Veterans Chronicles

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...

Vincent Speranza was born to immigrant Italian parents in New York City. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Speranza's father stressed to his boys that they were Americans and that America must not lose the war. He was quite a bit more conflicted over the prospects of his sons fighting against Italy. Once old enough to serve, Speranza was assigned to the U.S. Army infantry but eventually mov...

Victor Vizcarra was enthralled by military aviation from a very young age, as he and his father tracked his older brother's service as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Years later, it was Victor's turn as a pilot in the F-100, F-105, and F-4. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Vizcarra takes into his service in Vietnam, including the first-ever attack on enem...

Tom Rice grew up in the military community of Coronado, California, and joined the U.S. Army in November 1942. He then went through the rigorous training for airborne troops at Camp Toccoa and Ft. Benning. He was assigned to the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division and would see action in three major campaigns in the European theater of World War II. In this edition of "Veterans Chronic...

As we prepare to mark 78 years since the D-Day invasion, we are blessed to have veterans who can share their stories of that fateful day. Iowa native Henry Langrehr joined the U.S. Army as s senior in high school and volunteered for the 82nd airborne because it paid better. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, Langrehr joined thousands of other paratroopers jumping into the pitch black skies over N...

As the nation prepares to pause for Memorial Day, we honor all who have given their lives in defense of the United States. And we remain committed to remembering their stories of service and those of all who have served. This week on "Veterans Chronicles," we take a very rare break from our conversations with our veterans to discuss why it is important for all veterans to consider writing or telli...

Terry Bucklew was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Initially trained in communications, Bucklew accepted many different assignments on his lengthy deployment to Vietnam - from field wireman to door gunner to running night ambushes. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles", Bucklew offers his raw history of service in Vietnam, including how he woke up inside a body bag and his fru...

Paul Austin never really thought about being an aviator as a kid, but one day he saw a Fly Navy recruiting sign and the rest is history. Austin would spend nearly 30 years in the U.S. Navy and find himself on the brink of nuclear war in Cuba and serving two tours in Vietnam. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Capt. Austin explains how he instantly loved flying and quickly became very good at...

Jack Ensch served three years in the U.S. Army but would spend decades as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy. As a "backseater" in an F-4, Ensch served four tours in Vietnam but he will forever be linked to two major events in 1972. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ensch walks us through the dramatic May 1972 mission in which he and his pilot successfully shot down two Soviet MiGs. H...

Harry Isabel, Jr. was 16 years old when when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, By mid-1944, he was trained and on a ship to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II. He did not know it at the time, but Isabel and his unit, the "Fighting 69th," were on their way to the Battle of Saipan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Isabel walks us through the many challenges of the amphibious lan...

David Yorck was born in Germany during World War II and came to the United States in 1950. After joining the U.S. Marine Corps, he was immediately sent to Vietnam for the first of multiple tours. He would serve there as a platoon commander, company commander, and in an intelligence role. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Yorck walks us through the horrors of combat, his frustrations w...

Edward Byers became fascinated with the military - and Navy SEALs in particular - through books and movies in his younger years. He joined the U.S. Navy and, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began SEAL training. His service would then bring him face to face with our enemies on multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Byers takes us...

P.J. Dahl was enthralled by flying from a young age, devouring any book he could find on the Red Baron and other early legends of the air. So when he had the opportunity to become a pilot in World War II, Dahl jumped at the chance. In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Dahl takes us into his P-38 cockpit in the Pacific Theater, walks us through his multiple kills of Japanese planes, and the ha...

Ralph Goldsticker, Jr. was 20 years old when he joined the U.S. Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After trying to become a pilot, Goldsticker became a bombardier aboard a B-17 bomber and deployed to to the European theater. In this edition, Goldsticker takes us from training to his first mission and from his assignments on D-Day to the end of the war. He also sha...

Frank Pomroy and many other U.S. Marines suffered greatly at the battle of Guadalcanal - both from the conditions and from the difficult fighting against the Japanese. But more intense fighting awaited Pomroy on the island of Peleliu in 1944. In this second part of our feature on Mr. Pomroy, he explains why he could have avoided the battle, the harrowing efforts to take Bloody Nose Ridge, staring...