Veterans Chronicles
432 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★★ - 167 ratingsVeterans Chronicles tells the stories of America's greatest heroes in their own words.
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Episodes
Capt. Paul Austin, U.S. Navy, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam
May 11, 2022 11:00 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBPaul Austin never really thought about being an aviator as a kid, but one day he saw a Fly Navy recruiting sign and the rest is history. Austin would spend nearly 30 years in the U.S. Navy and find himself on the brink of nuclear war in Cuba and serving two tours in Vietnam. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Capt. Austin explains how he instantly loved flying and quickly became very good at it. He also takes us into the heart-pounding moments of being in his plane and just moments away...
Capt. Jack Ensch, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW
May 04, 2022 11:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBJack Ensch served three years in the U.S. Army but would spend decades as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy. As a "backseater" in an F-4, Ensch served four tours in Vietnam but he will forever be linked to two major events in 1972. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ensch walks us through the dramatic May 1972 mission in which he and his pilot successfully shot down two Soviet MiGs. He also details being shot down three months later, being taken prisoner, and suffering unimagi...
Captain Jack Ensch, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW
May 04, 2022 11:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBJack Ensch served three years in the U.S. Army but would spend decades as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy. As a "backseater" in an F-4, Ensch served four tours in Vietnam but he will forever be linked to two major events in 1972. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ensch walks us through the dramatic May 1972 mission in which he and his pilot successfully shot down two Soviet MiGs. He also details being shot down three months later, being taken prisoner, and suffering unimagi...
Harry Isabel, Jr., U.S. Army, WWII
April 27, 2022 11:00 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MBHarry Isabel, Jr. was 16 years old when when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, By mid-1944, he was trained and on a ship to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II. He did not know it at the time, but Isabel and his unit, the "Fighting 69th," were on their way to the Battle of Saipan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Isabel walks us through the many challenges of the amphibious landing on Saipan and what he saw when he finally got to the beach. He also describes an early clos...
Lt. Col. David Yorck, USMC, Vietnam
April 20, 2022 11:00 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBDavid Yorck was born in Germany during World War II and came to the United States in 1950. After joining the U.S. Marine Corps, he was immediately sent to Vietnam for the first of multiple tours. He would serve there as a platoon commander, company commander, and in an intelligence role. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Yorck walks us through the horrors of combat, his frustrations with the system, and how his role changed with greater responsibility. He also tells us about the...
MCPO Edward Byers, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq, Afghanistan, Medal of Honor
April 13, 2022 11:00 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MBEdward Byers became fascinated with the military - and Navy SEALs in particular - through books and movies in his younger years. He joined the U.S. Navy and, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began SEAL training. His service would then bring him face to face with our enemies on multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Byers takes us through the mentally and physically grueling experience of BUD/S training to become a SEAL and ...
P.J. Dahl, U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
April 06, 2022 11:00 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBP.J. Dahl was enthralled by flying from a young age, devouring any book he could find on the Red Baron and other early legends of the air. So when he had the opportunity to become a pilot in World War II, Dahl jumped at the chance. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Dahl takes us into his P-38 cockpit in the Pacific Theater, walks us through his multiple kills of Japanese planes, and the harrowing mission that very nearly cost him his life near the Philippines.
Ralph Goldsticker, Jr., U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
March 30, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MBRalph Goldsticker, Jr. was 20 years old when he joined the U.S. Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After trying to become a pilot, Goldsticker became a bombardier aboard a B-17 bomber and deployed to to the European theater. In this edition, Goldsticker takes us from training to his first mission and from his assignments on D-Day to the end of the war. He also shares a remarkable story that took him to Russia and even the Middle East in the midst of the war.
Frank Pomroy, USMC, WWII, Part 2 - Peleliu
March 23, 2022 11:00 - 36 minutes - 50.3 MBFrank Pomroy and many other U.S. Marines suffered greatly at the battle of Guadalcanal - both from the conditions and from the difficult fighting against the Japanese. But more intense fighting awaited Pomroy on the island of Peleliu in 1944. In this second part of our feature on Mr. Pomroy, he explains why he could have avoided the battle, the harrowing efforts to take Bloody Nose Ridge, staring down Japanese tanks, and more.
Frank Pomroy, USMC, WWII, Part 1 - Guadalcanal
March 16, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBFrank Pomroy joined the U.S. Marine Corps and fought in two of the most critical battles in the Pacific theater of World War II. In this first of our two-part feature on Mr. Pomroy, Frank takes us inside the battle for Guadalcanal. Pomroy describes the horrendous living and food conditions he suffered through as well as the intense fighting against the Japanese, the difficulty of getting American forces off the island, and his poignant trip back more than four decades later.
