NEW VIDEOS

Bill Bates

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Bill Bates has no desire to go back to Vietnam, even when his wife and her cousin planned a trip over. His return from the war didn't help. After his tour, he entered college where one of his professors called him a baby killer. He is grateful that the attitude toward warriors is different today. (5:33)

Alex Adkins

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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? (3:51)

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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. (5:00)

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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 an 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. (7:24)

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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. (7:47)

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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 3. (9:03)

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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 3. (9:01)

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The Marines were loaded up with less than lethal weapons. Alex Adkins figured that the president, the Joint Chiefs and the State Department were worried about a bloodbath when they landed in Somalia to evacuate UN forces under siege by warlords. Even the Cobras had flares instead of high explosives. Part 3 of 3. (8:17)

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On his way back from Mogadishu, Alex Adkins had the pleasure of a Tiger Cruise. This allows male relatives to sail with the Marines from Hawaii back to San Diego. His father joined him and got to fire many weapons from the fan tail. Where was all this ammo when I was in Mogadishu? (6:29)

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He was college bound. Alex Adkins had decided not to reenlist and instead entered Cape Fear Community College. He was doing well but had a nagging feeling he should return to service. He transferred to Texas A&M for law school but there was a problem. It wasn't a law school, it was a football school. (8:14)