Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Hank Cramer

Other Conflict | 1st Special Forces Group

There were two parallel conflicts in Central America while Hank Cramer was serving with Special Forces in the area. The Sandanistas were fighting the Contras in Nicaragua and Manuel Noriega was running Panama like Al Capone. (6:26)
When 9/11 happened, Hank Cramer was out of the Army because of a Reduction In Force, a RIF. A sergeant on the phone talked him out of immediately heading to Fort Lewis. He was still in the Reserve and wanted to do something. He finally got his chance as a contractor in Afghanistan. (8:38)
What is one sign of a Special Forces success? The lack of a war. If war does break out, they are likely already there. Hank Cramer's father was a member of the very first Special Forces unit and their motto was Everywhere Yet Nowhere. (5:20)
Hank Derenoff

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

Growing up, Hank Derenoff enjoyed the hunting and fishing in his native Alaska. As a kid, he dreamed of being Special Forces but the emotional upheaval of seeing 9/11 unfold on television gave him a sense of urgency. (5:02)
Hailing from Alaska, Hank Derenoff may as well have been on another planet when he arrived at Fort Benning for basic training and Airborne school. He shrugged off the heat because he was determined to succeed and he did. Then it was on to Fort Bragg where the hazing actually had a point to it. (5:46)
Hank Derenoff could never remember the names of the bases and combat outposts in Afghanistan. Not until his unit got to COP Nolan in the Arghandab Valley. They arrived during winter before the fighting season began which gave them the chance to get to know the locale and the locals. (4:59)
They thought Afghanistan was going to be warm. The 100 plus temperatures were coming, but the first night Hank Derenoff was on a night patrol, he nearly froze. His newly arrived unit was also tested in its first firefight at a so-called abandoned village. (5:30)
The trailer was jinxed. Hank Derenoff couldn't believe it. It had already hit an IED once and they wanted the unit to take it, loaded with supplies, back with them to COP Nolan. On the most dangerous highway in Afghanistan, no less. Something was bound to happen. (7:53)
Spring came, the vegetation flourished and fighting season began. Combat Outpost Nolan was being hit every day by the Taliban. In particular, Hank Derenoff remembers the 3rd and 4th of July as two days of tragedy. Part 1 of 2. (6:47)
Why would you go out on the 4th of July? Hank Derenoff was wondering that when his squad went out on patrol. They had a new guy with them and, when they stopped to rest, he sat his pack down on a pressure plate IED. Part 2 of 2. (Caution: strong language) (7:03)