In the world of American Naval heroes, few figures loom as large over Navy history as that of Stephen Decatur. He was among the first American military heroes to come to prominence after the American Revolution, the youngest sailor ever promoted to Captain in U.S. Navy history, and a veteran of three wars.
With every battle in every war he fought, Stephen Decatur's service exemplified the heroism and bravery of the Navy, no matter what his rank he was at the time.
Decatur was practically raised in the Navy, as his father, Stephen Decatur, Sr., was a commodore during the American Revolution. The younger Decatur entered the naval service at just 19 years old. Within six years, he would be Captain of his own ship.
Even for sailors of his time, he was something of an anomaly. He was by no means ignorant but found his time at university less than thrilling, so he got a job supervising the construction of the USS United States, a frigate aboard which he would serve as a midshipman and later command. His famous father hired a tutor for him to learn the skills necessary for navigating a sailing ship.
When it came to fighting on the high seas at the time, he learned those skills from his friend and mentor, Revolutionary War veteran Commodore John Barry. Barry may not have realized at the time, but he was teaching someone who would become one of the Navy's greatest fighting sailors.
After being promoted to lieutenant by President John Adams, Decatur transferred from the USS United States to the USS Norfolk so he could hunt down French privateers prowling the Caribbean and preying on American merchantmen. After the end of the Revolution, France demanded the U.S. end its trade with Britain and pay back its debt from the war. When the U.S. refused, French ships began capturing American merchants.
A series of naval engagements followed, which became known as the Quasi-War. For the Frenchmen who engaged the USS Norfolk with Lt. Stephen Decatur aboard, it was almost certain death. The Norfolk captured some 25 French and privateer ships. After the Quasi-War ended later that year, Decatur retained his commission despite a reduction in the size of the U.S. Navy.
Keeping Decatur turned out to be in the Navy's best interest. In May 1801, a new president was in the White House, and he refused to continue the practice of paying off North African pirates to prevent them from targeting American vessels.
These states, known as the Barbary States, would hold crews for ransom until the U.S. paid tribute. Jefferson ordered the Navy to punish the Barbary Pirates by "sinking, burning or destroying their ships and vessels wherever you shall find them."
That's exactly what Decatur did. He sailed to North Africa with the first American naval squadron to cross the Atlantic. By 1803, after some time spent at sea, Decatur found himself in command of the USS Enterprise, capturing enemy ships. But his real glory in the Barbary War came later that year after the pirates captured the USS Philadelphia and held it in Tripoli harbor, in modern-day Libya.
Decatur led an expedition aboard the USS Intrepid that crept into the harbor under British colors. He and the Americans boarded the Philadelphia, killed the Tripolitans who were on guard, and finding Philadelphia was unable to put to sea, burned and destroyed it. The fire and resulting explosion damaged the harbor in the process - without losing a single sailor.
Lord Nelson, Britain's most famous naval hero, called Decatur's raid on Tripoli Harbor: the most daring act of our age." For his daring, Decatur was given command of the USS Constitution and promoted to Captain at age 25, still the youngest to reach the rank in the U.S. Navy.
Following his daring raid, the Americans (and Decatur with them) continued the attacks on Tripoli, devastating the city so much that much of the populace fled for the countryside. By 1805, the damage to the Tripolitan fleet was so extensive that the Bashaw of Tripoli was finally forced to sue for peace.
In the years to follow, Decatur's naval resume only grew. He became the scourge of the Royal Navy during the War of 1812, where he would briefly command the ship he'd overseen during its construction, the USS United States. He also returned to the Barbary Coast in 1815 as part of the American effort to end the piracy and tribute system still practiced by the North African pirate states.
Decatur would later in life make disparaging remarks to Commodore James Barron and be killed by Barron in the duel that ensued in 1820. He died a hero, recognized for his leadership and daring, and holding the highest rank possible for an American Naval Officer of the time; Commodore.
Though it probably didn't feel like it at the time, the Allies in the Pacific Theater of World War II were able to respond to the Japanese advances relatively quickly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor wasn't the only surprise target that day. The Imperial Japanese Navy also struck targets held by the Dutch and British and the American-held Philippines.
By August of 1942, just nine months after its coordinated surprise attacks across the Pacific Ocean, a combined Allied force landed on Guadalcanal in the first land offensive against the Japanese since the start of the Pacific War.
Things looked pretty bleak for the Americans (and the Allies in general) after the Japanese surprise attacks. Soon after, Japan's Axis partner Nazi Germany also declared war on the U.S. With much of the Pacific fleet knocked out; no one would blame the Americans for being a little depressed about their chances. In fact, the Japanese were hoping they would just give up - that was the plan all along.
