Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Brad Snyder

Vietnam | Advisor, 4th Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry, ARVN

Brad Snyder tells the story of the chaplain who came to his bedside at a MASH hospital in South Vietnam and scared the hell out of him by giving him the last rites, "just in case." That chaplain eventually became Cardinal John O'Connor, the Archbishop of New York, but not before Snyder tracked him down and gave him some grief. (3:04)
He lost an eye to a VC bullet but the good news was that he was going to live. The bad news was that his military career was over. Serving in that war was a life changing event for him as it was for so many, and he reckons that the best day of his deployment was the day he managed to get a well dug for an orphanage. (6:03)
Even though Brad Snyder was booed and spit on when he returned from Vietnam, the full meaning of the public's anger at this war was lost on him until he was invited to speak at Harvard. His contact advised him to not wear his uniform. What? He goes on to describe his thoughts on the war's legacy, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial and the all volunteer military. (5:09)
Brandon Dodson

Operation Iraqi Freedom | 1st Battalion, 4th Marines

His father was a Marine. His grandfather was a Marine. When Brandon Dodson was a freshman in high school and got into ROTC, he knew he would be a Marine, too. The 9/11 attacks came when he was a junior, adding a sense of urgency and purpose to his plan. (5:51)
Brandon Dodson had been raised around Marines so he was comfortable talking to a recruiter. His father was air wing so he knew he didn't want that. What's this infantry? Well you get to shoot and blow stuff up. Sign me up. (7:47)
1-4 was just about ready to go. The 1st Battalion, 4th Marines got in some East Coast Marines to fill out their numbers and then boarded a ship for a long, miserable trip to Kuwait. Brandon Dodson couldn't wait to get off that ship but when he did, he stepped into what seemed like an oven. (Caution: strong language) (7:47)
The ride from Kuwait to Diwaniya was brutal. For 27 hours the convoy of 100 vehicles drove the dusty roads of Iraq. Once the Marines were there, they squared away the base and prepared for action. Brandon Dodson would get to know places like Najaf and Karbala and many forward operating bases. (Caution: strong language) (5:44)
There was a mosque in the center of Najaf that was a revered holy site. The Marines could watch mortar fire directed at them coming from there, but they could not fire directly at it. During this battle, Brandon Dodson was on the ground and, in an amazing twist of fate, the F-18's supporting him overhead were maintained by someone who had looked after him before. (Caution: strong language) (5:46)
Brandon Dodson describes the buildings in Iraq he would have to search and clear. A sniper nearly got him in one of those. At this point in the war, booby traps and IED's were not yet a big problem. But, in the battle of Najaf, the Rules of Engagement presented quite a problem. (Caution: strong language) (6:54)
As the Marines drove out of Najaf after a hard fought battle, they knew they had just been in an historic fight. When they encountered another Marine unit, Brandon Dodson was amazed at what the fresh troops had with them. (Caution: strong language) (6:16)