Veterans Chronicles brings America’s military heroes to life through raw, first-person stories. Veterans recount the battles and moments that shaped their lives, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Powerful, personal, and deeply human, Veterans Chronicles preserves history one voice at a time.Learn more about Veterans Chronicles https://heliosmedia.us/veterans-chronicles/
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Sep 30, 2026 · 38:09
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…
Sep 23, 2026 · 34:27
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…
Sep 16, 2026 · 23:52
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…
Sep 9, 2026 · 35:15
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…
Sep 2, 2026 · 35:16
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…
Aug 26, 2026 · 36:18
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…
Aug 19, 2026 · 25:22
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…
Aug 12, 2026 · 35:40
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…
Aug 5, 2026 · 35:16
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.…
Jul 29, 2026 · 35:05
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…
Jul 22, 2026 · 31:37
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…
Jul 15, 2026 · 35:39
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…
Jul 8, 2026 · 34:57
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…
Jul 1, 2026 · 35:44
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,…
Jun 24, 2026 · 34:56
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…
Jun 17, 2026 · 34:03
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…
Jun 10, 2026 · 34:43
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…
May 27, 2026 · 35:33
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…
May 20, 2026 · 30:12
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…
May 13, 2026 · 35:37
Richard Coachys went to Indiana University on a football scholarship but also joined the Army ROTC on campus. After commissioning, he expected his early training to be followed…
May 6, 2026 · 33:59
In our previous episode, we learned how U.S. Air Force pilot Robert Jefffrey was shot down over North Vietnam during his first mission of the war. He suffered burns and spinal…
Apr 29, 2026 · 35:29
Robert Jeffrey became fascinated with aviation at a young age after his father got a pilot's license. By the time he was preparing to graduate high school, Jeffrey knew he wanted…
Apr 22, 2026 · 36:05
Harvey C, "Barney" Barnum, Jr. arrived in Vietnam in late 1965 with 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines in the 3rd Infantry Division. In the final days of Operation Harvest Moon, Barnum…
Apr 15, 2026 · 35:44
Luke Focer was not sure what he wanted to do after high school but after reading many books on the military and being impressed by a teacher who had served, Focer enlisted in the…
Apr 8, 2026 · 35:31
Roderick Pugh enlisted in the U.S. Army less than three months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Eighteen months later, he was partr of 1st Brigade 2-7 infantry from Ft.…
Apr 1, 2026 · 35:11
Jason Redman learned love of country and the importance of service at a young age. His grandfather was a decorated World War II veteran and his father served during the Vietnam…
Mar 25, 2026 · 31:19
Dick Ramsey's family had it tough lduring the Great Depression. He quit school when he was 15 years old and started working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a pipefitter. After the…
Mar 18, 2026 · 36:23
On August 26, 2021, an ISIS-K terrorist attack killed 13 American service members and wounded many others at Abbey Gate outside Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan. Scores…
Mar 11, 2026 · 35:28
Mike Elmore was born in Illinois into a family with a legacy of military service. He joined the U.S. Army in 1987 with no immediate intention of pursuing special forces. But he…
Mar 4, 2026 · 35:09
Bob Boeke was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Nearly two years later, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of a program to help get a…
Feb 25, 2026 · 35:34
Michael "Rod" Rodriguez was born into a family with a rich legacy of military service. His father and grandfather both served during wartime. Rod decided he wanted to serve after…
Feb 18, 2026 · 35:32
Steve Bleigh is the son and grandson of Army veterans. He joined the U.S. Army in 1986, fully expecting to be an infantryman throughout his service. When he returned to civilian…
Feb 11, 2026 · 26:33
Dominick Critelli was born in Italy and came to the United States as a child. He was 20 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and launched the U.S. into World War II.…
Feb 4, 2026 · 35:32
Russell Sattazhan was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the U.S. into World War II. in 1944, he was drafted and was placed in an infantry…
Jan 28, 2026 · 40:44
In the early 1960's, the U.S. Army developed a new way of moving troops into and out of strategic locations. It was called Air Cavalry and operated under the theory that moving…
Jan 21, 2026 · 35:21
Patrick Brady was born in South Dakota and he originally had no intention of serving in the military. He was recruited by several schools to play college football, but he decided…
Jan 14, 2026 · 35:23
Clarence Singleton joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967 while was still in high school. The valedictorian then went through boot camp at Parris Island and was eager to join the…
Jan 7, 2026 · 35:39
Steve Kofron's father and grandfather both served in the military. His grandfather was a U.S. Marine who fought at Iwo Jima. But Kofron had his own reasons for joining the…
Dec 31, 2025 · 35:37
Bob Ingram joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1963 to give himself some direction. He was initially assigned to work in electronics, but after getting a bad case of…
Dec 24, 2025 · 35:59
Nils Mockler joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, only because they wouldn't let him join when he was 16. Upon enlisting in 1944, Mockler completed boot camp and was…
Dec 17, 2025 · 35:11
Sami Steigmann was born in Romanian controlled territory in December 1939. Before he turned two years old, he was a prisoner at the Mogilev-Podolski concentration camp. He was…
Dec 10, 2025 · 35:54
Matt Smith grew up on Long Island and joined Army ROTC at the University of Delaware in 1989. Four years later, he was commissioned as an officer. Smith was working in the…
Dec 3, 2025 · 35:14
Ed Miklavic was one of 12 children and he ended up joining the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1940 because he tagged along with his brother and a friend to the Army recruiter. But Ed was…
Nov 26, 2025 · 36:56
William Keim joined the U.S. Merchant Marine in 1943 at the age of 17. He was called to active duty when he turned 18 years old that same year. For the next two years, he served…
Nov 19, 2025 · 34:33
Sydney Levit was 17 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Like most kids his age, he was eager to serve. In 1943, Levit was drafted into the U.S. Army and he soon…
Nov 12, 2025 · 39:11
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…
Nov 5, 2025 · 35:29
Handlon Tim "Bear" Handlon wanted to serve in the military after seeing the 9/11 terrorist attacks unfold on television. There was just one problem. He was only in eighth grade.…
Oct 29, 2025 · 36:19
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…
Oct 22, 2025 · 35:23
Vaughn Collicott spent the first year of his life traveling in a covered wagon. Before he was 21 years old, he was helping to fire the guns of a Navy destroyer at German…
Oct 15, 2025 · 33:34
Joe "Peppy" Sciarra was drafted into the U.S. Army the day after he graduated from high school. All four boys in his family served during World War II. After basic training,…
Oct 8, 2025 · 35:59
Joseph Picard was a teenager when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Unlike some of his peers, Picard was neither excited to join the service nor dreading it.…
Oct 1, 2025 · 35:55
Don Graves tried to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps the day after President Franklin Roosevelt declared the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor a day of infamy. Since he was only 16…
Sep 24, 2025 · 35:25
Ed Hiner had no intention of joining the military until a friend's father forced him to help a military family in need. During that experience, Hiner met a Navy SEAL, learned…
Sep 17, 2025 · 35:46
Patrick Zilliacus was born in Finland and came to the U.S. when his father became the Finnish military attache in Washington, primarily to procure weapons for Finland's war with…
Sep 10, 2025 · 35:55
Ltt Gen. Marc Sasseville was born into an Air Force family and that played a significant role in his decision to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and become an Air Force…
Sep 3, 2025 · 40:34
Andrew Card served more than five years as White House Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush. Less than eight months into Bush's first term, Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked…
Aug 27, 2025 · 35:45
Timothy Brown was serving as supervisor of field operations in New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's office of emergency management on September 11, 2001. He was already at work…
Aug 20, 2025 · 35:54
Christopher Brewer grew up as an Army brat and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1973 because he wanted to be a Ranger. Even though he had never jumped out of a plane prior to joining…
Aug 13, 2025 · 41:13
Tom Young grew up on his family's farm in North Carolina. From a young age he was fascinated by his grandfather's stories of being part of a bomber crew during World War II. That…
Aug 6, 2025 · 35:41
Hilbert Margol was the first of twin boys born to his parents in February 1924. He was nearly finished with high school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7,…
Jul 30, 2025 · 28:02
Walter Stitt, Jr. was a senior in high school when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He and his friends all assumed they'd be drafted. When that did not…
Jul 23, 2025 · 35:54
Alan Kinder was waiting to be drafted into the military during World War II, but when he arrived at the Army recruiter, he was told his eyesight was too poor. The next time he…
Jul 16, 2025 · 35:20
Hal Urban grew up in a poor family hit hard by the Great Depression. Joining the military meant he would finally get three meals per day. He enlisted in the Army hoping to become…
Jul 11, 2025 · 26:39
Join Emily Jones and Holly Worthington as they dive into this heart wrenching story of a child abduction. Five-year-old Bella was taken by someone her family trusted — a man they…
Jul 9, 2025 · 48:41
Kelly Elmlinger was a three-sport athlete in high school. She excelled in cross country, basketball, and track. After considering military service, she decided to keep playing…
Jul 2, 2025 · 33:54
Louis Bourgault was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor - too young to formally join the military. After his father rejected a teenage plot to go join the…
Jun 25, 2025 · 35:58
Doug Bahrns knew he wanted to be a U.S. Marine Corps officer when he finished high school a couple of years before 9/11. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and was…
Jun 18, 2025 · 35:26
Scotty Hasting is now a popular country music singer but his story of service will explain a lot about the performer you see today. Hasting grew up in the Cincinnati,…
Jun 11, 2025 · 35:37
Bob Ingram joined the Navy after graduating high school in 1963 to give himself some direction. He was initially assigned to work in electronics, but after getting a bad case of…
