Franklin Donald Renkvish: Father Of The United States Army

A young F. Carl Mahoney was off to Witchita Falls County in Texas. He enlisted in the Vietnam War. To then become a medical corpsman in the US Air Force. After 3 months of basic training in northwestnorthwest Texas (a barren desert, ) this man receivedreceived orders to report for medic duty in England. In Suffolk, England there was no combat, only lots of suffering and families in need.

My first visit to the Naval Academy was on family trip while in grammar school. On this and subsequent visits, the young men and women who chose to devote their lives to country and service greatly impressed me. As a high school student, I had the good fortune to experience Academy life via my acceptance to the competitive Summer STEM program, my invitation to Candidate Visit Weekend, and my participation in the Elite Throws Sports Camp. Through these first-hand experiences, I grew in awareness and commitment to an Academy education as an opportunity to enable me to serve my country. Moreover, I am honored to be a member of a gold star family, via my uncle Senior Master Sergeant Peter Bondi, recently deceased on active duty, and to have had a grandfather who served in the National Guard. Eulogies delivered for my Uncle Peter reflected a life of service and were a source of inspiration that fueled my resolve to serve.

Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., wrote: “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.” With the all volunteer military, more and more americans are being disconnected with their peers, and fewer are choosing to serve. The divide between these two americans is wider than ever before. When Veterans try to share their experiences, many people might not be able to offer empathy. Tim O’Brian in “How to Tell a True War Story” constantly reiterates that war stories could be shared in perspective of the fire fights and theatrics, but a more effective one sheds light on the soldier’s ability to make sense

Since birth, a combination of experiences forged in me a unique mindset and determination making me the ideal candidate to attend the United States Military Academy West Point. Four years of education and service as an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) cadet, together with my service as a member of a Christian mission team, when combined with my legacy as the namesake descendant of United States Army Master Sergeant George LaVance Kyzer, Missing in Action - Chosin Reservoir, Korea, provide me with an unparalleled knowledge of the duty, service, and sacrifice becoming a member of The United States Army commands. Therefore, I am the perfect candidate to represent South Carolina as a nominee to serve this country at the level

Christopher Kleinwachter, patriot and a devoted son, was on a military operation with the National Guard in the Afghan War when he was killed on November 29, 2006. His mother, Carmen, numb with grief over the death of her close son, began a journey that she never expected to have to make in life: a road that passed through anger, sadness, terrible depression and then forgiveness and peace. Her small volume of poetry, essays and prayers tell the story of Christopher, the military family who came to support her in her time of need, her forgiveness of a person contributory to the accident which killed her son, and the patriotism and service of her son and all who fight for our liberty in the armed forces. This volume is a praise of those who serve

For this Oral History Lab, I turned to the Veterans History Project, which has an online archive full of Interviews of War Veterans ranging from all eras. The interview that I chose to critique for this assignment was conducted in September of 2003. The interviewer is Bruce Wirz and the Narrator is WWII sergeant William C. Abernathy. The interview is conducted in just under 25 minutes.

At the core of every Soldier or Veteran is a family that is influenced by their service. Nowhere is more evident of this service and sacrifice, than

The author, Tom Brokaw; a part of of The Greatest Generation, has plenty of experience around the military. His fathers, Red Brokaw, was the typically role model for his son. “Between the ages three and five [Tom Brokaw] lived on an Army base in western South Dakota and spent a good deal of my time outdoors in a tiny helmet, shooting stick guns at imaginary German and Japanese soldiers” (XVII). In addition to his father being an inspirational imagine in his childhood, it also included memorable images of the Fourth of July and the moment after his father returned home from the service. The military was all around Tom Brokaw and inspired him to honor the veteran’s lives as well as sacrifice during the war. From a young age good morals and values were influencing Brokaw, much like many other members of The Greatest Generation.

Dred Scott was of African descent and born in America. He was a slave in 1834. He belonged to Dr. Emerson, a surgeon for the United States army. Scott and Dr. Emerson were originally located in Missouri, a slave state. But, in the year 1834, Dr. Emersion took Scott to the Rock Island Military Post in Illinois, a free state, where he worked for him as a slave. This continued until 1836, when Dr. Emerson moved with Scott to Fort Snelling located in Upper Louisiana, a territory at the time (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_dred.html). Later, this territory would enter the Union as a free state because of the Missouri Compromise (The Dred Scott Decision 2013). While this was happening, Harriet, the eventual wife of Dred

This paper recalls the military service of my great grandfather PFC Heyward Cuffie, a Buffalo Soldier and World War II veteran. He exemplified the Warrior Ethos: displayed resilience in a time of crisis; challenged social norms; led by example; trained to standard and fought until he couldn’t physically fight anymore. PFC Cuffie’s legacy is a part of a larger legacy of minorities who paved the way for desegregation in the Armed Forces and serves as a testament for future leaders to follow.

During an interview with Neal Lehew, my grandpa, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the reactions and responses to the questions that I asked. Neal was born in 1937 in Horton, KS; the same town that he has resided in his entire life. Growing up, farming has been a way of life for him; sometimes taking precedence over attending school in a one room schoolhouse. Despite being forced to farm when he was young, it became his lifelong passion. In 1955, Neal graduated from high school and joined the National Guard for nine years in order to continue farming at his home. He explained to me that during this time period, if a person did not join the National Guard or get married, they were to be drafted. While in the Guards, he attended Highland Community College, where he graduated with a business degree. In 1964, my grandpa and grandma, Joan, got married. They have happily been married for almost fifty-two years; as he says that that is the best decision that he has ever made in his entire life. Two short years later, Joan gave birth to my dad, Tim. One additional year later, my aunt Dawn was born. In 1999, Neal began driving the bus for the local school and continued to do this for sixteen years.

    My grandfather was a member of the United States Military, as well as many other Americans, and they had to sacrifice numerous things to ensure the safety of the United States citizens. Fortunately, my grandfather made it home safely to his family, but others, like my great grandfather who was killed in action during World

For my veteran essay, I decided to interview my grandpa, Joe (my mom’s dad). When he served, he served in the army as a chef for two years. His rank was specialist, 5th class. In 1965, Joe came home from work and saw his girlfriend (my grandma) and his mom looking at a letter, crying. She gave him the letter and he felt a bus token. When you were drafted, they would give you a bus token to get to the army. He was stationed in Fort Gordon in Georgia. He stayed in the U.S because his father died when he was eight years old and he had to support his mother and my grandma.

No one had heard from him in years. I tried to find him when I was 10. Iḿ pretty certain that he died in some kind of cargo plane accident. My mom was an only child. Both her parents passed away when she was in her late 20s.

Ever since I was a child I’ve always dreamed of becoming a football player at the professional level or a collegiate football coach. As time passed, my dreams of becoming a professional football player faded with the thought of a new career path after graduation from high school. Upon graduation from high school, I decided that I would take forth a sacrifice for my country and enlist in the United States military. The year was 2005 and the United States was in the midst of a war on multiple fronts. My service to my country lasted for approximately eight years and ended in May of 2013.