Belleau Wood: A Personal Journal Of A Soldier

I was once the big fish in a small pond, but now I find myself as a worm on a hook in an ocean of big fish. Starting this journey, I can say that I was overcome with all types of emotions all at once: anxiety, fear, excitement, inadequateness, and at the end of it all I was finally calm. Knowing that I had just accomplished something that not even six months ago wasn’t even in my life plans. As a platoon, we performed feats that as individuals or a group you would never attempt let alone think about have accomplished. The slogans during that time of my career were “be all you can be in the Army” or “we do more before 9 am than most people do all day.” Within my first four years I got to travel the world and see places that most people would only dream about from Antarctica to Panama, and even to the pyramids in Egypt, I got to see it all. The military had such a powerful and profound hold on me I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather be. I was once told by my 1SG after a very long and trying day he said “Private Williams, where else can grown men and women have this much fun and still get paid. “I thought and pondered on what he had said, and even today 26 years later I still ask myself the same question, and it always goes back to the same answer, wearing the uniform serving my country side by side with my brothers and sisters in

This statement by the wounded soldier fueled John’s spirit and drove fear out of his mind. He can fight bravely without worrying about being scared and not becoming distracted by war.

I am no longer fighting for myself, but for my nation and for my fallen comrades whose death must not be in vain.

On the first day of battle, many soldiers were sent in to the area between our land and our enemy’s land, what we call “no man’s land”. It was muddy and the tanks were unable to make it through, leaving our men vulnerable. So many men died that I began to lose hope that I could ever return back home alive.

Millions of men and women have served in the armed forces before me and millions more will serve after. Some have paid the ultimate sacrifice; some lost and captured, others received wounds, physically and or emotionally, and that time

During the years 1800 to 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte was preparing a large army. His goal was to spread the idea of the French Revolution and ultimately expanded France's bountiful pride and glory. The way this was going to happen, according to Napoleon, was through expanding French territory. In order to do this he would need a large army, so that involved enlisting men by conscription. The army was filled with French men, as well as men from Germany and other surrounding areas. The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier looks first hand look at the life of an average soldier at the time, Jakob Walter. He was a nineteen year old german boy enlisted by conscription and assigned to regiment Romig, later known as Franquemont Regiment. In somewhat of

“Fire, bullets, death” that’s everything I saw when I was in Afghanistan. I open my eyes, i’m at work again, but, everytime I close my eyes I see all the tragedies that happen over there. Before war everyone use to tell me, “Jeff don’t be too shy” or if not “Jeff you are so loveable and friendly with everyone.” Brandon Wallace was my best friend since childhood, he even went to war with me. Then there's, my lovely wife, Nicole Sebastian, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met. I was in my senior year in high school when army men came to my school and ask for recruiters for war. At that moment I asked myself, “what am I going to do after high school? Am I going to survive in war? Should I enter myself in this situation?” After all, I out my name down, my heart was pounding, my breath was hard, I knew there wasn’t no turning back. When I got home

War is tough. You’ll experience near death experiences and come near the brink of death. But hey, as long as you're recognized as a hero, right? From the years of 1775-1778, the American Revolution was seeming formidable, nearly nonviable. The feeling and thought that you were going to make it out alive seemed cloudy and an impossible reality. From the ridiculous and frustrating acts made by the ruling British to the never-ending and gruesome battles, you wouldn't want to live there, let alone fight in the war that seemed to have no end. The lack of resources, the horrible weather, and amount of people killed are all reasons why I would've quit and left right there and then. What would you have done?

It is March first, I miss you so much it is unbearable. Sleeping can be awful out here in the trenches only because I want to be home in a comfy bed again safe and sound where war isn’t the only thing on my mind. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t breathe because I dream someone has invaded our trenches and shot me. It isn’t easy being out here but if it means fighting for you then it is what I will do.

I’m cold, I can’t breath through the thick smoke, and a quarter of the men I went to war with are dead. At Valley Forge we have extremely poor living conditions. 3,989 out of 8,000 soldiers are ill. I decided to re-enlist for three reasons which are honoring my country, helping the unfortunate soldiers, and destroying Great Britain’s tyranny.

“Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.” - Sir Winston Churchill. Throughout history, men have fought battles to protect and serve for their country. Some men become injured at war and others don 't get to live on to tell their stories. We are all thankful of those who are able to live on and tell their stories to the common people about their experiences. Two intriguing Wars are the American Civil War and the Vietnam War. They both deal with the long challenging fights between the North and the South regions within each country. The Civil War and the Vietnam War were never declared wars but still managed to divide nations and families. During these wars, many people died defending their land. Two very different war veterans are truly remarkable for the duties they have performed. Robert Edward Lee; the general in chief of the Civil war, and Gary James Walker; a veteran of the Vietnam War have interesting stories from their active military days.

First Lt Audie L. Murphy of Company B, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division was in for the fight of his life on a cold and frigid January day in 1945. The role in this offensive for the Division was to advance near Bois de Riedwihr. This was a large stretch of forest between the villages of Riedwihr and Holtzwihr. Outnumbered by a couple hundred Germans and tanks, Lt Murphy put his life ahead of the wellbeing of his men to fend off the offensive attack by the German forces. This battle depicts exactly what it means in regards to Selfless Service and Personal Courage.

Through the years 1939 through 1945 there was the terrifying tragedy of World War II. It wrecked people’s homes and nations, killed many families and friends. However, the true destruction it caused was on the mind, the psyches and the sanity of the loved ones waiting at home and the men in battle. I am Louie Zamperini and this is my story from the war, and how I was unbroken.

I remember the smell, the sounds, the taste of blood. I remember seeing my comrades fall beside me, the sting of the cuts. The numbness as I fell alongside them, the sadness, the tears. The price of war, I believe my father said that to me before he died. I remember being lifted and carried, I remember a laugh. Then I felt my mind slowly becoming numb, and soon my mind was consumed by the darkness. Like a wildfire it spread from the farthest of places, destroying everything in its’ path. It was over, the war was lost, hope gone; at least until today….

I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to open doors for a new career and longed to have a positive impact on the world around me. Looking back five years later, I realize I found all that I originally sought, but I’ve also found something profoundly satisfying and meaningful that I never knew I was missing.