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#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Victor “Brute” Harold Krulak

#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Victor “Brute” Harold Krulak

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Marine Corps Veteran Victor “Brute” Harold Krulak is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Marine Corps Veteran Victor “Brute” Harold Krulak is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Victor “Brute” Harold Krulak was born in January 1913 in Denver, Colorado. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, but fearing a negative impact from his Jewish birthright, he became Episcopalian.

Krulak graduated in 1934 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps but required an exemption due to his 5’ 4” stature. He wrestled in the academy and earned the nickname “Brute,” in jest because of his size, but he ultimately embodied the name as a preeminent strategist for the Marine Corps.

While stationed in Shanghai in 1937, Krulak recognized the value and potential of using retractable ramps on U.S. boats. When his idea was not considered, he built a model and discussed it with builder Andrew Higgins, who implemented aspects of Krulak’s design into World War II “Higgins boats.”

In 1945, Krulak, a lieutenant colonel, planned the April 1 attack on Okinawa, Japan. He also led a battalion in a separate battle that served as a diversion for the invasion of Bougainville. He refused to be evacuated despite being wounded, earning him a Navy Cross. After World War II, Krulak co-authored the first textbook for helicopter pilots and war planners for the Marine Corps.

In Korea, Krulak advised Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the amphibious landing at Inchon that reclaimed Seoul from North Korea. In 1955, Krulak became a general at age 42. He was named President Kennedy’s special assistant for counterinsurgency and special activities in Vietnam and, by 1963, was a three-star general. Overall, he made 54 trips to Vietnam, utilizing what he called the “inkblot strategy” of winning the hearts of the locals to spread counterinsurgency.

Krulak earned numerous decorations in addition to a Navy Cross, including a Distinguished Service Medal, a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, an Air Medal and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Krulak retired from military service in 1968 and worked as a columnist and executive for Copley newspapers, retiring in 1977. He published his book, “First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps,” in 1984. It remains on the official reading list for Marines. Krulak was named “Citizen of the Year” by San Diego Uplifters, a group of professional and business leaders, and he served as president and trustee of the Zoological Society of San Diego.

He died on Dec. 29, 2008. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Kim McAdams

Editors: Theresa Lyon, Alexandra Kaiser

Researchers: Jake Halderson, Timothy Georgetti

Graphic artist: Kiki Kelley



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U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Stacy's Tattoo Story | Veteran Ink

U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Stacy's Tattoo Story | Veteran Ink



In this week’s episode of Veteran Ink, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, Stacy is sharing the story behind her ink. She details the time …

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Veteran Blogs

#VeteranOfTheDay Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps Veteran Don A. Jones

#VeteranOfTheDay Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps Veteran Don A. Jones

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Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps Veteran Don A. Jones is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps Veteran Don A. Jones, who served during WWII and later became director of the USC&GS.

Don A. Jones was born in Waldron, Michigan, in September 1912. He attended Michigan State University, where he studied engineering. After graduating in 1933, Jones joined the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) as a civilian employee. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1940. In 1942, after the U.S. joined World War II, Jones was temporarily transferred to the Army. He served as a coast artillery staff officer, a surveying and mapping officer and commanded a submarine mine planter. He also served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) from 1944 to 1946, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander.

After the war, Jones returned to USC&GS. He served aboard various survey ships, conducting mapping and triangulation work along both coasts of the U.S. In 1957, Jones was transferred to the State Department to serve as project chief for geodetic control surveys in Ethiopia, working to map the headwaters of the Blue Nile River. When he returned to the U.S. in 1961, he became assistant chief of the Geodesy Division. Jones was then assigned as executive officer of the survey ship USC&GS Surveyor. After a year in that position, he took command of Surveyor for the remainder of the ship’s tour, conducting survey and oceanographic work in Alaska, Hawaii and the North Pacific. In 1966, Jones became associate director of the Office of Hydrography and Oceanography. The following year, he was appointed associate administrator of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA). Jones served in that post until 1968, when he became director of USC&GS.

In 1970, ESSA was reorganized into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and USC&GS became the National Ocean Survey (NOS). President Richard Nixon appointed Jones as director of NOS; Jones held the position until 1972, when he retired with the rank of rear admiral after 39 years of service.

