Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

SEARCH RESULTS

my selections

10,684
Videos
49
Photos
148
Docs

Search Again

advanced search

John Brusa

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

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)
John Buchanan recalls his first night on the front lines in Belgium during World War II. (2:14)
After crossing the Rhine River, John Buchanan recalls a "nasty" firefight his platoon got into while trying to take over a pair of gun emplacements near Duisberg, Germany, where they, including Bill Friendshuh, nearly became cornered by German troops. (9:45)