Distinguished: American Military War Heroes

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James Anderson Jr. was born on January 22, 1947, in Los Angeles, California. Following high school, he pursued his ambition to become a preacher at a local church while attending Los Angeles Harbor Junior College. However, after a year and a half, he changed course and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on February 17, 1966. After his training, he was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in...

Larry Taylor was born in 1942 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and grew up in a family with a strong military tradition. His great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, his great-uncle in World War I, and his father and uncles in World War II. He enlisted in the US Army Reserve on June 5, 1966. On August 14, 1966, he joined the Regular Army. After completing his training at the US Army Armor School...

Ralph Dias, was born on July 15, 1950, in Indiana County Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on October 9, 1967, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. After completing his training, Dias was deployed to Vietnam in April 1969. He served as a rifleman with Company D, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. On November 12, 1969, during combat, Dias was part...

Charles Joseph Berry was born in Lorain Ohio, on July 10, 1923. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Cleveland Ohio, on October 1, 1941 when he was 18 years old. During World War 2, he landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day, February 19, 1945. On March 3, 1945, Berry maintained a vigilant stance alongside his fellow gun crew during the perilous nighttime hours, remaining prepared at his weapon. A...

Gary Burnell Beikirch was born on August 29, 1947, in Rochester, New York. Beikirch enlisted in the United States Army on September 21, 1967, as a Green Beret. During his time in the army, Beikirch served with the 3rd, 5th and 10th Special Forces Groups as a Light Weapons and Medical Specialist. In July of 1969, He was sent to Vietnam. While serving as a sergeant with Company B of the 5th Special...

Joe Maddison Jackson was born on March 14, 1923, in Newnan, Georgia. He was an avid model aircraft enthusiast in his youth. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in March 1941, just a few days after his 18th birthday, in hopes of being an airplane mechanic. Jackson was the pilot of a C-123, a larger transport aircraft, primarily used to transport supplies and the wounded. On May 12, 1968, during the B...

Paris D. Davis was born on May 13, 1939 in Cleveland Ohio. In 1959, he enlisted in to the Army and graduated from both Airborne and Ranger schools in 1960. In April of 1965, during his second tour in Vietnam, Davis took command of 5th Special Forces Group. During the late hours of June 17, 1965, the 26 year old Davis led his team in the dark back from a successful raid on a Viet Cong camp. As the...

John Henry Pruitt was born on October 4, 1896 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps on May 3, 1917, at the age of 20, shortly after the United States entered WW1. During the summer of 1918, Pruitt fought in some of the biggest battles of WW1. From June 1st through the 14th, he participated in battles at Chateau-Thierry, Bouresches and Belleau Wood. On June 14, he was gassed...

Bennie G. Adkins was born on February 1, 1934, in Waurika, Oklahoma. He was drafted into the US Army on December 5, 1956, at the age of 22. When Camp A Shau was attacked by a large North Vietnamese force, in the early morning hours of March 9th, Adkins rushed through intense enemy fire and manned a mortar position defending the camp. He continued to mount a defense, even while incurring wounds fro...

Private John Joseph Kelly was born on June 24, 1898, in Chicago Illinois. At 18 years old, He enlisted in the US Marine Corps on May 15, 1917. On January 19, 1918, his regiment embarked from Philadelphia Pennsylvania, on the USS Henderson, and arrived at St. Nazaire France, on February 5, 1918. Kelly fought in Chateau Thierry St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont, and the Meuse-Argonne during World War I. On Oct...

Corporal Jason Dunham was born on November 10, 1981, in Scio, New York. At the age of 18, Dunham joined the United States Marine Corps on July 19, 2000. On April 14, 2004, Corporal Dunham and his squad heard explosions and advanced towards an ambush site. While in route they start to take enemy RPG fire. Corporal Dunham quickly stops the HUM-Vee’s and they take cover. Corporal Dunham led one of hi...

Vito Bertoldo was born on December 1, 1916, in Decatur, Illinois. He was ineligible for the World War 2 draft because of poor eyesight. But decided to enlist despite his draft exemption and joined the Army in 1942, at the age of 23. Approved for limited duty as a military policeman, Vito was able to make his way into training as an infantryman, and was assigned as a cook with Company A 1st Battali...