Instead of giving up, however, Americans began enlisting and registering for the draft by the millions. Women went to work in factories. The United States generally was out for cold, hard justice. Though the Japanese had reached Guadalcanal in their path of conquest in May 1942, Japan had already received a couple of significant setbacks.
At the Battle of the Coral Sea, the American Navy forced the Japanese to abandon the offensive for the first time. At Midway, the Japanese Navy lost four aircraft carriers, a significant blow to its ability to project power. But the war was far from over. Japan began construction of a major airfield for long-range bombers at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal. If completed, it would create a significant threat to Australia.
They were not going to get the chance.
In August 1942, United States Marines from the 1st Marine Division landed almost unnoticed on Guadalcanal. It was their first amphibious landing of the war, and due to bad weather, they were able to take the Japanese defenders almost by surprise. With the help of aerial and naval bombardment, the defenses to the airfield crumbled quickly, and it was taken by the Marines.
The Americans renamed it Henderson Field and began to finish its construction in the middle of the fighting. It was ready for action in just six days, which was a good thing because much of the Navy's aerial support was withdrawn due to heavy attacks from the Japanese Navy. From this point on, control of Henderson Field was vital to the battle as well as World War II in the Pacific.
Japanese aircraft from Rabaul targeted the Marines on Guadalcanal and around Henderson Field in particular. But the length of time it took for Japan to get aircraft to the island allowed the Americans to prepare for their arrival. The result was a war of attrition, as Japan began losing aircraft and pilots it couldn't afford.
Back on the ground, Marines defending Lunga Point were reinforced with Marines coming off their amphibious landings on the rest of the Solomon Islands. Guadalcanal just happened to be the biggest of them all. By September, aircraft were landing men and supplies for the Marines, but the Japanese were still landing reinforcements from Rabaul and New Guinea.
At Imperial Japanese Headquarters, it was understood that Guadalcanal could be a major turning point in the war, so Japan was not willing to concede the island easily. For more than six months, Japanese and Allied troops fought over the 2,000-square mile island.
By day, the combined Marine, Army, Navy, and Allied aircraft, calling themselves the Cactus Air Force, pounded Japanese positions. By night, Japan struck the airfield and the Marines while speedily delivering supplies and men. The U.S. Navy intercepted this fleet, called the "Tokyo Express," in October 1942, significantly hurting Japan's ability to contest control of Guadalcanal.
But they fought on and were finally driven into the sea in January 1943. Guadalcanal was declared secure on February 9, 1943, after seeing 60,000 Allied troops fight more than 30,000 Japanese defenders for six months.
The casualty numbers reflect just how important Guadalcanal was for both sides of the Pacific War. More than 7,000 Allied men died in the fighting while the Japanese saw nearly 20,000 killed, with tens of thousands more wounded on both sides. This is why the island is one of the most storied sites of the war.
This military urban legend is only as old as World War II, and probably because out of so many Americans registered for the war, a relatively small number were actually drafted for the war. It makes sense that more than a handful might not understand why they weren't called up to serve or w
hat the rules for being called up or passed over might be.
When the war ended, a number of myths and legends began to circulate. Stories about things that happened during the war were repeated time and again, spreading far and wide. Most of them were true - or started out as true. Like a large game of veteran telephone, some stories got a little distorted.
The legend of only children being exempt from the draft is one of those stories that began with a true story but morphed into something else entirely.
Over the course of World War II, 49 million men registered for the draft in the United States. More than 407,000 service members were killed, and more than 600,000 were wounded at a time when communications depended on radio, newspaper, and word of mouth. The problem with the latter, as we are learning in the days of social media, is that word of mouth isn't always based in fact.
After the war ended, stories emerged - lots of stories. Veterans began sharing the tales of the strange and interesting things that happened to the
m, things they heard about, or things they saw. And why not? World War II was fought all over the world, among millions of people, at a time when technology and ideas were changing everything. There were bound to be a lot of great stories.
Among those stories is the tale of the Sullivan brothers, five brothers who were all killed aboard the USS Juneau when it was torpedoed by the Japanese at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Then, there's the story of Sgt. Fritz Niland of the 101st Airborne Division.
The Army removed him from combat in France after all three of his brothers were killed in combat. If that sounds familiar, it's because Sgt. Niland's story was later the basis for the 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan."
