000)
Marine Corps Expeditionary Streamer
(Distant Runner, April 1994)
World War I Victory Streamer With One Silver Star 
(Aisne Operation, 1-5 June 1918)
(Aisne-Marne Operation, 18-20 July 1918)
(St Mihiel Operation, 12-16 September 1918)
(Meuse-Argonne Operation, 29 September-10 October, 21-22 October
And 25 October-11 November 1918)
(Defense Sector Operation, Toulon-Troyon Sector, 18 March-13 May 1918 Chateau-Thierry Sector, 6 June-16 July 1918, Marbache Sector, 6-16 July 1918 And Limey Sector, 10-11 September 1918)
Army Of Occupation Of Germany Streamer
(13 December 1918 – 19 July 1919)
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Streamer
(10 January-21 July 1927, 1 April 1928 – 5 January 1929, And 14 February 1929 –
12 April 1930)
American Defense Service Streamer With One Bronze Star
(Cuba, 16 October 1940 – 3 April 1941)
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer With One Silver And One Bronze Star
(Guadalcanal, Tulagi Landings 7-9 August 1942)
(Capture And Defense Of Guadalcanal, 10 August-9 December 1942)
(Eastern New Guinea Operation, 8 October-25 December 1943)
(Bismarck Archipelago Operation, 26 December 1943 – 1 March 1944 And 5 March-25 April 1944)
(Western Caroline Operation, 15 September – 14 October 1944)
(Okinawa Gunto Operation, 1 April-30 June 1945)
World War Ii Victory Streamer
(7 December 1941 – 31 December 1946)
Navy Occupation Service Streamer With "Asia"
(Okinawa, 2-26 Septebmer 1945)
China Service Streamer
(30 September 1945 – 25 May 1947)
National Defense Service Streamer With Three Bronze Stars
(27 June 1950 – 27 July 1954)
(1 January 1961 – 15 August 1974)
(2 August 1990 – 30 November 1995)
(11 September 2001 – Tbd)
Korean Service Streamer With Two Silver Stars
(North Korean Aggression, 2 August-2 November 1950)
(Communist China Aggression, 3 November 1950 – 24 January 1951) 
(Inchon Landing, 13-17 September 1950)
(First Un Counteroffensive, 25 January-21 April 1951)
(Communist China Spring Offensive, 22 April-8 July 1951)
(UN Summer-Fall Offensive, 9 July-27 November 1951)
(Second Korean Winter, 28 November 1951 – 30 April 1952)
(Korean Defense, Summer-Fall 1952, 1 May-30 November 1952)
(Third Korean Winter, 1 December 1952 – 30 April 1953)
(Korean, Summer-Fall 1953, 1 May-27 July 1953)
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer
(Somalia, March 1994)
Vietnam Service Streamer With Two Silver And Two Bronze Stars
(Vietnam Counteroffensive Campaign, 13 April-30 June 1966)
(Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase Ii, 1 July 1966 – 31 May 1967)
(Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase Iii, 1 June 1967 – 29 January 1968)
(Tet Counteroffensive, 30 January-1 April 1968)
(Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase Iv, 2 April-30 June 1968)
(Vietnamese Counteroffensive Phase V, 1 July-1 November 1968)
(Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase Vi, 2 November 1968 – 22 February 1969)
(Tet 69/Counteroffensive, 23 February-8 June 1969)
(Vietnam, Summer-Fall 1969, 9 June-31 October 1969)
(Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970, 1 November 1969 – 30 April 1970)
(Sanctuary Counteroffensive, 1 May-30 June 1970)
(Vietnam Counteroffensive Phase Vii, 1 July 1970 – 22 March 1971)
Southwest Asia Service Streamer With Three Bronze Stars
(August 1990 – 16 January 1991)
(17 January 1991 – 11 April 1991)
(April 1991)
Afghanistan Campaign Streamer With One Bronze Star
(Transition I, February-September 2012)
Iraq Campaign Streamer With Two Bronze Stars
(September 2004 – March 2005)
(March-October 2007)
Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer
(21 March-24 April 2003)
Global War On Terrorism Service Streamer
(11 September 2001 – 20 March 2003)
French Croix De Guerre With Two Palms And One Gilt Star
(Belleau Wood, 2-13 June 1918)
(Soisssons, 18-19 July 1918)
(Champagne, 1-10 October 1918)
Korean Presidential Unit Citation Streamer
(2 August-6 September 1950)
(15-27 September 1950)
(26 October 1950 – 27 July 1953)
Vietnam Cross Of Gallantry Streamer With Palm
(13 April 1966 – 20 September 1969)
Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer
(21 September 1969 – 20 November 1970)
 

TWS has nearly 2 million members who served in a wide range of units, ships, squadrons and duty stations. Get more people to your Reunion by sending your Reunion information to us in the following format and we will post it for free in our Reunion Announcements on Together We Served, in emails that go to our members and in our Newsletters.

