The tiny village of Soldier's Grove, Wisconsin, has a population of only 534 people, but it has a rich history. In the 1980s, it became the first town in America to get more than half its energy from the sun, making it the country's first "solar village." It's also where World War II veteran Beauford T. Anderson came of age.
Born in 1922, Anderson joined the Army at age 20 and was sent to the Pacific Theater. He returned to Wisconsin, briefly starting a floor sanding business before rejoining the Army as a recruiter. There could be no finer example of an American soldier than the one Beauford Anderson made. While fighting on Okinawa, he received the Medal of Honor for an act of valor that felt like it could only come out of a movie.
The invasion of Okinawa in April 1945 would be the largest amphibious landing of the entire Pacific War, called the "typhoon of steel" by those who fought there. With Allied naval support, the U.S. 10th Army made up of 541,000 soldiers from four divisions and Marines from three divisions, landed to take some 1,200 square miles defended by 114,000 Japanese troops and Okinawan conscripts. The brutal fighting gave American war planners an idea of what an invasion of mainland Japan might look like.
Thankfully, Japan would surrender before that invasion began, but the Battle of Okinawa left 90% of the island destroyed, 12,500 American troops dead, along with a staggering 94,000 Japanese Tech Sgt. Beauford T. Anderson was in the thick of it all.
For two weeks, Anderson and the 96th Infantry Division held the middle of a line 1.5 miles long against repeated enemy counterattacks, often at close range. On April 13, 1945, his regiment was posted along the Kakazu Ridge when it came under one of those fierce close-in attacks. Just before dawn, his unit was caught by surprise, struck by a Japanese flanking attack. He ordered his men to take cover in a nearby tomb, then grabbed his carbine and went to meet them – alone.
What he saw was a rush of enemy soldiers. Anderson emptied his magazine into the onslaught and then improvised a game-changing tactic: he picked up an unspent Japanese mortar shell and threw it back to them. The explosion killed several enemy soldiers. There's an old Army saying: "If it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid." Anderson found a box of mortar shells, pulled the safeties, and started banging the bases on nearby rocks, then started chucking them at the oncoming enemy.
If this sounds like something you might have seen before, a similar tactic was used by the Americans fighting the Nazis, but that was in the movie "Saving Private Ryan" – Anderson was doing it in real combat. He lobbed so many close-in mortar strikes the Japanese were forced to withdraw from their attack. It wasn't without cost. However, Anderson was struck by shrapnel in the melee and was bleeding profusely. His actions that day took out 25 enemy soldiers and several machine guns and mortars and ended the threat to his regiment's flank.
Beauford T. Anderson would survive the war and receive the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman himself on Memorial Day, 1946.
He went home to Wisconsin and started his business, but the Army called to him. He rejoined and stayed in Wisconsin until the Army moved him to Fort Ord, California, and promoted to second lieutenant. Eventually, he would be medically discharged. He spent the rest of his life in California, ranching and serving in local government. He died in 1996 at age 74. He and his wife are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
The first year of the American Civil War wasn’t a great one for the Union Army. Losses at places like Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff overshadowed a string of smaller but equally important battles across the country. President Abraham Lincoln’s general-in-chief, George B. McClellan, was highly regarded by his men but was difficult to deal with, increasingly insubordinate, and failed to follow up on his victories.
However, a shining star was beginning to emerge in the Western Theater of the war. Ulysses S. Grant began the war in 1861 as a Colonel but was elevated to command a campaign along the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers by Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont. Grant, it would turn out, had the aggression necessary to take the fight to the rebels. He bloodied the Confederates at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, the two most significant Union victories at the time, forcing the rebels out of Kentucky.
President Lincoln promoted Grant, now a media hero dubbed “Unconditional Surrender Grant,” who began massing Union troops from the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio in preparation to push toward Vicksburg, Mississippi. Capturing Vicksburg meant splitting the Confederacy in two and giving the Union total control of the Mississippi River.
Standing in Grant’s way was a Confederate Army led by Albert Sidney Johnston. Johnston realized the Union army was waiting for reinforcements at Pittsburg Landing and decided to attack before it got bigger than it already was.
The rebel plan was to attack the Union left and push it back toward swampland, making it difficult for the force to maneuver. At the same time, it wanted to prevent any reinforcement or supplies from reaching the Federal forces. On the morning of April 6, 1862, the Union army was camped near a church called Shiloh when thousands of rebel soldiers came screaming out of the nearby woods, catching it unprepared.
The first Union troops to be attacked were under the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman. Though mostly raw recruits, Sherman led his division with a cool head and slowly moved his force back behind the church. Prentiss was saved by rebel soldiers who had stopped to loot his camp. The Union troops who did flee were stopped at Pittsburg Landing, where Grant had just arrived and was forming a counterattack while his troops began to dig in.
Confederate troops were pushing the Union left and right all day but taking massive casualties as Federal artillery poured into them during tactical withdrawals. The rebel commander, Albert Sidney Johnston, was shot during one of these engagements, bleeding out during an advance. He would be the highest-ranking soldier to die in combat during the war.
At the end of the first day, the new commander, Gen. Pierre G. T. Beauregard, saw his forces advancing, forcing the Union back to Pittsburg Landing. His troops had fought hard to take a thicket of oak trees dubbed “The Hornet’s Nest,” which led him to believe he would win the day.