While these stories are tragic, they did not affect the draft laws of the United States during the war. After the war, however, in 1948, Congress made some significant changes for American families whose sons go off to war. This legislation provided an exemption for sole surviving sons from a family who had already lost a child to military service. If the male were an only child or the other children were lost to something other than serving their country, the son could still be drafted.
In 1964, the laws were amended. That year, Congress extended the exemption to sole surviving sons whose fathers were lost to military service. In 1971, 
the law was extended once more, this time to any son who lost a family member to military service, be they father, brother, or sister.
So, being an only child does not exempt a person from military service or from registering for the draft. Any family member who has lost a family member as a result of military service is exempt from military service, but it's important to remember that this exemption does not apply during a Congressionally declared war.
If a draft ever does resume for an action such as the Vietnam War, which was not a war declared by an act of Congress, surviving family members would receive a deferment.
So remember, no matter what your family's military status is, it's still important for all military-age males to register with Selective Service. It doesn't mean they'll be drafted, even in the case of a national emergency, but no one is exempt from registering.
The complexion of war has changed significantly through millennia of human conflict and continues to evolve with new technologies and lessons learned on the battlefield. But despite this changing environment, one constant does exist: effective logistics and supply chain integrity can change the tide of battle and determine outcomes. Until World War II, a historical reliance on fixed fortifications led to straightforward s
olutions for combat support; however, the global scale of conflict and new, unbridled mobility forever changed the face of military logistics. In fact, much of the war's best-known strategies were directed solely at disrupting enemy supply chains (Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Drumbeat, Battle of the Bulge, Island Hopping, and more). Surprisingly, by 1966 military logistics and combat supply tactics had not significantly advanced apart from the introduction of helicopters to the battlefield. So as the Vietnam War escalated, UN forces confronted novel threats posed by unfamiliar terrain, deeply entrenched enemy supply, and infiltration tactics with decades-old logistic and combat supply practices. This was the environment in which the 563rd Transportation Company deployed with a mission of operational ground and combat support, but no one could foresee what was in store.
With roots that extend to World War II, the 563rd Transportation Company was originally constituted January 1st, 1942, as Company B of the 397th Quartermaster Battalion, then activated January 10th at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Serving with distinction through 1945 (Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, and Rhineland), the unit was ultimately redesignated as the 563rd Transportation Company in 1954, idled, reactivated June 1st, 1966, and deployed to Vietnam. Comprised of three-truck platoons formed from two squads each, a maintenance and headquarters platoon, the Company fluctuated between 133 to 193 officers and enlisted men. Initially attached to the 54th Transportation Battalion, the unit was transferred to the 124th Transportation Battalion July 25th, 1967, an organization that began as an all-black unit with a proud heritage that includes a Presidential Unit Citation and Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. With responsibility for 520th Trailer Transfer Detachment, 541st Transportation Company (Light Truck), 88th Transportation Company (Medium Truck), 64th and 563rd Transportation Company (Medium Truck), the 124th Transportation Battalion assumed control of the Central Highlands.
At the outset of 1967, the principal mission of the 563rd centered on daily line-haul transport of personnel, cargo, bulk petroleum products (fuel, napalm…), and missiles between the port at Qui Nhon, An Khe, Pleiku, and other forward bases as assigned. Driving the most dangerous routes in Vietnam, these runs with hazardous materials usually took half a day to reach the destination so trucks could return to their home base by evening. With a constant threat of guerilla activity and ambush, convoys were not allowed to drive at night though there was always more cargo than trucks. In long-haul cases, transportation personnel would spend the night and return the next day. Route 19, in particular, was the most heavily trafficked and deadly road dating back to 1954, the same route where the French Mobile Group 100 had been annihilated, totaling 2000-3500 soldiers in a single engagement. Hairpin curves and varying road conditions together with land mines and bridges blown by enemy forces created unique and hazardous convoy exposure, made even worse by monsoon seasons twice each year for two months. Despite these dangers, the singular countermeasure by US forces was convoy serials of 20 to 30 trucks to minimize bunching up and limit vulnerability.
So, with a recognition that each days' convoy may be their last, soldiers of the 563rd and sister transportation units persevered. To contend with increasing cargo requirements and limited transportation resources, the emphasis became operational efficiency, largely in port off-loading procedures and truck/trailer transfer. For the 563rd, this meant assignment for port clearance, a 24 hour per day shuttle operation to pull all trailers from port and depot locations to the Trailer Transfer Point. At this same time, direct loading operations from ship to trailer achieved a ten-minute truck turn-around time and significant improvement in the throughput of critically needed materials. While these gains would later prove invaluable, they could not overcome the dangers present in convoy operations reminiscent of the Red Ball Express over twenty years earlier and would now prove fatal.
