Veterans Chronicles

John Hancock grew up in Georgia shooting quail, so becoming a gunner aboard the USS Yorktown in World War II came pretty naturally to him. In 1942, Hancock served in the first carrier battle in world history and later that year fought at the pivotal Battle of Midway, although he was forced to abandon ship as the Japanese sunk the Yorktown. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Hancock describe...

Join us each week for Veterans Chronicles and hear first-hand from the men and women who answered their nation's call to serve - from World War II to the front lines today. We invite you to listen to this brief preview of Veterans Chronicles. In less than two minutes, you'll understand the incredible sacrifice of our veterans and our mission to preserve their stories of service for future generati...

Born in Alabama, Joe Rodgers lied about his age to join the U.S. Marine Corps in the weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Training for most of 1942, Rodgers first saw combat at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in 1943. Later, he fought at Saipan and Iwo Jima. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Rodgers describes his first combat experience and takes us into the Battle of Iw...

Born in Cuba, Felix Rodriguez was a student in the U.S. when the Castro revolution unfolded in Cuba. Determined to do whatever he could to oust the Castro regime, Rodriguez joined the Bay of Pigs operation that launched and failed 59 years ago this week. In this extensive interview, Rodriguez details what went wrong in the Bay of Pigs campaign and takes us step by step through his role in capturin...

Retired U.S. Navy CDR Dean "Diz" Laird served in three wars and is the only American aviator to record aerial kills on both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," CDR Laird discusses his service in World War II and takes us moment by moment through his taking down of a German bomber and another plane.

Bill Norberg joined the U.S. Navy prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and his service on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise placed him at some of the most critical engagements in the Pacific theater. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles, Norberg explains what it was like to watch the Doolittle Raid take off from the sister ship USS Hornet. He also walks us through the pivotal Battle o...

Marcella LeBeau grew up in a Native American community in South Dakota. Helping her ailing mother as a child inspired her to pursue a career in nursing. After joining the U.S. Army, LeBeau served in the European theater in World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Marcella LeBeau shares her story of service from the D-Day landings at Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge. She describes...

Amber Smith grew up in a family steeped in military service and experienced in flying. So after high school, Smith joined the U.S. Army and trained to become a Kiowa combat helicopter pilot. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Smith details what's it's like to fly a helicopter and the challenges of doing while taking fire in close support of American ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sm...

In early 1965, U.S. Naval Aviator Robert Shumaker was deployed to Vietnam. He said goodbye to his wife and newborn son, never imagining he wouldn't see them for another eight years. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," retired RDML Shumaker shares the gripping details of being shot down and badly injuring his back as he parachuted to the ground. He also describes how he dubbed Hoa Lo Prison t...

Harry Stewart grew up with a love of flying and dreamed of becoming an airline pilot one day. But shortly after graduating high school, with the nation at war, Stewart found himself in in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The military needed skilled pilots but would not let black and white personnel train or serve together. Stewart was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he and other black pilots and crew mem...

When he first tried to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, Hershel "Woody" Williams was rejected for being too short. By the end of the war, Williams was honored for playing a critical role in helping U.S. forces win the costly battle on Iwo Jima in February 1945. In this episode of "Veterans Chronicles," Williams shares his story of wanting to join the war effort while thinking he'd never be sent ov...

When he joined the military, George Hardy and the other Tuskegee Airmen were not considered worthy of training and living among white service members. Despite that discrimination, Hardy and his fellow Tuskegee alumni distinguished themselves in the skies over Europe in World War II. In this episode of "Veterans Chronicles," Hardy tells us what it was like to be part of that trailblazing unit. He a...

Growing up, Jack Carr had dreams of being a U.S. Navy SEAL and writing novels about the U.S. military. He's now successfully done both. In this episode of "Veterans Chronicles," Carr describes the difficulty of BUD/S training to become a SEAL and the mindset he used to get past any urges to quit. He describes his work boarding Iraqi ships off the coast of Iran, and his work as a sniper in the war...

You saw him at the Super Bowl. You saw him at the State of the Union address. Now hear the amazing story of service to our nation from retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Charles McGee, one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. 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 count...

Joseph Norcom served as a waist gunner on 23 U.S. Army Air Corps bombing missions over Europe, primarily on B-17 bombers. In this interview with Greg Corombos, Norcom describes a typical mission as well as numerous harrowing missions during the final months of World War II in Europe. He also describes the camaraderie, the professionalism, and, yes, the hijinks of the crew members.

Raised amid the turmoil and danger of a civil war in Liberia, Charles Burgess King came to the U.S. as a child. Upon graduation from high school, he went to college as a benefit of joining the U.S. Army National Guard. Just days into his first semester, King's unit was called to active duty and eventually deployed in Iraq. Working in administration, King was part of efforts to drastically improve...

The first Americans to set foot in Europe on D-Day in June 1944 were the paratroopers, including the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division. California native Tom Rice was the first man from the 101st to jump out of his plane into the pitch black night over the Normandy coast. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Rice tells host Greg Corombos about the difficulties of getting out of th...

Rick Rescorla served as a British paratrooper but after coming to the United States he joined the U.S. Army, and was a veteran of Vietnam. His heroism at the battle of Ia Drang is immortalized in "We Were Soldiers Once...And young." Rescorla served 27 years in service to our nation, retiring in 1990. After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Rescorla took on a security leadership role for Morgan...

Lt. Jason Redman spent eight years as an enlisted U.S. Navy SEAL, and was commissioned as a SEAL Officer in 2004. He completed combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2007, outside of Fallujah, Iraq, Lt. Redman's Assault Team came under heavy fire and he was severely wounded. While recovering at Bethesda Medical Center, Redman authored a bright orange sign on his door, which became a statem...

Daniel Durso served in the U.S. Army during WWII in a Tank Battalion. He served in the European Theater and recounts his experiences fighting with his fellow soldiers and defeating the Nazis. Greg Corombos conducts the interview with Daniel.

U.S. Amy veteran Kevin Rosenblum shares his story of joining the ROTC program in college, never thinking he would end up in combat. A short time later, the 9/11 attacks changed everything. Kevin describes his preparation for war and the most intense moments of combat while in theater. He also details his struggles with post-traumatic stress, what helped him deal with it, and how he got to know Pre...

Joseph Peterburs was in seminary to be a priest, but the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor changed those plans. After being rejected by the U.S. Navy, Peterburs joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. By late 1944, he was in England and flying P-51's to escort bombing missions over mainland Europe. He flew 49 missions in all, but the last one is the most memorable. In this interview with Greg Corombos, Pete...

As World War II in Europe unfolded, the U.S. Army encountered a massive backlog of mail for the troops. Officers knew that no mail for meant low morale, so the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion was born. This unit of African-American women in the Army was was sent to Birmingham, England, and tasked with organizing a three-year pile of mail in six months. They did it in three months. Then the...

Gene Kranz grew up idolizing World War II pilots like Jimmy Doolittle and the Doolittle Raiders. Kranz later joined the U.S. Air Force, which would prepare him for an historic career at NASA. In this interview with Greg Corombos, Kranz talks about his Air Force work and then shares in great detail what it was like to be on the front lines of history as the flight director for the Gemini and Apollo...

"So I prayed that God would give me the strength to save this man. I wasn't really concerned about asking for my life, but I wanted to save this guy." On June 6, 1944, U.S. Army medic Ray Lambert came ashore in the first wave on Omaha Beach with the 1st Infantry Division, known as "The Big Red One." Lambert describes the carnage on the beach as the Germans hammered the American forces. Lambert was...