Episodes

  • Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Fighting on Iwo Jima

    Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Fighting on Iwo Jima
    Nov 20 2024
    Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.

    A few weeks ago, we shared Wright's story of landing on Guam, fighting off Japanese Banzai charges, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. He described how he was stabbed by a bayonet multiple times and not only lived to tell about it, but kept fighting until Guam was secure.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles, Wright tells us his story of service at Iwo Jima. He explains the grim reason why his Marine unit arrived a day late on Iwo Jima and being knocked unconscious from shrapnel hitting him in the head. He also details what it was like to see the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi and the fighting the Japanese at Hill 382 until he had to evacuate because of serious wounds.
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    34 mins
  • Y3C Lee Broussard, U.S. Navy, World War II, Witness to Japanese Surrrender

    Y3C Lee Broussard, U.S. Navy, World War II, Witness to Japanese Surrrender
    Nov 13 2024
    Lee Brousard enlisted in the Navy with the intention of joining the Naval Air Corps. But as he was traveling to Florida for flight training, the Navy changed those plans and sent him to San Diego for naval training. After completing basic training, Broussard then finished at the top of his class at Pacific Fleet School at Pearl Harbor. That led to him joining the staff and ship of Adm. William "Bull" Halsey, Jr. in 1944.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Broussard tells us about Halsey as a commander, surviving a vicious typhoon near the Philippines, relentlessly shelling Okinawa and the Japanese mainland, and dealing with a kamikaze attack.

    Primarily serving aboard the battleships USS New Jersey and USS Missouri, Broussard shares his vivid memories of witnessing the formal Japanese surrender to Gen. Douglas MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
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    27 mins
  • Sgt. Mike Ergo, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah

    Sgt. Mike Ergo, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah
    Nov 6 2024
    Mike Ergo originally joined the U.S. Marine Corps to play his saxophone in the Marine Corps band. But a short time after joining the Corps in 2001, Ergo changed his mind and asked to be transferred to the infantry. Soon, the U.S. was at war in both Afghanistan and Iraq. After an uneventful first deployment to Iraq, Ergo returned in the summer of 2004 with A Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. A few months later, they were engaged in the vicious Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December of 2004.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ergo describes preparing to fight in Iraq, learning his company would be part of the fight for Fallujah, and what it's like to get the signal that you'e headed into battle.

    Ergo also tells us about the intial successes of the Marines and how the insurgent resistance quickly fell into place. He also gives us great detail about the house-to-house fighting that characterized so much of the fighting in Fallujah.

    He also shares the pain of losing close friends at different points in the battle and how resigning himself to the belief that he would be killed was actually freeing for him.

    Finally, Ergo details how the fighting in Iraq stayed with him for years after the war, how he moved on, and how he is now helping other veterans.
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    55 mins
  • Col. Aaron Cunningham, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah

    Col. Aaron Cunningham, USMC, Iraq, Battle of Fallujah
    Oct 30 2024
    Aaron Cunningham started thinking seriously about military service after watching Operation Desert Storm unfold in 1991, the year he graduated from high school. He began college without being sure of military service. Now, Col. Cunningham is retired after 29 years of service. But the service that he is most proud of is serving as commander of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, which included the Second Battle of Fallujah in November and December 2004.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Cunningham explains the various reasons he chose the Marines, how 9/11 changed the trajectory of his service, and how he trained Alpha Company for combat in Iraq.

    He explains his responsibility for nearly 200 Marines and what was going through his mind on the eve of the battle. Then, Cunningham walks us through Alpha Company's entrance into the battle, the initial successes, and the enemy resistance which quickly emerged.

    He also describes the house-to-house fighting, how he decentralized decision-making to platoon, squad, and team leaders, and his calmness under fire. He also describes the devastating losses of Lt. Dan Malcom and Lance Corporal Bradley Faircloth over the course of the battle.

    Don't miss this powerful story of service as we approach the 20th anniversary of the fight for Fallujah.
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    52 mins
  • Cpl Kenneth Wells, USMC, World War II, Okinawa

    Cpl Kenneth Wells, USMC, World War II, Okinawa
    Oct 23 2024
    Kenneth Wells was planning to join the U.S. Navy in World War II but the U.S. Marine Corps recruiter at the office told him he was joining the Marines instead. And so he did. His background as an athlete and working on the family farm helped Wells do well in boot camp. Soon he would be halfway around the world, fighting in some of the toughest combat in World War II on the island of Okinawa.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Wells explains how he did not end up getting deployed with his original unit - a confusing moment that he is now convinced saved his life. He also describes going ashore at Okinawa and finding no initial opposition, fighting a Japanese enemy he could not see, and how the Marines were able to get the upper hand. He also tells us about other enemies, namely fleas and the incessant rain.

    Mr. Wells gives us a lot of detail about combat on Okinawa, the vicious fighting on Sugarloaf Hill, losing a close friend during that fight, and how he was wounded and removed from the fight more than two months after it started.
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    49 mins
  • Capt. Vincent 'Bill' Purple, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II

    Capt. Vincent 'Bill' Purple, U.S. Army Air Corps, World War II
    Oct 16 2024
    Vincent "Bill" Purple joined the U.S. Army Air Corps following the Japense attack on Pearl Harbor. Like most young men interested in joining the Air Corps, he wanted to be a fighter pilot. But the Army had different plans. Soon Purple was training on multi-engine planes in preparation for being a B-17 Bomber pilot. He was deployed to England as part of the 379th bomb group inside the Mighty Eighth Air Force and flew 35 missions.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Purple takes us along on a typical mission - from briefing to takeoff to dropping the bombs on Nazi targets in France and Germany. He also explains what it was like flying through intense enemy anti-aircraft fire, also known as flak.

    Mr. Purple also gives us great detail on several of his most harrowing missions, including the time his engine caught fire and he thought he would be "blown out of the sky" to taking off in heavy fog with no visibility, to being struck in the chest with shrapnel as he flew.
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    39 mins
  • Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Hand-to-Hand Fighting on Guam

    Cpl Frank Wright, USMC, World War II, Hand-to-Hand Fighting on Guam
    Oct 9 2024
    Frank Wright joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, when he was just 16 years old. Before long, he became one of the famed Marine Raiders. After deploying first to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Wright contracted malaria and had to spend time recovering. After that, he was part of Marine landings on many different islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Guam, and Iwo Jima.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Wright shares his story of landing on Guam, fighting off Japanese Banzai charges, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat that would very likely be a fight to the death. Wright also takes us moment-by-moment through a hand-to-hand fight where he was stabbed by a bayonet and not only lived to tell about it, but kept fighting until Guam was secure.

    In a future episode, we will bring you Frank Wright's story of service on Iwo Jima.
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    27 mins
  • Maj. Gen. Clayton Hutmacher, U.S. Army, USMC, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan

    Maj. Gen. Clayton Hutmacher, U.S. Army, USMC, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan
    Oct 2 2024
    Clayton Hutmacher enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1978. Six years later he jumped at the chance to go to Army flight school and pursue a career in special operations. He would later see action in Panama, Desert Storm, and in both Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.

    In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Maj. Gen. Hutmacher shares his story of service, including what was required to become a special operations aviator and what his service entailed in Operation Just Cause in Panama. Months later, he was in the Saudi Arabian desert as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Hutmacher shares the details of his missions against critical targets in northern Iraq and why the combat was much more intense there than in Panama.

    He also tells us about his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, how the theaters of operation were very different from one another, and why Iraq provided the most intense combat of his career.

    Gen. Hutmacher also reveals how he kept in touch with the concerns of enlisted personnel as he rose up the chain of command and the challenges he faced as Director of Operations at U.S. Special Operations Command.

    Finally, he tells about his work now at the Special Operations Warrior Foundation serving the children of fallen special operators and others.
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    59 mins