Please contact us at admin@togetherweserved.com with the following details of your Reunion:

Service Branch Reunion Applies To:
Your Reunion Name:
Associated Unit or Association:
Date Starting:
Date Finishing:
Place Where Held:
City:
State:
Contact Person:
Contact Phone Number:
Contact Email Address:
Website:
Other Comments:

"TWS has helped me meet new friends as well as helped me reconnect with old friends I have been looking for, for some thirty-plus years. I have made numerous friends and have met personally with over fifteen different people while traveling, not counting the many people I met at the TWS reunion in Tucson. I would name them all, but I don't want to run the risk of leaving someone out.

One of the greatest assets of TWS is the different forums to participate in and the different people you meet, and the experiences of others that they share."

TSGT Earl Hoal US Air Force (Ret)
Served 1957-1977

Naval aircraft carriers revolutionized the way great nations project power all over the world. Naval aviation, of course, forever changed how battles at sea are fought and made the difference between victory and defeat for the Allies in World War II's Pacific Theater. But even a weapon as supreme as the aircraft carrier has its limits. 

If a carrier was no longer limited to the blue water oceans and the range of its aircraft, it could once again change the nature of warfare as we know it. Like the helicarriers featured in the Marvel movies, flying aircraft carriers could ferry their fighters and helicopters closer to a target, cutting the risk to pilots in contested airspace as they refueled in-flight and even joining the fight for air supremacy. 

They could have changed history.

Imagine: If the special operations aircraft used in Operation Eagle Claw, the failed joint special ops effort to rescue hostages in Iran, didn't have to refuel, they could have made the assault on the U.S. embassy in Tehran, rescued the hostages, and gotten out safely. President Carter might have been reelected, and the U.S. would never have known Ronald Reagan as President. 

The United States actually did develop early flying aircraft carriers around the same time as it developed naval carriers. They came in the form of zeppelins, helium-inflated naval airships that carried Curtiss Sparrowhead biplanes that could take off and be recovered while in flight – and it increased the range of naval reconnaissance by a huge margin. 

Two of them were built, the USS Akron and the USS Macon, each equipped with large hangars for up to five aircraft to take off and be collected via a trapeze connected to a hole in the bottom of its hull. Like naval carriers, the planes not only acted as recon aircraft, they could deploy to defend their mother ship. 

Both airships were designed with a more intricate (and thus, heavier) design than most of the U.S. Navy airships that came before it. Their redesigned internal structure gave the ships more strength to keep them safe, even in stormy weather. They were also more aerodynamic than other airships of the time, with internal engines that allowed its crew to access them for repairs. 

The Akron was built in Akron, Ohio, in 1929, christened by First Lady of the United States Lou Hoover in 1931, and finally took to the skies in September 1931. Within a month, it was commissioned into the U.S. Navy. Despite a ground accident, the ship generally performed well in the air and could remain in the air for days at a time. 

It crossed the country to rebase at San Diego in 1932 when it had another accident. The ship accidentally became airborne, lifting three sailors dangling from its mooring ropes. Two of those sailors fell to the ground in an incident captured on film. Until this point, its ability as a reconnaissance aircraft had been limited because it didn't have its five fighter planes, so the airship's operational history had been embarrassing. 

Once it did have its aircraft, however, all seemed to be forgotten. In 1933, the USS Akron flew to Cuba, the Panama Canal, and even newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Inauguration Ceremony. 

In April 1933, however, disaster struck. Akron was off the coast of New Jersey on a mission to aid radio direction finder stations. It was carrying Rear Adm. William Moffett and a number of other dignitaries. Including its crew, there were 76 people aboard. 

Akron ran into one of the worst and most violent storms recorded to that date in the North Atlantic. Wrapped up in fog, the turbulence from the storm brought the airship into a steep nosedive. It recovered, only to be dragged down by its tailfin. The fin hit the ocean and pulled the airship in, breaking it up in the stormy sea. Only three survived. 