On September 2nd, 1967, 39 trucks were returning home after delivering supplies to Pleiku. Escorted by two gun jeeps and in an area considered secure by the presence of the 1st Cavalry Division, a Viet Cong Company ambushed the convoy near the An Khe Pass in broad daylight. Seven Americans were killed, 17 wounded, and 30 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The VC quickly disappeared, and no evidence of enemy casualties were found. The Army was now compelled to respond, so transportation battalions were authorized to modify trucks, turning them into gun platforms. These 2 ½ ton gun trucks were fitted with armor plating, one 50 caliber machine gun, two M-60 machine guns, and two M-79 Grenade Launchers. For every ten trucks in a convoy, one would be an armored gun truck to provide defensive capability, resources that would almost immediately be tested in combat.
Dak To, a village that lies on a valley floor of the Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, was surrounded by waves of ridgelines and served as home to US Forces including US Army 4th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Intelligence gathered during Operation Greeley suggested enemy forces were concentrating in that region. On November 2nd, four Communist Regiments attacked, in part as a distraction for the Tet Offensive that would be waged by the communists against larger cities. Immediately, the first "Combat Emergency Convoy" was ordered North to Dak To with ongoing continuous support through the battle's end on November 23rd, one of the hardest fought and bloodiest battles of the war. In doing so, the 563rd drove 137,750 miles to deliver 9,259 tons of cargo and 97,471 gallons of petroleum products, praised by Generals Westmoreland and Abrams stating that never before in a major battle have the combat troops been so well supplied.
On the heels of the Dak To battle, the 563rd Transportation Company continued combat service support operations for the 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade, including daily convoys to Kon Tum, Dak To, Landing Zone Oasis, and troop movements to Polei Djereng, Polei Kleng, Ben Het, and Ban Me Thuot. With increased enemy activity due to the Tet Offensive, for the first six months of 1968, the 563rd also furnished ten enlisted men and one officer to conduct night patrols in the Pleiku area, with fifteen to eighteen men providing nightly perimeter security for the Bien Ho Containment Area and Camp Wilson. Despite armored vehicles, three convoys of the 563rd were ambushed on March 21st, May 5th, and again on August 16th, but by late 1968 the number of ambushes appeared to decline - but would not sustain.
During 1969, the 563rd combat service support was expanded to include the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment while undergoing ambush and large-scale attacks on March 9th (Kon Tum Convoy), May 12th, June 16th, June 24th (Ben Het Convoy), and November 22nd (Seng Be Convoy). In response to the escalation, Jeeps were modified to add armor, a machine gun, and a grenade launcher, but otherwise, operations were unabated. In particular, the June 24th convoy was an attempt to resupply ammunition to the 5th Special Forces and US artillery units. Located at Ben Het, these units were cut-off by 3,000 North Vietnamese and had been under siege for 57 days. Despite losses of personnel and vehicles, the 563rd broke through to relieve the base, engaging the enemy with armored vehicles.
The 563rd Transportation Company supported combat activities, including incursions into Cambodia until the war's end. In recognition of their courage and devotion to duty, the men earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for service from 1966 to 1967 and Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Gold Stars for 1966 to 1970. While individual honors included the Silver Star, Bronze Stars with "V" Device (for Valor), and Purple Hearts, they were incidental to these soldiers. The mission of the transportation units is one of service, a commitment that, to the best of their ability, they will support and nurture the combat units under their charge. Time and again, the 563rd helped to change the tide of battle and determine the outcome. It's not about medals and insignia, but rather the bond between brothers forged in combat and proven on the battlefield.
Only one thing is certain in life, to quote Jim Morrison, "no one here gets out alive." As much as we would like to think we are invincible, we must come to grips with the fact that we will not live forever.
The last two years have been tough on everyone. I have set more profiles to deceased than I care to count. Sadly, many of them have been almost empty. All they may have in them is their rank and service years. There is nothing in them that tells their family about what they did in the service. Where they went, who their friends were, their memories. All they become is a name on a leger.
Like most people, they thought that "when I retire, I'll get around to it." "When things slow down, I'll complete it." "I'll do it tomorrow." Well, one day, your tomorrow never comes, and what will you have left for your family?
A few months ago, I worked with a member and encouraged him to complete his page and do his Reflections. He sent me an email that says it best.
"Again, THANKS for getting me to do what I should have worked on a year or so ago. I might not be able to finish my profile.
