Veterans Chronicles

Last week, America lost the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II when Hershel "Woody" Williams died at the age of 98. A few years ago, we had the honor of speaking with Woody and hearing the story of his courageous service. When he first tried to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, Williams was rejected for being too short. By the end of the war, Williams was honored for playing...

After discovering that college was not a good fit, Travis Mills joined the Army and became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He then went on three tours of duty to Afghanistan. On his third deployment, in April 2012, Mills was severely injured by an improvised explosive device and required the amputation of all four limbs. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mills walks us through...

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 mov...

Victor Vizcarra was enthralled by military aviation from a very young age, as he and his father tracked his older brother's service as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Years later, it was Victor's turn as a pilot in the F-100, F-105, and F-4. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Vizcarra takes into his service in Vietnam, including the first-ever attack on enem...

Tom Rice grew up in the military community of Coronado, California, and joined the U.S. Army in November 1942. He then went through the rigorous training for airborne troops at Camp Toccoa and Ft. Benning. He was assigned to the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division and would see action in three major campaigns in the European theater of World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronic...

As we prepare to mark 78 years since the D-Day invasion, we are blessed to have veterans who can share their stories of that fateful day. Iowa native Henry Langrehr joined the U.S. Army as s senior in high school and volunteered for the 82nd airborne because it paid better. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Langrehr joined thousands of other paratroopers jumping into the pitch black skies over N...

As the nation prepares to pause for Memorial Day, we honor all who have given their lives in defense of the United States. And we remain committed to remembering their stories of service and those of all who have served. This week on "Veterans Chronicles," we take a very rare break from our conversations with our veterans to discuss why it is important for all veterans to consider writing or telli...

Terry Bucklew was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Initially trained in communications, Bucklew accepted many different assignments on his lengthy deployment to Vietnam - from field wireman to door gunner to running night ambushes. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles", Bucklew offers his raw history of service in Vietnam, including how he woke up inside a body bag and his fru...

Paul 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...

Jack 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. H...

Harry 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 lan...

David 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 w...

Edward 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...

P.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 ha...

Ralph 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 sha...

Frank 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...

Frank 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...

Robert 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...

Oliver 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 R...

John 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...

A 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 pr...

Mathias "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 lan...

Lewis 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 pl...

Jack 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 Ha...

On 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 "Veter...