After the USS Macon met a similar fate, crashing into the ocean in 1935, the age of the airship was effectively over, at least for the U.S. Navy. Its airships had a lot of potential and, some say, never fully had the chance to display the potential it could bring to the battlefield. If ever an airborne aircraft carrier could be protected from the elements and the enemy, it could be a huge game changer for anyone using them.

If you’re trying to make smarter choices when it comes to your health and wellness, it can be difficult to know where to start. “Diet and exercise” can seem vague, but did you know that practicing better nutrition can help prevent several diseases?

At the Million Veteran Program (MVP), researchers are studying how diet and nutrition influence Veteran health with the hopes of recommending effective ways you can become the healthiest version of yourself. Below are some everyday healthy choices that can have a big impact on your health.

Incorporate nuts and yogurt into your diet
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD), is the major cause of death for Americans, including Veterans.

MVP researchers discovered that:

• Regularly eating nuts (but not peanut butter) may lower the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. 
• Eating any type of yogurt may improve heart health, in addition to being a good source of protein.
• Eat more chocolate/ Another potentially heart-healthy food: chocolate. MVP researchers analyzed data from MVP participants who completed the nutrition section of the MVP lifestyle survey. Good news: Findings suggest regular chocolate consumption may lead to a lower risk of CAD.

Focus on fruits and vegetables
Researchers at MVP studied the relationship between adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet and the risk for chronic disease. Findings show that eating a diet of mostly fruit, vegetables and other plants like whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils and tea/coffee may lead to a longer, healthier life. Further, eating a plant-based diet may prevent major chronic diseases. 

While grocery shopping, spend most of your time on the outer edges of the store. That’s where you’ll find fresh and unprocessed foods. Preparing meals at home can also help you avoid consuming fried foods, which is correlated with CAD.

VA has a program to help address food insecurity (when a person has problems accessing good nutrition due to financial issues, transportation, or other factors). Veterans experiencing food insecurity can find resources at VHA National Food Security Office (FSO).

Stop smoking
Smoking is addictive, and research shows it has a negative effect on overall health and wellness. While quitting smoking is difficult, this one change can have an enormous positive impact on your health. The Surgeon General’s estimate is that quitting could add 10 years to your life.

MVP researchers investigated the relationship between smoking and cardiovascular diseases and found a link between smoking and a broad range of cardiovascular diseases, particularly CAD, heart failure, and stroke.

Lifestyle changes and putting effort into action
Better nutrition is just one piece of the puzzle. MVP researchers identified eight therapeutic lifestyle factors that may lead to both a lower risk of premature death and a lower overall mortality risk: Never smoking, positive social relationships, not regularly binge drinking, good sleep hygiene, good diet, minimal stress, being physically active, and no opioid addiction.

VA offers two main programs that can help Veterans incorporate positive lifestyle changes into their daily lives. MOVE! is a weight management program that guides participants through activities that support healthy lifestyles, and the program is available in both English and Spanish.

Whole Health is VA’s approach to care that supports Veteran health and well-being. Whole Health develops a personalized health plan that is based on each Veteran’s values, needs, and goals.

Join over 960,000 Veterans in VA’s Million Veteran Program
The findings in this article were made possible by the Veterans in VA’s Million Veteran Program. Each Veteran who joins MVP has a positive impact on the research and discoveries made by researchers. MVP is 40,000 Veterans away from reaching its goal of enrolling one million Veterans by this November. In addition to nutrition, MVP is studying dozens of health conditions that affect Veterans, including: 

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Heart health
• Tinnitus
• And more. 

Join the Million Veteran program today at www.mvp.va.gov or call 866-441-6075 to make an appointment at a participating VA facility. You don’t need to receive your care at the VA to participate.

How does the government justify the cost of war to citizens? Do officials really care? Not really, for financially, it doesn't matter.

Money's never been the issue, they say. Measure conflict – win or lose – not body count alone, they offer.

Wars are defined in terms like "freedom," "restoration," and "re-establishment," but none of these are reasons. Merely rhetoric.

The human cost in lives is not considered a priority when "warmongers" choose conflict over peace. And once a people or a nation go to war, the military is then justified, both in manpower and budget spending, for it's basic economics that fuels war.

Return on the investment – billions spent to fund a war – can only be recovered if the military 'earns' its reason for existence: the "inanimate" expense. The higher price called for is the loss of lives of millions of soldiers caught up in war on both sides of the conflict. War mongers, though, aren't deterred. They're the "investors" in the war – equipment, supplies – and, in last place, in human life.

