The U.S. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-233-8764.Not a member of the Naval Institute? Here’s how to join!
liebman big mother 40 vietnam

BOOK REVIEW – Big Mother 40, A Vietnam War Novel

By Marc Liebman, Fireship Press, Tuscan, AZ, (2012) Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom It was my pleasure to review this magnificent book about U.S. Navy helicopter combat rescue operations for downed aviators and crews during the Vietnam War. Naval Historical Foundation Program Director Dr. David F. Winkler suggested I review this book because of my

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BOOK REVIEW – Lessons From The Hanoi Hilton: Six Characteristics of High-Performance Teams

By Peter Fretwell and Taylor B. Kiland. 2013, U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, (2013). Reviewed by Charles Bogart Never before have I had the privilege to read a book that within only 153 pages of text provides the reader with an outline of how to be a leader. I need to mention that there is

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Former NHF Executive Director Coskey Passes Away

Former Vietnam Prisoner of War and ex-Naval Historical Foundation Executive Director, Captain Kenneth Leon Coskey, USN (Ret.) passed away Saturday, 29 June 2013, at the assisted living facility where he lived. Funeral plans for Arlington National Cemetery are still pending. Born 26 December 1929, Coskey grew up in Detroit, Michigan and entered the Navy through

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Former Vietnam POW Visits Cold War Gallery

The U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery, located at the Washington Navy Yard, pays tribute to the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served during the five tense decades of the latter half of the 20th century. In June, the Naval Historical Foundation cut the ribbon on a new “Battle Behind Bars” exhibit,

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2013 David Leighton Lecture: RADM Robert Shumaker, USN (Ret)

We are very pleased to present the video of the 2013 David Leighton Lecture, from the Naval Historical Foundation Annual Membership Meeting, 15 June 2013. The speaker was Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker, USN (Ret). In February 1965, while flying an F8 Crusader, he was shot down on a mission over North Vietnam, was captured, and

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NHF Annual Membership Meeting Remembers Vietnam POWs

Each summer we take a day to meet with our members, volunteers, and friends, to let them know what the Foundation has been up to, and what our plans are for the future. Last Saturday, 15 June, we once again gathered in the Cold War Gallery with a great crowd of nearly 100 of our

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BOOK REVIEW – Love at First Flight

By W. Stewart and Fran E. Orr, Astor and Blue Editions, New York, NY (2012). Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, U,S, Navy (Retired) “Bud” and Fran Orr, husband and wife, write alternating sections in this book, telling the story of their lives – his as a naval aviator, starting in the Viet Nam era

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Former Vietnam POW RADM Robert H. Shumaker To Deliver Leighton Lecture

We are honored to announce that Rear Admiral Robert H. Shumaker, USN (Ret), will deliver the annual David Leighton Lecture at the 2013 Naval Historical Foundation Annual Meeting. Bob Shumaker was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania where his parents, Alvah and Eleanor, were a lawyer and a writer, respectively. He attended Northwestern University for a

stearman american adventure

BOOK REVIEW – An American Adventure: From Early Aviation Through Three Wars to the White House

By William Lloyd Stearman, Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, MD (2012) Reviewed by Dr. Richard P. Hallion Mention “Stearman” among any group of aviation aficionados and an instant image of one of history’s most influential and appealing aircraft comes to mind. The Stearman biplane occupies a unique place in the pantheon of American aviation, having produced,

Vietnam POW Clothing

New Interpretation of Vietnam POW Artifacts

With the support of the Naval Historical Foundation, valuable contextual interpretation is being developed for artifact display cases located in the South Hall of the Cold War Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Navy. On display within these glass cases are Vietnam Prisoner of War artifacts including boxer shorts dotted with red

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RSVP for Naval Historical Foundation 2013 Annual Meeting

You are cordially invited to attend the Naval Historical Foundation’s Annual Members Meeting and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for our new “The Battle Behind Bars” exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy’s Cold War Gallery. The exhibit honors the sacrifices of Prisoners of War in the Vietnam War and celebrates the success many experienced

Battle Behind Bars

NHF Working to Commemorate 40th Anniversary of POW Return

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the return of American Prisoners of War held by the North Vietnamese. Many of the POWs were naval aviators, and the Naval Historical Foundation, in conjunction with the National Museum of the United States Navy, is working on a number of initiatives to remember the long ordeal endured

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BOOK REVIEW – Seabee Teams in Vietnam, 1963 – 1968

Edited by Kenneth E. Bingham. NMCB-8 Association, Ventura, CA (2013). Reviewed by Charles Bogart The subtitle of this book is “The 13-Man Teams That Helped Rural Vietnamese and who Fought Alongside the Special Forces.”  The introduction of the book under review proclaims that it consists of excerpts taken from the book “COMCPAC REPORTS, Special Edition,

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BOOK REVIEW – McNamara, Clifford, and the Burdens of Vietnam, 1965-69

By Edward J. Drea, Washington, D.C.:Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, (2011). Reviewed by Dr. Richard P. Hallion The historians within the Office of the Secretary of Defense have established an enviable reputation for meticulously researched and well-crafted books, particularly their series on the various Secretaries of Defense. Edward J. Drea’s impressive new