Episodios

  • Captain Charles Plumb, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW

    Captain Charles Plumb, U.S. Navy, Vietnam, POW
    May 28 2025
    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 heavily protected city in the world at that time. On each mission, he came under fire in a variety of forms.

    In May 1967, Plumb was shot down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) and taken prisoner. He was soon held prisoner at the infamous "Hanoi Hilton."

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Captain Plumb recounts his memories of being shot down, his remarkable prayer and other actions while parachuting into enemy territory, the brutal torture and deprivation he suffered in the prison, and how the U.S. POW's kept each other going. Finally, he shares what it was like to breathe as a free man after nearly six years of captivity.
    Más Menos
    37 m
  • Kathleen Faircloth, Gold Star Mother of USMC LCpl. Bradley Faircloth

    Kathleen Faircloth, Gold Star Mother of USMC LCpl. Bradley Faircloth
    May 21 2025
    Kathleen Faircloth received the news that no parent wants to get. In late November 2004, she learned that her son, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth, was killed during the Second Battle of Fallujah in Iraq. What followed was the anguish over losing her only child, slowly emerging from the immense grief that followed, and the unexpected joy of finding a family she never expected.

    In this Memorial Day edition of Veterans Chronicles, Kathleen Faircloth tells us how the 9/11 attacks sparked Bradley's interest in joining the military and how he joined the Marines impulsively while home from college.

    She then explains how Marine Corps boot camp produced significant, positive changes in her son, how much he loved being a Marine, and how she stayed in touch with Bradley while he was deployed to Iraq.

    We'll also hear Kathleen's detailed recollection of the day she found out Bradley was killed, receiving his body as it returned to the U.S., and the incredible bond she formed with the surviving members of Alpha Company, 1/8 Marines. It was forged at Bradley's memorial service and has strengthened exponentially over the past 20 years.

    Kathleen speaks very openly about her struggles following Bradley's death, the powerful moments that proved she was healing, and her desire to help the men of Alpha Company heal as well.

    As we honor those who gave their lives for our nation on Memorial Day and every day, Kathleen Faircloth's candor, humor, and tears will give you a powerful glimpse into those who put their ilves on the line for our nation and the powerful legacy they leave behind.
    Más Menos
    36 m
  • 1LT Doug Greenlaw, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star

    1LT Doug Greenlaw, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star
    May 14 2025
    Doug Greenlaw sees his life as a series of "lightning strikes." He was literally struck by lightning when he was 13 years old, thankfully making an immediate recovery. He later left Indiana University to join the Army, become an officer, and serve in in the Vietnam War - first as a platoon commander and then as a company commander. He arrived in Vietnam in 1967.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Greenlaw takes us through his training, including a terrifying story from jungle training, and through his most harrowing moments in Vietnam. Greenlaw details the events of Thanksgiving Day 1967, when his platoon was dropped off in the wrong spot and quickly found itself facing a North Vietnamese battalion of 400-500 fighters. He explains the actions he took to keep his men alive until air and ground support could arrive - and he describes hand-to-hand fighting with an enemy officer in a North Vietnamese tunnel.

    Greenlaw also tells us his responsibilities and priorities as a platoon and company commander and how he and his men painstakingly looked out for enemy booby traps and explosives. He also reveals the extensive injuries he suffered after a soldier in his company tripped one of those wires.

    We'll also hear how Greenlaw's military service impacted his impressive rise as a sales and marketing executive, all the way to the top of MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH-1.

    Finally, we'll learn about Greenlaw's leadership with the Military Order of the Purple Heart, from leading his local chapter to serving as national commander for two years.
    Más Menos
    40 m
  • S/Sgt Melvin Hurwitz, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II

    S/Sgt Melvin Hurwitz, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II
    May 7 2025
    Melvin Hurwirz was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Within just a few years, all four boys in his family were at war, each in a different branch of the service. After enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Hurwitz was assigned as a gunner and as a radio man for a B-17 bomber crew after an aptitude test showed his proficiency at Morse Code. His crew then had a bit of an adventure flying the bomber over to Great Britain. It was Spring 1945 by the time he saw his first bombing mission.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Hurwitz explains why he chose the Army Air Corps, what he was thinking as he went up on that first mission, and the amount of enemy resistance he faced in those final weeks of the war.