The longer a war lasts, the greater the return on their investment, though the "game" of war is much more deadly.

Human lives are hidden behind terms like "armies," "squadrons," and "platoons," a cold and faceless reference that becomes a chess piece on the war board game. Each move involves not faceless pawns but actual soldiers – human beings – who are flesh and blood. Acknowledging the loss of a squadron or platoon, as though they're just a chess piece, without qualifying them as soldiers, justifies, to those who perpetrate war, that cost is not measured in human lives.

The men and women on the battlefield are brushed aside in the grand view of an attempt to "win the war." They become secondary, inconsequential to the cause. When a nation looks at warfare as a return on investment in its military, and its soldiers and their lives aren't the main reason for opting for peace, then warfare becomes primary, and human life is secondary. History has proven this a fact. For there have been, and there will be, wars and rumors of wars until the end of time.
 

Available for Together We Served members only! Together We Served has two hard-working Marines devoting their time and energy to help our members find long-lost friends who are not yet members of our Together We Served.

If you are looking for someone, email us at admin@togetherweserved.com with name, approximate age, where they were from, last known address, marital status, and name of spouse. We'll do our best!

TWS has been tremendously helpful. It's a great place to reminisce and, if you're lucky, reconnect with old buddies.

TT2 Hank Ellis US Coast Guard Veteran
Served 1968-1972

The military's recruiting crisis is at an all-time high in 2023. The U.S. Army, the military's largest branch, is expected to fall short by 15,000 recruits this year. Most of the younger generations the military can get are those who are children of someone who served -- but even that source is threatened. 

Other branches are seeing shortfalls, too. The Navy is going to miss its goal by 10,000 recruits; the Air Force will be short 3,000. Only the Marine Corps, the smallest branch, is expected to make its goal. News reports of substandard housing and food shortages don't help, nor do the decades of war, followed by an epidemic of post-traumatic stress disorder and veteran suicide. 

All branches are in a quandary about what they can do to make military life more appealing and make Gen-Z consider the military in their future plans. One Marine Corps intelligence officer believes he has the answers and compiled them into a new book, "We Don't Want You Uncle Sam: Examining the Military Recruiting Crisis with Generation Z."

Lt. Matthew Weiss is himself a member of Gen-Z. He spent his pre-military years working for the defense technology firm Anduril Industries, which was then a tech startup. As he worked for an innovative tech startup, he began to notice how a well-run business can attract quality Gen-Z talent in a competitive space. 

Weiss would go on to earn a bachelor's degree and an MBA at the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania's business school. Then, he became a United States Marine. Today, he's not only an author; he's a Signals Intelligence and Electronic Warfare officer. It's a unique background that gives him unique insight into why the military is having so much trouble attracting his generation. 

Some of the problems he notices are the kind older generations might expect from kids born after 1997. Creating social media influencers to inspire potential new recruits to military service, shortening service contracts, and putting marijuana use on an equal footing with alcohol are just a few of his suggestions for meeting Gen-Z's culture where it is today. 

He also has some more substantial considerations. He believes his generation would respond to performance bonuses instead of the military's structured payscale, that the military should highlight the fact that many of its jobs don't require computer screens and that the military's focus should be on how service helps local communities, not just warfighting. 

There are more problems and solutions in the book, all explained in greater detail. Some readers may scoff at his suggestions, but the recruiting crisis will soon have the branches resorting to desperate measures to attract talent – and these potential solutions may not seem so crazy at that point. 

"We Don't Want YOU, Uncle Sam" by Matthew Weiss is available now on Kindle e-reader and in paperback for $13.59

If you wish to make a post to our new Bulletin Board - People Sought, Assistance Needed, Jobs Available in Your Company, Reunions Pending, Items for Sale or Wanted, Services Available or Wanted, Product or Service Recommendations, Discounts for Vets, Announcements, Death Notices - email it to us at admin@togetherweserved.com.

Service Reflections Video of the Month

#TributetoaVeteran - CMSgt Bill Hinegardner US Air Force (Ret), 1975-2001

Are You a Writer?
As you know, TogetherWeServed is always looking for interesting articles to post to our forums and in this newsletter. Have you written any military-related articles you want to share with a broader audience? Send your submissions to admin@togetherweserved.com, and you may see them in an upcoming issue.

TWS Flyers Available
Do you have a reunion coming up and would like to spread the word about Together We Served? We now have flyers that help explain who we are and what we do.

