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Veterans Chronicles

430 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 167 ratings

Veterans Chronicles tells the stories of America's greatest heroes in their own words.

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Episodes

CPT Kelly Elminger, U.S. Army, Iraq, Afghanistan, Paralympian

March 27, 2024 11:00 - 48 minutes - 22.3 MB

Kelly Elmlinger was a three-sport athlete in high school. She excelled in cross country, basketball, and track. After considering military service, she decided to keep playing sports at the next level, but she quickly decided college was not for her. That's when she joined the Army and became a combat medic, eventually with the 82nd Airborne Division, serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Later, she became a nurse and then a cancer patient herself. Yet even after losing a leg, Elmlinger perse...

Thomas 'Drago' Dzieran, Political Prisoner, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq,

March 13, 2024 11:00 - 54 minutes - 50 MB

Thomas "Drago" Dzieran grew up in Communist Poland. He realized he was being fed lies and propaganda as a boy when he got in big trouble at school for asking simple questions about the government. As a young man, he became actively involved in the Solidarity movement and in spreading anti-Communist messages. His activities landed him in prison and he was eventually expelled from Poland. Poland's loss was America's gain. In 1984, Drago Dzieran came to the U.S. Seven years later he became an A...

SFC Earnie Savage, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Ia Drang

March 06, 2024 12:00 - 40 minutes - 18.6 MB

In the early 1960's, the U.S. Army developed a new way of moving troops into and out of strategic locations. It was called Air Cavalry and operated under the theory that moving forces by helicopter was faster and more precise than driving them or having them jump out of airplanes. One of the earliest and best known Air Cavalry engagements was at Landing Zone X-Ray during the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965. Young Earnie Savage was part of Bravo company in the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry ...

CMDCM Leon Walker, Jr., U.S. Navy, Attack on the USS Stark

February 28, 2024 12:00 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MB

Leon Walker, Jr. grew up in a family full of Army and Marine Corps veterans. He tried to enlist in the Marines but the recruiter didn't want to be bothered on his lunch hour. Within minutes, Walker joined the U.S. Navy. He was initially assigned to serve as a deckhand on the fast frigate USS Reid, but on his first deployment he started learning how to navigate. For the next 21 years, he served as a navigator on many different deployments before rising to the rank of command master chief. On ...

CMSgt Melvin Jenner, USAF, WWII, Berlin Airlift

February 21, 2024 12:00 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MB

Melvin Jenner was already in the Michigan Air National Guard when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After joining the U.S. Army Air Corps and undergoing training for a bomber crew, he was soon flying missions in the European Theater of World War II. The next few years would bring him harrowing bomber missions, a secret flight over Normandy on D-Day, and an unforgettable role in the Berlin Airlift. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Jenner tells us how he ended up...

Cpl. Patrick Finn, USMC, Korea, Chosin Reservoir

February 14, 2024 12:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MB

Patrick Finn fibbed about his age in order to join the U.S. Marine Corps a bit earlier than he should have. He served honorably and was ready to end his service before the Korean War ever began. But his inability to come up with $92 led him to re-enlist and in the summer of 1950 he was off to fight a war in a place he knew nothing about. The summer of 1950 was chaotic in Korea. The North Koreans invaded the south in late June and nearly conquered the whole peninsula. But U.S. forces arrived ...

Col. Joe Peterburs, USAF, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, POW Part 2

February 07, 2024 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MB

In our last edition of "Veterans Chronicles," we learned about the World War II service of U.S. Air Force Col. Joe Peterburs (Ret.). He told us all about escorting U.S. bombers into Germany, strafing Luftwaffe airfields, and shooting down a highly decorated German ace before getting shot down himself on the very same mission. Please be sure to listen to Part 1 of his story. But the story of Col. Peterburs goes well beyond World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Peterburs...

Col. Joe Peterburs, USAF, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, POW Part 1

January 31, 2024 12:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MB

Joe Peterburs was on track to become a priest. All of that changed when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The next year, Peterburs joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and trained to be a fighter pilot. He mastered the P-40, but by the time he got to England in late 1944, the P-51 was waiting for him. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Joe Peterburs takes us through his service in World War II as he began a military career lasting more than 36 years. You'll hear ...

