Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Dan Myers

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) | 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division

It looked like Mexico to him. Dan Myers was from southern California and he noticed that right away when he got to Afghanistan. After an eighteen hour drive he arrived at the combat outpost that was to be home to his unit. He was struck by the beauty of the place. (Caution: strong language) (4:27)
His platoon had been designated the Quick Reaction Force for half the country. Dan Myers was sent to Badghis Province to set up security for a recovery operation. Loaded down with all his gear, he stepped off the chopper and rolled his ankle. A lot of frustration followed as his buddies went off to fight the Taliban. (Caution: strong language) (10:23)
It was winter when Dan Myers got to Afghanistan. This was good because there was a fighting season and it didn't kick off until spring. This gave the unit time to build up their outpost and get familiar with the area. (5:10)
It was muscle memory a lot of the time. The patrols were mostly forgettable but there was one day that was very memorable to Dan Myers. His platoon went to help another one that was in contact and it stretched into an epic day that ended with a frantic scramble to find three missing men. (Caution: strong language) (8:57)
Coming home after the deployment? It was really weird. Driving was a whole new experience for Dan Myers as he anxiously scanned the other cars around him. And he was sure his family was looking at him differently. But he now had a lifetime bond that could be revisited at reunions of his unit. (5:13)
Was it all for nothing? No. Though it ended badly, the men who fought in Afghanistan were there for each other and not for any geopolitical goal. Dan Myers is a better man today because of his experiences there. (Caution: strong language) (6:47)
Dan Spahn

Vietnam | Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11 (VAW-11)

Dan Spahn graduated from high school on Friday and left for Navy boot camp on Monday. Unlike so many others at the time, his goal was to serve in Vietnam. He became an electronics technician and joined a spacial squadron that supplied and manned the radar control aircraft that managed air traffic from a carrier. (6:27)
Following the evacuation of Saigon, Dan Spahn was on the USS Coral Sea when the big ship executed a rare U-turn. They were responding to the boarding of the SS Mayaguez, a merchant vessel, by the Khmer Rouge. (5:08)
After responding to the Mayaguez Incident, the USS Coral Sea finished its visit to Australia for a commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Dan Spahn fondly recalls that visit and, when he returned stateside, he managed to secure shore duty for the remainder of his enlistment. His electronics training served him well in his post-military career. (4:22)
Dan Swiger

Vietnam | 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron

Dan Swiger joined the Air Force, thinking he could be a crew chief, but it turned out he was color blind, so the maintenance field was out. His ham radio hobby led to training and assignment as a radio operator and forward air controller. It was 1969, so naturally, he eventually wound up in Vietnam where, on his very first duty shift, the unthinkable happened. Part 1 of 3. (9:27)