Send your requests to admin@togetherweserved.com. Please include your name and address and how many flyers you require.

TWS Invite Cards
Did you know we have Together We Served invite cards you can hand out to any veteran you meet? We have included a handy QR code on the back of the card so prospects can scan the card right away to get started.

If you would like some cards, email us your name and address at admin@togetherweserved.com, and we will get them in the mail. 

Association Chapter Logos 

Does your association chapter have a different logo from your state or national association chapter? We are working on programming that will allow us to add chapter logos. If you have one, please email it to admin@togetherweserved.com, and we'll add it.

Military Volunteers Needed

TWS has recently been working with an organization called Stories Behind the Stars. They are working hard on telling the stories of all our World War II fallen. We can help them tell the story by checking the military details added to the profiles they have built or edited. We have the tools for you, and we will train you!

If you love details and some time on your hands, please contact us at admin@togetherweserved.com, and we'll get you started.

Your Personal Invite QR Code

Is now available for you to download to your phone and share it with the veterans you may meet. Through this QR code, you will get credit for their membership. For every five people who join from your invite, you receive six months of full membership. If 50 people join, you'll receive a life membership!

Military News

Nearly two years later, Afghan allies still left, hoping for help
By Leo Shane III and Jaime Moore-Carrillo Military Times

With the second anniversary of the American military exit from Afghanistan fast approaching, advocates worry they are running out of time to address the plight of thousands of Afghan refugees who remain stuck in immigration limbo as the issue fades out of public consciousness.

Lawmakers and veterans groups plan a major push on the issue this fall, but prospects for meaningful progress on the issue remain dim.

"We have to get something done because our allies in Afghanistan, our partners there, are relying on us," said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and an Army veteran who has been leading the issue for the last few years. "It hasn't panned out so far, but we're gonna keep pushing."

In the days before the last U.S. troops departed Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021, more than 80,000 Afghan refugees were rushed out of the country aboard American aircraft in an effort to protect them from advancing Taliban forces.

However, some advocacy groups estimate as many as 150,000 Afghans that assisted the U.S. mission were left behind, including individuals who worked closely with U.S. military forces as interpreters and combat assistants. Thousands have State Department visa applications that have been pending for years.

And individuals who managed to escape still live with chronic uncertainty about their legal status and looming fears of deportation because procedures for resolving their lingering immigration applications still have not been finalized.

Most Afghans airlifted to the U.S. during the late summer and early fall of 2021 were granted "humanitarian parole," a tenuous, temporary authorization to reside in the country.

Parolee status, which enables Afghans to apply for employment authorization and other government benefits, expires after two years for most evacuees. Those attempting to reauthorize their parole or secure lawful permanent residence through the SIV or asylum process must navigate a labyrinth of paperwork and bureaucratic backlogs.

Without clarity on their future, advocates worry some individuals could lose their jobs or, at worst, face deportation to foreign countries in the coming months.

"There's a constant fear that they'll have to face the Taliban again," said Safi Rauf, an Afghan citizen and U.S. Navy reservist who founded the Human First Coalition, which works to evacuate refugees from Afghanistan. "There's not a day that goes by that these [refugees] don't think about it."

In a letter to congressional leaders last week, 24 veterans groups — including With Honor Action, No One Left Behind, and Operation Pineapple Express Relief — urged lawmakers to find solutions before the end of the year.

"For two years, thousands of Afghans have been ruthlessly pursued by the Taliban and left in American bureaucratic limbo," the groups wrote. "The moral imperative is clear, and the time to act is now.

"We served and shed blood alongside many of these brave Afghans, whose only sin was to pursue a better democratic future for their country. Please do not allow them to be ignored and unprotected for another legislative calendar year. Their lives could well depend on whether America keeps her promise."

Legislative fight
Over the last 24 months, advocates have held recurring rallies outside the Capitol begging for action and chastising lawmakers who have blocked potential fixes.

Most of the debate has focused on two bills: the Afghan Allies Protection Act (AAPA) and the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA). The former, introduced in early June by Crow and a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, would authorize 20,000 new special immigrant visas (above the 38,500 already approved since 2014) for Afghans who worked for the American government and extend the visa program by five years, until December 2029.

Crow acknowledged the plan isn't a full fix to the Afghan refugee problem but said it would provide ways to more quickly bring some individuals safely to American soil.

The Afghan Adjustment Act has stalled in Congress for more than two years now. The more comprehensive measure would clear up pathways to legal residency for evacuees and enhance vetting of those who seek it.

