Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

Brothers in Arms is a special three-part series that tells the stories of SgtMaj Dan Miller and SSgt Nick Bennett, two Iraq War vets whose lives were forever changed by a deadly rocket attack.  Today we’re sharing the second episode in this series, where you’ll hear the rest of SgtMaj Dan Miller’s story. Miller served in the Marine Corps as a heavy artilleryman and a small unit infantry leader, an...

Brothers in Arms is a special three-part series that tells the stories of SgtMaj Dan Miller and SSgt Nick Bennett, two Iraq War vets whose lives were forever changed by a deadly rocket attack.  In this first part, you’ll hear Sergeant Major Dan Miller talk about his first two deployments to Iraq. Miller served in the Marine Corps as a heavy artilleryman and a small unit infantry leader, and fought...

2Lt. Daniel Clark served in the Army during World War II as a Glider Infantryman. In this second part of his interview, Clark recounts Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and freeing the prisoners of Wöbbelin Concentration Camp.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Invasion of Normandy, we’re sharing this interview with 2Lt. Daniel Clark.  Clark served in the Army during World War II as a Glider Infantryman. In this first part of his interview, Clark explains how he ended up in the invasion, and provides his recollection of D-Day. Next time on Warriors In Their Own Words, we’ll hear the rest of his interview, wh...

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mayo “Hank” Bourgeois served in World War II as a Marine Corps fighter pilot. He was a member of the Black Sheep Squadron (VMFA-214), which became famous for their numerous successes over the Solomon Islands, and their leader, Lt. Col. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington.  Boyington had previously earned a name for himself as a member of the Flying Tigers, but he left and created hi...

“That’s bold talk for a guy that’s only got one bullet…” Master Sergeant Earl Plumlee served in the Marine Corps before switching to the Army. He became a Green Beret and deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. Plumlee was awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in helping defend Forward Operating Base Ghazni. His story is straight out of a movie. Under heavy fire, he neutralized several enemies, survive...

Colonel Sam Hartwell served in Korea, Germany, and Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. In Afghanistan he was a part of Special Operations Command, and he later worked at the Pentagon with the USD I&S. In March 2022, Hartwell left retirement to volunteer in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Specialist 5 Jon Wallenius served in Vietnam with the Army, and fought in the famous Battle of Ia Drang. As a member of the First Cavalry Division, it was his job to scout for enemies in advanced positions and clear LZs for the infantry.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brigadier General Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager is an Air Force legend. He served in World War II as a fighter pilot, where he shot down a total of 13 aircraft, and escaped capture after being shot down over German-occupied France. After WWII, Yeager became a test pilot for new, faster aircraft. On October 14th, 1947, he became the first person to break the sound barrier while piloting an X-1 aircraft...

Master Chief Petty Officer Ken Falke served in the Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Specialist during the 80s and 90s. He was tasked with disarming all sorts of explosives, and deployed all over the world, including to Iraq during the Gulf War, and Bosnia during the Bosnian War.  Now, Falke and his wife run a non-profit called Boulder Crest which helps veterans and first responders wit...

Major Edward James Land Jr. served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. In the 1960s, Land and Richard O. Culver Jr. worked together to create the first permanent Marine Corps Scout Sniper School.  In this special episode, Maj Land explains how the school came to be, and tells a few stories from his time in Vietnam.  Thank you to Regal for sponsoring this episode. You can sign up for Regal...

"The aircraft started to spin. Not really thinking it was anything unusual, I remember calling the pilot saying, 'Hey sir, are we going to stop this?' When he responded with, 'I can't,' I knew this wasn't going to end well." Click here to check out our web-exclusive interview with Staff Sergeant Mark Lalli. Lalli served in Iraq as a Blackhawk Helicopter crew chief and survived a helicopter crash t...

Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Hank” Buttelmann served in Korea and Vietnam as a fighter pilot. In Korea, he flew the F-86, and became the youngest ace of the war at the age of 24. He left Korea with 6 confirmed kills. Buttelmann retired with four DIstinguished Flying Crosses and a Silver Star.  In this interview, Buttelmann talks about his time in Korea, the F-86, crossing the 38th parallel, and fight...

