Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
COMBAT STORIES
WORLD WAR II
KOREA
VIETNAM
IRAQ
AFGHANISTAN
OTHER WAR STORIES
AFFINITY GROUPS
PHOTOS & MEMOIRS
ABOUT WTW
OVERVIEW
OUR TEAM
ADVISORY BOARD
PARTNERS
SHARE YOUR STORY
SUPPORT OUR CAUSE
FOR EDUCATORS
[ NAVBAR ]
HOME
-- WORLD WAR II
-- KOREA
-- VIETNAM
-- IRAQ
-- AFGHANISTAN
-- OTHER
-- AFFINITY GROUPS
PHOTOS & MEMOIRS
-- OVERVIEW
-- OUR TEAM
-- ADVISORY BOARD
SHARE YOUR STORY
SUPPORT OUR CAUSE
FOR EDUCATORS
NEW VIDEOS
Refine :
132 Videos
BRANCH OF SERVICE
Army
Marines
Army Air Corps
Navy
Coast Guard
Merchant Marine
Air Force
WAR
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
Cold War
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
Other Conflict
Show Filter
clear all
advanced search
‹ First
<
10
11
12
13
14
>
|
Showing
10
20
30
40
per page |
120/132
Rudy Reyes
Operation Iraqi Freedom
| 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
Recon Marines work in small teams and when Rudy Reyes arrived, he met Shawn Patrick, his new team leader. They were aboard ship when 9/11 occurred and pulled anchor that night and headed to Pakistan, then Afghanistan. They were bloodied in some of the first fighting in the Global War on Terror. As if that wasn't enough, they were soon seeing action in Iraq. (7:46)
There were no boom boxes allowed on the Humvees so Rudy Reyes and the other Recon Marines sang pop and country songs themselves. Every inch of the vehicle was packed with supplies and weapons but he had a stash of coffee and candy. The candy led to a memorable incident involving a small Iraqi boy. (Caution: strong language) (9:29)
The men in this platoon would be forever memorialized because of what started as a journalist embedded with them. Evan Wright first wrote a series of articles which became a book and then an HBO miniseries, Generation Kill. Rudy Reyes thought the man was out of shape and a liability but went on to be a military advisor and then played himself in the show. (Caution: strong language) (6:06)
It put some hard bark on him. When Rudy Reyes came back to Iraq, the intense fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi changed him and hardened his outlook. After an ambush cost one of the men both his arms, he began taking the most dangerous clandestine missions. (6:10)
After playing himself in the miniseries based on his platoon's exploits in Iraq, Rudy Reyes seemingly had a successful life with a new career as an actor. Between that and more counter-terrorism missions, he was very busy but his personal life imploded. His family broke up, drugs entered his life and he struggled with depression. But then his life lit up again due to a chance trip to the ocean. (9:21)
Asked to name a leader who had an influence in his life, Rudy Reyes has a quick response, his Recon team leader Shawn Patrick. When Rudy arrived as a new member of 1st Recon Battalion, Shawn took him under his wing and prepared him for leadership. They were able to enjoy a unit reunion, thanks to the efforts of the Warrior Reunion Foundation. (3:28)
Josh Ray Person
Operation Iraqi Freedom
| 1st Reconnaissance Battalion
Hailing from the middle of nowhere, as he puts it, Josh Ray Person set aside his idea of going to medical school when he started reading about special forces in an English class. Where do these guys come from? He started working out and running. (5:02)
During training, Josh Ray Person was looked down on because he came straight from the School of Infantry instead of paying his dues as a grunt. Nevertheless he did become a Reconnaissance Marine and, by a strange chain of events beginning on 9-11-01, was part of the earliest deployment of troops to Afghanistan. (5:25)
They were the envy of everyone in the US military. Recon Marine Josh Ray Person and his unit were in Australia when the 9/11 attacks occurred and, before the year was out, they were among the first American boots on the ground in Afghanistan. Next stop, Iraq. (5:16)
Driving the lead Humvee was exactly where Recon Marine Josh Ray Person wanted to be. His team was composed of men hand-picked by the team leader and in the back was an embedded journalist. He was about to get an eyeful. (4:51)
‹ First
<
10
11
12
13
14
>
|
Showing
10
20
30
40
per page |
120/132
Our Sponsors
Our Partners