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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

  After the Battle of Mogadishu had resulted in heavy Somali casualties, the rules of engagement were tightened for subsequent operations. Alex Adkins was part of an amphibious force that came to evacuate UN forces and he had this constant dilemma. Can I fire back now? How about now? Part 2 of 2.

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  Bob Jenkins - Marines +3 Total Videos

  Civilian

  Bob Jenkins could feel the pressure mounting as he descended the staircase. With every floor things seemed more dire, but by the time he made it to the ground floor, he saw the jet engine lying on the ground and what really happened became clear. Now, he needed to evacuate. (Part 3 of 4)

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  Geoff Farrell - Army +8 Total Videos

  2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

  Lt. Geoff Farrell was sleeping in the command track when he heard it on the radio. We were at war with Iraq. His armored cavalry unit crossed from Saudi Arabia into Iraq where they were greeted by friendly children in the middle of nowhere.

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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

  It was a unique operation in the history of the Marines. International UN forces had to be evacuated from Somalia and an amphibious landing was planned. Alex Adkins was part of the Marine component which was tasked with security. He was finally going to get to land on a beach like in the movies. Part 1 of 2.

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  Changiz Lahidji - Army +8 Total Videos

  Green Beret

  When Changiz Lahidji reported to Fort Bragg for Green Beret training, one of the team sergeants turned out to be someone he'd met in Iran during joint training with the Shah's Army. He was told he'd better make it through so he could join his team. He made it; the first Muslim to serve in US special forces.

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  Shawn Patrick - Marines +11 Total Videos

  1st Reconnaissance Battalion

  When he got to the pool part of the Recon tryout, Shawn Patrick was the only prospect left. He refused to give in, stayed in the water and kept fighting and was rewarded with a slot at Amphibious Reconnaissance School. It was tough but he made it through and joined the Recon Marines.

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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

  When Alex Adkins got to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, the first stop was Okinawa. There was a memorable incident involving a typhoon, a swimming pool and beer. His enlistment period was just about up when he extended to deploy to Somalia.

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  George Carrigan - Air Force +3 Total Videos

  1944th Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron

  The war damage had been cleaned up on the free side of the Berlin Wall but the other side looked pretty bad, according to radar technician George Carrigan. His unit operated and maintained the ground control radar and control towers at the air base in Erding. He recalls when a secret U2 reconnaissance plane made an emergency landing.

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  Stanley McChrystal - Army +9 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  It's hard to say what Ranger School does to someone. It's definitely a journey of self-discovery. General Stanley McChrystal should know. He took a particular interest in the school when he commanded the Ranger Regiment.

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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  1st Light Armored Infantry Battalion (LAI)

  When Alex Adkins reported to 1st LAI, it was deserted. The unit had deployed to Desert Storm and when they did return, he instantly became a unworthy boot. The unit then combined with the DEA to search for drug traffickers in the California desert which made for some unusual interactions with the locals.

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  Angela Beltz - Army +11 Total Videos

  134th Quartermaster Detachment

  It was a surprise when her National Guard unit was activated for Desert Storm. It gave Angela Beltz a new appreciation of the hands on training the water distribution detachment had received in the mountains of California. As she readied for deployment, she had to make a choice regarding her long hair. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, the National Veterans Memorial & Museum- https://nationalvmm.org/)

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  Bill Greinke - Army +18 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Once Bill Greinke was made the intelligence officer of a battalion in Berlin, he began to have a lot of fun playing cat and mouse with the Russians and East Germans. They would pelt the cars driving around to gather intelligence with snowballs and the occasional bottle.

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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Seventeen year old Alex Adkins was about to sign up for the Army when he got a call from a Marine recruiter. Son, are you about to make the biggest mistake of your life?

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  Geoff Farrell - Army +8 Total Videos

  2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

  The rumor was that the Iraqi's Soviet made tanks were superior to ours. Geoff Farrell had this on his mind while rolling across the desert to engage them. Just as they got near, a sandstorm came up. Then the Iraqi artillery began to fall. Then the first Iraqi tank was destroyed, shattering the myth.

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  CSM Michael Hall - Army +8 Total Videos

  75th Ranger Regiment

  The Army Rangers were formed not only as an elite strike force but also as a crucible to spread field experience and knowledge throughout the military. In his long career, Michael Hall found many instances of this in many different organizations. The experiment had succeeded.