    Hurwitz also details his four bombing missions, particularly two aimed at German personnel still in France and how his was among the first planes ever to drop napalm in Europe. Hurwitz also tells us about bringing desperately-needed humanitarian aid to Belgium and the Netherlands at the end of the war and bringing French POW's back from Germany.
    Más Menos
    32 m
  • Col. Anthony Wood, USMC, Vietnam, Evacuation of Saigon

    Col. Anthony Wood, USMC, Vietnam, Evacuation of Saigon
    Apr 30 2025
    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 after the Tet Offensive. Initially trained as an infantry platoon commander, he soon found himself leading an armored platoon.

    Wood was deployed to Vietnam again in 1974, long after the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and American forces had gone home. Initially working to solve cases of Americans missing in action, Wood was tasked with planning the evacuation of Americans from Saigon after the North Vietnamese violated the peace agreement and invaded South Vietnam.

    April 30, 1975, marks 50 years since the fall of Saigon.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles," Col. Wood takes us step by step into how he and others planned the evacuation with virtually no security and very few assets of any kind. He also explains how he had to keep the planning a secret from America's own ambassador to South Vietnam.

    He also shares the ingenious ways that they camouflaged the evacuation, using cars painted to look like the local police, and bus drivers communicating through very basic but effective means. And Wood explains how the evacuation was impacted by South Vietnamese civilians pouring into the city with the North Vietnamese forces not far behind.

    We'll also learn details about Wood's first deployment in 1968-1969, how he worked alongside the South Korean Marines' Blue Dragon Brigade, and how the Tet Offensive was horribly misinterpreted by the U.S. media and politicians.
    Más Menos
    38 m
  • Capt. Sarah Spradlin, Marine Forces Special Operations Command

    Capt. Sarah Spradlin, Marine Forces Special Operations Command
    Apr 23 2025
    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 in May 2001. Within months, the U.S. was at war following the 9/11 attacks.

    But Spradlin was not deployed to a war zone. After an assignment in Okinawa, she returned to the U.S. to oversee the training of female Marine recruits at Parris Island and focusing on ways to improve manpower. After that, she found herself at Marine Forces Special Operation Command, or MARSOC. It was in that position that Spradlin began researching emotional intelligence in special operators, and especially female special operators.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Spradlin takes us with her to Okinawa, Parris Island, and MARSOC. And she explains how she got this new science off the ground, what she's learned about female special operators, how they interact with their male counterparts, and how her research has helped the effectiveness of our special operators.
    Más Menos
    35 m
  • SFC James Thompson, U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers, Korea

    SFC James Thompson, U.S. Army Buffalo Soldiers, Korea
    Apr 16 2025
    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 was deployed to Europe, where he and the other troops were able to gain valuable training experience.

    The deployment was cut short, forces were brought home, and then they were shipped off to Japan. It was there that Thompson was assigned to the Buffalo Soldiers, all-Black service members in the 24th regiment of the 25th infantry division.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Thompson reflects on entering a segregated Army and how he didn't even know about President Truman's orders to desegregate the Armed Forces until years later because so little had changed. He also takes us inside his first combat experience at Ushon in Korea and how important it was to be a quick learner in combat.

    Thompson also tells about how he was wounded in 1951 and forced to go home because of his injuries. Finally, he recounts the impressive record of the Buffalo Soldiers in Korea and explains why he's still working hard for his unit to receive a Congressional Gold Medal.
    Más Menos
    32 m
  • Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, U.S. Army, Vietnam

    Lt. Col. Bruce McKenty, U.S. Army, Vietnam
    Apr 9 2025
    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 officer upon graduation from Texas A&M and soon went to flight training. After completing flight school in April 1972, McKenty was assigned to fly AH-1G Cobra attack helicopters in support of ground forces near the Cambodian border.

    In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, McKentry tells us why he loved flying Cobras and why the enemy hated to see them coming. He also shares the riveting, emotional story of the day his Cobra was shot down,

    McKenty explains the horrible sequence of events that led to his helicopter going down, blacking out upon impact, and how the other pilot on his Cobra, despite being badly burned, dragged him away from the burining helicopter and towards other Americans before enemy forces could locate them.
    Más Menos
    35 m
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup