United States Department of Defense

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2010 - With Veterans Day around the corner, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen and his wife, Deborah, sat down with reporters this week to raise visibility on issues important to military families and veterans. Story

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Commander
NATO International Security Assistance Force

Chairman Joint Ciefs of Staff
Adm. Mike Mullen

PHOTO ESSAY

USS Oklahoma Crewmember Records the War

STORIES

Buster Adams

'It Was a Thing I Had to Do'

Buster Adams, a World War II Army veteran, poses for a picture at the Alexandria National Cemetery, Alexandria, Va., Sept. 11, 2010. Adams discussed his time in service and what it means to him to be a U.S. military veteran. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2010 - Buster Adams worked for the Army Signal Corps when he was drafted during World War II. A cryptologist, Adams would go on to serve more than 30 years of federal service. Story

Jessie Clark

Volunteers Who Join the Fight

Former Navy hospital corpsman and World War II veteran Jessie Clark discusses her military service during an interview July 21, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2010 - World War II veteran Jessie Clark said she joined the Navy after graduating college to serve her country during its time of need. Story

Bill Sumner

A Life of Service

During an Oct. 13, 2010, interview at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Sumner - a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War - discusses his military experiences. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2010 - The day Bill Sumner graduated from high school, he joined the military to serve in World War II - marking the beginning of a life of service. Story | Video

John Reep

Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge

Veteran John Reep discusses his Army service from 1943 to 1952 during a Sept. 11, 2010 interview at Alexandria National Cemetery, Va. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2010 - John Reep almost missed out on his chance to serve in World War II when he was mistakenly diagnosed with tuberculosis the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He would make up for lost time later, though, in the European theater. Story | Video

RETIRED GUARD

Unit Preserves History, Shares Stories

Chapman "Chappy" Holbrook, a member of the 122nd Bomb Squadron Restoration Unit, prepares the nose of a B-26 to be used as a monitor to display photos in the Jackson Barracks Museum in New Orleans, Oct. 27, 2010. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Jessica M. Lopez, Louisiana National Guard NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 5, 2010 - At the Jackson Barracks Military Museum, Wednesdays are a time for reminiscing and restoration for the members of the 122nd Bomb Restoration Squadron Unit. Story

John J. Kushwara

Going to War in 1944

During a July 1, 2010, interview, John Kushwara discusses his World War II service in the Marine Corps. Kushwara served from 1944 to 1946, and was deployed to Okinawa. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2010 - Although he had a good job, John J. Kushwara chose to join the Marine Corps in 1944 and went on to battle the enemy, and the weather, in Okinawa. Story | Video

Ralph Cupper

Service Was ‘Rite of Passage’

Army World War II veteran Ralph Cupper stands at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., July 21, 2010. Cupper discussed his time in service and what it means to be a World War II veteran. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2010 - Ralph Cupper enlisted in the Army at age 17 in 1944, preferring not to wait until he was drafted to serve his country. Story | Video

Marie Peckham

Following in Her Father’s Footsteps

Marie Peckham, a former Marine Corps staff sergeant and World War II veteran, discusses her time in service during an interview at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., July 21, 2010. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2010 - Marie Peckham is a big fan of the Marine Corps, not just because her father, brothers and husband were Marines, but because of her own Marine Corp service, which began in 1943. Story | Video

Five Veterans

The Crew of the USS Oklahoma City

Crew members from the USS Oklahoma City pose for a photo at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., Aug. 26, 2010. Left to right: Ray Palumbo, Frank Zaccaro, Ralph Alfaro, Bill Crouch and Fred Kapinos. DOD photo by Doug Moss WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2010 - Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu boarded the USS Missouri to sign the Japanese instrument of surrender, effectively ending fighting on the Pacific front in War II. Ray Palumbo, Frank Zaccharo, Ralph Alfaro, Bill Crouch and Fred Kapanos all joined the Navy in 1944, serving together as the first crew of the Oklahoma City. Story | Photo Essay | Video

John Gunther Dean

'Serving a Cause Bigger Than Myself'

Ambassador John Gunther Dean, a U.S. Army World War II veteran, provides an interview about his time in service, Sept. 13, 2010. Dean, a German immigrant, came to the United States in 1938 to avoid persecution by the Nazis. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2010 - Dean had a good life to look forward to until the Nazi government started annexing surrounding nations by force - persecuting, enslaving and murdering Jews along the way. “This country was great to me,” he said. “I came as an immigrant, I was able to go to Harvard, I was fleeing Nazis. ... I want to help the country.” Story | Video

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Commander
NATO International Security Assistance Force

Chairman Joint Ciefs of Staff
Adm. Mike Mullen

STORIES

Betty Ann Patterson

Serving to Make a Difference

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010 - When Betty Ann Patterson joined the Army in 1952, she knew she wanted to do one thing: make a difference. "Women were only a minuscule part of the military in those days," she said. "I wanted to break new ground, to go where few women had gone before and to be a leader in an unexplored area." Story

David Fike

The Value of Military Service

David Fike, a Korean War veteran, poses for a photo during an interview at Alexandria (Va.) National Cemetery, Sept. 11, 2010. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2010 - David Fike was in his third year of law school when he joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Years later, both his sons would serve as Marines in very different circumstances. Story | Video

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Commander
NATO International Security Assistance Force

Chairman Joint Ciefs of Staff
Adm. Mike Mullen

STORIES

Arlen Bliefernicht

Experiencing ‘Full Metal Jacket’

Army veteran Arlen Bliefernicht discusses his service in Vietnam during a July 15, 2010, interview. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 22, 2010 - Army Vietnam veteran Arlen Bliefernicht recalled the vicious combat he'd experienced during the April 1968 battle of of Chu Moor, fought near the Cambodian border. Story | Video

Saint Silver

‘I Wish I Had Stayed In’

Saint Silver, an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, poses for a photo during a visit to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., July 30, 2010. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2010 - Saint Silver has suffered from several disorders since the Vietnam War, but says serving in the Army was the best thing that ever happened to him. Story | Video

Robert Mowl

Maintaining the Military Ethos

Robert Mowl prepares to feed soldiers during his Army service in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Courtesy photo WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2010 - When Robert Mowl graduated from high school in 1965, he knew he was going to join the Army. But the Cincinnati resident may not have known i the Army would become his career and home for the next 21 years. Story | Video

Chris Harris

‘A Means to Another End’

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Roy Penman discusses his time in service, June 24, 2010. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2010 – Chris Harris didn’t see the military as an end, but rather as a means to another end, when he accepted an ROTC scholarship to Duke University.
Story | Video

Sgt. Roy Penman

Two Wars, Two Services, Three Decades

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2010 - Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Roy Penman said patriotism induced him to fight in Vietnam and years later, deploy for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Story | Video

Frank “Irish” Healey

'Learn Everything You Can'

Frank "Irish" Healey, a former Marine with the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, and a Vietnam veteran, poses for a photo at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Aug. 20, 2010. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2010 - Former Marine Corps member and Vietnam veteran Frank "Irish" Healey says it's important that young servicemembers learn everything they can so they can be prepared for battlefield contingencies. Story | Video

Nick Gillen

A Responsibility Never to Forget

Army Vietnam veteran Nick Gillen discusses his time in service during an interview at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 12, 2010. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2010 - In California’s San Francisco Bay area in 1967, “Vietnam” was a dirty word. But for Nick Gillen, it meant an opportunity to put his money where his mouth was and serve his country. Though he already was planning to enlist, he said, the draft expedited his enlistment. Story | Video

Michael Tripp

‘Do Your Duty and Be Proud’

Michael Tripp, a Vietnam veteran, poses for a photo at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Aug. 20, 2010. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2010 - Michael Tripp is a certified public accountant in East Providence, R.I. He’s also one of the most famous faces from the Vietnam War. Story | Video

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Commander
NATO International Security Assistance Force

Chairman Joint Ciefs of Staff
Adm. Mike Mullen

STORIES

Ryan Berkshire

Joining Up to Do His Part

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2010 - The military can prove to be a demonstration of patriotism, a college payment plan, or just a way to get out of town and start adulthood. For Ryan Berkshire, it was all three. Story

Lisa Reed

Putting Personal Comforts Aside

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2010 - Military veterans gave up the comforts of "normal" life to serve their country, said Lisa Reed, an Air Force veteran. Story

John Gainer

Third-Generation Sailor Recalls Service

Former Navy officer John Gainer. Courtesy photo WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2010 - As a third-generation Navy man, John Gainer knew what kind of commitment and dedication it would take when he accepted a commission in 1992. Story

John McAllister

Military Service, Ticket to a New World

John McAllister, a veteran who served both in the National Guard and the U.S. Air Force, stands at the World War II Memorial in Washington. D.C., July 1, 2010. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class William Selby WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2010 - Without joining the military, John McAllister wouldn’t have met his wife in Greece, or developed the lifelong friendships only the military’s camaraderie can foster. Story

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

PHOTO ESSAY

STORIES

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Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

STORIES

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Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

RELATED LINKS

STORIES

Mullens Speak Out on Veterans’ Challenges

VETERANS DAY MESSAGES

STORIES

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