Episode 4: Blue Devil 1 and Blue Devil 2 This week’s episode features harrowing recollections of combat, war, and the effect those experiences had later in life on Vietnam veteran Malik Hodari. Read the stories as originally written here on the blog. Blue Devil 1 by Malik Hodari, 2015 Jungle …
Continue ReadingEpisode 3: Witch 54 Flight and Packers This week’s episode features stories from two female veterans who were pioneers in their roles in the armed forces. “Witch 54 Flight” by Marcy Atwood and “Packers” by Beth Liechti examine the challenges faced by both women. One author reflects on the early …
Continue ReadingEpisode 2: Government Property & Hog Board This week’s episode of the Mighty Pen Podcast explores the complexities and challenges of life in the Marine Corps, oftentimes odd and humorous. Read Government Property and Hog Board, written by Joe Maslanka and performed by David Bridgewater as originally written here on …
Continue ReadingEpisode 1: The Salute & Quang Tri Rain This week’s episode of the Mighty Pen Podcast includes a story of a young soldier accompanying a fallen man to his hometown, and a recollection on the way memories affect veterans after their service. Read The Salute and Quang Tri Rain, written …
Continue ReadingOur newest Documentary Film, One Week in October, premieres this month as we remember the 40th Anniversary of the Beirut Bombing and Operation Urgent Fury In October 1983, the United States found itself engaged in two very different military conflicts. The U.S. military was stationed in Beirut, Lebanon, as part …
Continue ReadingDesmond Thomas Doss was born on February 7, 1919, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was the second born of William and Bertha Doss. He was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist and attended Park Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church school. He remained in school until eighth grade when he found a job at …
Continue ReadingThe Virginia War Memorial Foundation continues to expand the catalog of its Virginians at War Documentary Film Series. This award-winning film series includes 26 films, telling the stories of military and cultural history through firsthand accounts from veterans and families. They are available online via Vimeo and YouTube at no …
Continue ReadingPurple Up with the Virginia War Memorial There are more than 1.6 million children of military service members in the United States. Overall, military kids lead a very different lifestyle from those born into civilian homes. Their world revolves around the culture of the military, the constant cycle of movement, …
Continue ReadingAs the Virginia War Memorial Foundation reflects on the work accomplished in 2022, one notable project remains top of mind: preserving and sharing veteran histories. For more than a decade, the Memorial has collected veteran oral histories, mainly from World War II veterans and their surviving family members. These interviews, …
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An English bulldog has represented the Marines since 1922. During World War I, German reports often called the attacking Marines “teufel hunden,” or devil dogs, a name that the Marines began to embrace. Following World War I, a Marine recruiting poster featured a bulldog in a U.S. Marine helmet chasing …
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