Master Sergeant Roy Benevidez led an extraordinary life and career marked by resilience, bravery, and dedication to his comrades. Born on August 5, 1935, in Texas, he faced early adversity after losing both his parents by age seven. He enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard at 17 during the Korean War and later switched to Army active duty. Benevidez excelled in training, becoming a member of t...

First Lieutenant William D. Hawkins was born on April 19, 1914, in Fort Scott, Kansas. He joined the Marine Corps on January 5, 1942. On November 20, 1943, Hawkins and his platoon faced a daunting task of securing a beachhead on the heavily fortified island of Betio. Despite sustaining severe injuries, including a grave chest wound, Hawkins fearlessly led assaults on enemy positions, eliminating J...

Douglas Thomas Jacobson was born on November 25, 1925, in Rochester New York. He grew up in Port Washington Long Island and in January 1943, he joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17. By December 1943, he was assigned to the Pacific war zone as part of the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. On February 26, 1945, Jacobson participated in one of the bloodiest battles of Worl...

William Henry Johnson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on July 15, 1892. On June 5, 1917, he enlisted in the United States Army, joining the 369th Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Harlem Hell-fighters”, an all-black regiment that paved the way for future African American soldiers.  During a combat operation on May 15, 1918, Johnson sustained 21 wounds and multiple gunshots, but...

On this audio only episode, we honor the legacy of staff sergeant Hammett Lee Bowen Jr. Hammett Lee Bowen Jr. was born on November 30, 1947 in LaGrange, Georgia. In February of 1968, Bowen joined the United States Army and received basic training at Fort Campbell Kentucky. In March of 1969, Bowen arrived in Vietnam, assigned to the 14th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. On June 27, 1969, he made t...

Dale Eldon Christensen was born on May 31, 1920, in Cameron, Iowa. He joined the Army in October of 1940 and by July 16, 1944, he was serving as a second lieutenant in Troop E of the 112th Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Driniumor River. On July 16-19, his platoon engaged in savage fire fights where they were pinned down. Christensen single handedly launched an attack and successfully took o...

Hershel "Woodie" Williams was born on October 2, 1923, in West Virginia. On May 26, 1943 he joined the United States Marine Corps. On December 3, 1943 he departed for the pacific and found himself in heavy combat in World War 2. On February 23, 1945, for four hours, he risked his life to clear the way for his fellow Marines and single-handedly neutralized multiple Japanese pillboxes with...

Frank Stanley Reasoner was born on September 16, 1937, in Spokane Washington. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on October 15, 1956. On July 12, 1965, Reasoner led a reconnaissance patrol in the Quảng Ngãi Province, facing a fierce onslaught from an estimated 50 to 100 Viet Cong insurgents. Amidst mounting casualties, Reasoner exemplified extraordinary bravery and compassion by attendi...

Private First Class David Gonzales was born on June 9, 1923, in Pacoima, California. He enlisted in the US Army at the outbreak of World War II and in December 1944, he was deployed to the Philippines to face combat. On April 25, 1945, Gonzales and his company found themselves pinned down under heavy enemy fire. A bomb then struck their perimeter, burying five of his fellow men in its explosion. W...

Staff Sgt. Lucian Adams successfully neutralized three German Machine Gun positions and eliminated multiple enemy combatants, thereby restoring vital supply routes to American troops that had been cut off by enemy forces. Listen to his incredible story, here.

William “Willie” Johnston was born on July 12, 1850 in Morristown New York. On December 11, 1861, he formally enlisted in the military with the musicians in D Company of the 3rd Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment and received a uniform and his prized possession — a drum. When he enlisted, the regiment recorded his height as five feet tall and his age as only  11 years old…. Willie soon saw combat...

Charles Abrell was born on August 12, 1931, in Terre Haute Indiana. He joined the Marine Corps on August 17, 1948, at the age of 17. On June 10, 1951, During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Abrell's team found themselves pinned down and trapped, under intense enemy fire, from an enemy bunker. Despite already being wounded, Abrell  took it upon himself to fearlessly charge the bunker alone, sus...