As night fell on the battlefield, Beauregard ordered a stop to the rebel advance, believing he would destroy Grant the next day.
It was a critical error. U.S. Navy gunboats had arrived and began to harass the Confederates, attacking the Union left flank. The fighting at the Hornet’s Nest had bought Grant time to build up the defenses at Pittsburg Landing and reform the stragglers and survivors from the morning’s fighting. Most importantly, Don Carlos Buell’s army began to arrive that evening. When dawn broke the next day, the Union’s fresh defenses were manned by 54,000 men, while the Confederates’ tired, disorganized army only boasted 30,000.
But in “Unconditional Surrender,” Grant wouldn’t wait for Beauregard to attack. The next morning, Union troops came pouring out into the Confederate camp. The rebels stood their ground but, by noon, were falling back. The Hornet’s Nest fell to the Federal army, and despite repeated counterattacks, Beauregard was forced to fall back. By 3 p.m. on April 7, the rebel commander realized he was beaten and ordered a withdrawal.
Both armies suffered roughly equal casualties, including around 1,750 killed and more than 8,000 wounded. At the time, it was the largest battle fought on American soil and the bloodiest of the Civil War to that point. Grant was heavily criticized for being caught off guard, but President Lincoln would not call for his resignation—he finally had a general who was willing to take the fight to the South.
Together We Served is the best military-oriented network site I've found. The total reason I joined was to find former colleagues with whom I had long lost contact. But as I looked closer, I realized it is a living history. What I enjoy the most is going through profiles of those who were in WW II, Korea, Vietnam, and current conflicts and have taken the time and effort to document them in Reflections and Voices. I especially enjoy the photos of their careers they posted along with those stories. I have come in contact again with colleagues that I had long-lost contact with. In one case, when a colleague of mine was searching for one of his friends he'd last seen in 1972, I was able to link them up. I've also met some great people with a similar background to mine. A big thank you to the people of TWS for creating this site. I recommend it to others and I also encourage them to create their own history, whether they were in the military for a short time or made it a career.
SMSgt Charles Herring, US Air Force (Ret)
Served 1960-1987
The grounds of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are packed to the gills with Air Force history. Among the legends on display is a green-colored Air Force Reserve A-10 Thunderbolt II (also known as a Warthog), positioned with its nose skyward. A closer look at that nose reveals its name: "The Chopper Popper."
Nose art isn't that common in the Air Force these days, but it's not totally forbidden. The aging but plucky fleet of A-10s have all but kept the tradition alive in recent decades. Warthogs are usually bearing teeth or tusks on their noses, not the sea creature gripping a helicopter in its massive claws. The Chopper Popper's art is an homage to its nickname, picked up for the stunning air-to-air kill made by then-Capt. Bob Swain during the first Gulf War.
The A-10 is known for a lot of things, but dogfighting isn't one of them. It was designed to be a gun with wings, a flying tank that could get in close with the grunts on the ground and put lots of holes in pesky enemy armor with its massive GAU-8 Avenger cannon. In fact, it is the only airframe designed solely for close-air support ever made by the U.S. Air Force.
But that doesn't mean it couldn't take down another aircraft (or anything else for that matter), given the opportunity. The GAU-8 Avenger is a hydraulic-driven autocannon that fires 30x173 millimeter, armor-piercing incendiary, high-explosive rounds with a depleted uranium core. If it can shred the toughest tanks of the Cold War, an aircraft in flight wouldn't stand a chance. Because the A-10's maximum speed is 439 miles per hour, most aircraft are out of its reach – but not helicopters.
On February 6, 1991, Capt. Bob Swain had just fired Maverick missiles at Iraqi tanks on the ground when he saw two black dots racing across the desert. There was no dust and he had never seen anything like it on the ground before. He told his observation plane it must be a helicopter. After his OV-10 observation plane confirmed they were indeed helicopters, Swain moved to intercept.
When the helicopters noticed they were being hunted, they broke away from each other, one to the north, and one to the south. Swain stayed on the one to the south, the one about to become a part of Air Force lore. At 50 feet above the ground, the enemy chopper ws too low for the A-10's AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, so – despite being a full mile away – Swain switched to the gun, with a maximum range of 12,000 feet.
"I started firing about a mile away," Swain told the Los Angeles Times after the incident. "Some of the bullets ran through him, but we weren't sure if it was stopped completely. So I came back with the final pass, hit it and it fell apart.
"On the final pass, I shot about 300 bullets at him. That's a pretty good burst. On the first pass, maybe 75 rounds. The second pass, I put enough bullets down, it looked like I hit with a bomb.
"We tried to ID the helicopter after we were done and it was just in a bunch of little pieces, so we can't tell what type it was."
It was the first air-to-air kill in the A-10's operational history. After writing this small but mighty chapter of Air Force History, Swain, a reservist, went home and resumed flying Boeing 747s for USAir.
"With its silvery round design standing nearly five feet tall
and eighteen feet wide, the Avro Canada VZ-9AV looked like
something out of a 1950s science-fiction film…
something a Martian would fly. The Avrocar was anything
but science fiction."