Tom Toski, U.S. Navy, WWII, Okinawa, Leyte Gulf

January 24, 2024 12:00 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MB

Tom Toski was drafted into the U.S. Navy in 1943 and was deployed on a destroyer escort to the Pacific theater upon completion of his training. By the end of the war, just two years later, Toski had earned five battle stars, including Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Toski shares his story of service, describes his memories of those critical battles, and explains why he is so proud of his service during the war.

PFC Royal Earle, Jr., USMC, Saipan, Iwo Jima

January 17, 2024 12:00 - 31 minutes - 16.6 MB

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Royal Earle, Jr. and a buddy were on their way to join the the U.S. Marine Corps to take the fight to Japan. But his friend got snagged by the U.S. Navy instead. Unfazed, Earle endured Parris Island and Camp Pendleton and received training as a switchboard operator and wireman in preparation for service in the Pacific. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mr. Earle walks us through his biggest challenge in boot camp and a big mystery during his...

PFC John DeGennaro, USMC, World War II, Iwo Jima

January 10, 2024 12:00 - 16 minutes - 10.2 MB

John DeGennero was just 15 years old and playing at a park on the Sunday the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After turning 17 in 1943, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, determined to help win the war. Over the next two years, that teenager perfected a skill that would be crucial to winning the Battle of Iwo Jima. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mr. DeGennaro tells us about boot camp at Parris Island and then specializing in the science of sound ranging. From the...

Brig. Gen Richard Baughn, USAF, World War II, Vietnam

January 03, 2024 12:00 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MB

Richard Baughn served as an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years both active duty and reserve. He retired as a brigadier general. Gen. Baughn's passion was flying and he put it to excellent use as a P-51 pilot over Europe in World War II and flying the F-104 and F-105 in Vietnam. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Baughn takes us along on his missions in World War II, both as a fighter escort for American bombers and his frequent s...

PFC Vincent Speranza, U.S. Army Airborne, WWII, Battle of the Bulge

December 27, 2023 12:00 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MB

Vincent Speranza was born to immigrant Italian parents in New York City. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Speranza's father stressed to his boys that they were Americans and that America must not lose the war. He was quite a bit more conflicted over the prospects of his sons fighting against Italy. Once old enough to serve, Speranza was assigned to the U.S. Army infantry but eventually moved to the airborne. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Speranza details how he joined the...

SSgt Lester Schrenk, U.S. Army Air Forces, WWII, POW

December 20, 2023 12:00 - 42 minutes - 39 MB

Lester Schrenk joined the U.S. Army Air Forces on his 19th birthday in November 1942. Even though he still sees perfectly today, he was told he could not become a pilot due to poor eyesight. So this Minnesota farm kid was assigned as a ball turret gunner on a B-17 bomber crew. At 5'11", he was much bigger than most men tasked with squeezing into that very tiny space. Roughly a year later, he was deployed to Europe. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Schrenk tells us what the missions ...

Roy Gleason, U.S. Army, Vietnam, World Series Champion

December 13, 2023 12:00 - 45 minutes - 41.2 MB

Roy Gleason grew up near Chicago and fell in love with baseball while watching Cubs games with his grandfather. As a young teenager, he learned he had a tremendous amount of talent. After moving to California, he soon found himself signed to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. In 1963, Gleason was a late-season call-up for the Dodgers, played in several games as a pinch runner and got one very memorable at-bat. After a few difficult years back in the minors, Gleason seemed poised to return...

Louis Bourgault, USMC, WWII, Bougainville, Iwo Jima

December 06, 2023 12:00 - 33 minutes - 27.1 MB

Louis Bourgault was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor - too young to formally join the military. After his father rejected a teenage plot to go join the Canadian forces, Bourgault enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he turned 17. After grueling basic training at Parris Island, Bourgault was tapped as a message runner. He was soon off to San Diego and then shipped to New Zealand. After spending time loading and unloading ships at Guadalcanal, it was soon time to enter the...