Right kidney, urea tube, lymph node removed plus bladder re-sectioned (cancer). More may still have to be removed.
PLEASE advise members to work on & finish their profile regardless of Time spent in service...be it six months or 30 years.
Please don't let my note burden you. It is meant to get TWS MEMBERS to complete their Profiles. Life is fleeting & unpredictable."
I have had family members join us, hoping to find any information on their family members. Some are looking for photos they have never seen. Some are looking to talk to people who knew the relative they never got to know. Many of them were children of Vietnam Vets.
Though you may not feel they would be interested, or that it is a hard story for you to tell, please tell it, for them, for your family and future generations. We have had so many sons, daughters, and grandchildren trying to learn of their loved one's military service, to know that part of them. It does not matter if you were in combat or not. You signed the dotted line; we all played our part to support our brothers and sisters. Your history is what your family wants to learn.
We want to encourage you not to lose this part of your role in service to our country. Sign in today and complete your profile. Tell your story in Reflections on Service. If you currently have what we call "one-liners," a single sentence answer, please consider who you are writing this to. It's your voice, in your own words, to your family.
I know over the years, many of you have gotten back to me and told me that finally writing down your story was cathartic. It was like releasing the dragon that had been buried inside for so very long. It's okay; you're here among friends who understand. Your story may help someone else heal.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Do not leave your story untold.
America's 39th president has held a lot of jobs in his time. Apart from being president of the United States (and sometimes while serving as president), Jimmy Carter has been a peanut farmer, preacher, professor, and even a parole officer. But he started his adult life as a U.S. Navy officer, most famously working with Adm. Hyman Rickover, the "Father of the Nuclear Navy."
Though he started his naval career aboard diesel-electric submarines, Lt. Carter began working with the Naval Reactors Branch of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission - the Navy's nuclear submarine program - in 1952.
Rickover was infamous in the Navy for demanding near-absolute perfection from those working under his command. His expectations of the then-28-year-old Carter were no different. The young lieutenant was being groomed as the engineering officer for the nuclear plant aboard the USS Seawolf, the Navy's second nuclear sub, and was designing the training program for its nuclear-enlisted personnel.
The Navy's work in developing the first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, meant that Rickover and Carter had access to the latest and greatest in top-secret nuclear energy technology. So when Canada's Chalk River nuclear research facility experienced a power surge that damaged its reactor, the U.S. sent Carter and his team. He was one of a few people in the world who could do it.
Fuel rods at the research reactor experienced a partial meltdown after the power surge. It ruptured the reactor and flooded the facility's basement with radioactive water, rendering the reactor core unusable.
In his 2015 autobiography "A Full Life: Reflections At Ninety," Carter described the incident and his preparations for repairing the reactor. They built an exact replica of the reactor, true to the last detail (except the actual nuclear material) on a nearby tennis court to practice and track their progress.
Carter and his 22 other team members were separated into teams of three and lowered into the reactor for 90-second intervals to clean the site. It was estimated that a minute-and-a-half was the maximum time humans could be exposed to the levels of radiation present in the area.
It was still too much, especially by today's standards. The future president would have radioactive urine for months after the cleanup.
"We were fairly well-instructed then on what nuclear power was, but for about six months after that, I had radioactivity in my urine," Carter told CNN in 2008. "They let us get probably a thousand times more radiation than they would now. It was in the early stages, and they didn't know."
The exposure was especially dangerous for Carter, whose family medical history is full of cancer deaths. His father died of pancreatic cancer in 1953, which led to Carter leaving the Navy that year. Cancerous tumors were found on the former president's liver and brain in 2015 as he turned 91, but quick diagnosis and treatment led to a cancer-free bill of health a year later.
His extensive knowledge of nuclear reactors and energy would come in handy when Carter became president in 1977, as other world leaders respected his knowledge on the subject.
Greetings! Happy New Year!
As we get started in 2022, we have several challenges ahead of us. Overall, 2021 was a very successful year for us! We came very close to achieving our new member goal. We added four new Regular Chapters, rejuvenated the WWII Medallion Program, and increased our presence on social media. In 2022, 
I am asking every member to recommit themselves in support of the Association. Whether it be signing up new members, volunteering to assist or taking the lead on a committee, or starting up a new Chapter. Below are some of the areas I am asking you to support in any way you can.