633rd Air Base Wing, October 23 2012, Joint Base Langley-Eustis
From 1947 to 1969, the US Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book, a name selected to refer to the blue booklets used for written testing at many colleges and universities. The research, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, was terminated on December 17, 1969. Approximately 12,618 sightings were reported to Project Blue Book, and roughly 700 remained unidentified in the end. The Project was initially directed by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt and followed research similar to Project Sign, which was established in 1947, and Project Grudge, in 1949. Project Blue Book had two goals: to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security and to analyze UFO-related data scientifically. UFO research and conspiracy theories have also been undertaken officially and unofficially by almost all world governments having departments of defense and science establishments. Air Force TWS lists no members assigned to any unit readily known to be doing this work. To this day, broadcast television still perennially presents UFO programming and witness statements almost monthly. Concepts gleaned from USAF Avrocar testing between 1958-61 are still being implemented today with the development of the U.S. Marine variant of the F-35B Lightning II with the capability to land vertically, making it the first aircraft in history to combine both stealth and vertical landing capabilities. An Avrocar prototype is on display in the National USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and another resides at the US Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA, where plans are underway for restoration.
"On Halloween morning, 1938, Orson Welles awoke to find himself the most talked about man in America. The night before, Welles and his Mercury Theater on the Air had performed a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, converting the 40-year-old novel into fake news bulletins describing a Martian invasion of New Jersey. Some listeners mistook those bulletins for the real thing, and their anxious phone calls to police, newspaper offices, and radio stations convinced many journalists that the show had caused nationwide hysteria." For the War Department, it was "Game On." Only WWII delayed the serious research that was to come afterward. Astronomers had seen what they called "canals" on Mars in the 1870s, presumed to have been made by a species capable of invading earth and so Project Blue Book became inevitable by a confluence of related events.
Each US Air Force Base had its own Blue Book officer to collect UFO reports and forward them to this Project, the records of which include approximately two cubic feet of unarranged Project or administrative files, 37 cubic feet of case files in which individual sightings are arranged chronologically, and three cubic feet of records relating to the Office of Special Investigations. A cubic foot of records consists of about 2,000 pages. Access to Blue Book textual records uses 94 rolls of 35mm microfilm in the National Archives Microfilm Reading Room. Motion picture film, sound recordings, and some photographs are maintained by the Motion Picture & Sound & Video Branch and the Still Picture Branch. Nevertheless, the National Archives said, "Since Blue Book was closed, nothing has happened to indicate that the Air Force should resume investigating UFOS. Because of the considerable cost to the Air Force in the past, and the tight funding of Air Force needs today, there is no likelihood the Air Force will become involved with UFO investigation again." and "…The National Archives has received many requests for documentation and information about 'Project MJ-12.' Many inquiries concern a memorandum from Robert Cutler to Gen. Nathan Twining, dated July 14, 1954. This particular document posed problems… No records indicated or even hinted at the recovery of alien bodies or extraterrestrial materials."
All documentation related to this case is now declassified, and the information is in the public domain at the office of the Air Force Historian at Maxwell AFB. As a result of the Condon Report, which concluded that the study of UFOs was unlikely to yield significant scientific discoveries, and a review of the report by the National Academy of Sciences, Project Blue Book was terminated. Leading figures overseeing the three official UFO projects included Kenneth Arnold, Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, Gen. Charles Cabell, Gen. William Garland, Michael Swords, J. Allen Hynek, H.P. Robertson, Capt. Charles Hardin, Capt. George Gregory, LtCol. Robert Friend, Maj. Hector Quintanilla, James McDonald, Col. Raymond Sleeper, Gen. John Samford, and Jerome Clark among numerous others.
In 1953, the assigned staff was reduced from more than ten to two subordinates. It was directed that the 4602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadron be charged with UFO investigations, which led to effectively bifurcating the Project between DOD and civilian entities (eventually, the 4602nd was inactivated, and the 1066th Air Intelligence Service Squadron took over). That same year, Joint Army-Navy-Air Force Regulation number 146 made it a crime for military personnel to discuss classified UFO reports with unauthorized persons. Violators faced up to two years in prison and fines of up to $10,000. Believe it or don't believe it, as a result of these investigations, studies, and experience gained from investigating UFO reports since 1948, the conclusions of Project Blue Book were:
1. No UFO reported, investigated, or evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of a threat to our national security.
2. The Air Force has not submitted to or discovered evidence that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represent technological developments or principles beyond the range of present-day scientific knowledge.
3. no evidence indicates the sightings categorized as "unidentified" are extraterrestrial vehicles.
As often happens with many government acronyms, the UFO has been transformed to become a UAP, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon. In January 2024, the House Oversight Committee conducted proceedings to reinvestigate. "David Grusch said he was informed of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program'. He accused the military of misappropriating funds to shield these operations from congressional oversight. He claimed he had interviewed officials who had direct knowledge of aircraft with 'nonhuman' origins and that so-called 'biologics' were recovered from some craft. The Pentagon denied his claims. The hearings resulted in "… a new bipartisan bill that would enable civilian pilots and personnel to report UAP encounters to the FAA, which would then be required to send those reports to the Pentagon office investigating the phenomena. The bill, known as the Safe Airspace for Americans Act, would also offer protections for those who come forward… Unidentified anomalous phenomena encompass a broad range of strange objects or data points detected in the air, on land, or at sea. The most well-known UAPs have been reported by military pilots, who typically describe round or cylindrical objects traveling at impossibly high speeds with no apparent means of propulsion. Some of the objects have been caught on video. The military has improved avenues for pilots to report UAP in recent years and worked to reduce the stigma associated with doing so. The Pentagon office dedicated to examining the encounters has received hundreds of reports in recent years."
