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Harvey Sorensen

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The popular film "Casablanca" introduced many men to a city across the Atlantic Ocean, but as Sorensen found out before the invasion of Normandy, the movies aren’t always accurate. (5:43)

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While participating in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, Sorensen recalls the mass destruction on the beaches. Several men carried radios with which to communicate back to the ship to acquire targets, but that plan quickly failed. Sorensen searched out and destroyed several different targets on the beach from the ship, but in a couple of instances, he needed some help. (5:19)

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About 5 days into a 40 day assignment in the North Atlantic, Sorensen received a message in the middle of the night notifying him that he was to pick up some passengers from England at 8 AM. Upon arriving in England, the passengers were much higher profile than he could have ever expected. (7:36)

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While in the Pacific, an unofficial cease fire had been rendered between Japan and the United States. Sorensen and his men were part of the first group of ships to dock at a Japanese harbor, and Sorensen claims to be the first American to voluntarily set foot on Japanese soil. (7:13)

Harvey Taylor

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After joining the military and being sent to Paris Island for basic, Harvey Taylor and his battalion went across the Pacific to Okinawa. At the Gulf of Tonkan, they fought in the first battle of the war. Here, he faced his first real experience with mass casualties, as they disposed of the enemy bodies. (5:18)

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Stationed in Chu Lai, Harvey Taylor and his battalion started to go on more missions in the jungle. Learning about the abuses of the Viet Cong, he kept his wits about him whenever they were out on patrol. (8:22)

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During an operation they call Harvest Moon, Harvey Taylor and his battalion swept villages all around Chu Lai. Luckily, they had intel that kept them safe against the VC. During these village sweeps, they learned of some of the cruelest tactics that the VC employed to get what they wanted. (8:43)

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While on leave in Quantico, Virginia, Harvey Taylor decided not to re-enlist and go back to Vietnam. When he returned home, he realized that there was a lot of disrespect for Vietnam vets back in the States. Over time, he realized that he had a lot of things repressed from the war. (6:47)

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Harvey Taylor remembers having to take extra precautions when riding in helicopters to avoid being shot from below. As his fellow soldiers were killed and new men were substituted in, it became hard as camaraderie and predictability became lost. He sees a lot of parallels between what the U.S. did in Vietnam and what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan today. (4:50)

Harville Shepard

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Harville Shepard recalls a memorable July 4th artillery barrage against German troops in France in 1944. (2:16)