Head shot of veteran Jessica Garza

Wisconsin Women in Combat: Garza Recounts Being Under Fire at FOB Masum Ghar

In April 2011, Jessica Garza deployed to Afghanistan with the brigade S-1 section, 1-25th Striker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT). Initially, the command assigned Garza and her unit to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Lagman. FOB Lagman was a former forward operating base in Qalati Ghilji, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. While there, she

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Darrell Krenz featured image.

Remembering the Korean Armistice: 1,100 Days as a Prisoner of War

On July 27, 1953, an armistice was signed that began a ceasefire between North Korea and South Korea, although occasional hostilities flare between the two countries continue to this day. While this declaration of ceasefire was not a formal end to the war, it marks an important day in which

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Photo of Blair Dunday

Dunday Recalls Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT)

In March 2005, Blair Dunday enlisted under the Army's Delayed Entry Program (DEP), knowing that the Army would train her as an 89B (ammunition specialist). She delayed entry until July 2005 as she cared for her younger siblings and began her six-year enlistment. Dunday attended basic training at Fort Leonard

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Close up photo of Nao Tou Lor

Memories of War with Nao Tou Lor

Nao Tou Lor was born in 1953 in the province of Xieng Khouang, Laos. His father worked with the French, and Nao Tou Lor remembers visiting the French fort near his home at an early age. Circa 1962, the Vietnamese arrested his father and took him. Nao Tou Lor and

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Photo of Brandon A. Winneshiek, USMC

The Battle of Ramadi, April 6, 2004: The Day Things Changed for Coalition Forces and Brandon Winneshiek

In this video clip, Marine veteran Brandon Winneshiek, F “Foxtrot” Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, relates his experiences in Ramadi, Iraq, on April 6, 2004. Before April 6, Ramadi seemed like any other city, with friendly people going to work and living their daily lives. The Americans gave coloring books

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Photo of Andree L. Griffin

Andreé L. Griffin: Bagram and Back

For Women’s History Month, we feature Andreé L. Griffin, who served in the United States Army Reserves from March 2010 to March 2018 and grew up in Slinger, Wisconsin. She describes her childhood as a "typical country" and included learning to ride and care for horses, a passion she continued

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James M. Cocroft: Advocating for Veterans

James M. Cocroft, also known as “Groovy,” served in the United States Navy from August 17, 1987, to September 1, 2007. Cocroft grew up in Milwaukee, attended Milwaukee Public Schools, and graduated from South Division Highschool in 1987. The Cocroft family has a deep military service tradition in Wisconsin. The

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William Rettenmund, Vietnam, 1966

Wisconsinites Serving During the Holidays

Serving in the United States military over the holiday season brings back poignant memories for Wisconsin veterans. When asked, they remember the place and what was happening at that time, usually more clearly than the normal day-to-day. They also reexperience the feelings and emotions felt at that time. Oral history

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Ho-Chunk Nation Warrior Owen C. Mike

Ho-Chunk Warrior Owen C. Mike

This is the story of Ho-Chunk warrior, Owen C. Mike, known as Jąąpwakącąk in the Hoocąk language. A leader of the Buffalo Clan, Ho-Chunk Nation, Mike served in the Vietnam War and received the Silver Star Medal and Bronze Star Medal with valor device for his actions while under fire

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Ghost Mountain Commander from Neillsville

On December 7, 1942, a year after the Pearl Harbor Attack, Herbert M. Smith of Neillsville, Wisconsin, was wounded in the Battle of Buna-Gona while encouraging E and G Companies of 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division. The battle for Buna remains one of the most brutal engagements of

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