Military pilots, not known for a habitual sense of humor or exaggeration when in flight, are unlikely to describe things they do not see or cannot record and measure. The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), established in 2022, is an office within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense that investigates UFOs and other phenomena in the air, at sea, in space, and on land. It is also sometimes referred to as an unidentified aerial phenomenon. On April 12, 2021, the Pentagon confirmed the authenticity of pictures and videos gathered by a Task Force, purportedly showing "what appears to be pyramid-shaped objects" hovering above USS Russell in 2019, off the coast of California, with spokeswoman Susan Gough saying, "I can confirm that the referenced photos and videos were taken by Navy personnel. The UAPTF has included these incidents in their ongoing examinations." AARO will focus on Surveillance, Collection and Recording, System Capabilities and Design, Intelligence Operations and Analysis, Mitigation and Defeat, Governance, and Science and Technology. It is to continue the collection and reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) incidents across the DoD's special use airspace (SUA), as well as the collection and reporting of anomalous, unidentified space, airborne, submerged, and transmedia objects. AARO is to identify and reduce gaps in operational, intelligence, and counterintelligence capability and to recommend policy changes, whether regulatory or statutory, to reduce those gaps." In addition, the Director of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) oversees the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs).
Withstanding it all, public interest in UFO/UAP remains steadfast in some quarters, notably almost the entire town of Roswell, NM. Hollywood has produced dozens of entertaining films, including "It Came From Outer Space"; "Mork and Mindy"; "ET"; "Men in Black"; "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"; "Superman"; "Marvin the Martian" (an animated cartoon character); "Earth Girls are Easy"; "Independence Day"; "My Favorite Martian"; and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which fictionalize or sensationalize UFO/UAP and beings from outer space. Desolate Nevada state road 375 is named "Extraterrestrial Highway" between Crystal Springs and Warm Springs. Some imagine Top Secret Area 51 to be the site of UFO/UAP investigations. An online search for UFO books yields just short of seven million hits in less than one second. Presumably, the newly inaugurated Space Force service branch will play a role in future investigations akin to Project Blue Book. Jack Webb produced and narrated Project UFO, a 1978-79 TV series based on Project Blue Book (though shifting the investigation to the present day instead of the 1950s-60s era).
The series followed two Air Force investigators (William Jordan as Maj. Jake Gatlin, replaced in the second season by Edward Winter as Maj. Ben Ryan) and Caskey Swaim as SSgt (later TSgt) Harry Fitz, covering a wide variety of UFO incidents. Project Blue Book played a significant role in the second season of the 1990–91 TV series Twin Peaks. Maj. Garland Briggs, an Air Force officer who worked on the program, approaches protagonist Dale Cooper and reveals that Cooper's name turned up in an otherwise nonsensical radio transmission intercepted by the Air Force. Every episode of the original Battlestar Galactica spin-off series, Galactica 1980, ended with a short statement about Project Blue Book's findings that UFOs are not proven to exist and "are not a threat to national security." The Project is also the inspiration for a drama series, Project Blue Book, which began airing on the History Channel in January 2019. As of April 2024, the Pentagon still asserts that there is no evidence of UFOs or Space Aliens. Nevertheless, Project Blue Book may be said to have formalized a thirty-plus year and continuing Air Force study of unorthodox earthly aerial activity touching upon medicine, physics, chemistry, folklore, history, aerodynamics, prophesy, geology, perception, fantasy, astronomy, psychology, weaponry, fiction, security, art, geography, legislation, flight, design, anthropology, sexuality, academics, propulsion, cinematography, metaphysics, fashion, animation, warfare and even biblical human understanding which shows no hint of abating. "Nanu Nanu" – and tandem highly skilled Air Force test pilots could not persuade the VZ-9AV to produce sustained, stable flight more than 35 mph three feet off the ground in three years' time.
I would say that the more I read other sailors' stories and memories, I feel compelled to write more of my own. Writing the memories brought more of them back to life and cleared out some of the haze built up from years of 'Storage' in cobwebs and recesses of my mind. This writing exercise also brings long-forgotten memories to mind that I haven't thought about in years. As time rolls on, I feel that I will visit these questions again and perhaps add or subtract a few things; time will tell. It seemed odd at first that I was writing a story and found myself laughing out loud while alone at my desk, and I think that it is healthy to laugh at yourself from time to time. You know life is funny if you don't take it too seriously, know what I mean, Vern?
Homeownership has many positive features for Veterans and their families. A home provides shelter and safety. With planning, a home is an anchor to a strong community with solid schools for children. Connecting to the community can bring purpose and a sense of belonging to replace those experienced in the military.
Another positive feature of homeownership is the increase in net wealth, which can happen when the home appreciates in value over time. For example, if you purchase a $500,000 home and sell it later for $600,000, you keep the $100,000 extra that remains once you pay off the old mortgage. This money can be used for many reasons, including children's college education, starting a business, or retirement. For many, including Veterans, your home may be the largest asset in your portfolio.
Most people purchase a home with the assistance of a financial institution and a mortgage – an agreement to pay for the purchase monthly over a period of years – traditionally 30 years. Non-veterans who purchase a home normally have to come up with a downpayment as a requirement to get a mortgage. This is often expressed as a percentage – i.e., 10 or 20 percent – of the home's value. In the example of purchasing a $500,000 home, this would be $100,000 if 20 percent was required.