It would also extend special immigrant visa eligibility to Afghans who fought alongside U.S. armed forces but never formally signed contracts with U.S. government entities, including Afghan special operations troops and female members of the Afghan National Security Forces.

The measure was reintroduced earlier this summer by another bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers, including Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, also an Army veteran. She said the changes are needed to speed up the current immigration processes, which have left too many allies floundering in confusing government protocols.

"The State Department is trying to follow its codes and regulations, and we understand that," she said. "But we don't see the urgency that has been needed over the last two years. And these people are in peril."

But the Afghan Adjustment Act has been blocked multiple times by a group of Senate Republicans who have objected to what they see as insufficient background checks for would-be immigrants from Afghanistan.

Last fall, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, publicly blasted White House officials for too-lax vetting policies for incoming Afghan allies and said he could not support the pending measures. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., earlier this year blocked attempts to add the Afghan Adjustment Act to the annual defense authorization bill.

Miller-Meeks said given the opposition thus far, "a more narrow bill focused on just our Afghan interpreters and allies may be more realistic this year." She and Crow are both hopeful that they can convince more colleagues to drop their objections in the coming months.

"We need to do more to help individuals who are already here," she said. "Where are they going to return to? Afghanistan?"

Uncertain futures
Despite promises from congressional leadership to address the issue, advocates aren't optimistic about the prospects for any legislative success this year.

"Passing any bill related to immigration is incredibly hard," Rauf said. "We're not even seeing a chance to bring the bills to the floor."

Rauf has led dozens and rallies across America to rally support for the Afghan Adjustment Act and related bills over the last two years and has been disappointed by both Republican opposition and a lack of Democratic emphasis on the issue. He insisted that support for helping Afghan allies crosses party lines, so leaders from both sides should be pushing the issue.

Advocacy groups estimate that about 152,000 applicants for the special immigrant visas are currently stuck in Afghanistan awaiting State Department approval.

Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of refugees already in the U.S. are safe for now but unable to settle without clarity on their long-term immigration status.

Around 20,000 evacuees have applied for asylum since arriving in the U.S.; only 5,000 have received approval, according to Safiullah Delawar, the legal director of REACT DC, a Virginia-based resettlement organization created in the wake of the evacuation. Thousands more Afghans have yet to receive updates on their re-parole applications.

Delawar said he " hopes that [lawmakers] will forget their politics for a while and not sacrifice this humanitarian act" amid short-term partisan fights.

Meanwhile, the families caught in the debate are left with an uncertain future.

"It's difficult to continue living your life when you don't know what the next year is going to look like," said Peter Lucier, a resettlement advocate and Marine veteran who served in Afghanistan. "There are just a whole host of bad things that start happening when parole starts to expire."

Lucier said companies are less likely to invest in training and certifications for workers who may be forced to leave the country in the next few years. That limits opportunities, which in turn leads to more stress, contributing to a growing number of mental health issues among the refugee community.

"They're running out of time, and it feels like there's not a lot of hope for the future," Rauf said. "The goal is not just to have a job here. It's to have a life, to have a home here."

Rogers summons defense leaders to testify at SPACECOM headquarters
By Bryant Harris Military Times

WASHINGTON ― House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers is asking three top Defense Department officials to testify before Congress after the Biden administration revoked a previous decision to place the Space Command headquarters in his home state of Alabama and instead designated Colorado as its home base.

The Alabama Republican on Tuesday invited Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Space Command leader Gen. James Dickinson, and Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman to testify on what he called President Joe Biden's "politically motivated" basing decision.

"When the Secretary of the Air Force finally made a decision, he upheld his predecessors' decision to base U.S. Space Command in Huntsville, Alabama," said Rogers. "President Biden then usurped the Air Force Secretary's authority and named Colorado Springs the permanent basing site for U.S. Space Command in order to improve his political standing for next year's re-election."

"We will get answers on President Biden's political manipulation of the selection process," he added.

White House and Pentagon officials have rejected those accusations.

After a two-year saga and an increasingly acrimonious fight between the Alabama and Colorado congressional delegations, the Biden administration finally announced in July that Colorado Springs would be the permanent home of the Space Command headquarters.

The Associated Press reported that Kendall preferred Huntsville – home to the Army's Redstone Arsenal and the Missile Defense Agency – as the permanent location, whereas Dickinson wanted it in Colorado Springs, which houses Space Command's temporary headquarters.

