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Zach Johnson

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Recon Marine platoon leader Zach Johnson pays tribute to his commanding officer, Col. William Leftwich, who valued his advice and made him part of the decision making process during operations. The colonel also made sure he got to take R&R and see his wife. (Caution: strong language.) (7:32)

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Zach Johnson was working as liaison in the regimental combat operations center when he got word of a recon team in contact. They had a prisoner and needed extraction, but the weather had grounded all the helicopters. He secured permission to take off, but when the crew asked if he was coming along, he hesitated. He only had a week to go before rotating out. (4:49)

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1st Force Recon was an elite and prestigious organization and Zach Johnson was proud to have been a part of it for his Vietnam tour. It was years later before it dawned on him just how dangerous it had been. But he knew that, considering all the training and procedures that special operations teams were involved in, it wasn't near the top of what he calls the Hierarchy of Crazy. (4:17)

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The first job for Zach Johnson after his combat tour was at the Marine Security Guard Battalion, which placed elite Marines at American embassies and consulates. Then it was years at Quantico in various training positions. After his twenty years in the Corps, he went to work for Booz Allen Hamilton doing support work for the Marines. (6:20)

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The Marines have evolved, with new technology and weapons that make them more capable than ever. Vietnam Recon Marine Zach Johnson would love to have had a laser spotter when he was there. He has some pointed observations about the management of the war and some advice for young recruits. (5:33)

Zach Pena

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Zach Pena remembers growing up in a military family and experiencing 9/11 and feeling the desire to join the military. (4:47)

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Zach Pena tells about the type of machinery that he handled while training for combat. While transitioning to his next station, his company got sent out to the deserts of California. (7:26)

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While transitioning into Iraq from the States, Zach Pena had a lot to accustom to after he first arrived. Taking advice from some of the senior guys helped him to get a sense for the conditions they would be facing. (4:33)

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Zach Pena remembers some of the devastation and weapons caches filled with a huge variety of deadly items, from top of the line US TOW missiles to WWII hand grenades, that he saw in the Iraqi countryside. While patrolling the desert, anything goes and once things start to happen, your training immediately kicks in. (9:25)

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While at the hospital of Al-Asad Air Base, Zach Pena faced his first mortar strike. Since he was recovering, he had to think quickly in order to make it to safety. Once he returned to combat, they were doing a lot of vehicle checks and so he had a lot of interesting civilian interactions. (8:17)