Saving $100,000 for this purchase often delays homeownership for years, as the potential owner defers purchases to accumulate this money. Many will fail to save and, as a result, never own a home. A successful civilian home purchaser will also find he has to pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) each month to protect the financial institution if they can't make their mortgage payments.
Veterans, due to their military service, face a very different situation because of the Veteran benefit known as the Home Loan Guaranty. This is the formal name for the ability to purchase a home with no money down. In short, unlike a civilian counterpart, a Veteran doesn't have to save for years and can achieve home ownership earlier. Further, a Veteran using this benefit won't pay PMI and often receives a lower interest rate on their mortgage.
Eligibility for this benefit depends upon your length of service and discharge status. Learn more at https://benefits.va.gov/homeloans/. Being eligible doesn't necessarily mean you will qualify for a mortgage from a financial intuition. This is key because the VA only guarantees the downpayment; the Veteran has to obtain a mortgage. That often depends on passing a credit check and demonstrating you have sufficient income.
• Credit—Yours will be checked using the standard 300 to 850 score. There is no minimum score, but generally, the higher the score, the better. Additional reviews of payment history will be made to determine how likely mortgage repayment will be.
• Sufficient income – there is no minimum income, but your Debt-To-Income (DTI) ratio will be reviewed to ensure you can repay the mortgage. VA uses 41% as the guideline, but financial institutions may use a different number.
The process to use this benefit is as follows:
1. Obtain a COE from VA (explained below)
2. Select a lender
3. Find a suitable home
4. Get the home appraised by a VA-approved appraiser (explained below)
5. Confirm your loan is approved
6. Close on your home and move in
Your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) is the official document that demonstrates your eligibility to participate in the VA home loan program. Your lender may be able to obtain it for you, but you can also get it online at VA.gov or complete VA Form 26-1880, "Request for Certificate of Eligibility," and return it via mail.
VA will have the home appraised by an approved appraiser. They do this to get an informed opinion on the house's value. When the appraisal is complete, a report is provided. Issues may arise if the property doesn't appraise at or above the sale price. These will be discussed with the buyer.
What does this cost?
You will be asked to pay the Funding Fee. This is a percentage of the mortgage that enables the VA to recoup the costs of administering this program. It is based on the number of times you have used the program and the size of your downpayment. A detailed explanation can be found here: https://www.va.gov/housing-assistance/home-loans/funding-fee-and-closing-costs/.
You can pay the Funding Fee by writing a check at closing. Most, however, add the Funding Fee to their mortgage, increasing the size of the mortgage but enabling them to pay it over the life of the mortgage. The Funding Fee may be waived for certain reasons, the most common of which is the Veteran being service-connected.
If you have questions about the program, call VA's Home Loan Guaranty experts at 877-827-3702.
Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D., served as Under Secretary of Benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from May 2018 to January 2021. He is the author of "Veterans Benefits for You: Get What You Deserve," available from Amazon.
In 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that there was no discernable frontier between American settlements. The frontier was officially closed, and the cost was more than monetary. Native Americans fought the settlers and the U.S. Army in a decades-long fight for survival that began in earnest with hungry tribesmen and a lame cow.
Fighting between the Army and the Natives who inhabited the erstwhile wilderness that is today the United States began long before settlers started manifesting destiny. States and territories that saw significant population growth among white settlers—California, Texas, Utah, and New Mexico, to name a few—had seen bloodshed since white settlers landed in the New World. In the years before the Civil War, settlers pushed tribes into the Great Plains and into conflict with the settlers, who eventually began moving there, too.
In 1854, a drought effectively killed the population of bison on the plains, leading to mass starvation among the tribes there, especially the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux. In August 1854, some 4,000 Brule Sioux were camped outside of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and were in the same condition: starving. That's when a lame cow ambled into their camp.
The tribesmen did what any starving person with a gun might do when confronted with a lone, lame cow: they shot it and then ate it.
Unfortunately, then, as now, even lame cows were a big deal to settlers and ranchers. The cow had come from a group of Mormon settlers moving along the Oregon Trail. Officially, the settlers wrote that they were happy to let the natives eat the meat. But apparently, a Sioux (named High Forehead) had shot a second, healthy cow, which wandered back to its owners.
U.S. Army Lt. Hugh Fleming rode out to the Sioux to negotiate a restitution with a Chief, Conquering Bear, and resolve the dispute. Conquering Bear of
fered to replace the cow with one of their horses, but the cow's owner wouldn't have it and demanded the Natives pay him $25 instead (more than $923 in today's dollars). Barring that, the Army demanded the arrest of the man who shot the cow. Conquering Bear couldn't force the man to give himself up. Since they also had no money, so the negotiation ended in a stalemate.
Two days later, a contingent of soldiers rode to the Sioux encampment, led by recent West Point graduate Lt. John L. Grattan, to arrest the man by force, if necessary. The truth was, Grattan was ready for a fight despite having only 31 men to the Native's 1,200 warriors. His translator, a Frenchman, was drunk and didn't actually know the dialect of Sioux, so he needed to talk to the Natives. He told the Sioux the Army had come to kill them all. It was a tense situation.
When Grattan realized he was terribly outnumbered, he asked the owner of the local trading post, Lucien Bordeaux, what to do. Bordeaux told him to talk to Conquering Bear and negotiate. But first, he went to High Forehead's lodge and demanded his surrender.
