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Frank Walden

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Frank Walden has been back to Omaha Beach twice. The first time, traveling on his own, he almost didn't get there. The second time was the 50th Anniversary and he secured seating right up front at the ceremony. He insisted that the tour bus stop at a German military cemetery. After all, those boys were the same age as ours. (5:09)

Franklin Mendez

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Growing up in Texas in a military extended family, Franklin Mendez found himself enlisting in the Marine Corps when he was 18. Training at Fort Pendleton was a good experience for him, where he learned all the intricacies of AMTRAC operation. (8:59)

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After being sent to Okinawa, Franklin Mendez found it strange that he and his battalion were never prepared for the war that would follow their time there. Once arriving to Vietnam, they had to adapt to the new circumstances, for better or for worse. (4:24)

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Early Christmas morning, Franklin Mendez and his battalion loaded up to head to sea from Okinawa. Seeing the size of the Navy fleet he was in, he started to realize that it wasn't just a training exercise and that they were heading somewhere with a purpose. (4:27)

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Moving inland, Franklin Mendez and his battalion are clearing perimeter as they go. Trying to pass the time, he spotted something peculiar going on in a village down the hill. While in a hostile fire zone, they were left without their rifles and had to depend on luck to get through the situation. (7:17)

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Spending more time inland, Franklin Mendez and his battalion were needed at a village nearby. Pulling up, they had the dicey task of picking up two KIAs amid hostile fire. (8:09)

Franklin Monroe

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Franklin Monroe enlisted in the Army to get ahead of the draft and maybe get into a non-combatant job. It worked, but when he got to Germany, they didn't need any clerks. Would he like to train as a medic? (7:20)

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During his first tour of Vietnam, medic Franklin Monroe was happy to be issued a .45 because it could get pretty dangerous when the compound was attacked. Eventually he sought out some heavier weaponry. He recalls those firefights and also the traumatic time a soldier stepped on a mine. (6:35)

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He was lucky to get a job with an office during his second Vietnam tour, managing a platoon of medics. Then when the war was being turned over to the Vietnamese, Franklin Monroe began medical missions in the streets and started organizing escape for refugees. (5:06)

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When he returned from Vietnam, Franklin Monroe was haunted by the memory of all the refugees crowded outside the compound walls. They all wanted to leave for America with him, but there was only so much he could do. (2:33)