Stay ConnectedVeterans Chronicles brings America’s military heroes to life through raw, first-person stories. Veterans recount the battles and moments that shaped their lives, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Powerful, personal, and deeply human, Veterans Chronicles preserves history one voice at a time.
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Jack Ensch served three years in the U.S. Army but would spend decades as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy. As a "backseater" in an F-4, Ensch served four tours in Vietnam but he will forever be linked to two major events in 1972.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Ensch walks us through the dramatic May 1972 mission in which he and his pilot successfully shot down two Soviet MiGs. He also details being shot down three months later, being taken prisoner, and suffering unimaginable torture at the hands of his enemies. He also explains how the other prisoners in the Hanoi Hilton sustained him during the darkest moments of captivity and how that awful experience impacted the rest of his career.
Harry Isabel, Jr. was 16 years old when when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, By mid-1944, he was trained and on a ship to fight in the Pacific theater of World War II. He did not know it at the time, but Isabel and his unit, the "Fighting 69th," were on their way to the Battle of Saipan.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Isabel walks us through the many challenges of the amphibious landing on Saipan and what he saw when he finally got to the beach. He also describes an early close encounter with a Japanese soldier and how he responded. And Isabel explains what he saw and did following a vicious mortar attack against his position - actions that would result in him receiving the Bronze Star.
David Yorck was born in Germany during World War II and came to the United States in 1950. After joining the U.S. Marine Corps, he was immediately sent to Vietnam for the first of multiple tours. He would serve there as a platoon commander, company commander, and in an intelligence role.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Col. Yorck walks us through the horrors of combat, his frustrations with the system, and how his role changed with greater responsibility. He also tells us about the Marine who helped him most in Vietnam and remains his best friend to this day and takes inside Operation Phoenix, a mission to identify and root out communists in South Vietnam.
Finally, Col. Yorck discusses his extensive work with the Military Officers Association of America, an organization he has served faithfully for decades.
Edward Byers became fascinated with the military - and Navy SEALs in particular - through books and movies in his younger years. He joined the U.S. Navy and, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began SEAL training. His service would then bring him face to face with our enemies on multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Byers takes us through the mentally and physically grueling experience of BUD/S training to become a SEAL and his deployments to Iraq. And Byers walks us through the harrowing and costly mission to rescue an American doctor that resulted in Byers receiving the military's highest honor.
P.J. Dahl was enthralled by flying from a young age, devouring any book he could find on the Red Baron and other early legends of the air. So when he had the opportunity to become a pilot in World War II, Dahl jumped at the chance.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Dahl takes us into his P-38 cockpit in the Pacific Theater, walks us through his multiple kills of Japanese planes, and the harrowing mission that very nearly cost him his life near the Philippines.
Ralph Goldsticker, Jr. was 20 years old when he joined the U.S. Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After trying to become a pilot, Goldsticker became a bombardier aboard a B-17 bomber and deployed to to the European theater.
In this edition, Goldsticker takes us from training to his first mission and from his assignments on D-Day to the end of the war. He also shares a remarkable story that took him to Russia and even the Middle East in the midst of the war.
Frank Pomroy and many other U.S. Marines suffered greatly at the battle of Guadalcanal - both from the conditions and from the difficult fighting against the Japanese. But more intense fighting awaited Pomroy on the island of Peleliu in 1944.
In this second part of our feature on Mr. Pomroy, he explains why he could have avoided the battle, the harrowing efforts to take Bloody Nose Ridge, staring down Japanese tanks, and more.
Frank Pomroy joined the U.S. Marine Corps and fought in two of the most critical battles in the Pacific theater of World War II. In this first of our two-part feature on Mr. Pomroy, Frank takes us inside the battle for Guadalcanal.
Pomroy describes the horrendous living and food conditions he suffered through as well as the intense fighting against the Japanese, the difficulty of getting American forces off the island, and his poignant trip back more than four decades later.
Robert Owens joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 16 by telling recruiters he was 18. Soon he would be joining the other young black men as part of the Montford Point Marines, a unit that was created after an order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt but still kept U.S. Marines segregated.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Owens discusses why he joined the Marines at such a young age, why his first day of training made him wonder if he had made a big mistake, guarding Japanese POW's on Guam after World War II, and what he sees as the legacy of the Montford Point Marines.
Oliver Nickle originally intended to join the U.S. Navy but ultimately enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17 after his parents gave their approval. He served as a weapons company man in the 5th U.S. Marine Division but perhaps his most vivid memories are of the frigid cold and snow.
After deployments to Naples and Okinawa, among others, Nickle served as operations chief of the 3rd Marine Regiment in Vietnam and also served with the joint staff in Hawaii, which he considers the most eye-opening deployment of his career.
And Nickles shares his pride in his son also serving 30 years in the Marine Corps.
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