Maj. John 'Lucky' Luckadoo, U.S. Army Air Corps, Bloody 100th Bomb Group

November 29, 2023 12:00 - 55 minutes - 51 MB

John 'Lucky" Luckadoo wanted to join the war effort against Nazi Germany even before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He and a friend hatched a plan to join the service in Canada until Lucky's father refused to allow it. But his friend went through with it. After Pearl Harbor, while in his first year at college, Luckadoo joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. Before long he was assigned to be a co-pilot in the "Bloody 100th" bomb group. He would be one of the few to survive 25 missions early in ...

Sgt. Dakota Meyer, USMC, Afghanistan, Iraq, Medal of Honor

November 22, 2023 12:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

Dakota Meyer decided to have some fun with the U.S. Marine recruiter visiting his high school. Within minutes he had a change of heart and signed up to serve. Meyer would serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a horrific day in September 2009 would change his life forever. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Meyer shares the very difficult story of watching from a a mile away as his fellow Marines came under deadly enemy fire. Defying orders, Meyer spent the next several hours against near...

Capt. Russell 'Rusty' Schweikart, USAF, Air National Guard, NASA, Apollo 9

November 15, 2023 12:00 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MB

Russell "Rusty" Schweikart grew up with a great interest in aviation and watching the planes fly around Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. So it was no surprise when he joined the U.S. Air Force and was trained as a fighter pilot. He later joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard. But in 1963, he was selected as a NASA astronaut and was soon on track to be part of the Apollo program to fulfill President John F. Kennedy's vision of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely ...

Col. Howard Hill, USAF, Vietnam, POW

November 08, 2023 12:00 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MB

Howard Hill attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to flight training, where he became a radio intercept officer (RIO). Deployed to Vietnam as a backseater on an F-4, Hill flew many missions, including one that earned him his first Silver Star before being shot down two months later. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Hill details that successful mission in October 1967. He then takes moment by moment on the December mission in which his plane was shot down and he was ta...

Wayne "Whitey" Johnson, U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII, Flying Tigers

November 01, 2023 11:00 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MB

Whitey Johnson was a farm kid from Minnesota who had the chance to fly a crop duster when he was a teenager. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he stood in line to join the U.S. Army Air Corps. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Johnson describes his excitement at being assigned to the Flying Tigers, serving on the Shanghai Raids and his heart-pounding drama of being shot down and nearly captured while being hidden by the Chinese.

Col. Randy Bresnik, USMC, Iraq, NASA

October 25, 2023 11:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MB

Randy Bresnik was born into a family that already had an aviation legacy. His father was a U.S. Army Air Cavalry helicopter pilot in Vietnam and his grandfather spent five years as the official photographer for Amelia Earhart. But Bresnik would chart his own path, attending The Citadel as a Navy ROTC student and ultimately choosing the U.S. Marine Corps. He has flown 86 different types of planes but his favorite is the F/A-18. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Bresnik takes us throug...

SFC Brendan Quisenberry, U.S. Army Special Forces, Afghanistan, Iraq

October 18, 2023 11:00 - 33 minutes - 28.5 MB

Brendan Quisenberry grew up with a deep appreciation for military service, as both his father and grandfather were veterans. As a sophomore in high school when terrorists struck the U.S. on 9/11, he knew he needed to serve. A couple of years later he joined the U.S. Army and by 2004 he was on his first deployment overseas - this one to Iraq. Following that deployment, Quisenberry successfully completed the training needed to become a U.S. Army Ranger. Soon he was off to the first of several a...

Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 17

October 11, 2023 11:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MB

Harrison Schmitt's father was a geologist but it wasn't until college thatSchmitt decided to follow in his dad's footsteps. By the mid-1960's, Schmitt had a Ph.D and was working at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Center. Before long, NASA was looking for geologists to advise on the upcoming lunar missions. Schmitt then advised the Apollo 11 crew on what to look for and to bring home. And he also consulted with every subsequent mission. But before too long, NASA decided to send Scmit...

SSgt Ray Hildreth, USMC & U.S. Army, Vietnam, Hill 488

October 04, 2023 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MB

Ray Hildreth joined the U.S. Marine Corps in an effort to shape up after a brush with the law as a teenager. He joined during the Vietnam War, never once thinking he would be sent overseas. But after a grueling basic training period, Marine recon training, and sniper school, he was soon on his way to Okinawa to prepare for service in Vietnam. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Hildreth explains how the Marines' legendary basic training prepared him well for what would soon follow. He ...