Robert Owens, USMC, Montford Point Marines
March 09, 2022 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBRobert Owens joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 16 by telling recruiters he was 18. Soon he would be joining the other young black men as part of the Montford Point Marines, a unit that was created after an order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt but still kept U.S. Marines segregated. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Owens discusses why he joined the Marines at such a young age, why his first day of training made him wonder if he had made a big mistake, guarding Japanese POW's ...
MGySgt Oliver Nickle, USMC, Korea, Vietnam
March 02, 2022 12:00 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBOliver Nickle originally intended to join the U.S. Navy but ultimately enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17 after his parents gave their approval. He served as a weapons company man in the 5th U.S. Marine Division but perhaps his most vivid memories are of the frigid cold and snow. After deployments to Naples and Okinawa, among others, Nickle served as operations chief of the 3rd Marine Regiment in Vietnam and also served with the joint staff in Hawaii, which he considers the most e...
John Billings, U.S. Army Air Forces, WWII
February 23, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBJohn Billings was hooked on flying when he was three years old, so when it came time to serve in World War II, the Army Air Forces was a natural fit. He came a B-24 bomber pilot but later served on clandestine missions for the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Billings describes his bombing missions, getting recruited for the OSS, how his first secret mission had a terrible conclusion, and his role in the mission made famous by...
Kayla Williams, U.S. Army, Iraq
February 16, 2022 12:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBA member of the 101st Airborne Division, Kayla Williams was among the very first American forces to enter Iraq in 2003 and roll from Kuwait to Baghdad within a matter of weeks. While serving there she also met her future husband, Brian McGough. In the fall of 2003, Brian's convoy was attacked. At first, doctors did not expect him to live and then they doubted his ability to care for himself. He proved them wrong. In the midst of Brian's recovery from serious head injuries and Kayla's own rei...
CPO Mathias "Matt" Gutman, U.S. Navy, WWII, Peleliu, Okinawa
February 09, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBMathias "Matt" Gutman came from a military family and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He became a coxswain on LST 553, delivering men and equipment under fire on several amphibious landings. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gutman takes us through his first landing at Peleliu all the way to Okinawa and beyond. He also describes what it's like to land under fire and then turn around and go back to sea, and he shares the feeling of jubilation wh...
Lewis Varvel, U.S. Navy, Doolittle Raid, Midway
February 02, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBLewis Varvel joined the U.S. Navy because he didn't want to be in the Army, but his service during World War II would still be harrowing and consequential. Varvel enlisted prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, to be part of the original crew aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. After arriving on the west coast, Varvel and the Hornet headed into the Pacific to play a critical role in the fight against imperial Japan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles,...
Jack Holder, U.S. Navy, WWII, Pearl Harbor, Midway
January 26, 2022 12:00 - 33 minutes - 31 MBJack Holder joined the U.S. Navy fresh out of high school in 1940. He arrived in Pearl Harbor in December of that year. Twelve months later he was diving into a ditch to avoid the strafing of Japanese pilots. He remembers thinking, "God, please don't let me die in this ditch." In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Holder walks us through his memories of the horrific Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, his role at the critical Battle of Midway, patrolling the skies over Guadalcanal, and bein...
Gen. Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airmen, World War II, Korea, Vietnam
January 19, 2022 12:00 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBOn January 16, 2022, retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Charles McGee died at the age of 102. His story is one of profound courage, excellence in service, and inspiring personal character. McGee joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. At the time, however, McGee and the other black pilots were deemed unworthy to be in units with their white counterparts. In this edition of "Veterans Chonicles," McGee details the outstanding service record of Tuskegee pilots in World War ...
Yoshio Nakamura, U.S. Army, WWII, 442nd Regimental Combat Team
January 12, 2022 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBYoshio Nakamura grew up working on his family's farm in California. Despite the Great Depression, it was a good life and Nakamura had many friends as a teenager. But his life changed drastically after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Less than three months later, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered Americans of Japanese descent on the west coast into internment camps out of fear of their loyalty to Japan. In this episode, Nakamura describes the indignity of that design...
Lt. Col. Clif Berry, USAF & U.S. Army, Berlin Airlift, Vietnam
January 05, 2022 12:00 - 35 minutes - 32 MBFred Clifton Berry, Jr. joined the U.S. Force in 1948 due to his interest in radio and airplanes. He soon found himself in Germany and in the middle of a major international drama - the Berlin Airlift. Berry tells us about the critical importance of quality air traffic control during that ordeal both in delivering goods and in protecting pilots from their Soviet adversaries. Berry later left the Air Force and subsequently joined the U.S. Army. Years later, he was deployed to Vietnam with th...
