NEW VIDEOS

Alex Adkins

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The Global War on Terrorism kind of upended the concept of the Marine Expeditionary Unit. Now, Marines were flying to war. For Alex Adkins, the problem with these wars is that were never clearly designed goals. This led to perpetual war and staggering human costs. That includes his closest friend who committed suicide decades after his service. (6:58)

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Through the Warrior Reunion Foundation, Alex Adkins was able to reconnect with his buddies and they have a reunion every year. On a hunting trip in Africa, he met South African vets who meet every month but their circumstance was a little different. (2:54)

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There was absolutely nothing PC about the Line Crossing Ceremony. Dating back centuries, the tradition of Wogs becoming Shellbacks is best left unspoken in polite company but Alex Adkins shares a bit about his rite of passage. (3:05)

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Cover me. That means something different to police officers than it does to grunts. That made for a lively time when some Marines were assigned to help police during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Alex Adkins was off duty when his unit did that but he was there for Mogadishu. Some guys in his unit listened to techno but those guys were weird. Normal guys listened to Metallica. (6:55)

Joe Chan

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The war was slightly different for Joe Chan, a forward air controller based in Thailand. Most squadrons were spread out over several small air fields around South Vietnam. The 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron in it's entirety was at the same base and they got to sleep in barracks instead of tents. And their party hooch had a bigger barbecue. (5:03)

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Joe Chan had been flying the big transports but in Vietnam he would fly the brand new OV-10 Bronco, an aircraft specifically designed for counter-insurgency warfare and forward air control. As he trained for this mission at Hurlburt Field, there was a definite atmosphere of party while you can because you are going to war. (4:41)

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Last stop before Vietnam was the Philippines, where Joe Chan had jungle survival training which, improbably, included a visit to a snack bar. When he got in-country and was sweating through mortar and rocket attacks during orientation, he knew exactly which squadron he would pick given the choice. (5:33)

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Interdiction was the mission. Men and materiel were coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail and forward air controller Joe Chan was there to find it and put air strikes on it. Some of the terrain was thick triple canopy jungle but there was also open space, the result of years of bombing. (4:26)

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There was an extensive program that was hush-hush at the time of placing sensors along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Some were acoustic and produced audio recordings that could be analyzed for intelligence. FAC pilot Joe Chan heard an amazing recording of a B-52 strike that was picked up by one of these. (3:23)

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Forward air controller Joe Chan would use white phosphorous rockets to mark his targets. He was limited to staying at least 5,000 feet up because of all the ground fire directed at him. He flew over the Ho Chi Minh Trail which was the the most hazardous area for a FAC. (6:13)