COL Ramon 'Tony' Nadal, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Ia Drang

September 27, 2023 11:00 - 43 minutes - 34.6 MB

Ramon "Tony" Nadal continued a proud family legacy when he was accepted into West Point after high school. Nadal's father was one the first Puerto Rican graduates of the U.S. Military Academy back in 1928. After his commissioning and officer training, Nadal quickly pursued special forces training with the Army Rangers and Pathfinders among others. Eventually that elite training made him an ideal choice to be a leader in a brand new type of air mobile warfare, which moved troops by helicopters...

CPL David Marshall, U.S. Army, WWII, Roer Valley, Battle of the Bulge

September 20, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MB

David Marshall was 16 years old and lying in a New York hospital room after suffering a sports injury when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Upon turning seventeen the following year, he was drafted into the Army, intially trained as a medic before assigned as an engineer in the infantry - specifically the 84th Infantry Division. The unit deployed to England in September 1944 and came ashore in France at Omaha Beach some five months after D-Day. In this ...

SSG Paul Cunningham, USAF, Korea

September 13, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 34.6 MB

Paul Cunningham graduated from high school in 1948 and had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. After some convincing from the local Air Force recruiter, he was off to train as a radar repairman. Just two years later, he was at war halfway around the world in Korea. In this edition of "Veterans Chonicles," Cunningham describes his work assembling, repairing, and moving radar equipment as the conditions of the war changed. He explains the critical role that radar played in assisting th...

Giovanni Renteria, September 11th Terrorist Attacks

September 06, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MB

Giovanni Renteria was in New York City undergoing training for Morgan Stanley in their offices inside the South Tower of the World Trade Center. On day two of the three-week program, Renteria and his colleagues finished their first session early. He and another employee headed downstairs for some coffee. While down there, they saw the debris falling after the first airliner struck the North Tower. Told by security that everything in the North Tower was fine and they should return to the offic...

Joe Mantegna, Actor, Host of the National Memorial Day Concert

August 30, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes - 27.5 MB

Joe Mantegna grew up around multiple family members who were combat veterans of World War II. He tried to become a pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War but was dismissed due to poor eyesight. But for more than 20 years, Mantegna has been a very active supporter of our active duty military, veterans, and families of the fallen. Since 2002, he has been a part of the National Memorial Day Concert, serving almost all of those years as a host or co-host alongside fellow veterans a...

SSgt. Craig Morgan, U.S. Army, Panama, Airborne

August 23, 2023 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MB

You may know him best as country music star Craig Morgan. But for 17 years, including 10 years on active duty, Craig Morgan Greer served our nation in the U.S. Army. He spent time with both the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. Morgan is also a veteran of Operation Just Cause, the U.S. mission in Panama in December 1989. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Morgan shares why he joined the Army and his determination to serve a cause much bigger than himself. He takes us into his time as...

Lt. Col. Charles 'Frank' Blount, USAF, Vietnam

August 16, 2023 11:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MB

Frank Blount was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1960 upon graduation from Florida State University and completion of its ROTC program. Over the next 20 years, Blount would pilot planes carrying everyone from the President of the United States to heroes of our space program to precocious kids. He would also see intense action as a gunship pilot in Vietnam. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Blount takes us through his early days as a Super Constellation pilot and some of ...

CAPT Charlie Plumb, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW

August 09, 2023 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MB

Charlie Plumb ended up in the U.S. Navy because money was tight for his family and it was a big economic relief when he was recommended and accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy. Upon commissioning from Annapolis and competion of flight school, Plumb would soon be flying an F-4. Little did he know what awaited him just a few years later in Vietnam. Plumb was deployed to the war zone in November 1966. He routinely flew missions over North Vietnam, including Hanoi, which he says was the most heav...

CMSgt. William Walter, USAF, Panama, Grenada, Desert Storm

August 02, 2023 11:00 - 51 minutes - 47 MB

William Walter joined the U.S. Air Force in 1976. Two years later he arrived at Hurlburt Field in Florida for AC-130 gunship training. Over the next couple of decades, his serice in Air Force special operations would place him on missions from Operation Eagle Claw to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran to Operation Just Cause in Panama to Operation Desert Storm, among several others. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," CMSgt. Walter vividly describes what makes serving aboard AC-130 gunships ...