Ned Connor, U.S. Navy, WWII
December 29, 2021 12:00 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBNed Connor was planning to join the ground forces of the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II. But he soon found out he wasn't going to make that decision. After ending up in the Navy, Connor was assigned to the Seabees. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Connor shares his story of service in the Pacific Theater, mostly on New Guinea, as a winch operator loading and unloading cargo ships. He also shares the leadership and life lessons he took from his years in the service and applied...
Andrew Faltum, U.S. Navy, Vietnam Refugee Rescue
December 22, 2021 12:00 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBAndrew Faltum started as a detective for the Chicago Police Department but by the early 1970's he decided it was time for a change. Faltum joined the Navy in hopes of becoming an aviation officer but a medical evaluation forced a change in plans. Instead he became an intelligence officer while on active duty and for another two decades in the reserves. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Faltum shares his experiences aboard the USS Midway in 1975 and the frantic effort to save some 3,...
Michael "Mickey" Ganitch, U.S. Navy, WWII, Pearl Harbor
December 15, 2021 12:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBMichael "Mickey Ganitch" Ganitch grew up in Ohio and joined the U.S. Navy in early 1941, as he puts it, to dodge being drafted into the Army. Less than a year later, he had a front row seat for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor while in the crow's nest aboard the USS Pennsylvania as it sat in dry dock off Battleship Row. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ganitch describes the attack in detail, how it could have been even worse, the refurbishing of the USS Pennsylvania and the key ...
Frank Emond, U.S. Navy, WWII, Pearl Harbor
December 07, 2021 12:00 - 31 minutes - 29.1 MBFrank Emond joined the U.S. Navy in 1938 after learning it was looking for musicians. Three years later, Emond was standing on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania and watched in horror as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began. Eighty years after the day of infamy that triggered the U.S. entry into World War II, Emond shares what he saw during the attack, how he and the other sailors aboard the USS Pensylvania responded, his gruesome duties following the attack, and his service after the sh...
SgtMaj David Devaney, USMC Sniper, Iraq
December 01, 2021 12:00 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBDavid Devaney enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1983. After surviving boot camp, he soon pursued the opportunity to become a U.S. Marine sniper and was part of the early invasion of Iraq in March 2003. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," SgtMaj Devaney shares his memories at Parris Island both in training and as a drill sergeant. He also talks about what it takes to become a sniper, dealing with Iraqi forces and sandstorms in the early days of the Iraq War, and the mindset necessary...
Charles Strange, Gold Star Father of U.S. Navy PO1 Michael Strange
November 24, 2021 12:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBCharles Strange didn't initially want his son, Michael, to join the military. But when Michael turned 18, he joined the U.S. Navy and soon became an expert in cryptography, serving alongside Navy SEALs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael Strange was part of the mission that targeted and killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. But just three months later, Michael and dozens of other elite forces were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. In this edition of "Veterans C...
Col. Douglas Dillard, U.S. Army, WWII, Korea, Vietnam
November 17, 2021 12:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBDouglas Dillard joined the U.S. Army at age 16, determined to help the U.S. win World War II. By the end of his military career decades later, Dillard had parachuted into combat, fought in one of the fiercest battles on the western front, and eventually became one of the Army's critical leaders in military intelligence. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Dillard describes jumping into southern France as part of Operation Dragoon in August 1944, fighting the Nazis and the frigid tempe...
SSG Eugene Groves, Montford Point Marines, Korea
November 10, 2021 12:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBEugene Groves joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 17, in part to get out of his racially charged town. Groves then trained at Montford Point at Camp Lejeune, where the USMC first began accepting black Marines just a few years earlier. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Groves details his service in the Korean War, how he and the other Montford Point Marines responded to discrimination even after the official integration of the military, and the tremendous progress he's seen si...
SSG David Bellavia, U.S. Army, Iraq, Medal of Honor
November 03, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBDavid Bellavia grew up hearing his grandfather's stories of fighting in Normandy during World War II. Sixty years later, Bellavia would be fighting urban warfare in the streets of Fallujah in Iraq and his actions in November 2004 would earn him the Medal of Honor. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Bellavia shares what house-to-house fighting was like in Iraq and the mindset needed to do it well. You'll also hear how Bellavia saved his squad by eliminating five enemy fighters as the...
