Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Mike Barno

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) | 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

Mike Barno explains why it may not be a great idea to take a free phone from a CIA guy. Another incident with a care package full of soap caused him to take some flack from the other guys. (5:10)
Mike Barno noticed there was suddenly a SEAL unit on the base near the Pakistan border. Then there was an order that everyone had to wear body armor all day. Something big was going on, something that would bring some closure to the 9/11 attacks. (2:45)
In the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, small arms fire from above was a big problem. Army dentist Mike Barno remembers a visit to a Forward Operating Base (FOB) during which his assistant had to dodge that fire. (2:17)
When he got his orders to go home, Mike Barno started a game of hurry-up-and-wait. When he finally got to Hawaii, he was surprised to find a noisy 2 AM escort for the buses. (4:45)
He left the Army Dental Corps and settled into private practice, but Mike Barno was having trouble due to his vivid memories of treating casualties in Afghanistan. The VA has helped him a lot, as did the blog he posted while he was in country. (5:11)
Mike Carey

Vietnam | 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment

His father was a Navy lifer but the Navy wanted a four year enlistment so Mike Carey went with the Marines. It would be the best training for Vietnam and he knew that's where he would be going. He had a specialist MOS but when he got there, he was just another grunt. (6:57)
After a short survival and orientation course, Mike Carey was on his way to Vietnam. All his romantic notions about war from all those war movies were immediately gone when he found out what his first assignment was. Eventually he made it to the field where he wasted no time in becoming a target. (6:11)
Mike Carey had just arrived in Vietnam and on his first patrol, the platoon leader told him to take the point. Why would he do that? He got through the patrol and it was the start of "paying his dues." Two other Marines joined the unit at the same time and they became a close knit group. (2:54)
On Hill 214, a new fire base took shape as the Marines cleared off the hilltop and brought in artillery. Mike Carey recalls that it was very thick jungle there but in the middle of it they found an NVA supply trail. They also found malaria. (6:56)
Mines and booby traps can be devastating and not just because of the carnage. It was depressing to Mike Carey because there was no opportunity for payback. There was no one around to go after. He describes one that gave him a Purple Heart and took out his platoon leader. (4:12)