Maj. Michelle Curran, USAF, Afghanistan, Air Force Thunderbirds

July 26, 2023 11:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MB

Michelle Curran was a teenager when she was mesmerized by the roar and power of military jets. Soon she was off to ROTC in college. Within just a few years, she would be at war in Afghanistan and eventually become the lead solo pilot for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Maj. Curran takes us inside her role in providing "Danger Close" air support for our allies in Afghanistan as an F-16 pilot, how the missions were executed, and how enemy attacks were...

Brig. Gen. Charlie Duke, USAF, Apollo 16

July 19, 2023 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MB

Charlie Duke attended the U.S. Naval Academy but accepted a commission into the U.S. Air Force upon graduation. After early assignments, including service near Berlin in the tumultuous days of the early 1960's, Duke was accepted as a NASA astronaut as the United States pressed on towards President Kennedy's goal of sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to the earth before the end of the decade. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Duke walks us through his early days i...

Gary Sinise, Actor, Director, Veterans Advocate

July 12, 2023 11:00 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MB

While not a veteran himself, actor and director Gary Sinise is now synonymous with devotion to our active duty military, our veterans, and their families. Sinise turned 18 years old shortly after the U.S. withdrawal of forces from Vietnam. However, hearing the stories of service in Vietnam from his wife's brothers instilled a deep appreciation for those who served and a desire to help them - especially those who struggled after coming home to a hostile public and had difficulty returning to ...

Col. Ed Hubbard, USAF, Vietnam, POW

July 05, 2023 11:00 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MB

Ed Hubbard has been fascinated by flight since he can remember. When he was a kid, his parents dropped him off to watch planes at the local airfield for hours at a time. He joined the Air Force Reserves in hopes of becoming a pilot. He later went on active duty, became an officer and earned his wings. While serving in Europe in the mid-1960s, orders came for Hubbard to take his family back to the U.S. and prepare for service in Vietnam. While serving on a reconnaissance flight over North Vie...

Col. Ronald Webb, USAF, Vietnam, POW

June 28, 2023 11:00 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MB

Ronald Webb was commissioned as a U.S. Navy officer through the ROTC program at Indiana University. First trained as a navigator, Webb later received his pilots' wings in 1966. Soon, he was off to Vietnam, flying missions out of Da Nang with the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron. On most missions, he served as the "backseater" to Korean War double ace pilot Frederick C. "Boots" Blesse. On June 11, 1967, Webb was flying with a different pilot, but he was more concerned with the dangerous flight...

Maj. Gen. John Raaen, Jr., U.S. Army, WWII, Brittany, The Bulge Part 3

June 21, 2023 11:00 - 37 minutes - 34.8 MB

John Raaen, Jr. entered the U.S. Military Academy in the summer of 1939, just weeks before World War II broke out in Europe. During his four years at West Point, there was no question his class would be going to war. Commissioned in 1943, Raaen soon joined the elite Army Rangers. Just a year later, as a captain, Raaen led men ashore at Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. He is believed to be the last living officer to serve at Omaha Beach on D-Day. In our previous two episodes, retir...

Maj. Gen. John Raaen, Jr., U.S. Army, WWII, D-Day & Normandy Part 2

June 14, 2023 11:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

Just before 8 a.m. on June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Captain John Raaen, Jr., of the 5th Ranger Battalion, landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy as the Allies launched their campaign to breach Adolf Hitler's Atlantic Wall and work to free Europe from Nazi tyranny. In our previous edition, Raaen, who is believed to be the last living American officer from Omaha Beach, described the extensive preparations for the D-Day landings, having his landing spot changed at the last minute, and how high tide and a...

Maj. Gen. John Raaen, Jr., U.S. Army, WWII, D-Day Part 1

June 06, 2023 11:00 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MB

John Raaen, Jr. grew up in an Army family and his father was a West Point graduate. Long before World War II, the Raaens were family friends with the Eisenhowers, the Bradleys, and other figures who would become household names in World War II. In 1939, Raaen followed in his father's footsteps and enrolled at West Point just as war was about to engulf Europe. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Raaen, who is now 101 years old, walks us through his commissioning from West Point, becomin...