Jones died on Aug. 6, 2000, at the age of 87.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Stephen Hill

Editors: Nathaniel Scott, Annabelle Colton

Researchers: Timothy Georgetti, Giacomo Ferrari

Graphic artist: Kiki Kelley



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Veteran Blogs

#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Gil Hodges

#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Gil Hodges

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MLB Hall of Famer Gil Hodges Veteran of the Day

Marine Corps Veteran Gil Hodges is today’s Veteran of the Day

Gil Hodges was born in April 1924, in Princeton, Indiana. He was the middle of three children and had a decorated high school athletic career. According to a Baseball’s Biggest Sacrifice, he was a four-sport athlete and turned down a Major League Baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers during high school. He attended college at St. Joseph’s in Indiana, and later signed a deal with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943.

Hodges made his major league debut on Oct. 3, 1943, the same day the season ended, and then enlisted in the Marine Corps days later. He completed basic training in San Diego, and in March 1944 was stationed at Pearl Harbor. During his tenure in Hawaii, Hodges often demonstrated his baseball skills playing against other battalions, according to a Baseball in Wartime article.

Hodges was sent to Tinian Island and took part in the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945. In a letter to his family, he described a Japanese kamikaze that “crashed on the bow” of one of the American vessels and was sure that “quite a few” service members were hurt. Hodges wrote that he could “write all day” and still not cover everything he saw.

After the invasion, Hodges stayed on Okinawa working in intelligence and was charged with protecting classified documents during enemy raids. He was stationed on the island until October 1945 and was honorably discharged three months later at the rank of sergeant. He received a Bronze Star for his service during the invasion.

After his military service, Hodges returned to the Dodgers in 1946. He was an eight-time all-star; a winner of the Gold Glove award three times; and won two World Series with Brooklyn, according to Baseball’s Greatest Sacrifice. He later became the manager of the New York Mets, leading them to a World Series in 1969.

During spring training in 1972, Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack shortly before his 48th birthday. He was recently elected to the MLB Hall of Fame on the Golden Days Era ballot.

We honor his service. 

Writer: Ryan Beane

Editors: Nathaniel Scott, Nicolas Nunnally

Researcher: Anthony Mendez

Graphics: Kiki Kelley

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#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente

#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente

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Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Marine Corps Veteran Roberto Clemente, who served as an infantryman in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Roberto Clemente was born in August 1934 in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was the youngest of seven children.

In 1954, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Clemente from the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft, elevating the young slugger from the minor leagues into MLB. But in 1958, Clemente enlisted in the Marine Corps as a reserve infantryman. For six years until 1964, he spent his off-seasons serving on duty.

Clemente spent six months on active duty at Parris Island, South Carolina, and Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. At Parris Island, he completed basic training with Platoon 346 of the 3rd Recruit Battalion. Clemente was one of seven in his 130-member platoon promoted to private first class. At Camp Lejeune, he completed infantry training with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Regiment.

When the Pirates began spring training in 1959, it conflicted with Clemente’s military commitment. With the support of Pennsylvania State Senator John M. Walker, the team requested Clemente be allowed to leave military training a month early, which would enable him to participate in spring training. The request was granted.

For his career, Clemente achieved exactly 3,000 hits, as well as 240 home runs and a lifetime batting average of .317. He was a two-time World Series champion (1960, 1971), won the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971. Every year from 1961 to 1972, he won a Gold Glove. And he led the National League in hitting in 1961, 1964, 1965 and 1967.

Outside of baseball, Clemente was heavily involved in charity work in Latin American and Caribbean countries. On Dec. 31, 1972, eight days after a massive earthquake hit Managua, Nicaragua, Clemente was en route to deliver aid to the victims when his plane crashed, resulting in his death. He was 38.

The following year, the Pirates retired No. 21, his uniform number. Additionally, MLB renamed its Commissioner’s Award in his honor. The award is given to the player each year who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

Clemente was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted in the Puerto Rican Veterans Hall of Fame in 2018.

In May 1973, Clemente was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Citizens Medal. In July 2003, he was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Clemente was said to have three goals in life: be on a World Series championship team, win a batting championship and build a recreation center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He accomplished all three.

The Roberto Clemente Sports City Complex is located in Carolina, just outside of San Juan. The complex provides young people with athletic opportunities in baseball, football, soccer, swimming and tennis.

