Wartime Memories

By Anonymous

The average age of an American soldier is 19 years.

He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is
considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears,
not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He
never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than
wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

On July 10, 1943, Chips, a soldier dog of the K-9 Corps, stood beside his handler, Private John Rowell of Arkansas, in a landing boat. They watched the shore of Sicily take shape in the dawn light, just east of Licata, on the southern coast of Sicily. Chips and Private Rowell heard the chatter of machine guns, rifles answering and the explosive bursts of hand grenades. Private Rowell saw the crimson machine gun tracer bullets and the white gold of flares blazing across the sky.

by Bill Hawksford

The soldiers in Egypt were at the mercy of the British government to provide the necessary ships to return them to their homeland where they belonged. In the meantime they made the best of a bad situation and cheered up their lives as best they could.

By Charles J. Jefferson

The Wall

Editors note: To the Left, the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nations least popular war. Since its unveiling in 1982, the work has become a point of reference, inspiring a new generation of American memorials.