Only when High Forehead exclaimed he would die first did Grattan talk to Conquering Bear? The Chief again told the Army he couldn't force High Forehead to surrender and again offered a horse in exchange. Bordeaux offered to translate. As the Natives began to take flanking positions around the soldiers, he knew a fight he couldn't defuse was coming.
But it almost didn't come at all. Grattan was calmly walking back to his horse as a nervous soldier fired into the Natives. Arrows and gunshots began to fly. Grattan and 11 of his men (including his drunken interpreter) were killed. Conquering Bear was the only Sioux to die of his wounds. As the rest of the soldiers tried to escape, they were cut off and killed by a band of warriors led by Oglala Chief Red Cloud.
Back East, the press called the incident the "Grattan Massacre," and Secretary of War Jefferson Davis began devising a plan to punish the Sioux for it. Brig. Gen. William S. Harney would fight the Brule Sioux in Nebraska the following year, which resulted in a rout for the Natives and a temporary, uneasy truce. But that wasn't the end of the Plains Wars. The Cheyenne, Utes, Comanches, and other tribes would fight sporadically and even piecemeal until the last battle – in 1918.
It's important to have a place where we can come together and remember our service.
Only the ones who serve can understand and appreciate the time in uniform.
Family forever!
SFC George Gradnigo US Army (Ret)
Served 1974-1997
In the hallowed corridors of the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical system, stories of resilience, gratitude, and triumph echo. Among these narratives stands that of a grateful veteran whose journey through the throes of ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes spans two decades. This is not merely a chronicle of survival; it is a testament to the transformation of the VA's medical services over the years, saving lives and fostering hope where once there was despair.
A Battleground of Health Challenges
My journey began with the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, formidable foes that could easily have overwhelmed a lesser spirit. But the VA's medical professionals, armed with cutting-edge treatments and a commitment to excellence, stood by me as I faced the challenges of heart disease and cancer head-on.
As if in a cruel twist of fate, prostate cancer soon emerged as a second adversary. The VA, however, had refined its arsenal of medical services. I benefited from state-of-the-art diagnostic tools, personalized treatment plans, and compassionate care that addressed not only the physical but also the emotional toll of the battle.
Just when it seemed the war was perhaps won, diabetes emerged as a silent assailant. Yet, the VA's comprehensive approach to healthcare has matured over the years. Advanced monitoring, innovative therapies, and a focus on preventative care transformed my struggle with diabetes into a manageable aspect of my life rather than an insurmountable hurdle.
The Evolution of VA Medical Services
Over the past two decades, the VA has undergone a profound metamorphosis. The transformation is evident not only in the sheer breadth of services but also in the commitment to continuous improvement. The expansion of medical facilities, the recruitment of top-tier healthcare professionals, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies have elevated the standard of care for veterans like me.
The VA's emphasis on holistic care has proven to be a game-changer. Mental health services, nutritional guidance, and rehabilitation programs have become integral components of the veteran healthcare experience. Like many others, I found solace in the fact that the VA was not merely treating symptoms but addressing the entirety of my well-being.
Gratitude Beyond Words
As I reflect on my 20-year journey, my gratitude for the VA knows no bounds. "They didn't just save my life; they gave me a life worth living," I feel. The camaraderie between veterans and the medical professionals at the VA has become a defining characteristic of the healthcare provided.
My story is not an isolated incident but emblematic of a larger narrative unfolding within the VA. The statistics speak volumes – lives saved, diseases conquered, and a veteran community empowered by the unwavering dedication of the VA's healthcare system.
VA Disability Compensation and Pension Benefits System
The Veterans Administration (VA) Disability Compensation and Pension Benefits system is a critical component of the support framework for veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. I have benefitted from this system quite graciously over the past 2 ½ years. While the system aims to provide earned financial assistance to those who have incurred disabilities or injuries during their service, it is not without its shortcomings. Understanding these limitations is essential for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to improve the overall effectiveness of veterans' support systems.
The system does play a crucial role in recognizing and supporting the sacrifices made by U.S. veterans. However, policymakers, veterans' advocates, and the public must work collaboratively to address these issues and ensure that the system evolves to meet the changing financial and medical needs of veterans in a more efficient, consistent, and comprehensive manner. A responsive and adaptive benefits system is essential to fulfilling the nation's commitment to those who have faithfully served.
A Beacon of Hope for the Future
My seemingly triumphant tale, etched in the annals of my VA medical records, serves as a beacon of hope for veterans facing their own health battles. It reflects the collective commitment to excellence within the VA, an institution that has evolved to meet the dynamic healthcare needs of its deserving beneficiaries.
As we celebrate my successes over ischemic heart disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes, we also celebrate the tireless efforts of the VA's medical professionals who have transformed a once-daunting landscape into a realm of healing, compassion, and unparalleled support. My journey is a testament to the indomitable spirit of veterans and the transformative power of exceptional healthcare.
In the evolving narrative of veteran healthcare, my story stands as a living testament to the profound impact of the VA's commitment to excellence. As we look toward the future, let us carry forward the lessons learned from this journey – that with resilience, innovation, and unwavering dedication, we can overcome any obstacle and emerge stronger on the other side.
Freelance writer Jim Hulton is a proud veteran who has faced the formidable trio of life-threatening diseases with unwavering courage. Over the past 20 years, he has navigated the complex landscape of healthcare within the VA system, experiencing firsthand the remarkable evolution in both the quantity and quality of services provided.
