Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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John Brusa

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

John Brusa was with the advance team that deployed early to Afghanistan. They wound up doing temporary small unit assignments in various places. The first mission was to relieve a beat up National Guard unit who were glad to see the Airborne guys come in. It was there that they met a gung ho Afghan National Police commander who was a little too gung ho for his own good. (5:09)
John Brusa was told to just pack ammo and water. They were going to provide security for a body recovery mission at a remote river. After several days of a nearly constant firefight, the Taliban backed off. The mission dragged on and on, however, until food became a serious issue. (8:56)
For the combatants on the ground, the sounds of the US air support could be terrifying. For John Brusa, the scariest sound was from the A-10 Warthogs. It reverberated around the Afghan mountains producing an eerie wail. (2:37)
It was winter when John Brusa's unit arrived in the Arghandab Valley in Afghanistan. The fighting season wouldn't start until spring, which gave them a chance to get to know their area of operation. (6:35)
Once fighting season was underway, there was contact or an IED every day. John Brusa's platoon was lucky or maybe they were making their own luck. They would move by difficult, indirect routes to stay away from the booby trapped roads and paths. (9:21)
It was like a movie. John Brusa saw his platoon leader shouting and waving but could not hear what he was saying. Finally he understood. A man had been wounded and he needed to pull him to safety. It was the most tense few minutes he would experience in Afghanistan. (Caution: strong language) (5:06)
Morale was not good at the end of that deployment. It was time to leave but John Brusa's unit was given one more assignment. They had to go support another company that was even more beat up than they were. Finally the time came and then the question. Do I want to reenlist? (6:07)
Good leadership means a lot and John Brusa gives a shout out to several leaders who had a big influence on him. And what was his biggest leadership challenge once he was promoted? (6:23)
John Buchanan

WWII | 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division

During an attempt to take over two gun emplacements, John Buchanan recalls a shocking sight when one of the emplacements next to Ernest Byrd was hit by a German artillery shell. (4:34)
Just before shipping out to fight on the front lines during World War II, John Buchanan remembers receiving good news from a fortune teller; however, his best friend and fellow soldier receives a terrible omen. (2:16)