Lt. Col. Daniel Gade, U.S. Army, Iraq, 'Wounding Warriors'
October 27, 2021 11:00 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBRetired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Gade graduated from West Point and eventually served as a tank company commander as part of the Second Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004-2005. While serving there, Gade was wounded twice. The second set of injuries nearly killed him and did lead to the amputation of his right leg. Exactly one year after that horrific attack, Col. Gade began graduate school and became a triathlete. He also took an intense interest in the veterans benefits program, which ...
Col. Frank Athanason, U.S. Army, WWII, Korea, Vietnam
October 20, 2021 11:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBFrank Athanason wanted to join the Navy in 1945, but when the two men in front of him passed out from receiving shots in the arm and he didn't, he was assigned to the Army instead. Over the next 32 years, Athanason would serve in three wars, be deployed to Korea and Vietnam and have critical roles in two other international crises. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Athanason takes us into his as an artillery officer and describes the action that earned him a Silver Star and a P...
Carole Engle Avriett, 'Marine Raiders'
October 13, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBAfter the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the U.S. Marine Corps set out to create the first two battalions of Marine Raiders. These well-trained, elite commando units quickly proved themselves better than the best Japanese troops on Guadalcanal and on the surrounding islands known as Tulagi and Makin Atoll. Two more battalions were soon created but the raiders were disbanded when the realities of war demanded it. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles", we'll speak with C...
Lt. Col. Scott Mann, U.S. Army, Green Beret, Part 2 'Pineapple Express'
October 06, 2021 11:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBLast week, we presented our first interview with retired U.S. Army Green Beret Lt. Col. Scott Mann to discuss his military service, including several years in Afghanistan. Several weeks ago, Col. Mann was also part of a determined effort to rescue Afghan friends and allies while evacuation flight were still available at the airport in Kabul. This private effort was dubbed "The Pineapple Express." In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," you'll hear how Mann and others used their many co...
Lt. Col. Scott Mann, U.S. Army, Green Beret, Afghanistan, Part 1
September 29, 2021 11:00 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBScott Mann knew he wanted to be a Green Beret when he was 14 years old. It would be another 10 years before he could realize that dream. A few years later, our nation suffered the 9/11 terrorist attacks and, like thousands of other American service members, Scott Mann would be headed to war. In this first half of our profile of Col. Mann, he takes us into the life of a Green Beret and how it is different from other special forces, how he balanced his desire for revenge against the terroris...
Iva Toguri: The Real Story of 'Tokyo Rose'
September 24, 2021 11:00 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBFor more than 30 years, the United States government considered Iva Toguri a traitor to our nation for her actions during World War II. Many Americans might still think of her that way, since they think of her as the radio host American troops labeled "Tokyo Rose". But the truth tells a completely different story. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," we'll share the story of Iva Toguri, an American woman who got trapped in Japan during the war and wound up as a host playing music duri...
Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, U.S. Air Force, Doolittle Raid
September 22, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBShortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered military planners to strike at the heart of Japan. This daring bombing mission was entrusted to Col. James Doolittle of the U.S. Army Air Corps. On April 18, 16 bombers took off from the deck of the USS Hornet, with each bomber carrying five crew members. The engineer on the 15th bomber was Edward Saylor. Mr. Saylor shared his story with us at the American Veterans Center conference...
Major Gen. Patrick Henry Brady, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Medal of Honor
September 15, 2021 11:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBPatrick Henry reluctantly joined the ROTC program at Seattle University and hated just about every minute of it. Within the next decade he would be witness to a chilling,seminal moment in the Cold War and serve two tours in Vietnam and be awarded the Medal of Honor. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Brady shares his deployment to Berlin and how life there changed drastically when the communists erected the Berlin Wall. He also takes us through his training as a helicopter pilo...
Brigadier Gen. Don Bolduc, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Desert Storm
September 08, 2021 11:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBRetired U.S. Army Brigadier Gen. Don Bolduc served 36 years in uniform, most of it in special forces, and spent ten tours of duty in Afghanistan. While there he earned five bronze stars and two purple hearts. He also rose to one of the top command positions for special forces in the Afghan theater. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Bolduc, details what it was like to be among the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11, his time as a horse soldier there, the st...
Andrew Biggio, USMC, Iraq, Afghanistan, 'The Rifle'
September 01, 2021 11:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBAndrew Biggio grew up in Boston as part of a family steeped in military service. In fact, he is named for his great uncle, who was killed in action in Italy during World War II. Andrew joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006 and was deployed as a rifleman to Iraq in 2008 and later to Afghanistan. After leaving the Marine Corps in 2012, Biggio wanted to learn what really happened to his great uncle. That quest turned into a much bigger odyssey, as he interviewed scores of World War II veteran...
