Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

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18 Year Old Medic in Vietnam: Lawrence Araujo Sep 19, 2024

Show notes

Lawrence Araujo served in Vietnam as an Army Medic. He arrived in Vietnam three weeks after the 1968 Tet Offensive, and spent a year with the infantry as a medic. He then decided to extend his tour, and chose to work in the emergency room at the 93rd Evac Hospital in Long Bhin.

Editor’s Note: Araujo’s rank at the time of his retirement is unknown.

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Pathfinder On D-Day: Pfc. Robert Earl Sechrist Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Private First Class Robert Earl Sechrist served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and pathfinder during World War II. As a Pathfinder, Secrist was one of the first men to parachute into France before the invasion of Normandy, tasked with guiding other Paratroopers to their landing zone.

As he landed in France, Sechrist’s parachute got stuck in a hedgerow, and he immediately started taking fire from the Germans.

Editor’s Note: It’s unknown what rank Sechrist reached by retirement. All we know is that he was a Private First Class when he jumped into France on D-Day.

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Operation Ivory Coast: MAJ George Petrie Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

Major George Petrie served in the U.S. Army Special Forces in Vietnam. He was a member of MACV-SOG, and was the first soldier to hit the ground during the Son Tay Raid.

MACV or “Military Assistance Command, Vietnam”, was a highly classified, multi-service special operations unit consisting in part of US Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and CIA personnel in Vietnam. SOG, or “Studies and Observations Group”, was a subcomponent of MACV that provided on the ground intelligence to and conducted operations, including reconnaissance missions, evacuations, prisoner captures, and much more from control sites across Vietnam.

In this interview, Petrie recounts Operation Ivory Coast (Son Tay Raid), a significant POW rescue operation.

Petrie also served in Panama and the Dominican Republic.

You can read more about Petrie here.

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Stories From the Aid Tent: SGM Ben Hasley Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

Sergeant Major Ben Hasley served in Korea and Vietnam as a medic. In this interview he tells the stories of his service in combat and in the aid tent.

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Hostage Rescue in the Philippines: CPT Gene Yu Aug 22, 2024

Show notes

Captain Gene Yu is a West Point graduate and served in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He was initially kicked out of SERE school for breaking protocol and ordering pizza during a training exercise- a story that garnered a lot of attention within the special forces community.

Yu was eventually permitted to finish his training, and he deployed to Korea, Japan, Iraq, and the Philippines in the 2000s. He also played a key role in planning Operation Ultimatum, an attempt to capture or kill top Abu Sayyaf operatives.

In 2013, a family friend of Yu’s named Evelyn Chang was kidnapped and held for ransom in the Philippines by Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group. Evelyn’s husband was killed in the ambush. Despite having separated from the military, Yu utilized his special forces skills, connections, and familiarity with Abu Sayyaf to rescue Evelyn. Thanks to his efforts, a group of 80 Abu Sayyaf terrorists, including three leaders, were taken out.

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The Battle of Makin: LtCol Howard Stidham Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

Lieutenant Colonel Howard Stidam served in World War II with the Marine Raiders, a special ops force that specialized in amphibious guerilla warfare.

In this interview, he recounts The Battle of Makin, the Long Patrol in Guadalcanal, and the Bougainville Campaign.

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Class Anchorman to Commander: CDR Bobby Reshad Jones Aug 06, 2024

Show notes

Commander Bobby Reshad Jones served in the US Navy from 2001 to 2023. He attended the United State Naval Academy, where he played football, and graduated last in his class, making him the “Anchorman” per USNA tradition.

After shaking President George W. Bush’s hand at graduation, CDR Jones was so elated about successfully graduating that he hugged the president and accidentally lifted him into the air. Jones had this to say about the experience:

“When my name was announced, I lost my mind because I had to work very hard to get back on track to graduate on time. I was just done playing football, didn't realize how light the President was, gave him a hug, didn't realize I had picked him up. The Secret Service was like, ‘What is he doing?’ I put him down and the President said, ‘Man, you're happy.’ I go, ‘Yes, sir, I am.’ I'll never forget what he said to me. He goes, ‘Look, man, no one cares about where you graduated.’ He goes, ‘I made C's at Yale and I'm President of the United States.’ So I was like, ‘That's a valid point.’”

Photos of that moment went on to make headlines.

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The Fires of Pearl Harbor: MM2c Martin Shew Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

Machinist Mate 2nd Class Martin Shew served on the USS Arizona, a battleship that suffered insurmountable damage during the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Shew was on his way back to the Arizona when the attack began. Before he could reach the ship, a Japanese bomb detonated the ship’s magazines, causing a massive explosion on board and dealing significant damage. If Shew had been at his post at the time of the explosion, he would have been killed.

Seeing that the Arizona was unsalvageable, Shrew was enlisted to help fight fires along the shore for two hours. After that, he helped carry the dead and dying to a mess hall that was being used as an emergency hospital.

Editor’s Note: Shew was a Machinist Mate 2nd Class at the time of the attack. It is unclear what rank he had reached by retirement.

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Fighting in the Solomon Islands: Capt Frank Guidone Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Captain Frank Guidone served in World War II with the Marine Raiders, a special ops force that specialized in amphibious guerilla warfare.

In this interview, he recounts his service in the Solomon islands, including the Battle of Edson’s Ridge, the New Georgia campaign, and the Matanikau Offensive.

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Escaping the USS Arizona: GM3 Donald Gay Stratton Jul 18, 2024

Show notes

Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class Petty Officer Donald Gay Stratton was on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He directed four 5-inch guns before an armor-piercing bomb hit the ship, sending up a 600 ft wall of flame. Stratton suffered burns on nearly 60% of his body. “The skin on our arms just came off like big socks,” he recalls.

After an escape into the water couldn’t be found, crew from another vessel tossed a rope to Stratton and his allies. They tied it to their ship and for 60ft, swung hand-over-hand to reach safety.

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