NCOA WWII War and Remembrance Medallion Recognition Program: A shoutout to Chapters and Individuals that are steadily presenting our WWII Veteran Medallions to Veterans and/or their family members. Pictures are being posted on our Facebook Pages, Instagram, and website. There are plenty of Medallions remaining. Help us get the word out. I encourage you to keep sharing the information about the program with your friends and other Military/Veteran Sen/ice Organizations. Veteran Retirement Homes, etc. Thank you for your continuous support of this very worthy program. Medallions are a $15.00 donation each. Information on how to order is on the website and has been sent out in separate emails.
Membership: Have you signed up a New Member yet? Please continue to support our 2021/22 Membership Campaign by recruiting at least one new member in any category as we strive to reach our 1.200 new member goal by the 2022 Conference. Incentives for this program have been sent to chapter leadership via email, and the information is posted on the website and Facebook pages. We need everyone to continue to do their part by signing up at least one new member and sharing the information about the program with others.
Chapter Startup Liaisons: We are also seeking members who would like to be Liaisons to help us start chapters in those areas where we currently do not have a chapter presence. It only takes 5 Paid members to start a chapter, and, with today's technology, it is not necessary to always meet in the traditional face-to-face manner. We have the information we can send you both electronically and hard copy and are here to assist in any way we can. If you or anyone you know is interested, let us know, and we will provide more details.
Chapters in Action: We need more of you to tell what you are doing so we can share with other chapters, sponsors, and member prospects. Send in pictures with captions to let us know what you are doing in your communities. Please share on your and our Facebook pages and your website. We need to continue telling others who we are and what we are doing. Share information with the newest chapters regarding activities and fundraisers you are involved in. The Chapter Locations roster is posted on the website www.ncoausa.org.
NCOA Website. NCOA USA Facebook and NCOA Member Group Page, INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN: We continue to update our website and ask you to share our NCOA Group Facebook Page (NCOA-Strength in Unity). Please encourage your members to join the Group Page. We set it up so we can have an open forum to exchange issues and ideas. It is for paid members of the Association only. We ask that everyone is courteous and make constructive comments on the page. In addition, please visit, like, tag others, and share our public Facebook page - NCOA USA.
2022 NCOA Conference: Save the date and plan to attend. July 19-22 is locked in for the 2022 Conference. It will be held in San Antonio. More information will be announced in the coming months.
In closing, there is plenty to do whether you are near a chapter or not. Take another look at supporting the topics above and review the strategic plan and consider volunteering for one of the committees. We need everyone to get involved. Thank you in advance!
"Strength in Unity"
New York's Coney Island is so culturally linked with hot dogs that the word "Coney" is synonymous with the food in many parts of the country.
This is because the hot dog as we know it was invented on the beach at Coney Island. We may not remember the name of the man who invented them or his original hot dog brand, but two Army veterans and brothers, Joe and Michael Quinn are out to change that.
"My brothers and I grew up in the Coney Island area," Joe Quinn says. "Spending summers at Coney island, our grandfather would always tell us about the great Charles Feltman. He'd tell us the story of Charles Feltman and how he invented the hot dog right where we were standing. He had a small pie cart, and he turned the pie cart into his first hot dog park."
In 1869, German-born immigrant Charles Feltman was a pushcart food salesman on Coney Island beaches. After a couple of years selling pies to pleasure seekers on the beaches, he decided to offer them something from his home country: a frankfurter.
Instead of serving it on a plate with potato salad, however, he put it in a roll for easy carry and consumption. He called it a Coney Island Red Hot, but the rest of the world would come to know it as the hot dog.
Feltman died in 1910, but Feltman's Hot Dogs was carried on by his sons. The business was soon selling enough food that his sons upgraded it from a pushcart to an eatery. By the 1920s, Feltman's Hot Dogs was a restaurant and beer garden, complete with a carousel.
"'They sold like hot cakes,' my grandpa used to say," says Quinn. "He turned that pie cart into the largest restaurant in Coney Island. It was like a kind of Italy on the beach, just 18 grilling stations for shore dinners and entertainment."
But like all good things, even Feltman's Hot Dogs came to an end. In 1954, the restaurant closed after being sold and resold. Local residents like the Quinns' grandfather never forgot the days of their youth spent with Feltman and his creation on Coney Island.
The Quinn brothers were inspired by their grandfather's stories about Coney Island, even though it had become a bit run down by the time they grew up in the area. Their lifelong dream was to reopen Feltman's Hot Dogs and revive the brand. They had a plan in place.
Oldest brother Michael went into the food industry, while Joe (the youngest) went off to West Point for a career in the Army. Middle brother Jimmy went to work in finance at Cantor Fitzgerald with the idea of making some money and starting up a business.
"That was Jimmy's goal," Quinn says. "To go to Wall Street, make a whole bunch of money and then use that money to fund the business. My brothers were just infatuated with the story of Feltman's."