In this special episode, Lt. Ken Harbaugh, the host of Warriors In Their Own Words, is interviewed by MOH recipient SSG David Bellavia about his service in the Navy. Harbaugh served from 1996 - 2005 as an EP-3 pilot, tasked with collecting signals intelligence from adversaries such as Russia, North Korea, and China.  You can find more information about the 2001 aircraft collision mentioned in this...

COL Walter Joseph Marm Jr. served as a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam. When a friendly platoon was trapped behind enemy lines, Marm and his platoon were sent to rescue them. Attempting to take a hill held by the enemy, Marm single-handedly killed 14 enemies with his rifle and a grenade before being shot in the face, shattering his jawbone. He then walked back to his command post and was evacuated...

Warning, this episode contains harsh language, graphic violence, gore, and description of rape. Listener discretion is advised. CSM Tonya Oxendine served in the US Army for nearly 30 years, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. She did two tours in Iraq & Afghanistan as a paratrooper. In this interview, Oxendine describes the abuse she endured both at home, and during her time in uniform, and how...

Today as a bonus episode, we’ll be airing an episode of Everything Everywhere Daily about Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Everything Everywhere Daily is a podcast that allows listeners to learn something new every day on various subjects, like history, science, geography, mathematics, and technology.   Here’s episode #1321, about Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. He was the leader of the combined Japanese fleet...

In this final part of his interview, Kim talks about the Battle of Anzio, earning the Distinguished Service Cross, and his feelings about the war.  – Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiring al...

In this first part of his interview, COL Kim talks about joining the Army, serving as a Korean American in World War II, and the Battle of Monte Cassino – Young Oak Kim was born in Los Angeles to a Korean family in 1919. He tried enlisting prior to World War II, but was denied due to his race. When war finally broke out in Europe, Congress passed the Selective Training Service Act of 1940, requiri...

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kopser attended West Point before joining a cavalry unit in the U.S. Army. He volunteered to go to Iraq in 2004 working out of one of Saddam Hussein's Palaces and then again in 2006-2007 where he served as a Battalion Executive Officer in the 1st Cavalry Division. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode, Lieutenant General Harry Kinnard explains how he helped develop the Airmobile concept- which later became the 1st Air Cavalry Division in the U.S. Army. The Airmobile approach integrated helicopters into the structure of ground forces, allowing troops and supplies to be delivered quickly over difficult terrain, and even over enemy lines. It’s considered as radical as the c...

Captain John Robert Cotter served in the Australian Army in Vietnam. He was a combat engineer, tasked with disarming mines, dismantling booby traps, dealing with gas warfare, establishing roadways for infantry transport, and more. He was among the first to discover the tactical importance and vast scale of enemy tunnels, and it was his job to crawl through them in order to map their network, seize...

Colonel John Anthony Cash served in the Army as a Rifle Company Commander in Vietnam. In this second part of his interview, Cash tells more incredible stories, reflects on the war as a whole, and talks about coming home.  Before serving in Vietnam, Cash helped train Cuban nationals in the lead up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He later contributed to Seven Firefights in Vietnam, The Exclusion of Bla...

Colonel John Anthony Cash served in the Army as a Rifle Company Commander in Vietnam. In this interview, Cash recalls hearing updates about the devastating Battle of Ia Drang around a radio, serving in Operation White Wing, and several tragic stories from his tour. Before serving in Vietnam, Cash helped train Cuban nationals in the lead up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He later contributed to Seven...

Staff Sergeant Charles Klein served in the Army Rangers during the invasion of Normandy. He commanded a section of riflemen, and as a member of the 5th Ranger Battalion, he was one of the first units to land at Omaha beach that day. In this interview, S/Sgt. Klein recounts his training, D-Day, and being sent home after being wounded in action.  He also shares something a fellow lieutenant said in...