Numerous other locations, including schools, parks and hospitals are also named in Clemente’s honor, from Puerto Rico all the way to Germany.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Writer: Alexandra Kaiser

Editors: Annabelle Colton, Theresa Lyon

Researcher: Patrick Woods

Graphics: Philip Levine



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#VeteranOfTheDay Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum

#VeteranOfTheDay Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum

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Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Army Air Corps Veteran Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum was born in New York City, New York, in 1918. At age one, he moved to the island of Barbados, where he was raised by his grandparents. When he was 10, he saw his first aircraft in Trinidad.

Newsum graduated from the College of Military Science at the University of Maryland, before joining the New York National Guard. He deployed to Hawaii with the Anti-Aircraft Coast Artillery Corps. However, his ultimate goal was to fly.

Before Newsum returned to the mainland, President Roosevelt signed an executive order which prohibited discrimination in government agencies. After this, Roosevelt planned for 33 Black men, including Newsum, to take a test for potential entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Newsum passed. However, unlike the other men who chose to attend Officers Candidate School, Newsum decided on flight training, which occurred at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama.

Formally known as the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps, the Tuskegee Airmen were composed primarily of Black men. It was established in 1941, and two years later, Newsum joined and became one of its 994 pilots. He flew a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, serving in World War II and the Korean War.

Newsum remained in the Air Force until 1970. He retired at the rank of colonel. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma before moving to Denver and working in public relations for Martin Marietta Aerospace.

In 1989, Newsum, on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen, was the recipient of the Brig. Gen. Noel F. Parish Award for outstanding achievement. Two years later, he was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame. Newsum was one of the former Tuskegee Airmen awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2007. He was also one of the founding members of the Hubert L. “Hooks” Jones Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen in Colorado.

Newsum died in January 2013. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Colorado.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Alexandra Kaiser

Editors: Alexander Reza, Theresa Lyon

Researchers: Patrick E. Woods, Giacomo Ferrari

Graphic Designer: Yasmine Pierce



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#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran James E. Webb

#VeteranOfTheDay Marine Corps Veteran James E. Webb

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Marine Corps Veteran James E. Webb is today’s Veteran of the Day.

Marine Corps Veteran James E. Webb is today’s Veteran of the Day.

James Edwin Webb was born in the small town of Tally Ho, North Carolina, in 1906. Webb came of age during the Great Depression and spent his high school years working as a clerk at a local grocery store. He later attended the University of North Carolina and paid his way through school by working as a letter writer and typist.

Webb graduated in 1928 with a degree in education. He joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1930 after reading in the newspaper that the Marines were looking for college graduates to serve as pilots. Webb thought that military service might provide a way out of poverty.

“I couldn’t see anything other than eking out an existence,” Webb said in a 1985 interview, “and I felt that if I didn’t make it in the Marine Corps… I at least would wind up in New York and I probably could get a job up there.”

Webb trained to be a naval aviator at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1931. He spent a year on active duty in Quantico, Virginia, then moved to Washington, D.C., to become a secretary for North Carolina Congressman Edward Pou in 1932. Webb continued flying as a Marine Reservist while attending night school and received a law degree from George Washington University in 1936. That same year, he moved to New York to work for the Sperry Gyroscope Company, eventually becoming vice president. In 1944, during World War II, Webb returned to active duty and became commanding officer of the 1st Marine Air Warning Group at Cherry Point, North Carolina. He left the Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In the decade after the war, Webb held a variety of managerial positions in both the private sector and federal government, including working as undersecretary of state for President Harry Truman. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Webb to serve as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which was established a few years earlier after the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite. Webb was initially reluctant, believing he was not qualified to lead NASA and that a scientist would be a better choice. However, President Kennedy convinced Webb that his management skills made him well-suited for the job.

“President Kennedy said, ‘I want you for this reason,’” Webb said. “And I’ve never said no to any president who has asked me to do things.”

As NASA administrator, Webb helped guide the United States through the Space Race with the Soviet Union and worked on developing the Apollo program to accomplish President Kennedy’s goal of getting an American to the moon before 1970. However, a fire on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida resulted in the deaths of Apollo 1 astronauts Roger Chaffee, Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Edward White in 1967. He resigned from NASA in 1968, less than a year before the Apollo 11 astronauts landed on the moon.

Webb died on March 27, 1992. The James Webb Space Telescope, launched on Dec. 25, 2021, bears his name.

We honor his service.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Writer: Stephen Hill

Editors: Nicolas Nunnally, Annabelle Colton

Researcher: Patrick E. Woods

Graphic artist: Brittany Gorski



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