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  Alex Adkins +5 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Desert Shield was kicking off when Alex Adkins reported to boot camp. His first unit was a reserve outfit that had been activated for the war and never deployed. But he was an active duty grunt so the Marines had another plan for him.

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  Tom Pemberton - Army +10 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Tom Pemberton was serving in Korea when his tour was reduced from fourteen to twelve months. His next post was Fort Campbell, where his wife joined him for the first time. He next had a tour in Germany, but Vietnam was beginning to heat up the Cold War.

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  Jack Wold - Army +4 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  He fought in WWII and Korea and rose to full colonel until getting out in 1975. Jack Wold had even asked to go to Vietnam but that didn't happen. He has some pointed observations on how war used to be fought and how it is being fought now.

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  George Ferkes - Air Force +12 Total Videos

  8th Special Operations Squadron

  When he returned from Vietnam, George Ferkes is fairly sure he saw his old hooch burning on the television when Quang Tri fell. After a couple of years he leapt at the chance to join a special ops outfit, even though, at the time, there was little interest in those units.

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  Clarence Dodd +4 Total Videos

  US Army

  Clarence Dodd had to get a security clearance while he was working in the headquarters at Fort Polk. A buddy of his told him the Army was looking for volunteers to witness an atomic test up in Nevada. They both thought that was pretty cool and got on the list. As he crouched in the trench waiting for the blast, he began to have second thoughts.

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  Ken Preston - Army +33 Total Videos

  11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

  Ken Preston was on his second German tour when the Iron Curtain fell in 1989. It was a special time for him and his family. As soon as it was allowed, they drove into East Germany and sat in a beer garden opposite Russian soldiers.

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  Walt Richardson - Air Force +11 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  For Walt Richardson, it was all about the core values of America. As one of the first black airmen to integrate the Air Force, he calls on his unique perspective to explain why America is so much greater than other nations that are so much older.

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  Gail Taylor Black - Army +7 Total Videos

  440th Signal Battalion

  Gail Taylor Black decided to stick it out for a 25 year Army career. Now a contractor for the National Guard, she feels like she is giving back to the military that did so much for her. She fondly remembers the sergeant who helped her get through the readjustment to civilian life.

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  Joseph Hudson - Army +8 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  The Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved but the Cold War was heating up. The band at Fort Meade was broken up and Joseph Hudson had to return to more critical duties. He was sent to Germany for five years, where he worked in personnel, due to a surgically repaired back. He returned to Fort Benning to finish a twenty year career.

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  Ken Preston - Army +33 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  The Iron Curtain had fallen, but US units were still positioned on the German border. Tank commander Ken Preston served in the command group in a mobile Tactical Command Post, or TAC. He loved that job and made 1st Sgt while he was there. It was at this time that Saddam Hussein began to become a problem and troops began deploying from Germany.

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  Brooks Tucker - Marines +11 Total Videos

  1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment

  Brooks Tucker's Marine battalion did not continue north into Iraq. It was tasked with security in a Kuwait City suburb. As they took stock of their new surroundings, the air was heavy with smoke from oil well fires set by the fleeing Iraqis.

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  Ed Fulghum - Army +14 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  After rejoining the Army as an MP, Ed Fulghum returned to Korea where he guarded inspection teams. His next assignment, back in the States, was in a Military Government company, which was trained to rebuild and reset devastated areas. He decide that the Military Police was a career dead end, so he returned to the infantry.

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  Olin Rossman - Army +7 Total Videos

  1st Battalion. 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division

  The crash site was at a typical Mogadishu intersection with countless places the enemy could be hiding. Olin Rossman's squad had secured the site and he went to help with body recovery. Only one set of remains had been taken out of the burnt Black Hawk when all hell broke loose. They had been waiting because they knew more Americans would be coming. Part 2 of 2. (Caution: strong language)

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  Vic Grahn - Air Force +7 Total Videos

  Multiple Units

  Vic Grahn flew a variety of fighters during the post-Vietnam Cold War. It was frustrating; lobbying and waiting for the sweetest assignments. It's all about the connections and, after a chance meeting with a general, it was smooth sailing until retirement.

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  LTG (Ret) John LeMoyne - Army +15 Total Videos

  Ranger School

  It was lessons learned in Vietnam that John LeMoyne tried to pass on as an instructor in Ranger school. The candidates would soon have the awesome burden of being responsible for the lives of others.