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John Christeson

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John Christeson was not a fan of the captain who was killed in the big ambush, but he died attacking into it just like you're trained to do. That incident and the killing of the Blackwater contractors signaled the beginning of the siege of Fallujah. (Caution: strong language) (7:23)

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His last deployment was a lengthy MEU float with many fun ports of call mixed with some serious operations in Egypt and Iraq. Then John Christeson was faced with whether or not to reenlist. They were making it easy for him to decide. (5:39)

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After he left the Marine Corps, John Christeson wasted no time. He did a little security contracting and finished college and then considered applying to the Marine officer program. He needed a hard-to-get waiver to do that. (4:03)

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Hollywood has not been kind to Recon Marines, often casting them as villains. That doesn't matter to John Christeson who was one himself. You need a little of the crazy killer in you to do that job. He is grateful for the opportunity, twenty years later, to get together with with those crazy guys once again. (5:43)

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It takes a lot of heart to become a Marine but it takes even more to become a Reconnaissance Marine. To endure the rigorous physical and mental challenges means you are one of the elite. This group of Recon Marines shares their personal stories of joining the Corps and how they came to Recon during a pivotal time in history. Part 1 of 3. (Caution: strong language) (23:20)

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As Operation Iraqi Freedom unfolded, the mission of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion was to draw out Saddam's forces and engage them while larger bodies of troops moved on Baghdad. With one Recon platoon, a journalist was embedded who turned their story into a series of articles, a book and an award winning Hollywood production named Generation Kill. Part 2 of 3. (Caution: strong language) (25:06)

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They thought it was over. In 2003 the men of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion stormed into Iraq during the initial assault. They returned home triumphant, mission accomplished. But then the word came that there would be an emergency redeployment. Saddam may be gone but the job was not finished and they were going to Fallujah. Part 3 of 3. (Caution: strong language) (32:56)

John Craven

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When he got to Vietnam, John Craven's buddies were sent south to different units and he was sent north to the 101st Airborne. "I ain't jumping out of no airplane," was his response, but in Vietnam, airborne meant air mobile, deploying by helicopter. After a while, he got the urge to ask to be assigned as a radio operator. (5:24)

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John Craven describes the life of an infantry soldier in Vietnam, the food, the rain, the booby traps and the enemies they faced while in the field almost constantly. The villagers were glad to see the American soldiers, he says, but you always had to be on your guard because any one of them could be Viet Cong. (5:14)

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Many deaths in Vietnam were accidents, reports radio operator John Craven, who remembers one grisly incident involving a soldier walking into a helicopter blade. The young age of the troops had a lot to do with it, he says. His radio job started out well, but then he realized how much weight he would have to carry in the field. (4:23)