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Veterans Chronicles

Radio America

Veterans Chronicles brings America’s military heroes to life through raw, first-person stories. Veterans recount the battles and moments that shaped their lives, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Powerful, personal, and deeply human, Veterans Chronicles preserves history one voice at a time.

Learn more about Veterans Chronicles 
https://heliosmedia.us/veterans-chronicles/
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  • 20 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 34 min
  • English

Episodes 20

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  • Wednesday · 36 min

    Michael Hingson, 9/11 Survivor, World Trade Center

    Michael Hingson was hosting a training session in his offices on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001. As he reached for some paper, Hingson felt and heard a muffled explosion and the tower bent...

    • Transcript
  • August 19 · 25 min

    TSgt Caster Salemi, U.S. Army, World War II, Luzon, New Guinea

    Caster Salemi was 19 years old when Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy but was rejected. After working in a facility producing Norden bombsights, he was finally drafted into the U.S. Army....

    • Transcript
  • August 12 · 35 min

    MSG Paul Evans, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Gulf War

    Paul Evans joined the U.S. Navy as a young adult but after three years on ships he left the service. A short time later, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Before long, he was pursuing Army Special Forces. His job as a Green Beret would take him to the...

    • Transcript
  • July 29 · 35 min

    1LT Leonard Ganz, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star

    Leonard Ganz knew he was going to be drafted, so he studied all of the branches and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic and other training, he pursued Officer Candidate School. By the time he deployed to Vietnam in the summer of 1969, Ganz was also...

    • Transcript
  • July 22 · 31 min

    Floyd Brantley, U.S. Navy, USAF, World War II, Korea

    Floyd Brantley was born in Texas in 1925. He was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Unlike many Americans, Brantley knew exactly where Pearl Harbor was. His brother was already serving in the U.S. Navy and had...

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  • July 8 · 34 min

    LCDR Kaj Larsen, U.S. Navy, SEAL 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 few years later he enlisted in the Navy and...

    • Transcript
  • July 1 · 35 min

    Col. Allison Black, U.S. Air Force, Afghanistan, 'The Angel of Death'

    Allison Black surprised her family by deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after high school. She did it to be part of a mission bigger than herself. After basic training, Black spent the next several years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and...

    • Transcript
  • June 24 · 34 min

    SSgt. Rudy Meekins, USMC. Korea, Chosin Reservoir

    Rudy Meekins grew up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Most young men from that area joined the U.S. Merchant Marine or the U.S. Coast Guard. However, Rudy initially opted for the Army National Guard but then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in...

    • Transcript
  • June 17 · 34 min

    COL Michael Gilpin, U.S. Army, Vietnam

    Michael Gilpin had an interest aviation at a young age but had never pursued flying. He joined the Army with an option to pursue Officer Candidate School near the end of his college years. Even as he became an officer and started training, he was...

    • Transcript
  • June 10 · 34 min

    Lt. Col. Derek Jones, U.S. Air Force

    Derek Jones was following in his father's footsteps when he pursued military service after high school. His father had been a prominent and highly respected musical leader in both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. Derek chose Air Force...

    • Transcript
  • May 27 · 35 min

    Cpl. Esteban Valenzuela, USMC, Vietnam

    Esteban Valenzuela was a talented high school football player and could have continued playing in college. Instead, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966, while he was still in high school. Several months later, he was in Vietnam on a tour lasting...

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  • May 20 · 30 min

    MAJ James Taylor, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Medal of Honor

    James Taylor enlisted in the Army in 1956. Several years later, he successfully completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned as an Army officer. By 1967, he served as executive officer inside a squadron in the 1st Armored Cavalry that...

    • Transcript
  • May 13 · 35 min

    COL Richard Coachys, U.S. Army, Vietnam

    Richard Coachys went to Indiana University on a football scholarship but also joined the Army ROTC on campus. After commissioning, he expected his early training to be followed by a deployment to Germany. But those plans were disrupted by the Vietnam...

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  • May 6 · 33 min

    Lt Col Robert Jeffrey, USAF, Vietnam, POW Part 2

    In our previous episode, we learned how U.S. Air Force pilot Robert Jefffrey was shot down over North Vietnam during his first mission of the war. He suffered burns and spinal injuries as the plane was hit and he ejected. Jeffrey was captured as soon...

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  • April 29 · 35 min

    Lt Col Robert Jeffrey, USAF, Vietnam, POW Part 1

    Robert Jeffrey became fascinated with aviation at a young age after his father got a pilot's license. By the time he was preparing to graduate high school, Jeffrey knew he wanted to be a pilot and that he wanted to fly in the U.S. Air Force. He joined...

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  • April 22 · 36 min

    Col. Harvey 'Barney' Barnum, USMC, Vietnam, Medal of Honor

    Harvey C, "Barney" Barnum, Jr. arrived in Vietnam in late 1965 with 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines in the 3rd Infantry Division. In the final days of Operation Harvest Moon, Barnum served as a forward observer for H Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines....

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  • April 15 · 35 min

    GySgt Luke Focer, USMC Special Operations, Iraq, Afghanistan

    Luke Focer was not sure what he wanted to do after high school but after reading many books on the military and being impressed by a teacher who had served, Focer enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2005. He would go on to serve two tours in Iraq and...

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  • April 8 · 35 min

    SSG Roderick Pugh, U.S. Army Sniper, Iraq

    Roderick Pugh enlisted in the U.S. Army less than three months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eighteen months later, he was partr of 1st Brigade 2-7 infantry from Ft. Stewart, leading the way into Iraq. He would serve two tours in Iraq, In...

    • Transcript
Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes