Veterans Chronicles

John Harris jumped at the chance to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II as soon as the demand was lifted that required two years of college. Soon Harris was in Florida, proving himself in the P-51 and being just one of nine in his flight class who didn't wash out. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles, Capt. Harris takes us with him to the China-Burma-India theater. He describes the...

Jim Downing joined the U.S. Navy in 1931 because the pay was very attractive at the depths of the Great Depression. After training he would be assigned to the brand new USS West Virginia, serving on 16-inch guns and as postmaster for the ship. Ten years later, on December 7, 1941, Downing was at a meeting on shore at Pearl Harbor when word came that the Pacific Fleet was under attack. In this edit...

Walter "Joe" Marm joined the Army to avoid being drafted. Before long he was assigned to a brand new division training for a new type of warfare. It was called the 1st Cavalry Air Mobile Division. And instead of moving by jeep or troop transport trucks, the men in this division would arrive by helicopter. Soon the new approach would be tested in Vietnam. In this edition, Col. Marm explains his rol...

You may know Rob Riggle best as a very successful actor and comedian, but he is also a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps with three significant overseas deployments under his belt. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Riggle explains his unusual path of serving his nation while simultaneously pursuing a career in the arts and how his time in the Marine Corps turned out to be critical t...

Frank Weisser entered the U.S. Naval Academy focused on becoming a Navy SEAL. But his superior officers informed hum he would be of greater value as an aviator. Working his way up to flying F/A 18 Hornets after flight school, Weisser would go on to serve in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters before joining the elite Blue Angels and, more recently, serving as one of the pilots for "Top Gun: Maverick...

Richard Halferty was at college in Missouri when he learned that his brother had been killed while serving with the U.S. Army in Korea. As his parents' last surviving son, Halferty could be excused from military service but he refused to consider it. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles," Capt. Halferty discusses his service aboard the USS Yarnall, which pounded targets in Korea, his emotional r...

Michael Peyton grew up in a family with a legacy of military service. As a young man he joined the Navy for one simple reason: he wanted to be a SEAL. In more than two decades that followed, Peyton and his fellow SEALs deployed four times to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Peyton describes the very rigorous SEAL training process and how he passed BUD/s trai...

Pete Cannon joined the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from high school in 1965. Soon he was training to fly a variety of helicopters and two years later he was flying missions in Vietnam. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Cannon explains why he was able to master flying helicopters when many fixed wing pilots struggled greatly. He also describes the many different assignments he flew i...

Both of Tom Harper's grandfathers served in the military and one of them later made a career out of repairing military helicopters in Florida. After seeing that world up close, Harper knew he wanted to join the military - although his future would be in ground forces. He finished basic training right before the 9/11 attacks and was ready and willing to be part of the fight that followed. In this e...

Gloria Harnett Kerzner was just weeks shy of her 18th birthday when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Like most other Americans, she wanted to help the war effort. The U.S. Navy created the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, or WAVES, in 1942 replace the tens of thousands of Navy personnel who were deployed to Europe and the Pacific. Gloria was eager to enlist. But she had to wait u...

Japanese-Americans were largely forbidden from serving in the Pacific theater in World War II over concerns about their loyalty in a war against their ancestral homeland. But a small number of soldiers did serve there as interrogators and translators and played a pivotal role in thwarting Japanese plans and saving American lives in several critical locations. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicle...

Elliot Ackerman knew at a young age that he wanted to be in the military. He wanted to serve his country and he wanted a job where it was imperative to succeed. After completing the ROTC program at college, Ackerman was commissioned as a a Marine Corps officer in 2003. The next six years would bring five tours of duty between Iraq and Afghanistan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ackerman...

When Cecil Phipps joined the U.S. Army, he signed up for overseas deployments so he could see the world. Before long, the U.S. would be at war in Korea and Phipps would be among the first troops there. He arrived in August 1950 and would stay there for more than three years - most of that time as a prisoner of war. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Phipps describes the rapid U.S. advance i...

Ralph Gastelum grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and never experienced much of a winter before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. His first real winter would be spent in Korea in some of the most bitterly cold temperatures that American forces have ever experienced - at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Sgt. Gastelum, takes us along as he recalls the Inchon Landing. He...

Darrell Utt joined the U.S. Army just days before Iraq invaded Kuwait in the summer of 1990. Over the next decade, he would become a Green Beret, an Army Ranger, and a sniper. He also served in the Balkans during the late 1990s. After 9/11, Utt was deeply disappointed that his unit was not sent to Afghanistan. Instead, it become one of the most highly-regarded detachments of special forces in the...

Reef Kelly was in the mountains of Arizona getting a Christmas tree when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Before he finished high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He wanted to be a Naval aviator, but that dream was denied during training. Instead he became a tailgunner on a bomber crew. But Reef Kelly would be part of one of the most unique and unknown missions of World War II...

Jim Sharp grew up in Kansas and joined the Army in the spring of 1950. Just a few months later the United States would be at war in Korea and so would Mr. Sharp. As a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, Sharp was quickly sent to the front and saw a great deal of intense action over the coming months. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Sgt. Sharp describes what combat was like in the Korean...

Jeremy Stalnecker joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1996 and received his commission three years later. Soon the U.S. would be at war and Stalnecker not only found himself in the midst of it but among the very first forces entering Iraq during the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Capt. Stalnecker describes the beginning of the invasion, from...

Nigal Miller grew up on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River and chose to serve his nation as a U.S. Naval aviator. He received his wings in 1961 and subsequently served three tours of duty in the Vietnam War aboard three different aircraft carriers. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," CDR Miller explains the exhilaration of landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier and why why he think...

John Wuethrich became fascinated by flying at a young age by listening to his father's stories of flying B-24's in the European theater of World War II. After joining the U.S. Marine Corps, Wuethrich went through Navy flight training but was eventually assigned to helicopters. He flew UH-1's at first but would pilot the CH-46 during his tour in Vietnam in 1969. In this edition of Veterans Chronicl...

Matthew Shillingburg's family has been serving the U.S. in uniform since the War of 1812. His grandfather was at Pearl Harbor during the attack, and his father trained Navy SEALs. So service runs deep in the family. But while he also served, Shillingburg charted his own course, choosing the Army over the Navy and spending time in military intelligence among other duties. In this edition of "Vetera...

Robert "Doc" Werner joined the U.S. Navy at age 16 when his friend's mother forged his own mother's signature. His goal was to see the world by sailing around on a ship. Instead, he served as a Navy corpsman attached to U.S. Marines In Vietnam and received three Purple Hearts due to injuries received in devotion to serving with those men. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Werner vividly de...

Louis Schott was in Washington, D.C., to play in a college hockey game when he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He instantly knew his life was about to change. In less than two years, he was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and headed to fight in the Pacific Theater. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Scott takes through the horrific amphibious landin...

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...