But the dream was cut short. While Joe was a senior at the U.S. Military Academy, Jimmy was killed while working at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks.
After two tours in Iraq, Joe Quinn left the Army in 2015. The two surviving brothers renewed their determination to honor Jimmy Quinn's wishes - relaunching the business after a legal process to get rights to the name. Today, with a headquarters in Brooklyn, Feltman's Hot Dogs can be found in 1,200 stores, from Publix to Whole Foods.
It's also the first-ever official hot dog of West Point Athletics.
"To go to Michie Stadium, see the logo I created, see people eating the hot dogs and talking about it, it's just a surreal sort of situation," says Quinn. "No one even heard of Charles Feltman or heard of Feltman's Coney Island, and to resurrect that; it's just incredible. To me, it's taking that history, infusing it with meaning, and doing it in memory of our brother."
For most of us, our time in the military takes us to new places, teaches us new things, and introduces us to people we otherwise would never have met. One retired Air Force officer, Maj. Chris Adams documented the memorable people he encountered throughout his military career and compiled his recollections in his new book, "Notable Encounters."
Adams is a retired USAF major general, a Vietnam War pilot, former Chief of Staff at Strategic Air Command, and a former associate director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. His important Cold War-era work took him to places out of reach for most military personnel and introduced him to people from all walks of life - including some on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
He is also the recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
He believes that virtually every encounter, greeting, or meeting between two people is initiated with a handshake, a practice that has existed in some form or another for thousands of years, most often engaged upon an initial meeting or greeting. The purpose of clasping hands is to convey trust, respect, balance, and equality.
Adams' encounters start with such a handshake.
The people he recalls in "Notable Encounters" are those who made a lasting impression on the author at some critical moments in his life and career. For Adams, these meetings are a memoir, a way to structure the story of his life while providing insight into the lives of some important figures.
Readers may recognize many of the names Adams recalls in his memoir; others may not. The author includes important biographical information about the people he meets while discussing the importance and influence on his own life.
"Notable Encounters" is both a memoir of an eventful life and meaningful military career, as well as a discussion of historical people in the context of who they were. With some of the names, he became lifelong friends. With others, it was just a handshake. All the encounters in this book held some kind of importance for the author and perhaps the world at large.
Readers can purchase "Notable Encounters" in hardcover ($27.95) or paperback ($4.19) at bookstores and in e-reader for the same price as a paperback online at Amazon, Apple Books, or Barnes and Noble.
With every battle in every war he fought, Stephen Decatur's service exemplified the heroism and bravery of the Navy, no matter what his rank he was at the time.
A series of naval engagements followed, which became known as the Quasi-War. For the Frenchmen who engaged the USS Norfolk with Lt. Stephen Decatur aboard, it was almost certain death. The Norfolk captured some 25 French and privateer ships. After the Quasi-War ended later that year, Decatur retained his commission despite a reduction in the size of the U.S. Navy. 
Decatur led an expedition aboard the USS Intrepid that crept into the harbor under British colors. He and the Americans boarded the Philadelphia, killed the Tripolitans who were on guard, and finding Philadelphia was unable to put to sea, burned and destroyed it. The fire and resulting explosion damaged the harbor in the process - without losing a single sailor. 
By August of 1942, just nine months after its coordinated surprise attacks across the Pacific Ocean, a combined Allied force landed on Guadalcanal in the first land offensive against the Japanese since the start of the Pacific War. 
They were not going to get the chance. 
Back on the ground, Marines defending Lunga Point were reinforced with Marines coming off their amphibious landings on the rest of the Solomon Islands. Guadalcanal just happened to be the biggest of them all. By September, aircraft were landing men and supplies for the Marines, but the Japanese were still landing reinforcements from Rabaul and New Guinea. 
hat the rules for being called up or passed over might be. 
m, things they heard about, or things they saw. And why not? World War II was fought all over the world, among millions of people, at a time when technology and ideas were changing everything. There were bound to be a lot of great stories. 
the law was extended once more, this time to any son who lost a family member to military service, be they father, brother, or sister. 
olutions for combat support; however, the global scale of conflict and new, unbridled mobility forever changed the face of military logistics. In fact, much of the war's best-known strategies were directed solely at disrupting enemy supply chains (Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Drumbeat, Battle of the Bulge, Island Hopping, and more). Surprisingly, by 1966 military logistics and combat supply tactics had not significantly advanced apart from the introduction of helicopters to the battlefield. So as the Vietnam War escalated, UN forces confronted novel threats posed by unfamiliar terrain, deeply entrenched enemy supply, and infiltration tactics with decades-old logistic and combat supply practices. This was the environment in which the 563rd Transportation Company deployed with a mission of operational ground and combat support, but no one could foresee what was in store.
