Veterans Chronicles

38:09

PO1 John Allen, U.S. Navy SEAL, Afghanistan, Purple...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/09/30

John Allen left college due to bad grades and repeated misconduct after just one semester. He needed direction and purpose. After speaking with two family friends who were high-ranking Navy SEALS, he decided that would be his goal. Allen finished college and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy to pursue the trident.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Allen takes us from a surprisingly tough Navy boot camp to Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL - or BUD/S - training. He explains what the SEAL instructors

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34:27

CDR Jack Carr, U.S. Navy SEAL, Afghanistan, Iraq

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/09/23

You probably know the name Jack Carr as one of our most famous and talented novelists through The Terrninal List and other books in the James Reece series. Before his success as a writer, Carr spent two decades in the U.S. Navy, most of those as a U.S. Navy SEAL and he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Carr explains how he wanted to become a Navy SEAL since he was seven years old and read about them in many different books. He also walks us through BUD/S

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23:52

Sgt. Floyd Moreland, USMC, Vietnam

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/09/16

Floyd Moreland grew up in Illinois in a family with a very distinguished service record. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 21-years-old because he "wanted to fight with the best." Moreland hated Marine Corps boot camp but enjoyed advanced infantry training. He later pursued USMC Sea School and deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown during his first deployment in Vietnam.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Moreland walks us through an early assignment at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,

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35:15

Gen. Richard Myers, USAF, Chairman of the Joint...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/09/09

In September 2001, U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers was Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President George W. Bush had recently nominated him to be the next chairman. On the morning of September 11, 2001, Gen. Myers was on Capitol Hill meeting with a key senator when news came that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. Moments later, after Al Qaeda terrorists flew a second plane into the towers, Myers and the rest of the world knew we were under attack.In this edition of Veterans

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35:16

Sal Cassano, FDNY Commissioner, 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/09/02

Sal Cassano was born in New York City. He served in the U.S. Army and did a tour in Vietnam from 1966-1967, But even while he was serving overseas, plans were already in motion for him to become a New York City firefighter when he came home. In late 1969, Cassano joined the FDNY. By September 11, 2001, he was an assistant chief of operations overseeing Manhattan. He would finish his career as FDNY commissioner.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Cassano tells us about his service in Vietnam and

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36:18

Michael Hingson, 9/11 Survivor, World Trade Center

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/08/26

Michael Hingson was hosting a training session in his offices on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001. As he reached for some paper, Hingson felt and heard a muffled explosion and the tower bent drastically before snapping back into place.Of course, it was American Airlines Flight 11 crashing into the tower - the first of four planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists as part of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.Hingson was born blind but

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25:22

TSgt Caster Salemi, U.S. Army, World War II, Luzon,...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/08/19

Caster Salemi was 19 years old when Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He tried to enlist in the U.S. Navy but was rejected. After working in a facility producing Norden bombsights, he was finally drafted into the U.S. Army. While training in Paris, Texas, Salemi was assigned to the 251st Field Artillery Battalion in a communications role. He was part of a unit firing 105mm howitzers.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Salemi tells about arriving in New Guinea, which

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35:40

MSG Paul Evans, U.S. Army, Afghanistan, Gulf War

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/08/12

Paul Evans joined the U.S. Navy as a young adult but after three years on ships he left the service. A short time later, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Before long, he was pursuing Army Special Forces. His job as a Green Beret would take him to the Gulf War and later to Afghanistan as one of the renowned "Horse Soldiers" just weeks after 9/11.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Evans tells us what valuable lessons he learned during the Gulf War that he put to good use in later conflicts. he also

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35:16

H.J. Burley Smith, U.S. Merchant Marine, Korea, USS...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/08/05

H.J. Burley Smith was 12 years old when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered World War II. He followed the far closely, especially as his father served in the U.S. Merchant Marine.Smith graduated from high school in 1946 and eventually decided to enter the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island. By the time his years as a cadet and in training were complete, the Korean War was breaking out on the other side of the world. He was assigned to the USS Meredith Victory, which would soon

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35:05

1LT Leonard Ganz, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Silver Star

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/07/29

Leonard Ganz knew he was going to be drafted, so he studied all of the branches and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After basic and other training, he pursued Officer Candidate School. By the time he deployed to Vietnam in the summer of 1969, Ganz was also part of Military Assistance Command, which was designed to work with and support our South Vietnamese allies. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Ganz explains Military Assistance Command and what it was like for a California kid to arrive in the

