Veterans Chronicles

U.S. Army veterans Art Spaulding shares his story of serving in the Battle of the Bulge and beyond in the European theater of World War II. Mr. Spaulding served in the 91st Chemical Mortar Battalion and was attached to Gen. Patton's march to Germany when they all suddenly veered north to help repel the Nazis' last major offensive. Spaulding describes the brutally cold journey to the front and the...

Elwood "Woody" Hughes shares his story of service in the Pacific theater of World War II and his vivid memories from the Battle of Iwo Jima in early 1945. Woody explains what it was like waiting to come ashore, how he served as a runner delivering messages during the battle, his work with the Navajo Code Talkers there, and more.

Don Irwin joined the U.S. Navy months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and over the next four years, he was witness to some of the most momentous events in the Pacific theater of World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mr. Irwin describes arriving at Pearl Harbor one day after the attack, watching the launch of the Doolittle Raid, and his service at Midway, Guadalcanal,...

U.S. Marine Corps machine gunner Harry Martin shares his story of the bloody battle of Iwo Jima. Martin came ashore in the first wave. Despite being shot in the face and temporarily losing vision in one eye, he continued fighting every day of the battle, which lasted more than a month. Martin describes the challenge of shooting at the Japanese without being able to see any of them, what it was lik...

George Ciampa wanted to be a military pilot but instead he was assigned to the U.S. Army's 607th Graves Registration Company, which was responsible for retrieving fallen service members and finding temporary resting place for Americans, allies, and even enemies as the battles of World War II unfolded. Ciampa shares why he got sent to Europe sooner than he expected, takes into the work of identifyi...

SFC Ramon Padilla served in both Iraq and Afghanistan while in the U.S. Army and his service in Afghanistan would change his life forever. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Padilla explains what combat was like for him in both theaters. He also recounts the attack that resulted in severe injury, the grueling surgeries and recovery that followed, his battle with post-traumatic stress, and h...

James Harvey III tried to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps in January 1943 but was told they didn't any more people. He knew it was because of the color of his skin. A few months later, Harvey was drafted and embarked on a remarkable, trailblazing career. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Lt. Col. Harvey describes training at Tuskegee, winning the inaugural Top Gun competition in 1949, be...

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Theodore "Ted" Below came ashore in the first wave on Iwo Jima, where a brutal fight against the entrenched Japanese would unfold for weeks to come. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Below describes getting pinned down on the beach and eventually getting off of it, his demolition work to destroy the elaborate cave system built by the Japanese on the island, and hi...

Jason Redman is back on "Veterans Chronicles." Jason has a very powerful story of service, sacrifice, and overcoming adversity. He was severely injured in the arm and face in Iraq and endured more than forty surgeries and twenty skin grafts. But his positive attitude and his refusal to let his condition be a source of pity inspired many other wounded warriors and millions of Americans across the c...

U.S. Army Gen. H.R. McMaster (Ret.) reflects upon his 34 years in service to our country - from West Point to war zones to the White House. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Gen. McMaster walks us step by step through the Battle of 73 Easting, a decisive Gulf War tank battle that helped to end the ground campaign against Iraq within 100 hours. McMaster also explains how he came to write "D...

Martha McSally blazed significant trails in the U.S. Air Force, becoming the first female fighter pilot in combat and the first woman to command a fighter squadron, which she considers the greatest honor of her life. But when McSally entered the U.S. Air Force Academy, female fighter pilots were not permitted. In this conversation with Greg Corombos, McSally describes the determination it took to...

Louis Graziano was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 and promised his father that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini would be vanquished. His promises came true. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Graziano takes us with him as he describes coming ashore in the third wave at Omaha Beach on D-Day, nearly losing his feet due to frostbite at the Battle of the Bulge, his conversations with Gen....

Vern Pike was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer upon graduation from Wake Forest University. Soon he had a front row seat to and a role to play in the growing tensions of the Cold War. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Pike describes his duties in the American sector of West Berlin, Germany. Pike shares how he discovered the early stages of the Berlin Wall, take us inside the assign...

When you hear the lengths Ron "Rondo" Scharfe went to in order to join the U.S. Navy long before he was 18, you'll quickly understand his commitment to service. At just 16-years old, Scharfe served as a Higgins Boat coxswain at Iwo Jima. He details the serious injury he suffered on his very first effort to bring Marines ashore in the early moments of that bloody battle in February 1945. Yet someho...

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...