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Joe Collie

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Before going overseas to Europe, Collie was given training for weapons such as machine guns and mortars. From there, he crossed the Atlantic on the USS George Washington and wound up in Marseille, France. Very quickly he was thrown into his first combat experience and it wasn't long after that his division had its first casualty. (This interview made possible with the support of MS. KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.) (6:36)

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After a few combat experiences, the 100th Infantry Division was instructed to march on to take more towns and cities in France. At this point, Collie was one of many scouts given instruction every day by his platoon leader. Eventually, they found themselves in Mouterhouse, France where they were met with random mortar fire from the Germans stationed not too far from them. (This interview made possible with the support of MS. KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.) (8:03)

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It took a valiant amount of effort, but Collie's division had finally wound up at the end of the Vosges Mountains. From there, they were instructed to march on to the citadel of Bitche and take it for the Americans. Along the way there, they managed to capture a good amount of soldiers from the German side and make them prisoners of war. Collie remembers a few of the interactions he had with them. (This interview made possible with the support of MS. KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.) (6:43)

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After their long and rather snowy journey toward Bitche, Collie and the rest of the 100th Division managed to successfully take the entire city over. It was during this time that a friend from another platoon named John Bacos had been hit by a sniper, but luckily survived to tell the tale. From there it was their job to cross the Rhine River. Along the way, Lieutenant Gerald James received help from an unlikely ally to help destroy a German gun emplacement. (This interview made possible with the support of MS. KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.) (6:35)

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Just around the time of the end of the war, Joe Collie was promoted to squad leader. After the war was finally over and the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, Collie was sent to join the military police still in Europe. His job there was pretty tame compared to combat, and the worst thing that happened while he was on duty was someone stealing General Withers A. Burress' jeep. Because of his time in combat, he was given a bronze star. (This interview made possible with the support of MS. KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.) (7:09)

Joe Diomede

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Joe Diomede was one of five boys growing up in New Jersey in what was a pretty rowdy home. One of his brothers was serious about becoming a special forces member but it wasn't on Joe's radar. After 9/11 he was angry, like everyone else, but the memory had faded somewhat by the time he graduated high school. (3:24)

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After a less than stellar start to college, Joe Diomede ran into a Marine recruiter at a shopping mall and struck up a conversation. He was ripe for the picking. When he told his parents he'd enlisted, his dad had a little surprise for him. (5:19)

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After his train up, Joe Diomede's motor transport outfit joined the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit on a cruise. He spent a lot of time fighting rust on his trucks down in the hold but he had time to visit a lot of interesting ports of call and he got to meet a SEAL team celebrating a successful mission. (Caution: strong language.) (3:52)

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When he was the training NCO for his unit, Joe Diomede was proud of helping guys get their deserved promotions. The most memorable guy in his unit was Doc Curry, the Corpsman, who seemed to know everything and jumped right in to help with any task. (3:45)

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When Joe Diomede got to Afghanistan, he thought he had landed back in Twentynine Palms. His anxiety level started to creep upward when he saw gun emplacements but he knew he was well trained and ready for anything. He was a "Motor T" Marine who was there to run convoys so, naturally, his first action involved an IED. (4:25)