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31:37

Floyd Brantley, U.S. Navy, USAF, World War II, Korea

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/07/22

Floyd Brantley was born in Texas in 1925. He was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Unlike many Americans, Brantley knew exactly where Pearl Harbor was. His brother was already serving in the U.S. Navy and had served there. A year later, Brantley received devastating news: his brother, Charles, had been killed in the waters off Guadalcanal. Not long after that, Brantley was ordered into service, became a Navy corpsman, and was deployed to the South Pacific, not

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35:39

SGT Vince Makela, U.S. Army Green Beret, Afghanistan...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/07/15

Vince Makela enlisted in the U.S. Army while he was still in high school. After basic training, he specialized in communications and dreamed of flight school. When that dream didn't come true, Makela set his sights on another impressive goal - becoming a Green Beret.Several years later, he found himself in one of the first American units to set foot in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595 not only achieved amazing results, but the men also became

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34:57

LCDR Kaj Larsen, U.S. Navy, SEAL Training, War on...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/07/08

Kaj Larsen did not follow the typical route to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy but left after two years to focus on playing water polo at the collegiate level. A few years later he enlisted in the Navy and immediately tried to get a slot in Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/s) training in Coronado, California. Those billets are not usually given to men who left Annapolis but Larsen managed to snag one after his lifeguarding skills made headlines. In this

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35:44

Col. Allison Black, U.S. Air Force, Afghanistan, 'The...

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/07/01

Allison Black surprised her family by deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force after high school. She did it to be part of a mission bigger than herself. After basic training, Black spent the next several years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape - or SERE - instructor, teaching service members what to do if shot down, stuck behind enemy lines, or captured. After several years of that she became an officer in Air Force special operations and served as a navigator aboard an AC-130H

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34:56

SSgt. Rudy Meekins, USMC. Korea, Chosin Reservoir

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/06/24

Rudy Meekins grew up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Most young men from that area joined the U.S. Merchant Marine or the U.S. Coast Guard. However, Rudy initially opted for the Army National Guard but then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in September 1949. He endured boot camp at Parris Island and was eventually assigned to a 105mm howitzer team.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Meekins tells us how he heard the news that North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950 and how he was on

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34:03

COL Michael Gilpin, U.S. Army, Vietnam

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/06/17

Michael Gilpin had an interest aviation at a young age but had never pursued flying. He joined the Army with an option to pursue Officer Candidate School near the end of his college years. Even as he became an officer and started training, he was still in the infantry.But soon he would switch to pilot training - specifically helicopter pilot training. He deployed to Vietnam in 1971 as a Huey pilot bringing Air Cavalry personnel in and out of combat.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Col. Gilpin

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34:43

Lt. Col. Derek Jones, U.S. Air Force

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/06/10

Derek Jones was following in his father's footsteps when he pursued military service after high school. His father had been a prominent and highly respected musical leader in both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. Derek chose Air Force ROTC at Samford University in pursuit of becoming a fighter pilot. He succeeded and became an elite, Top Gun-winning pilot in the F-111. When that plane was shelved by the military, Jones started flying F-16's. But two decades into his Air Force career,

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35:52

LT. Lyla Kohistany, U.S. Navy Intelligence, Afghanistan

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/06/03

Dr. Lyla Kohistany was born in Afghanistan. Her family fled to the U.S. in 1982 to escape Soviet occupation. When the USSR was forced to leave Afghanistan in 1989, her father planned to bring the family back to Afghanistan, and he had also made plans for 12-year-old Lyla that she wanted no part of. With the help of her brother and the U.S. Navy, Kohistany was able to stay in the U.S. She would later join the Navy out of gratitude for that help, but just months after being commissioned as a U.S

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35:33

Cpl. Esteban Valenzuela, USMC, Vietnam

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/05/27

Esteban Valenzuela was a talented high school football player and could have continued playing in college. Instead, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966, while he was still in high school. Several months later, he was in Vietnam on a tour lasting well over a year and took part of some of the intense fighting connected with the enemy's Tet Offensive in early 1968.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Valenzuela takes us into Marine Corps boot camp and how he saw the benefits of that and other

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30:12

MAJ James Taylor, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Medal of Honor

Veterans Chronicles ·

2026/05/20

James Taylor enlisted in the Army in 1956. Several years later, he successfully completed Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned as an Army officer. By 1967, he served as executive officer inside a squadron in the 1st Armored Cavalry that was headed to Vietnam. Later that year, his love and concern for his men under heavy enemy fire led to actions that would lead to him receiving the Medal of Honor.In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Taylor shares the life-changing lesson on

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