At the outset of 1967, the principal mission of the 563rd centered on daily line-haul transport of personnel, cargo, bulk petroleum products (fuel, napalm…), and missiles between the port at Qui Nhon, An Khe, Pleiku, and other forward bases as assigned. Driving the most dangerous routes in Vietnam, these runs with hazardous materials usually took half a day to reach the destination so trucks could return to their home base by evening. With a constant threat of guerilla activity and ambush, convoys were not allowed to drive at night though there was always more cargo than trucks. In long-haul cases, transportation personnel would spend the night and return the next day. Route 19, in particular, was the most heavily trafficked and deadly road dating back to 1954, the same route where the French Mobile Group 100 had been annihilated, totaling 2000-3500 soldiers in a single engagement. Hairpin curves and varying road conditions together with land mines and bridges blown by enemy forces created unique and hazardous convoy exposure, made even worse by monsoon seasons twice each year for two months. Despite these dangers, the singular countermeasure by US forces was convoy serials of 20 to 30 trucks to minimize bunching up and limit vulnerability.
On September 2nd, 1967, 39 trucks were returning home after delivering supplies to Pleiku. Escorted by two gun jeeps and in an area considered secure by the presence of the 1st Cavalry Division, a Viet Cong Company ambushed the convoy near the An Khe Pass in broad daylight. Seven Americans were killed, 17 wounded, and 30 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The VC quickly disappeared, and no evidence of enemy casualties were found. The Army was now compelled to respond, so transportation battalions were authorized to modify trucks, turning them into gun platforms. These 2 ½ ton gun trucks were fitted with armor plating, one 50 caliber machine gun, two M-60 machine guns, and two M-79 Grenade Launchers. For every ten trucks in a convoy, one would be an armored gun truck to provide defensive capability, resources that would almost immediately be tested in combat.
On the heels of the Dak To battle, the 563rd Transportation Company continued combat service support operations for the 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade, including daily convoys to Kon Tum, Dak To, Landing Zone Oasis, and troop movements to Polei Djereng, Polei Kleng, Ben Het, and Ban Me Thuot. With increased enemy activity due to the Tet Offensive, for the first six months of 1968, the 563rd also furnished ten enlisted men and one officer to conduct night patrols in the Pleiku area, with fifteen to eighteen men providing nightly perimeter security for the Bien Ho Containment Area and Camp Wilson. Despite armored vehicles, three convoys of the 563rd were ambushed on March 21st, May 5th, and again on August 16th, but by late 1968 the number of ambushes appeared to decline - but would not sustain.
The last two years have been tough on everyone. I have set more profiles to deceased than I care to count. Sadly, many of them have been almost empty. All they may have in them is their rank and service years. There is nothing in them that tells their family about what they did in the service. Where they went, who their friends were, their memories. All they become is a name on a leger. 
PLEASE advise members to work on & finish their profile regardless of Time spent in service...be it six months or 30 years. 
Though he started his naval career aboard diesel-electric submarines, Lt. Carter began working with the Naval Reactors Branch of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission - the Navy's nuclear submarine program - in 1952. 
In his 2015 autobiography "A Full Life: Reflections At Ninety," Carter described the incident and his preparations for repairing the reactor. They built an exact replica of the reactor, true to the last detail (except the actual nuclear material) on a nearby tennis court to practice and track their progress. 
I am asking every member to recommit themselves in support of the Association. Whether it be signing up new members, volunteering to assist or taking the lead on a committee, or starting up a new Chapter. Below are some of the areas I am asking you to support in any way you can.
This is because the hot dog as we know it was invented on the beach at Coney Island. We may not remember the name of the man who invented them or his original hot dog brand, but two Army veterans and brothers, Joe and Michael Quinn are out to change that. 
Feltman died in 1910, but Feltman's Hot Dogs was carried on by his sons. The business was soon selling enough food that his sons upgraded it from a pushcart to an eatery. By the 1920s, Feltman's Hot Dogs was a restaurant and beer garden, complete with a carousel. 
But the dream was cut short. While Joe was a senior at the U.S. Military Academy, Jimmy was killed while working at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. 
Readers may recognize many of the names Adams recalls in his memoir; others may not. The author includes important biographical information about the people he meets while discussing the importance and influence on his own life.