Nick Parker is a Combat Security Police Flight Chief at Ko Kha Air Station, a remote radar outpost on the Thailand-Laos border. As the war in Vietnam draws to a close, he is suddenly thrust into a dark, secret war taking place in Thailand and must devise an effective defense for his small but important radar station, one that serves both the Air Force and the CIA.
Ever the joker, Nick finds himself competing with his boss, who was expected to take the assignment. Nick Parker's life isn't all about war, however. He struggles with the injuries he sustained during the war, the ready availability of drugs and alcohol, and – tragically – the suicide of a close friend and fellow soldier. Nick has to defend his radar station while grappling with a murder accusation and being torn between his love back home and the one he potentially finds while at war.
It's not often we get to review works of fiction by veteran authors, but "Cobra Talon," the first in a series of novels by Vietnam veteran Patrick Sydor, is worth reading. Based on true events from Sydor's service, the author draws from his experience to tell an entertaining story for any reader—it even includes a glossary of terms for those who might be unfamiliar with the lingo of the Vietnam era.
Sydor himself was a Security Policeman at a remote radar station, and the title "Cobra Talon" was a military and CIA code name for the detection of missile launches and ground movements of North Vietnamese troops throughout Vietnam and Laos. Like many of our own war stories, it weaves in the personal struggles of being far from home while fighting a war so far away.
After the war, Patrick Sydor earned a Master's degree in Education from Indiana University and began teaching while working in sales. He writes from his beachside home in Ecuador and enjoys traveling to add authenticity to his novels. Will Nick Parker do the same after his war ends? The only way to find out is to read the whole series.
"Cobra Talon" is available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99 or paperback for $14.95.
Born in 1922, Anderson joined the Army at age 20 and was sent to the Pacific Theater. He returned to Wisconsin, briefly starting a floor sanding business before rejoining the Army as a recruiter. There could be no finer example of an American soldier than the one Beauford Anderson made. While fighting on Okinawa, he received the Medal of Honor for an act of valor that felt like it could only come out of a movie. 
However, a shining star was beginning to emerge in the Western Theater of the war. Ulysses S. Grant began the war in 1861 as a Colonel but was elevated to command a campaign along the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers by Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont. Grant, it would turn out, had the aggression necessary to take the fight to the rebels. He bloodied the Confederates at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, the two most significant Union victories at the time, forcing the rebels out of Kentucky. 
The first Union troops to be attacked were under the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss and Brig. Gen. William T. Sherman. Though mostly raw recruits, Sherman led his division with a cool head and slowly moved his force back behind the church. Prentiss was saved by rebel soldiers who had stopped to loot his camp. The Union troops who did flee were stopped at Pittsburg Landing, where Grant had just arrived and was forming a counterattack while his troops began to dig in.
It was a critical error. U.S. Navy gunboats had arrived and began to harass the Confederates, attacking the Union left flank. The fighting at the Hornet’s Nest had bought Grant time to build up the defenses at Pittsburg Landing and reform the stragglers and survivors from the morning’s fighting. Most importantly, Don Carlos Buell’s army began to arrive that evening. When dawn broke the next day, the Union’s fresh defenses were manned by 54,000 men, while the Confederates’ tired, disorganized army only boasted 30,000. 
Nose art isn't that common in the Air Force these days, but it's not totally forbidden. The aging but plucky fleet of A-10s have all but kept the tradition alive in recent decades. Warthogs are usually bearing teeth or tusks on their noses, not the sea creature gripping a helicopter in its massive claws. The Chopper Popper's art is an homage to its nickname, picked up for the stunning air-to-air kill made by then-Capt. Bob Swain during the first Gulf War.
On February 6, 1991, Capt. Bob Swain had just fired Maverick missiles at Iraqi tanks on the ground when he saw two black dots racing across the desert. There was no dust and he had never seen anything like it on the ground before. He told his observation plane it must be a helicopter. After his OV-10 observation plane confirmed they were indeed helicopters, Swain moved to intercept. 
From 1947 to 1969, the US Air Force investigated Unidentified Flying Objects under Project Blue Book, a name selected to refer to the blue booklets used for written testing at many colleges and universities. The research, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, was terminated on December 17, 1969. Approximately 12,618 sightings were reported to Project Blue Book, and roughly 700 remained unidentified in the end. The Project was initially directed by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt and followed research similar to Project Sign, which was established in 1947, and Project Grudge, in 1949. Project Blue Book had two goals: to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security and to analyze UFO-related data scientifically. UFO research and conspiracy theories have also been undertaken officially and unofficially by almost all world governments having departments of defense and science establishments. Air Force TWS lists no members assigned to any unit readily known to be doing this work. To this day, broadcast television still perennially presents UFO programming and witness statements almost monthly. Concepts gleaned from USAF Avrocar testing between 1958-61 are still being implemented today with the development of the U.S. Marine variant of the F-35B Lightning II with the capability to land vertically, making it the first aircraft in history to combine both stealth and vertical landing capabilities. An Avrocar prototype is on display in the National USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and another resides at the US Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, VA, where plans are underway for restoration. 