Willie Woods, USMC, Montford Point Marines
August 25, 2021 11:00 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBWillie Woods joined the U.S. Marine Corps at a time when commanders believed black service members could not measure up to their white counterparts. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened up the armed forces to all races, but units remained segregated. In the Marine Corps, the first African-American units were trained at Montford Point, North Carolina, near Camp Lejeune. In this edition, Willie Woods discusses his decision to join the Corps, the discrimination he faced at various ...
Clint Romesha, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Iraq, Medal of Honor
August 18, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBAs we watch the troubling news out of Afghanistan, we continue to honor the courage that American service members demonstrated there for twenty years. One of those unforgettable veterans is Clint Romesha. Raised in California, Romesha followed his grandfather, father, and two brothers into the service. He joined the U.S. Army the day after his eighteenth birthday. Two years later, the 9/11 attacks propelled the U.S. into war. After deployments to Germany and Korea, Romesha served two tou...
August Bolino, U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII, D-Day
August 11, 2021 11:00 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBWhen August Bolino's draft number came up, he immediately signed up with the U.S. Army Air Corps. His good grasp of numbers got him assigned as a navigator on a B-17 bomber crew in the 8th Air Force operating out of England. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Bolino demonstrates his encyclopedic memory of his service in World War II. He describes his earliest missions, his actions that earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, and his two separate missions on D-Day. He also explain...
Ed Manley, U.S. Army, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge
August 04, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MBEd Manley joined the U.S. Army and was trained as a paratrooper and a demolition man. He is now immortalized in history in the famous photo of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower addressing the airborne troops on the eve of D-Day. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Manley takes us through his jump into Normandy, the confusion after he landed, and his disobeying of orders in those first hours in France. He also discusses the battle for Carentan, his role in Operation Market Garden in Holland, and h...
Tom Toski, U.S. Navy, Okinawa, Leyte Gulf
July 28, 2021 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBTom 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.
Scott Taylor, U.S. Navy SEAL, Iraq
July 21, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBScott Taylor signed up for the U.S. Navy while he was still on high school and he knew from the start he wanted to be a SEAL. It was training that would serve him well when he was deployed to Iraq just a few years later. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Taylor describes the grueling BUD/S training that only he and a small fraction of his original class was able to complete. Also trained as a sniper, Taylor describes the service of his platoon in Iraq and how he was seriously injured...
Scott McEwen, 'Hell Week And Beyond: The Making of a Navy SEAL'
July 14, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBThose who serve in our military go through rigorous training and elite forces must reach even more difficult standards. Perhaps the most famous and most demanding training belongs to the U.S. Navy SEALS. Candidates are tested physically and mentally in many different ways over many months but perhaps the most intense crucible is Hell Week. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles" author Scott McEwen joins us to discuss his new book, "Hell Week and Beyond: The Making of a Navy SEAL." McEwe...
John McCarney, U.S. Air Force
July 07, 2021 11:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MBJohn McCarney joined the U.S. Air Force shortly after deciding he'd had enough of college football. He trained to be a medical corpsman and was by late 1974 was on his way to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Upon arriving he was stunned to learn he was assigned to the obstetrics ward of the hospital. It was just a few months later that President Gerald Ford authorized Operation Babylift, which was designed to rescue mixed-race babies and other children out of South Vietnam as the co...
LTG Patricia Horoho, U.S. Army, Surgeon General of the U.S. Army
June 30, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBIn 2011, U.S. Army Lt. General Patricia Horoho became the first nurse and the first woman to serve as Surgeon General of the U.S. Army. Prior to the that honor, she provided excellent emergency care in the immediate aftermath of two major disasters and commanded some of the nation's most critical military medical facilities. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. Horoho walks us through her response to the Green Ramp Disaster at Pope AFB in North Carolina and her actions to save liv...
Frank DeVita, USCG, WWII, Omaha Beach
June 23, 2021 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBFrank DeVita joined the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II thinking his job would be to protect the American coast. But his war service would be much different than expected when the Navy decided to use Coast Guard personnel the responsibility of manning many of the landing crafts used during invasions. DeVita was assigned to a Higgins boat headed for Omaha Beach in the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944. And it was his job to drop the ramp, knowing full well that many of the soldiers on his...
George Dramis, U.S. Army, Patton's 'Ghost Army'
June 16, 2021 11:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBGeorge Dramis joined the U.S. Army during World War II and was sent to Europe with many other soldiers to defeat Nazi Germany. But his unit was very different from all the others. Dramis was a member of the Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as General George S. Patton's "Ghost Army." In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Dramis explains how the 23rd was tasked with deceiving the Nazi forces to keep them guessing about American intentions and to lure them away from t...