Biden's ultimate decision to place it in Colorado Springs drew sharp rebukes from the Alabama delegation, with Rogers noting, "the fight is far from over." Rogers threatened to subpoena the Defense Department earlier this month for documents and interviews related to the decision.

Prior to the final announcement, Rogers vowed to use his position as Armed Services chairman to hold up Pentagon requests to reprogram funds – except for reprogramming requests that affect troop compensation – in protest of the overdue basing decision. He also added language to the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill that would freeze half of Kendall's travel budget and halt construction at the temporary facility in Colorado Springs until the Biden administration receives a justification for the final basing decision.

Rogers voted against certifying Biden's 2020 election victory, and his arguments that the final Space Command basing decision was politically motivated mirrors similar assertions from the Colorado delegation after the Pentagon announced Huntsville would be Space Command's home in January 2021 during the final days of the Trump administration.

After the outgoing Trump administration announced it would move the base to Huntsville from the provisional Colorado Springs location, Colorado Democrats argued it was an act of political retaliation because Biden won that swing state in the 2020 election.

A May 2022 report by the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General found the Air Force followed all relevant laws and policies when selecting Huntsville. But the report also found the rules themselves may have been flawed, resulting in a suboptimal decision.

A separate June 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office found the Air Force did not follow best practices when making the basing decision.

Kendall subsequently launched a months-long review of the dispute before Biden weighed in on the impasse in favor of Colorado Springs.

Rogers has two other Alabama allies on the House Armed Services Committee when he grills Kendall, Dickinson, and Saltzman: Republican Rep. Dale Strong, who represents Huntsville, and Democrat Rep. Terri Sewell. The only Colorado lawmaker on the committee is Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, who chairs the strategic forces subcommittee and represents Colorado Springs. Like Rogers, Lamborn also voted against certifying the 2020 election results.

No harmful levels of PCBs found at Wyoming nuclear missile base
By Tara Copp, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — No harmful levels of carcinogenic PCBs were found inside the missile launch facilities at F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming, the service said Tuesday, as it looks for possible causes for cancers being reported among its nuclear missile community.

F.E. Warren is among three nuclear bases the Air Force is investigating. Earlier this month, the Air Force reported it had found harmful levels of PCBs at two locations at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Results from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota are pending, as are water quality tests from each of the locations.

The three bases house silo-launched Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. In underground capsules, pairs of missileers serve watch for 24 hours at a time, ready to launch the warheads if ordered to by the president.

The U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine collected air and swipe samples from the underground centers at F.E. Warren. No PCBs were detected in the air samples. Of the 300 surface swipe samples, 17 found detectable levels of PCBs; however, all of the samples were below the threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for mitigation. PCBs are oily or waxy substances that have been identified as carcinogenic.

In response to the findings, Air Force Global Strike commander Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere directed cleaning those areas found with trace levels of PCBs, even though they are below the EPA thresholds, the command said in a release.

The Minuteman silos and underground control centers were built over 60 years ago. Much of the electronics and infrastructure is decades old. Missileers have raised health concerns multiple times over the years about ventilation, water quality, and potential toxins they cannot avoid while on duty underground.

According to the Torchlight Initiative, an independent group of former missileers or their surviving family members, at least 268 troops who served at nuclear missile sites have reported cancers, blood diseases, or other illnesses over the past several decades.

Poland says Russia's moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus
By Susie Blann, Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland — Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Tuesday that Russia is already in the process of shifting some short-range nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus, a move that Duda said will shift the security architecture of the region and the entire NATO military alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko said last month that Moscow had already shipped some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus after announcing the plan in March. The U.S. and NATO haven't confirmed the move.

In July, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg denounced Moscow's rhetoric as "dangerous and reckless" but said that the alliance hadn't seen any change in Russia's nuclear posture.

Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for use on the battlefield and have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range missiles. Russia said it would maintain control over those it sends to Belarus.

Duda commented at a joint news conference with visiting Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

"I was telling President (Sousa) about the implementation of the declarations by Vladimir Putin that Russia's tactical nuclear weapons will be moved to the territory of Belarus," Duda said. "Indeed, this process is taking place; we are seeing that."

Duda gave no details but said that in an "obvious way, it is changing the architecture of security in our part of Europe. It is changing the architecture of security in our immediate neighborhood, but also of the eastern flank of NATO, at the same time. So, in fact, it is changing the situation for all of the alliance."

