NEW VIDEOS

Brian Poole

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Brian Poole lived and breathed artillery but when he went to Iraq for his second deployment, it was as part of a provisional rifle company. The first mission was guarding convoys but his platoon lucked out when they were assigned to be the security detail for General John Kelly. (5:20)

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After two other corporals were busted for getting in a fistfight, Brian Poole was put in charge of the fire team. The job was above his rank but he was undaunted. As the calendar rolled into Easter Week, the news that Chance Phelps had been killed in a firefight severely dampened the mood. (Caution: strong language) (7:19)

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Marine corporal Brian Poole got to cuss out a General. He was on his security detail and when the General got out of the Humvee during a firefight, he was told in no uncertain terms to get back in the vehicle for his own safety. (Caution: strong language) (4:34)

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It was different the second time. After his first tour in Iraq, Brian Poole returned on a ship, which gave everyone time to decompress and deal with the memory of combat together. After the second tour, they all flew back which meant they went straight from combat to what passed for a normal life. Very stressful. Then he had to decide whether to reenlist. (6:56)

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They had great ambitions in Iraq. Marine Brian Poole served there and he can't shake the feeling that the war there and in Afghanistan can't be viewed as anything else but a failure. Maybe if they hadn't had one hand tied behind their back, the outcome could have been different. (3:48)

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Brian Poole pays tribute to several leaders that had an impact on his life during his time in the Marines. When it came time to organize a reunion of all the fellows, they chose to have it in the home town of a fallen brother whom everyone loved. (7:06)

Billy Lee

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Billy Lee's father ran a logging operation in rural Alabama. During the war, there was a camp for German POW's nearby and they would work for him. This story caused the younger Lee to become a World War II buff and want to be a soldier from a young age. (4:32)

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For two decades, Billy Lee served in a National Guard MP Battalion. They were deployed for strikes, riots and storms and they went to Europe to train with the regular Army. He was starting to think about retiring. (5:23)

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After a long time in the National Guard, Billy Lee knew that the attacks on 9/11 meant that he may finally be deployed in a combat zone. When his MP Battalion was mobilized for Iraq, he was 55 years old and had just submitted his retirement papers. He tore them up. (6:14)

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In Iraq, the police didn't operate like they do in America. If they're looking for you, they'll just put your family in jail until you surrender. Billy Lee was with an MP Battalion from the states and it was their job to try and train the Iraqis in modern law enforcement. (5:13)