05/25/2026
I've recently become fascinated with history, something I never would have thought. In school, I never particularly enjoyed it. We covered the same information year after year, and while looking to the past so we don't repeat it is obviously important, the repetition made it feel old pretty quickly. We looked at the "great leaders" and all these other impressive people, but never looked deeper at what has truly made our military great: our soldiers, their drive, their irritation with the status quo *cough* government bureaucracy *cough*, their innovations, and them being absolute GANGSTERS!
That changed two months ago when I stumbled across a YouTube video of a European reacting to clips about American military history. (How we obliterated Iran’s navy in 8 hours) It was just a snippet, but I found the full video and was hooked. In the many videos I've watched since, I've cried, laughed so hard I nearly fell off the couch, and been genuinely amazed by what our men and women have done, and continue to do today.
From the 2nd Marine Division bringing a duck (won in a poker game) into the Battle of Tarawa, one of the most brutal amphibious landings in history with over 1,000 U.S. casualties. To the remarkable captain whose innovations with the B-25 bomber helped shape the aircraft we have today. To "Butch" O'Hare, who single-handedly attacked a formation of Japanese heavy bombers to defend the USS Lexington, with five confirmed kills, though that number is definitely conservative. To Mush Morton and Lawson Ramage: Morton, credited as one of America's most ferocious submarine commanders, and Ramage, who sank five Japanese ships in just 37 minutes. Some of these men came home. Others didn't. But each of them helped shape the military we have today and brought countless others home safely.
Which brings me to why I'm writing what has basically become a blog post.
Memorial Day is a time to honor the fallen and keep their families in our thoughts, and we absolutely should, but those who gave their lives also had another family, one bound by something tighter than blood. Their squad. Their platoon. Their company. The ones who always had their six. The ones that they did life with day after day. One life lost is one too many, and I find myself extremely grateful for those who defended not only us, but innocent lives around the world. And the ones that came before, with their ingenuity, strength, and remarkable minds, made it possible for so many soldiers to come home. So today, as I remember the fallen and honor their service, I'm also thinking of those who stood beside them and felt that loss far more deeply than most of us will ever understand.
Before I make this even longer, I'll leave you with a passage from a letter written by a French soldier describing American troops:
"Honor, motherland, everything here reminds of that: the American flag floating in the wind above the outpost, just like the one on the post parcels. Even if recruits often originate from the heart of American cities and gang territory, no one here has any goal other than to hold high and proud the star-spangled banner. Each man knows he can count on the support of a whole people who provide them through the mail all that an American could miss in such a remote front-line location: books, chewing gum, razorblades, Gatorade, toothpaste... In such a way that every man is aware of how much the American people back him in his difficult mission."
🇺🇸 I encourage you to read the full letter and send a care package to a soldier who could use the encouragement. 🇺🇸
If you've made it this far, you deserve a medal — so let me reward you with this gem. Sgt. (often jokingly referred to as "Captain") Siwash, the "Devil Duck," was won in a poker game by a Marine in New Zealand and went ashore with 18,000 Marines during the 1943 Battle of Tarawa, where she famously fought off a Japanese rooster. While there was talk of awarding her a Purple Heart (which she absolutely deserved, so as far as I'm concerned, she has one), she was officially cited for bravery instead. Known for her taste for warm beer, she served bravely alongside Marines in an additional two major amphibious assaults. Sgt. Siwash lived a long, healthy life until 1954 and remains one of the most legendary figures to ever waddle through the military.
By Wes O'Donnell, Army & Air Force Veteran 1997-2007, Speaker, Journalist, and Documentary Filmmaker. Reach out to Wes on LinkedIn. What follows is an account from a French ISAF soldier that was stationed with American Warfighters in Afghanistan sometime in the past 6 years. This was copied and....
