Episode 6: Dress Code and Disincanto This weeks’ episode, featuring “Dress Code” by Joe Maslanka and “Disincanto” by Daniel Barotti, considers the expectations one might have for their service in the Navy or Marine Corps, the peacetime reality they face, and the ways one might process the difference during and …
Continue ReadingEpisode 5: “Grief” and “Mythology Under the Mountain” This week’s episode features a story of a final act of mercy in Vietnam, from one soldier to another, and a poem exploring the internal struggle war can place on veterans. Grief by Ron Bland, 2022 We are flying high and fast …
Continue ReadingEpisode 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 Reading