Lukashenko says that hosting Russian nuclear weapons in his country is meant to deter aggression by NATO member Poland, even though Warsaw has made no such threats. Poland is offering neighboring Ukraine military, humanitarian, and political backing in its struggle against Russia's invasion and is taking part in international sanctions on Russia and Belarus.

De Sousa pledged continuing support for Ukraine's struggle and other countries in the region, saying it is as important to Portugal as the situation in its own neighborhood.

"We are united, we stand in solidarity, without any hesitations, and I have duly taken note of the Polish concerns over what may be understood as the need to be closely watching any moves that may question the eastern borders of the European Union or NATO," de Sousa said.

Vet who leg pressed 800 pounds on Insta admits to VA disability theft
By Jon Simkins Military Times

Charles Adams never skips leg day - not even when filing claims with the Veterans Affairs for service-connected disabilities that would render such exercise impossible. And though thick thighs may save lives, Adams' quads are now costing him wads.

The 50-year-old Army veteran pleaded guilty July 25 to theft of government funds after he admitted to stealing $106,245 in VA payments for disabilities resulting from fraudulent claims, the Justice Department determined.

According to court documents, the St. Louis, Missouri, resident applied for increased disability in 2017 "due to service-connected degenerative disc disease with degenerative arthritis." As part of that application, Adams "reported difficulty getting out of bed some mornings and an inability to stand for extended lengths of time," claims he maintained during ensuing medical evaluations.

A VA medical examiner noted in the court records that Adams walked with a noticeable limp during the evaluations and demonstrated "severe limitations in his range of motion, rotation, and other use of his back."

However, such claims soon became difficult to validate when they were juxtaposed with the gym routines Adams shared to his Instagram account.

On the social media platform, the self-proclaimed certified personal trainer — who uses an email address that includes the phrase "fitnessbeast" — exhibited bodybuilding techniques that flew in the face of such disability proclamations.

Another claim Adams filed in 2018 for unemployability benefits was accompanied by a doctor's statement supporting Adams' earlier assertions that he was limited in bending, stooping, twisting, kneeling, jumping, running, standing, and lifting more than 25 pounds above shoulder height.

By March of that year, however, Adams was observed performing "various strenuous exercises with high levels of resistance, including deep squats, leg presses with over 800 pounds of resistance, rope pulldowns, and other high-intensity exercises or movements that were inconsistent with the level of back limitations he demonstrated at his examinations," Adams' plea agreement stated.

Court documents also noted that Adams applied for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits in August 2019. But upon investigation by the inspectors general of the Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration Office, it was discovered that Adams was checking into his gym around the time - and even once on the same day - of his application hearing.

"In June 2021, Defendant attended a medical review for the VA," the court documents state. "Investigators watched as Adams walked normally and lifted and carried bags of trash before going to his examination. When he arrived for the examination, he used a cane to walk and did so at a much slower pace."

During that time, Adams reportedly continued posting fitness content to his Instagram account and maintained a website for his personal training company, Tru-Legacy Fitness LLC, which claims to be "committed to giving 110% to help all those we can to achieve their ultimate fitness and wellness goals."

Adams is now legally committed to giving back 100% of the disability funds he stole, according to his plea deal. Additionally, he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 25.

Live Fire incident DMZ Korea 1988

My name is Dennis Gill, and I served with 2nd Infantry Division Echo Company, 5th Battalion 20th Infantry (Mechanized), from 1988 to 1989.

Seoul, Korea, was hosting the Olympics in 1988, and there was a lot of hostility. In September 1988, while on a MACE Patrol, my squad and I came under North Korean artillery fire. Guard post Collier reported the artillery fire 75 meters from their position, and guard post Ouellette wanted confirmation. I responded and gave my call signs and designation and said I have six to eight artillery burst danger close; please advise! From there, we mustered back to Warrior Base. The company loaded up our provisions, and we moved out to take up a new position.
My representative and I had my Appeal on Aug. 16, the the veterans appeal judge gave us a month to gather new information. Veterans have conceded I have chronic PTSD, but I need to find a member of my unit for verification of the 'live fire incident' in order to get its service connected.

Any assistance you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. 

Sincerely and respectfully, 
Dennis G Gill
dennisggill1@gmail.com

Looking for Family of LtGen Albert Patton Clark

I have some patches that appear to belong to Lt.General Albert Patton Clark. If you know how to contact his family, please contact me. I would love to return them to his family.

LeeAnn Shisler
leolee0864@gmail.com