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Col. Anthony Wood, USMC, Vietnam, Evacuation of Saigon
Anthony "Tony" Wood grew up in a Marine Corps family and enlisted to begin his own service in 1964. Before long he was commissioned as a USMC officer. His first deployment to Vietnam came shortly aft…
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago
Capt. Sarah Spradlin, USMC, Special Operations Command
Sarah Spradlin knew she wanted to serve her nation in uniform, and to her the only option was the U.S. Marine Corps. She was commissioned as an officer after completing ROTC training at Virginia Tech…
Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago
SFC James Thompson, U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers, Korea
James Thompson joined the U.S. Army in 1948, in part to avoid the consequences for his troubled behavior. Soon he was off to segregated training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Within a few months, Thompson …
Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, U.S. Army, Vietnam
Bruce McKenty was born into an Army family, as his father was a career officer. By the time he finished high school, McKenty knew he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. He was commissioned as an…
Published on 5 months ago
LCDR Kaj Larsen, U.S. Navy SEAL, BUD/s Training, War on Terrorism
Kaj Larsen did not follow the typical route to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy but left after two years to focus on playing water polo at the collegiate level. A …
Published on 5 months, 1 week ago
Carole Engle Avriett, 'Midnight in Ironbottom Sound,' Guadalcanal
Military historian and author Carole Engle Avriett joins us to tell the powerful story of U.S. Navy Mess Attendant Charles Jackson French, which is told in her new book, Midnight in Ironbottom Sound:…
Published on 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Delmar Beard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, World War II, Korea, Vietnam
Delmar Beard grew up near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. But when it was time to join the military during World War II, he chose the Navy. Serving as a gunner aboard an LST, Beard made multiple landings …
Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Cpl. Nils Mockler, USMC, World War II, Iwo Jima
Nils Mockler joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, only because they wouldn't let him join when he was 16. Upon enlisting in 1944, Mockler completed boot camp and was soon tapped as a combat…
Published on 5 months, 4 weeks ago
Cpl. Wayne Fletcher, U.S. Army, Korea
Wayne Fletcher joined the U.S. Army in September of 1949. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and just 16 months after enlisting, Fletcher found himself at war. He operated .50 caliber ant…
Published on 6 months ago
Col. Gregory 'Matt' Dillon, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Battle of Ia Drang
Gregory "Matt" Dillon was required to enroll in ROTC at the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, he was required to give two years in the U.S. Army. He ended up serving 24 years, including three t…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago