Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Barry Purnell

Vietnam | 121st Aviation Company, 13th Combat Aviation Battalion, 164th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade

His daily life included letters written home like most soldiers, but helicopter gunship pilot Barry Purnell was able to keep a stereo in his quarters and cook food he acquired from various sources. The life of an aviator has it's advantages. When he was really lucky, he got to eat Navy chow. (2:56)
He never took R&R while he was in Vietnam and he kept busy flying right up until he rotated home. Barry Purnell explains his logic and then he reveals an odd request he made of his father to prepare his homecoming. He brought home no demons from the war, but he did share in the ill treatment by an ungrateful public. (4:06)
Bart Cole

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) | Multiple Units

Bart Cole was in the fourth grade when he wrote to the Marines and asked to join. He was a little premature, but during his senior year, he enlisted after a disappointing spring break. (4:58)
Bart Cole felt he was lucky to be doing his Marine basic training on the West Coast. He thought it compared favorably to wrestling, football and farm work and it didn't faze him a bit. He was impressed by the kind words for his family from the DI and that became a foundation for him. (Caution: coarse language.) (6:42)
His first deployments took him to Egypt and up and down the US west coast. Then Marine Bart Cole undertook some training in special ops and at the thoroughly enjoyable Coronado boat school. (6:50)
When he shipped out in 2001 with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Bart Cole got to visit some interesting places. Thailand was the hands down favorite. Back in Hawaii, a special cruise with family members was loaded up and got under way and it was during this excursion that Sep.11 dawned at sea. (7:45)
He was at sea when the 9/11 attacks occurred, then he was locked down at Camp Pendleton. Finally, Marine Bart Cole was given leave at home. Everybody knew there would be some action soon, and a deployment to Afghanistan was scheduled and then cancelled. Disenchanted, he left the Corps and went to college, but he felt left out. (8:55)
Marine Reservist Bart Cole was called up and deployed to Iraq. After an uncomfortable stay in the deep desert, his unit was tasked with security around the Abu Ghraib prison complex. He found out why Marines were sent there, because they weren't Army. The Army ran the prison and was dealing with the abuse scandal, which caused a torrent of outrage. (6:55)
He'd been in the Corps for quite a while, but Bart Cole had not yet seen any combat. That all changed on a highway in Iraq as he and eight fellow Marines were returning from a supply run. They drove up on a MP Humvee which was under an all-out assault by insurgents. He jumped from his vehicle and joined the fray. Part 1 of 3. (7:50)
Bart Cole had stumbled upon some American soldiers in the process of being ambushed by Iraqi insurgents. He jumped up on their 50 cal and began firing at two Iraqi positions. He and his fellow Marines broke up the attack, which was short but intense, especially because it was his first firefight. Part 2 of 3. (8:31)