Jun 4, 2025 · 33:55
Harold Terens was just 18 years old and playing basketball with his friends when he heard the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Like many Americans, he had no idea…
May 28, 2025 · 37:09
Charlie Plumb ended up in the U.S. Navy because money was tight for his family and it was a big economic relief when he was recommended and accepted at the U.S. Naval Academy.…
May 21, 2025 · 35:46
Kathleen Faircloth received the news that no parent wants to get. In late November 2004, she learned that her son, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth, was killed…
May 14, 2025 · 40:25
Doug Greenlaw sees his life as a series of "lightning strikes." He was literally struck by lightning when he was 13 years old, thankfully making an immediate recovery. He later…
May 7, 2025 · 31:31
Melvin Hurwirz was 16 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Within just a few years, all four boys in his family were at war, each in a different…
Apr 30, 2025 · 38:00
Anthony "Tony" Wood grew up in a Marine Corps family and enlisted to begin his own service in 1964. Before long he was commissioned as a USMC officer. His first deployment to…
Apr 23, 2025 · 35:13
Sarah Spradlin knew she wanted to serve her nation in uniform, and to her the only option was the U.S. Marine Corps. She was commissioned as an officer after completing ROTC…
Apr 16, 2025 · 32:06
James Thompson joined the U.S. Army in 1948, in part to avoid the consequences for his troubled behavior. Soon he was off to segregated training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey. Within a…
Apr 9, 2025 · 35:22
Bruce McKenty was born into an Army family, as his father was a career officer. By the time he finished high school, McKenty knew he wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps. He…
Apr 2, 2025 · 34:57
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…
Mar 26, 2025 · 35:26
Military historian and author Carole Engle Avriett joins us to tell the powerful story of U.S. Navy Mess Attendant Charles Jackson French, which is told in her new book, Midnight…
Mar 19, 2025 · 35:37
Delmar Beard grew up near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. But when it was time to join the military during World War II, he chose the Navy. Serving as a gunner aboard an LST, Beard…
Mar 12, 2025 · 35:58
Nils Mockler joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17, only because they wouldn't let him join when he was 16. Upon enlisting in 1944, Mockler completed boot camp and was…
Mar 5, 2025 · 24:38
Wayne Fletcher joined the U.S. Army in September of 1949. In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and just 16 months after enlisting, Fletcher found himself at war. He…
Feb 26, 2025 · 40:16
Gregory "Matt" Dillon was required to enroll in ROTC at the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, he was required to give two years in the U.S. Army. He ended up serving 24…
Feb 19, 2025 · 32:24
Charles Cram was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Before he was old enough to join the military, he worked as a messenger and received word of an alleged…
Feb 12, 2025 · 25:58
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…
Feb 5, 2025 · 35:43
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,…
Jan 29, 2025 · 44:37
Jesse "Bud" Alley was born in Florida but grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. He joined Army ROTC while enrolled at Furman University. Not long after commissioning, he was…
Jan 22, 2025 · 48:29
Jack Hawkins grew up in Alabama in a community full of military veterans. His family was full of U.S. Marines so joining the corps came naturally to him. Hawkins enlisted in 1963…
Jan 15, 2025 · 39:13
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger grew up in a house of 14 children and his his connection with his father, a World War II veteran, was watching Notre Dame football. Rudy's dream was to…
Jan 9, 2025 · 33:57
If you're a fan of true crime but crave a dose of inspiration instead of tales of darkness, The Miracle Files is your perfect alternative. With the same storytelling intensity as…
Jan 8, 2025 · 48:57
By his own admission, Ken Corigliano was a troubled teenager who probably had jail in his future. That all changed the day a U.S. Air Force recruiter came to his school and had…
Jan 1, 2025 · 1:02:20
When college wasn't working out, Mike Sarraille decided to become a U.S. Marine when he became friends with a recon Marine and was impressed by his humble confidence. Saraille…
Dec 25, 2024 · 39:17
Frank DeVita joined the U.S. Coast Guard in World War II thinking his job would be to protect the American coast. But his war service would be much different than expected when…
Dec 18, 2024 · 33:44
Jack Moran joined us nearly two years ago to discuss his extensive combat as an infantryman in Europe during World War II. Today, he returns for another conversation as we hear…
Dec 11, 2024 · 36:16
John "Bill" Kongable was drafted into the U.S. Army just a couple of days after graduating from high school in 1944. From there it was on to basic training and eventually being…
Dec 4, 2024 · 54:04
Robert Day joined the U.S. Marine Corps just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Soon he was being transformed into a Marine at Parris Island, and, less than three…
Nov 27, 2024 · 51:36
Sean Corrigan was commissioned as a second lieutenant when he graduated from West Point in 1988. Within just a couple of years, he saw action in both Panama and Desert Storm.…
Nov 20, 2024 · 33:37
Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in…
Nov 13, 2024 · 27:04
Lee Brousard enlisted in the Navy with the intention of joining the Naval Air Corps. But as he was traveling to Florida for flight training, the Navy changed those plans and sent…
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