Each US Air Force Base had its own Blue Book officer to collect UFO reports and forward them to this Project, the records of which include approximately two cubic feet of unarranged Project or administrative files, 37 cubic feet of case files in which individual sightings are arranged chronologically, and three cubic feet of records relating to the Office of Special Investigations. A cubic foot of records consists of about 2,000 pages. Access to Blue Book textual records uses 94 rolls of 35mm microfilm in the National Archives Microfilm Reading Room. Motion picture film, sound recordings, and some photographs are maintained by the Motion Picture & Sound & Video Branch and the Still Picture Branch. Nevertheless, the National Archives said, "Since Blue Book was closed, nothing has happened to indicate that the Air Force should resume investigating UFOS. Because of the considerable cost to the Air Force in the past, and the tight funding of Air Force needs today, there is no likelihood the Air Force will become involved with UFO investigation again." and "…The National Archives has received many requests for documentation and information about 'Project MJ-12.' Many inquiries concern a memorandum from Robert Cutler to Gen. Nathan Twining, dated July 14, 1954. This particular document posed problems… No records indicated or even hinted at the recovery of alien bodies or extraterrestrial materials."
As often happens with many government acronyms, the UFO has been transformed to become a UAP, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon. In January 2024, the House Oversight Committee conducted proceedings to reinvestigate. "David Grusch said he was informed of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse-engineering program'. He accused the military of misappropriating funds to shield these operations from congressional oversight. He claimed he had interviewed officials who had direct knowledge of aircraft with 'nonhuman' origins and that so-called 'biologics' were recovered from some craft. The Pentagon denied his claims. The hearings resulted in "… a new bipartisan bill that would enable civilian pilots and personnel to report UAP encounters to the FAA, which would then be required to send those reports to the Pentagon office investigating the phenomena. The bill, known as the Safe Airspace for Americans Act, would also offer protections for those who come forward… Unidentified anomalous phenomena encompass a broad range of strange objects or data points detected in the air, on land, or at sea. The most well-known UAPs have been reported by military pilots, who typically describe round or cylindrical objects traveling at impossibly high speeds with no apparent means of propulsion. Some of the objects have been caught on video. The military has improved avenues for pilots to report UAP in recent years and worked to reduce the stigma associated with doing so. The Pentagon office dedicated to examining the encounters has received hundreds of reports in recent years."
Withstanding it all, public interest in UFO/UAP remains steadfast in some quarters, notably almost the entire town of Roswell, NM. Hollywood has produced dozens of entertaining films, including "It Came From Outer Space"; "Mork and Mindy"; "ET"; "Men in Black"; "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"; "Superman"; "Marvin the Martian" (an animated cartoon character); "Earth Girls are Easy"; "Independence Day"; "My Favorite Martian"; and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" which fictionalize or sensationalize UFO/UAP and beings from outer space. Desolate Nevada state road 375 is named "Extraterrestrial Highway" between Crystal Springs and Warm Springs. Some imagine Top Secret Area 51 to be the site of UFO/UAP investigations. An online search for UFO books yields just short of seven million hits in less than one second. Presumably, the newly inaugurated Space Force service branch will play a role in future investigations akin to Project Blue Book. Jack Webb produced and narrated Project UFO, a 1978-79 TV series based on Project Blue Book (though shifting the investigation to the present day instead of the 1950s-60s era).
Another positive feature of homeownership is the increase in net wealth, which can happen when the home appreciates in value over time. For example, if you purchase a $500,000 home and sell it later for $600,000, you keep the $100,000 extra that remains once you pay off the old mortgage. This money can be used for many reasons, including children's college education, starting a business, or retirement. For many, including Veterans, your home may be the largest asset in your portfolio.
Eligibility for this benefit depends upon your length of service and discharge status. Learn more at 
Fighting between the Army and the Natives who inhabited the erstwhile wilderness that is today the United States began long before settlers started manifesting destiny. States and territories that saw significant population growth among white settlers—California, Texas, Utah, and New Mexico, to name a few—had seen bloodshed since white settlers landed in the New World. In the years before the Civil War, settlers pushed tribes into the Great Plains and into conflict with the settlers, who eventually began moving there, too. 
fered to replace the cow with one of their horses, but the cow's owner wouldn't have it and demanded the Natives pay him $25 instead (more than $923 in today's dollars). Barring that, the Army demanded the arrest of the man who shot the cow. Conquering Bear couldn't force the man to give himself up. Since they also had no money, so the negotiation ended in a stalemate. 
But it almost didn't come at all. Grattan was calmly walking back to his horse as a nervous soldier fired into the Natives. Arrows and gunshots began to fly. Grattan and 11 of his men (including his drunken interpreter) were killed. Conquering Bear was the only Sioux to die of his wounds. As the rest of the soldiers tried to escape, they were cut off and killed by a band of warriors led by Oglala Chief Red Cloud. 
A Battleground of Health Challenges
Gratitude Beyond Words
A Beacon of Hope for the Future
Nick Parker is a Combat Security Police Flight Chief at Ko Kha Air Station, a remote radar outpost on the Thailand-Laos border. As the war in Vietnam draws to a close, he is suddenly thrust into a dark, secret war taking place in Thailand and must devise an effective defense for his small but important radar station, one that serves both the Air Force and the CIA. 
Sydor himself was a Security Policeman at a remote radar station, and the title "Cobra Talon" was a military and CIA code name for the detection of missile launches and ground movements of North Vietnamese troops throughout Vietnam and Laos. Like many of our own war stories, it weaves in the personal struggles of being far from home while fighting a war so far away.