Veterans Breakfast Club

We call upon all former Navy SeaBees to join us for a conversation marking the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalions on March 5, 1942. Formed in response to the urgent need for military construction forces capable of working under combat conditions, the Seabees have since established themselves as an indispensable part of U.S. military operations. Before World...

Vietnam Marine Corps veteran and author Ron Farina's new book, "Sacrifice: The Final Chapter," tells the stories of American Service Members who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the enduring effects on their loved ones. We talk with Ron about the book and also with three family members profiled in it. We hear from Helen Keiser-Pederson whose son Captain Andrew Pedersen-Keel was killed...

We welcome Major General William M. Matz Jr., a distinguished retired U.S. Army officer, whose new book, My Toughest Battle: A Soldier’s Lifelong Struggle with Polio, chronicles his journey of overcoming polio and his distinguished military career. In August 1944, at a young age, Matz contracted polio, resulting in paralysis of his right leg. Despite a grim prognosis, he demonstrated remarkable de...

The Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pods System (TARPS) was a significant advancement in reconnaissance technology, particularly for the U.S. Navy during the late 20th century. TARPS, developed and deployed during the Gulf War (1990-1991), was a crucial system designed to enhance real-time intelligence-gathering capabilities for naval aviation, especially for carrier-based aircraft. The system was int...

Vietnam veteran and author Marc Leepson joins us to talk about his new book, The Unlikely War Hero: A Vietnam War POW’s Story of Courage and Resilience in the Hanoi Hilton. Doug Hegdahl, a young U.S. Navy sailor, became one of the most unlikely heroes during the Vietnam War. Born in South Dakota in 1946, Hegdahl enlisted in the Navy in 1966. His life took a dramatic turn on April 6, 1967, when he...

This video features a compelling conversation centered around a documentary in production about the “Donut Dollies” in Vietnam. The filmmaker, Libby, whose mother was a Donut Dolly, discusses her project and its significance in highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of these women during the Vietnam War. Libby’s goal is to bring to light the stories of the 627 women who served as Donut Do...

John Quintrell served in Vietnam as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Wolfhounds,” part of the 25th Infantry Division. His service spanned a full year of intense combat in 1968, during the Vietnam War. This was a period of high conflict, marked by the Tet Offensive and fierce engagements against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong forces. In his memoir,...

We are joined by 100-year young WWII 31st Bomb Squad B-24 "Big Buff" Tail Gunner Art McGann. We also talk with veterans about their DEROS from the military.  Thank you to our sponsors Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life.

Members of the Vietnam Women Veterans Association, who served in staff and lines positions in Vietnam, share their stories with us. The vast majority of women in Vietnam, over 10,000, served as nurses. But our guests were some of the 1,000 or so other women in Vietnam who weren’t nurses. Our roster of guests include: Pat Jernigan (Army), Elaine James (Army), Nancy Jurgevich (Army), Audrey Bergstre...

We are privileged to welcome Le Ly Hayslip, whose memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, was the first to bring the story of a former Viet Cong and Vietnam refugee to American readers. Oliver Stone later made the book into a major motion picture starring Tommy Lee Jones. Ms. Hayslip is the founder of the East Meets West Foundation, now known as Thrive Networks. Her story is one of unimagina...

Veterans Day Open Conversation ranges far and wide settling on this first opening question: is it right and proper to wish a veteran a "Happy Veterans Day." The consensus among our veterans is that it isn't, though Todd offers a tepid dissent.  In the course of the conversation, we also examine the distinctions made between Veterans and "Combat Veterans," "Vietnam Veterans" and "Vietnam Era Vetera...

VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation is a friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds where we discuss whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on our minds. Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. We’ve asked Lt. Colonel John J. McBrearty–“Colonel Mack”–to join us to talk about...

Historian Rona Simmons joins us to talk about a single day in World War II: October 24, 1944. Those 24 hours were the deadliest for U.S. service members during World War II. This day, however, is not widely known in the same way as events like Pearl Harbor or D-Day. It was an “average” day in the vast scale of the war, yet for the 2,600 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who died, and their fa...

Our monthly Open Conversation with military veterans focuses on Navy veterans in recognition of the the US Navy’s 249th birthday celebrated on October 13. We'll have Navy veterans sharing stories, answering questions, and describing why their branch is the best.  We'll also hear from Beverly, Massachusetts, and Navy history expert Rich Pescatore on the real origins of the US Navy.  Vietnam Veteran...

VBC Scuttlebutt welcomes bestselling author Tony Swofford to talk about his iconic memoir, Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles. The book is a raw and unflinching memoir that delves into the experiences of a Marine sniper during the First Gulf War. Swofford, who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at a young age, offers a gritty, firsthand account of the psychological and...

VBC Scuttlebutt welcomes bestselling author Kristin Hannah to talk about her wildy popular and well-reviewed novel The Women. The book tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young woman from a privileged California family who defies societal expectations to serve as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War. Frankie’s decision to enlist is driven by a sense of duty and a desire to prove hersel...

Ralph Galati shares the story of his harrowing experience as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. Galati’s capture occurred during Operation Linebacker, an air campaign aimed at disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines and military infrastructure. On February 16, 1972, while on a mission, Galati’s F-4 Phantom II was struck by enemy fire. Ejecting from the aircraft, he and his fellow pil...

In his award-winning book of short stories, Surrender, Brian O’Hare delves into the complexities of the American hero myth and its impact on his own life. As the son of a larger-than-life Marine officer, O’Hare was drawn to the allure of military service, seeking to emulate his father’s legacy. However, after witnessing the devastating effects of war on his father’s health, O’Hare began to questio...

VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation poses the question: does the term “combat veteran” demean the service of “rear echelon” soldiers, sailors, and Marines? Author and Vietnam veteran Marc Leepson thinks it does. We discuss this question.  Leepson published an article in Vietnam magazine in 2019, recently reprinted on Vietnam War website cherrieswriter.com, titled “What Did You Do in Vietnam?” Leepso...

We welcome journalist Jeanne McKinney to shine a light on a little-known episode of the war in Afghanistan that illuminates the larger political, social, and military landscape of our longest war. Jeanne’s book, Triumph Over the Taliban: The Untold Story of US Marines’ Courageous Fight to Save Camp Bastion, tells the story of September 12, 2012, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when an attack on C...

Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and Afghanistan War veteran Mikael Cook joins us to talk about the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan. Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies. “Life and Death at Abbey Gate” by Mikael Cook provides a harrowing account of the...

Tonight, we share the story of the last plane to leave Saigon, a C-130, which departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base just before North Vietnamese forces took over on April 29, 1975. The C-130, missing its cargo door, was filled with hundreds of Vietnamese refugees, including the Nguyen family. Among them was three-year-old Truc Nguyen. Her father, Chau Tan Nguyen, a 40-year-old lieutenant colonel and C-13...

VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation is a friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds where we discuss whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on our minds. Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new.  Tonight we talk about Camp LeJeune water contamination and the deadline to file a...

Brian Morra joins us again to talk about his followup to his successful thriller The Able Archers. Brian’s new book, The Righteous Arrows, takes the story to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an event that previewed the wars following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Brian is a highly decorated former American intelligence officer and a retired aerospace executive. He is the author of the awar...

Combat veterans may not tell their children about their experiences, but they transmit them invisibly, almost imperceptibly, through deep channels of influence in the mind, body, and psyche. Author, artist, and son of Vietnam veteran Carl Sciacchitano joins us to talk about his family story as captured in his new graphic memoir, The Heart That Fed: A Father, A Son, and the Long Shadow of War. Also...