MSgt Bernie Oder, USAF, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm

May 31, 2023 11:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MB

Bernie Oder joined the U.S. Air Force in 1972 when his number came up among the final names in the military draft. While serving as a supply clerk in the Philippines, Oder became friends with service members in special operations and decided to pursue that for his own career. After rigorous training in many disciplines, Oder was soon part of Air Force special operations. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Master Sgt. Oder takes us through his role in planning and executing Operation U...

LCDR Mike Saraille. USMC, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan

May 24, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MB

When college wasn't working out, Mike Sarraille decided to become a U.S. Marine when he became friends with a recon Marine and was impressed by his humble confidence. Saraille also become a recon Marine as well as a sniper. But a couple years later, after being encouraged to become an officer, he entered BUD/s training and became a U.S. Navy SEAL. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," LCDR Saraille shares his memories of serving with SEAL Team 3 in Iraq, including the brutl fight for Ram...

T/5 Donald Banks, U.S. Army, WWII, 82nd Airborne

May 17, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

Donald Banks enlisted through the Draft Board to join the U.S. Army and then jumped at the chance to serve in the 82nd Airborne Division. After very difficult paratrooper training, Banks soon found himself jumping into Normandy on D-Day and later fighting in the Netherlands as part of Operation Market Garden and at the Battle of the Bulge. In this edition, Banks shares some of his memories of serving in Normandy but confesses he cannot discuss much of what he did there because "it's too grue...

Col. George Ferkes, USAF, Vietnam, Operation Eagle Claw

May 10, 2023 11:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MB

George Ferkes could not pass up the opportunity to fly in the U.S. Air Force. After finishing flight school in 1970, he soon found himself in the skies over Vietnam. Ferkes flew in support of Operation Lam Son 719/Dewey Canyon II and the Siege of Fire Support Base Fuller. Less than a decade later, Ferkes was co-piloting an MC-130 gunship as part of Operation Eagle Claw in the mission designed to rescue hostages in Iran. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ferkes takes us inside the int...

S1C Willie Clemons, Jr., U.S. Navy, WWII, Korea

May 03, 2023 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MB

In February 1945, Willie Clemons, Jr. joined the U.S. Navy while still 17 years old. Within just a couple of months, he was off to the Pacific Theater. Within a few more months, the Japanese surrendered and the war was over. After leaving the military, Clemons returned to the Navy in 1953 and served in the Korean theater. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Clemons discusses why he joined the Navy at a young age and what it was like to serve while the military was segregated. He tells ...

PFC Vern Staley, U.S. Army, WWII, Combat Medic

April 26, 2023 11:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MB

Vern Staley wanted to join the military at age 17 following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His father refused to sign off, telling him to finish high school and accurately predicting "there'll be plenty of war left as soon as you get out of school." After graduating, Staley was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the 70th Infantry Division. He went through basic training and was then sent to Colorado to be trained as a combat medic. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Stal...

S1C Ken 'Gunner' Guyer, U.S. Navy, Vietnam

April 19, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MB

Ken Guyer joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17 years old. It was 1967, and he was eager to join the fight in Vietnam. Once he turned 18, he was on his way there and was soon serving as a gunner on a five-man crew aboard a Navy picket boat patrolling Da Nang Harbor and the Da Nang River. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Guyer explains why he loved serving on the picket boats so much, interdicting Vietnamese vessels to see if they were transporting contraband, and engaging enemy forces...

Major Dewayne Rudd, USAF, U-2 Reconnaissance Pilot, B-2 Test Pilot

April 12, 2023 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MB

Dewayne Rudd joined the U.S. Air Force with a dream of one day becoming an astronaut and flying to space. Instead he became a versatile pilot the military and NASA would turn to on some of their most important projects, including a U-2 reconnaissance pilot, a test pilot during the development of the B-2 Stealth Bomber, and the chief test pilot for the space shuttle crew escape system following the Challenger disaster. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Major Rudd walks us through his ...

Guests

Buzz Aldrin
1 Episode
Dave R. Palmer
1 Episode
James Stavridis
1 Episode
Joseph L. Galloway
1 Episode

Books

The Black Sheep
1 Episode